West End Kid brings win streak to three in G3 Pennine Ridge

Mo Speed Racing’s West End Kid brought his win streak to three-in-a-row with a successful stakes debut in Thursday’s Grade 3, $300,000 Pennine Ridge, a 1 1/16-mile inner turf test for sophomores on Day Two of the Belmont Stakes Racing Festival at Saratoga Race Course.

Trained by Will Walden, the son of Twirling Candy graduated at second asking when adding blinkers in April at Keeneland, and aced his first test against winners last out with a 3 3/4-length optional claiming coup on May 8 at Churchill Downs. Both wins came at the Pennine Ridge distance after debuting with a fourth going one-mile in February at Gulfstream Park.

The colt has earned each of his wins with Tyler Gaffalione in the saddle, and teamed up successfully with the Eclipse Award-winning rider again on Thursday. After being fractious in the gate, West End Kid emerged among the topflight from the outermost post 9 and stuck close to the pace set by longshot Chips and Fish, who marked splits of 24.28 seconds and 49.14 over the firm footing while the field raced in orderly fashion behind him.

“Ideally, I would have liked to have a couple horses up in front of him, but we’ve been a victim of slow paces these last couple of races, but he does everything right,” Gaffalione said. “He listens to all my commands and when I ask him to run, he finds a whole ’nother gear. He just continues to impress us.” 

Gaffalione dropped his hands midway through the far turn, and West End Kid matched strides with the pacesetter as the Hall of Famer Mark Casse-trained Blinging It Back went three-wide in pursuit. The top trio reached the three-quarters call in 1:12.57, and with a brisk hand ride from Gaffalione, West End Kid kicked past the pacesetter and away from Blinging It Back, who was facing his own challenge to the inside from stablemate Blackmail.

Bottas, who steadied when running up on heels in the first turn, found his best stride in tandem with Glavine in the final sixteenth, but West End Kid was still going strong, crossing the wire 1 1/4 lengths in front in a final time of 1:40.94.

Blackmail got up for second by a half-length over Bottas, who got his nose down over Glavine for show honors. Noble Dynasty, Time for America, Blinging It Back, Asked and Answered and Fish and Chips completed the order of finish. Main track-only entrant Talk to Me Jimmy was scratched.

Walden said West End Kid continues to mature with each start.

“He was a little green when he hit the front turning for home. Past couple races, he's had a target to sweep by,” he commented. “I thought he relaxed well down the backside, considering the pace they were going. His past couple races, they went a lot quicker. I just can't speak highly enough of this horse. He's super talented.”

The win was the first in the Pennine Ridge for Gaffalione, who said West End Kid has shown promise since Day One.

"We’ve always thought very highly of this horse. The thing that I’m very impressed with is his progression throughout his racing,” Gaffalione said. “He’s starting to relax more. He’s really just developing into a racehorse. He’s got a really good turn-of-foot and honestly I don’t think we’ve really even got to the bottom of him.”

Walden, who also won his first Pennine Ridge, added West End Kid could point to the Grade 1, $750,000 Belmont Derby at nine furlongs for sophomores on July 4 here.

"It's possible for sure, but we'll let the horse tell us,” Walden said. “That has gotten us this far. He wasn't ready as a 2-year-old, so we listen to him all the way, and stay out of his way." 

Bred in Kentucky by Fred W. Hertrich, III, the $350,000 purchase at the 2025 OBS Spring Sale of 2-Year-Olds in Training is out of the Scat Daddy mare To a Friend, a half-sister to Grade 2-winner Starting Over. His stakes-placed second dam, Vanishing, is a half-sister to dual graded stakes-winning millionaire Smart Bid.

"He's tactical. He has a wicked turn of foot,” Walden said. “He's won by open lengths the last three starts. You combine a little Twirling Candy on top of Scat Daddy, and 'freaky' is what you are able to get, and I think that is what they got with him. I'm super happy for the ownership, Mo Speed. Scott Mawaka and his family are here today, and I'm happy they got to see the 'Kid' run." 

West End Kid banked $165,000 in victory while returning $4.14 on a $2 win ticket as the even-money post time favorite.

Hall of Fame jockey Javier Castellano said Blackmail, last-out winner of the Woodhaven on April 25 at Aqueduct Racetrack, ran admirably behind tepid fractions.

“Beautiful trip. There was no pace in the race. The way the track was playing to the speed, with those fractions they were really walking,” the veteran rider said. “I liked my horse the way he did it, a come-from-behind horse. We sat behind the speed, and he finished really strong, galloped out great. It was a great effort by my horse. By the time I was able to move it was too late. The winner was just galloping along on the lead.”

Casse shared the same sentiments.

“He ran great, I’m proud of him,” said Casse. “He’s getting better and better. There was no pace. They were walking but he finished strong. Javier said he galloped out really strong, so I think the future is very bright for him.”

Live racing resumes Friday at Saratoga with a stacked 14-race card featuring the Grade 1, $500,000 DraftKings Acorn in Race 10; the Grade 1, $750,000 New York in Race 11, the Grade 1, $500,000 Ogden Phipps presented by Ford in Race 12; the Grade 2, $300,000 Bed o’ Roses presented by Boldyn Networks in Race 4; and the Grade 2, $300,000 Wonder Again presented by Shift4 in Race 9. First post is 11:45 a.m. Eastern, with gates opening to the public at 10 a.m.

America’s Day at the Races presents daily coverage and analysis of the Belmont Stakes Racing Festival at Saratoga Race Course on the networks of FOX Sports. For the complete broadcast schedule, visit https://www.belmontstakes.com/event-info/tv-schedule. 

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