Texas Red set for 3-year-old debut in San Vicente at Santa Anita
Racing fans should expect to see a more powerful and mature Texas Red on Sunday in the Grade 2 San Vicente Stakes at Santa Anita Park.
That's a potentially scary though for the connections of Texas Red's seven challengers in the seven-furlong race.
Texas Red will make his first start since a runaway victory in the Sentient Jet Breeders' Cup Juvenile Stakes on Nov. 1 at Santa Anita Park. The bay colt by Afleet Aleet unleashed a visually impressive rally in the Juvenile that propeled him from 10th to first in less than a quarter of a mile.
He won the Juvenile by 6½ lengths and was a finalist for the Eclipse Award as 2014 champion 2-year-old male for trainer Keith Desormeaux, who is a part-owner of Texas Red in a group that includes Erich Brehm, Wayne Detmar, Lee Michaels and others.
Texas Red got a well-deserved break after the Juvenile and has been working steadily toward his debut with four published workouts since the start of the year. His jockey, Hall of Famer Kent Desormeaux, Keith's brother, said the time away did wonders for Texas Red.
"He's growing, getting stronger and smarter," said Kent, who was aboard for a five-furlong workout on Jan. 24. "He's maturing wisely."
Keith Desormeaux purchased Texas Red for $17,000 purchase at the 2013 Keeneland September yearling sale, one of three yearlings that he selected out of that auction for Erich Brehm and his family.
Texas Red has earned $1,192,300 with two wins, one second and one third from six career races.
Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert will send out stakes winner Lord Nelson and impressive debut winner Punctuate, a Distorted Humor colt out of New Mexico-bred star Peppers Pride, who won all 19 of her career races.
