Intricate Spirit returns to familiar site in $150K Paradise Creek

West Point Thoroughbreds, Madaket Stables, Kenneth Beitz and Gail Beitz’s Intricate Spirit returns to the site of his lone graded score in Saturday’s $150,000 Paradise Creek, a six-furlong outer turf sprint for sophomores, at Belmont at the Big A. 

Trained by Miguel Clement, the Complexity dark bay captured the Grade 3 Futurity over course and distance in October, which granted a berth into the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint later that month at Del Mar, where he finished off-the-board to cap a promising four-start 2-year-old campaign. 

“I think he’s very versatile, so I haven’t been overly concerned with which racetrack we run him,” said Clement. “He will break and the plan is to go forward with him. That would be the only instruction on race day.”  

Intricate Spirit returned for his sophomore season as a gelding with a 1 3/4-length third as the favorite in the five-furlong Texas Glitter over the all-weather surface in March at Gulfstream Park. He exited to finish off-the-board when steadying near the five-sixteenths pole in the 5 1/2-furlong Listed Palisades last out on April 19 at Keeneland. 

“He’s doing great. I think you just draw a line through his last race. To be frank, I’m quite bullish about him,” Clement said. “We had a difference in ideologies regarding who was in charge last year, but since gelding him, we’ve come to the conclusion that he’s been much easier to deal with.” 

Intricate Spirit has made his six career starts at as many tracks, including a 5 1/2-furlong debut win in August at Saratoga Race Course ahead of a close second in a salty 6 1/2-furlong restricted allowance later that month at Kentucky Downs. 

“He’s tremendous. He’s a gorgeous looking individual,” said Clement, who will equip Intricate Spirit with blinkers. “I thought he had a very good race at Gulfstream. Utterly disappointed with his last performance at Keeneland, but I think you just draw a line through it and blame us, because I think he’ll have a strong performance here.” 

Intricate Spirit [post 3, Manny Franco, blinkers ON], a half-brother to the Clement-trained dual graded stakes-placed Spirit Prince, is out of the winning Curlin mare Dottie’s Spirit – a half-sister to Grade 3-placed Lecturing Lynn. His third dam, A Chance of Storm, is a full-sister to 1992 Grade 1 Alabama-winner November Snow.

Centurion Thoroughbred Club’s Glorious Boy [post 7, John Velazquez, blinkers OFF] cuts back in distance from a trio of stakes starts at one mile or beyond. Trained by Carlos Martin, the Independence Hall gelding began that stretch with a victory in the Listed Pulpit going one mile and seventy yards over Tapeta in November at Gulfstream. There, he crossed the wire in a dead-heat for first with returning rival Bronze Bullet, who was disqualified and placed second after coming in late and bumping Glorious Boy.  

Glorious Boy was previously second over Saturday’s course and distance in the Awad earlier that November. He exited the Pulpit to finish fifth over the Gulfstream turf in the one-mile Listed Dania Beach on New Year’s Day and the 1 1/16-mile Listed Kitten’s Joy last out on January 31. 

Glorious Boy is 7-2-1-0 with $144,990 in earnings, including a graduation over course and distance in September when adding blinkers after two off-the-board efforts on dirt at Saratoga. He was a $90,000 purchase at the 2024 Fasig-Tipton Kentucky Fall Yearling Sale and is a half-brother to stakes-winner Veaisha, out of the stakes-winning Not For Love mare Love Co. His second dam, Cozzekiki, is a half-sister to Grade 1-placed Raffie’s Majesty.

Calumet Farm’s Kentucky homebred Track Tiger [post 2, Kendrick Carmouche] is an intriguing West Coast shipper for trainer Doug O’Neill. The Sharp Azteca dark bay was a 1 1/2-length second last out in the Listed John Shear going 6 1/2 furlongs over the downhill turf course on April 18 at Santa Anita Park. 

Track Tiger, 7-2-2-0 for his career, previously landed fourth in the Baffle and wired an optional claimer over that same course and distance as the Shear in January and March, respectively. He is out of the dual stakes-placed New York-bred Stephen Got Even mare Tahoe Tigress. 

Twin Creeks Racing Stables’ Kentucky homebred Chasing Freedom [post 1, Dylan Davis] steps up in class off a fourth-out graduation sprinting 5 1/2 furlongs in February at Fair Grounds Race Course. Trainer Rob Atras sent out Twin Creeks’ 4-year-old homebred Chasing Liberty, also by Constitution, to win the Listed Jim McKay Turf Sprint on Preakness Day at Laurel Park. 

Atras’ recent turf sprinting success doesn’t end there, as he notably has the 5-year-old John the Beer Man pointed to the Grade 1 Jaipur on June 6 Belmont Stakes Day at Saratoga Race Course. Chasing Freedom, in his own right, earned a career-best 73 Beyer Speed Figure for his last-out pacesetting graduation and has raced exclusively in turf sprints, including a fourth over course and distance second-out in November. 

Chasing Freedom is out of the dual graded stakes-placed Into Mischief mare Into Mystic, who faced males in the 2020 Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint and was purchased for $485,000 by Twin Creeks at the 2021 Keeneland November Breeding Stock Sale. 

Rounding out the field are multiple stakes-placed Azizam [post 6, Javier Castellano] for trainer George Weaver; stakes-placed Twilight Delight [post 8, Jaime Rodriguez] for conditioner Daniel Leitch; a pair for trainer Jose D’Angelo in stakes-placed Bronze Bullet [post 5, Flavien Prat] and two-time winner Itza Lock [post 9, Ricardo Santana, Jr.]; and maiden-winner Capanaparo [post 4, Edgard Zayas] for trainer Rick Dutrow, Jr.

The Paradise Creek is slated as Race 7 on Saturday’s 10-race card. First post is 1:10 p.m. Eastern.

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