This column highlights the performances of 3-year-old maidens who have made no more than five starts and who either sold for more than $500,000 at public auction, have siblings that are graded/group winners, or have dams that are graded/group winners. BloodHorse research shows maiden winners, in particular, who meet these criteria are more likely to go on to be graded stakes winners.
Gulfstream Park
Second to last turning for home, Nemo roared to the wire with a scintillating late burst of speed to capture his debut for owner/breeder Bob Edwards of e Five Racing Thoroughbreds.
The victory was a special one for Edwards, as the 3-year-old Into Mischief colt is the first runner from Edwards' grade 1-winning race mare New Money Honey.
Trained by Chad Brown, New Money Honey recorded the fledgling ownership operation's first grade 1 victory in the 2016 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf (G1T) at Santa Anita Park and later added the Belmont Oaks Invitational (G1T) as a 3-year-old the following year. The daughter of Medaglia d'Oro retired at the age of 4 with over $1.5 million in earnings. Bred to War Front , her first foal would unfortunately never make it to the races, dying shortly after the mare gave birth.
Nemo, bred under the banner of Edwards' Fifth Avenue Bloodstock, was born two years later.
Making his first start for trainer Saffie Joseph Jr., the betting public let Nemo go to post at 20-1 odds in a one-mile maiden special weight March 30 on the Gulfstream Park turf. Piloted by apprentice rider Micah Husbands, the colt traveled far off the pace early and swung widest of all into the stretch. Cued at the top of the lane, the bay, carrying a feather-light 111 pounds, responded with fervor, splitting horses in deep stretch for a neck score.
Nemo clocked the mile in 1:34.13 on firm turf.
New Money Honey gave birth twice since Nemo, producing a War Front colt in 2023 and a filly by Edwards' 2017 champion 2-year-old colt Good Magic in February.
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Gulfstream Park
| BloodHorse Maiden Watch | |||||||
| Notable 3-year-old maiden winners for the week of March 24-March 30 | |||||||
| Date | Track | Race | Horse | Sire | Dam | Start | Maiden Watch Eligibility Criteria |
| 3/29 | TAM | 5 | Graffiti Writer | Into Mischief | Paid Up Subscriber | 3 | Dam is a G2SW |
| 3/30 | GP | 2 | Nemo | Into Mischief | New Money Honey | 1 | Dam is a G1SW |
| 3/30 | OP | 8 | Mendela | Mendelssohn | Jenda's Agenda | 2 | Half Sibling to G3SW Just Cindy |
| 3/30 | OP | 10 | Seraphia | Gun Runner | Temptress | 5 | $1M Yearling; Half Sister to G2SW Tenfold |
