Wynstock and jockey Kyle Frey outfinish Stronghold to win Saturday’s Grade 2 Los Alamitos Futurity. Benoit Photo.
By Melissa Bauer-Herzog
Wynstock kept Solomini’s big day rolling with his second straight victory and first stakes score in Saturday’s Grade 2 Los Alamitos Futurity at Los Alamitos Race Course.
The 2-year-old son of Solomini came into the 1 1/16-mile Futurity off a 7 1/2-length maiden special weight romp in October. Sent off as the 13-1 second longest price on the board, Wynstock was hustled out of the gate by Kyle Frey and took a short lead on the field around the first turn. Wynstock opened up a length on the field up the backstretch as he galloped comfortably on the lead to register opening fractions of :23.53 and :47.90.
Frey kept his mount well in hand but the field quickly closed his margin to cause a three-way duel for the lead as the field turned into the stretch. Wynstock wasn’t willing to give up but had to dig in deep with Stronghold fighting him every step of the way.
While his other early stretch challenger had quickly given up, Stronghold wasn’t about to do the same and Wynstock’s stablemate Coach Prime was also racing up the outside for his own turn at the leader. Wynstock kept the advantage throughout and started to pull away from Stronghold near the line to win by a half-length in 1:43.53 over the fast track. Coach Prime closed too late to finish third, beaten a length.
Trained by Bob Baffert for Edward Allred and Jack Liebau, Wynstock improved to 2-for-4 and earned $120,000, boosting his bankroll to $162,740.
Bred by Empire Equines LLC, Wynstock was a $50,000 Keeneland September yearling sale purchase by Gerardo Barragan from Hidden Brook in 2022. He returned to the ring at this year’s OBS April sale and brought $700,000 from Allred and Liebau out of the Caliente Thoroughbreds consignment.
Wynstock became the third stakes winner and first graded stakes winner for McMahon of Saratoga Thoroughbreds’ freshman sire Solomini, who also scored another new stakes winner with My Shea D Lady in Saturday’s Fifth Avenue division of the New York Stallion Series Stakes at Aqueduct. Three stakes winners ties Solomini for first among all first-crop sires by stakes winners with the stallion also leading New York freshmen in multiple categories.
Wynstock is the first foal out of the placed Flatter mare Timberlea, who was purchased by McMahon and Hill Bloodstock for $10,500 at the 2020 Keeneland January horses of all ages sale before joining the New York program. She is a half-sister to Grade 3 winner and multiple Grade 2-placed Untrapped and out of a granddaughter of successful broodmare Yarn.
Yarn’s foals included champion Minardi and Grade 2 winner and successful sire Tale of the Cat with her daughters producing European and U.S. champion Johannesburg and the dam of Grade 1 winner Joking.
Timberlea produced a New York-bred Mo Town filly April 5 and returned to Solomini for her 2024 foal.
