Baby Talk Info & Intel: Churchill Downs – Race 3 – Friday, June 27, 2025
Nine fillies are set to line up to compete over six furlongs on the dirt. Four are from First-Crop sires: Essential Quality (2), Knicks Go, and Yaupon. Solid sires such as Vekoma, Hard Spun, Gun Runner, and Uncle Mo each have one entered. Only two gals have seen previous racing action. This is a terrific field and I’m anxious to lay it all out for you…
#1 Vajra (6/1) – Vekoma (28/123, 22.8%) is the sire behind this filly, and Hansen is her broodmare sire. Mom raced five times and found the Winner’s Circle one time in five tries, but that was in her second start as a baby at Ellis Park. She finished her racing career with $61,000 in earnings. She’s tossed three other foals of racing age, two of them are unraced. Today’s entrant sold as a weanling for $80,000 (3/17), but then was pinhooked back last year as a yearling and sold to GVG Genetics for $150K (21/71). Seven works at Keeneland (27 furlongs) have been this gal’s prep for today’s debut, which is directed by trainer Rudy Brisset, including one two back that covered 5/8th of a mile. Her last two half mile breezes, both from the gate, were completed in less than 48 seconds.
#2 Go to Girl (4/1) – Kenny McPeek (2/32, 6.3%) conditions this Knicks Go (0/6) filly who was thrown by a winless Quality Road mare. She’s produced one other foal of racing age, a 3YO colt that won in his second try as a juvenile at CD and has banked $151K so far. Go to Girl was sold as short yearling in Feburary 2024 for $42,000 (33/71) and then was wheeled back later in 2024 as a yearling for $130K (6/71). She’s one of the two that has previously raced. On 6/11/25, she ran a solid fourth, only about two lengths shy of the winner. McPeek gave her a half mile work on 6/21/25 to get her ready for this affair.
#5 Sina (8/1) – This homebred filly is a product of Gun Runner (19.2%) by way of an Into Mischief mare that was a terrific runner. She finished with 11 victories from 19 starts and a bankroll of north of $700K. She also found the Winner’s Circle after her first start as a baby at Evangeline Downs, and was also third in a Grade 3 event. Of the five other foals of racing age that she’s tossed, three were winners in MSW races at Delaware Park as juveys, two of them in their first out. A fourth foal won $677K, including a third place effort in a G3 race. Trainer Brett Brinkman bred today’s runner in combination with P. Dale Ladner, who now solely owns this filly. Five works (the first three at Evangeline and the most recent two at CD’s Training facility) are on her worktab (22 furlongs), and they are impressive; her last four produced bullets. Last out, on 6/11/25, she blazed a half mile in 47.2 seconds (1/21).
#8 Chopsticks (3/1) – Hometown hero Brad Cox (2/16, 12.5%) conditions the Morning Line favorite, who is one of two in this one by First-Crop sire, Essential Quality (0/2). This filly’s dam is by the late More Than Ready, and she was three for 16 on the track, including a first-out score as a 2YO at Santa Anita and also a runner-up finish in a G2 while a baby. She went on to bank $220K. In the breeding shed, she has thrown three other foals of racing age; one of those won a 2YO MSW in their third outing at Gulfstream Park. Chopsticks was sold as a yearling for $300K (13/68). Brad started her workouts at Keeneland, where she was out four times before vanning to CD for her most recent three (total of 28 furlongs). Her last two spins have been over five furlongs, and two back, on 6/13/25, she went in 59.8 seconds (4/23).
My Pick – It’s always hard for me to pick against a Gun Runner, but Vekoma is no slouch, and mama was a winner as a baby. Rudy had a winner at this level last week, and this filly has been working well, so my pick is #1 Vajra. The rail is never optimal, but I’ll put my faith in Luis and let’s see if this gal can make it to the Winner’s Circle in her debutant performance.