R. Larry Johnson died in February, but his legacy as an owner and breeder continues, spotlighted by his homebred turf sprinter Future Is Now.
She won the Giant's Causeway Stakes (G3T) April 13 at Keeneland, and now she travels to Saratoga Race Course, where she leads the $200,000 Intercontinental Stakes (G2T) June 5 during the Belmont Stakes Racing Festival. Racing this 5 1/2-furlong distance on turf last year, she edged the classy Roses for Debra in the 2024 Intercontinental—one of six victories she has in 10 starts in 2024-25.
Trained by Michael Trombetta for Johnson's estate, Future Is Now is riding a three-race win streak. Besides taking the Giant's Causeway in her first start at age 5, the daughter of Great Notion also won her final two starts of 2024. Since jockey Paco Lopez began riding her last year, her lone defeat in her six most recent starts came when she was third in the Caress Stakes (G3T) at Saratoga last summer.
"She was evolving into the kind of racehorse you want to have—one that can adapt—and he seems to have hit it off good with her," Trombetta said. "They appreciate each other."
Future Is Now, 8-1-1 in 15 career starts with earnings of $748,410, scored by a nose in the Giant's Causeway after a six-month hiatus.
"That's a big ask for any horse, and for her to come through and run that hard off the bench like that—we were all in awe of her," Trombetta said. "I thought she'd run good, but for her to be pressed and then have to fight off horses that have been racing, we were over-the-top proud of her. She's been beyond fantastic."
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She has a slight margin for error in Thursday's race. Two of those close behind her in the Giant's Causeway are back in the Intercontinental: LSU Stable's runner-up Pandora's Gift and NBS Stable and Elements Racing's third-place Danse Macabre, who was beaten a length. The latter mare finished ahead of Future Is Now in the 2024 Caress.
Miguel Clement now trains Pandora's Gift and Danse Macabre following the May 25 death of trainer Christophe Clement, Miguel's father.
Hall of Fame trainer Mark Casse also has a pair of turf starters in graded stakes winner Time to Dazzle and stakes-placed Creed's Gold. Another Casse trainee, Run for the Hills, is entered to race on the main track only.
Other participants include grade 3 winner Pipsy, group 3 winner Kairyu, multiple stakes winner Twirling Queen, and stakes winner On Command.
The Intercontinental is one of four stakes on the Thursday program, carded as the seventh race at 4:02 p.m. ET.
Saratoga Race Course, Thursday, June 5, 2025, Race 7Entries: Intercontinental S. (G2T)
PP Horse Jockey Wgt Trainer M/L 1 1Pandora's Gift (IRE) Irad Ortiz, Jr. 118 Miguel Clement 3/1 2 2Future Is Now (MD) Paco Lopez 124 Michael J. Trombetta 2/1 3 3On Command (KY) Katie Davis 122 Amelia J. Green 15/1 4 4Danse Macabre (KY) Joel Rosario 118 Miguel Clement 9/2 5 5Twirling Queen (KY) Luis Saez 124 Jose Francisco D'Angelo 8/1 6 6Pipsy (IRE) Jose L. Ortiz 118 William Walden 6/1 7 7Kairyu (IRE) Flavien Prat 118 Cherie DeVaux 10/1 8 8Time to Dazzle (KY) Javier Castellano 118 Mark E. Casse 20/1 9 9Creed's Gold (KY) Dylan Davis 120 Mark E. Casse 15/1 10 10Run for the Hills (KY) Jose L. Ortiz 124 Mark E. Casse 5/2
