A stellar seven days continued for BLAME on Wednesday when Love The Nest won the Northern Lights Futurity to become his third stakes winner of the week.
The juvenile colt had broken his maiden by an impressive 8 ½ lengths last start at Canterbury Park and stretching out an extra furlong did similar with a 7 ¼ length victory in the Northern Lights Futurity.
Love the Nest quickly went for the lead in the six furlong race and had his head in front as part of a battling trio. The colt looked like he was just toying with his rivals as started to pull away in the stretch when Ry Eikleberry asked him to pick up the pace.
One rival stuck close behind him in early stretch but even that one started to fade as Love the Nest crossed the line 7 ¼ lengths in front for Lothenbach Stables.
Trained by Joel Berndt, it was the second win in three starts for the BLAME son, who was a $105,000 yearling at last year’s Keeneland September sale when purchased by Lothenbach Stables from the Vinery Stud consignment.
Bred by Peter Mattson, Love the Nest is a half-brother to stakes winner Defend The Rose with the pair out of multiple stakes winner Congrats And Roses. All three of that mare’s runners have finished fourth or better in stakes races.
Congrats And Roses is one of two stakes winners for her own stakes-placed dam and one of two stakes producers for that mare as well. Congrats And Roses’ siblings include stakes winner Somerset Swinger and the dam of stakes-placed Cosmo Dome.
BLAME has 43 yearlings cataloged for the upcoming Keeneland September Yearling Sale, starting with a half-sister to Grade 1 winner Hard Aces as Hip 248.