Kentucky Derby Maiden Watch: Treaty of Rome wins for Brown

Four-time Eclipse Award-winning trainer Chad Brown couldn’t quite snag a win in Saturday’s Remsen (G2) at Aqueduct, as the rally of his colt Aviator Gui fell short by a nose in the Road to the Kentucky Derby qualifier.

But Brown did send out a winner earlier in the afternoon. In a one-mile maiden special weight for juveniles, Brown’s second-time starter Treaty of Rome delivered victory as the favorite, launching his name into the mix as a potential 2025 Kentucky Derby (G1) candidate.

Treaty of Rome debuted on Oct. 26 in a six-furlong maiden special weight at Aqueduct. After rating in fourth position, as many as five lengths off the pace, he passed a rival to finish third behind runaway winner Rookie Card.

Having gotten some experience under his belt, Treaty of Rome improved significantly while stretching out over one mile. Showed improved early speed, Treaty of Rome pressed fractions of :23.28 and :47.06, took over through six furlongs in 1:12.61, and turned back a challenge in the homestretch to prevail by half a length in 1:37.33.

A son of champion juvenile and successful sire Uncle Mo, Treaty of Rome finished strongly on the clock, running his final two furlongs in :12.44 and :12.28. This bay colt has plenty of upside and could certainly turn up in a Road to the Kentucky Derby qualifier this winter.

Another notable weekend winner at Aqueduct was Sand Devil, a New York-bred son of CashCall Futurity (G1) conqueror Violence. The Linda Rice trainee debuted on Sunday in a six-furlong maiden special weight for New York-breds and left no doubt about his superiority.

Indeed, after settling as many as 2 1/2 lengths behind splits of :22.28 and :45.95 in third place, Sand Devil rolled past the leaders to prevail by four lengths in the solid time of 1:10.22. He clocked his final quarter-mile in a quick :24.11 per the Equibase GPS result chart and is well worth following through the winter.

Turning our attention down south, a pair of juveniles posted noteworthy maiden victories on the first Saturday of the Oaklawn Park meet. Oaklawn hosts a rich series of Road to the Kentucky Derby qualifiers each year, and it’s worth keeping a close eye on the local population of two-year-olds.

First we’ll mention Amor Patriae. The son of Munnings never factored in his debut dashing 6 1/2 furlongs at Keeneland, finishing eighth by 15 1/2 lengths. But stretching out for a one-mile maiden special weight at Oaklawn triggered a major turnaround.

Overlooked at odds of 30-1, the James DiVito trainee dropped a couple lengths off the early pace, but gradually advanced through fractions of :23.91, :49.52, and 1:15.87. Then in the homestretch, he edged away to prevail by 1 3/4 lengths in 1:42.34.

That might seem like an uninspiring time at first glance, but the Oaklawn dirt yielded very slow times throughout the Saturday card, and Amor Patriae’s race was the only route on the card. Definite conclusions about Amor Patriae’s speed and potential shouldn’t be drawn off one race over a tiring track.

Earlier on the card, the Florida-bred gelding Hola Joey graduated for trainer Gene Jacquot in a six-furlong maiden special weight. Coming off a third-place finish in his debut sprinting five furlongs at Remington Park, the son of Adios Charlie wasn’t in any hurry to get going in his second start, dropping nearly half a dozen lengths behind fractions of :22.56 and :46.98.

But despite being positioned in seventh place with a quarter-mile remaining, Hola Joey gobbled up ground to dominate by 4 1/4 lengths. His winning time of 1:13.30 was on the slow side compared to other six-furlong sprints on the card, but he ran his final furlong in :12.93 per the Equibase GPS result chart, so Hola Joey was finishing up nicely and may have upside for stretching out in distance.

Top maiden winner of the week: Treaty of Rome

Honorable mention: Sand Devil