Blame has another name to look out for on the 3-year-old scene.
NADAL was a step slow leaving the gate in his debut on Sunday, but the son of Blame quickly rushed up to the leaders and seized command on the backstretch. From there, the bay colt dictated the pace and separated himself from the rest of the pack as the field entered the turn. Never under pressure, Nadal was merely shown the whip by apprentice jockey J.C. Diaz, Jr., and accelerated to a 3 ¾-length victory.
The Bob Baffert trainee was making his first career start, and stopped the clock at 1:15.82 on the main track at Santa Anita over the 6 ½ furlongs. Nadal’s impressive victory earned him TDN ‘Rising Star’ honors and a 98 Beyer Speed Figure, the highest Beyer posted by a three-year-old to date.
A $700,000 purchase at the Fasig-Tipton Gulfstream 2-Year-Olds in Training Sale, Nadal is out of Ascending Angel, by Pulpit, and is owned by George Bolton, Arthur Hoyeau, Barry Lipman, and Mark Mathiesen, and was bred by Sierra Farm.
Blame’s first notable winner of the weekend came on Saturday, as DONTBLAMEROCKET powered to a clear victory in the Colonel E.R. Bradely Stakes at Fair Grounds and became his sire’s newest stakes horse. The 1 1/16 test on the turf marked Dontblamerocket’s third win in a row; previously, he won a starter allowance at Kentucky Downs and Saratoga for trainer Norm Casse and rider Julien Leparoux. Dontblamerocket also scored a high Beyer figure of 98 for his effort.
Blame stands at Claiborne Farm for $35,000.