Monday Morning Message with Jason Beem Jan. 20, 2025

A good Monday morning to you all! Hope everyone’s weekend was good. We got our first real blast of rain this season here at Tampa Bay Downs on Sunday, but we had a good run of weather so far this winter, so can’t complain. 

I often say on my show that the Lecomte S. (G3) is my unofficial start of the Road to the Kentucky Derby. Yes, I know that technically it started like four months ago, but for me, I feel like my interest and my following of the three-year-old divisions, both male and female, really start now. 

As a podcast host, I try to follow the bigger circuits as much as possible while also keeping an eye on some of the smaller tracks as well, because small track racing deserves support just as much as the big places. But that being said, for me at least, it’s so hard to keep up with all the horses and names at several spots. 

Recently there was news that Immersive was going to be sidelined until the summer. I believe the headline said “Two-year-old champion Immersive out until summer.” I saw the headline and immediately thought “who the heck is Immersive?” I realize that sounds bad, but it’s just tough to remember all the new horses each year, even if they’re undefeated Breeders’ Cup winners, oops. 

But with Disco Time’s win over Built in the slop down in New Orleans, my passengership on the Derby trail officially starts. I don’t know why this particular race has always been my starting point, but here we are. Maybe it’s from so many years of seeing the good two-year-olds come back and get beat when they turn three? Or maybe it’s just wanting more proximity to the actual Triple Crown races themselves. But I think some of it is just not wanting to get too serious about certain horses until they’re three. It’s an arbitrary starting point, but it’s what works for me. 

Like a lot of racing pundits, I think that I sometimes shortchange the three-year-old filly class because the Derby is just such a big monster when it comes to conversation. So it’s certainly worth discussing Simply Joking’s win in the Silverbulletday S. as well as the gate-to-wire score for Running Away in the Busanda S. at Aqueduct. 

Simply Joking is now a perfect 2-for-2 in stakes races to start her career, and her Silverbulletday win was very solid. She certainly looked like one of the best horses coming into the race, and when the best horse gets the best trip, it’s usually curtains. 

There was some discussion after the race about whether or not her erratic shifting in and out and changing leads was due to the whip or her being tired, and I think it’s probably a bit of both. It was also just her second career start. Usually inexperienced horses don’t run in perfect straight lines. Heck, many experienced horses don’t. So I don’t think it’s something to get too worried about this early for her connections or backers. 

As far as Running Away in the Busanda, it was a very facile win going gate to wire on a day in New York where it was good to be up on the lead. But she’s done nothing wrong since switching to the main track, but I certainly wonder what will happen if she gets hooked early in a race or has to come from off the pace. That’s why we have this trail, to answer questions! 

Everyone have a great holiday today and enjoy the week!