TORONTO — By Matthew Lomon

The Muth is Loose

Not to be confused with Pittsburgh Steelers tight end Pat Freiermuth, 3-year-old colt Muth and his stellar track record are set to take on the $200,000 San Vicente Stakes (G2T) at Santa Anita on Saturday afternoon.

The Bob Baffert protégé achieved Grade 1 stakes winner status after just three starts, when he snagged last October’s running of the American Pharoah Stakes (G1) by 3 ¾ lengths over the closest challenger.

But that’s not all. Muth has yet to miss the money through his four career starts (two Grade 1 affairs and one Grade 3), never finishing lower than second.

This young superstar will be one to keep an eye on this Saturday as well as throughout the 2024 campaign.

Not Your Average Joe

Alex Achard mount Joe Shiesty will look to avenge his namesake, Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow, in this upcoming Saturday’s Turfway Prevue Stakes at none other than Turfway Park in Kentucky.

Running from post number three, the 3-year-old gelding enters the $125,000 contest on the heels of a dominant, and I can’t stress that enough, dominant 12 ¾-length victory last time out.

Like Burrow, Joe Shiesty endured a slow start to his young career, with finishes of eighth and fifth before exploding onto the scene and putting the league on notice.

It won’t be easy, especially with favorite Vote No (9-5) lurking, but Joe Shiesty at 2-1 is gunning to prove that last month’s jaw-dropping performance was no fluke.

Young Bucks

El Grande O, or “The Big O” for fans of the original triple-double king Oscar Robertson, can secure a second consecutive stakes win when he goes postward in the Jerome Stakes at Aqueduct on Saturday.

Coming off a sound 1 ¼-length victory in last October’s Sleepy Hollow, El Grande O brings an intriguing mix of fresh legs and stakes experience into the upcoming $150,000 dash. The 3-year-old colt’s previous five starts have all come at the stakes level, resulting in a 2-2-0 line.

In fact, a sixth-place finish in the $500,000 Champagne Stakes (G1) on Oct. 29 marks the only time the Linda Rice disciple has ever failed to hit the podium.

Entering at 9-5, the surging El Grande O owns a 3-3-1 line through eight career starts.

No Reminder Necessary

In case you forgot, 3-year-old colt Reminder (6-1) has landed in the money in each of his first five career starts. The Edgard Zayas mount will put that streak on the line for a chance at the top spot in Saturday’s $100,000 Dania Beach Stakes at Gulfstream.

Reminder is certainly trending in the right direction after giving 6-5 favorite and Irad Ortiz Jr. mount Noted a run for their money in last month’s Pulpit Stakes. The Florida-bred fell a neck short at 26-1, but more importantly, turned heads in the process.

He’ll be running at a comfortable distance this weekend, as three of his five runs career runs have come at the one-mile range. In those five runs, Reminder is 1-1-3.

Ferocious Fillies

A pair of up-and-coming fillies are set to go head-to-head this Sunday in the $100,000 Santa Ynez Stakes (G3) at Santa Anita.

Starting with the Tambo, the more experienced of the 3-year-old competitors, we have a horse on an upward trajectory. The Peter Euton trainee, who is coming off back-to-back seconds in the Desi Arnaz and Anoakia Stakes,’ is 1-3-0 in five career starts.

Kopion, on the other hand, won her only start back on Nov. 26 at Del Mar. Given the small sample size, a standalone 3 ¾-length score, it’s hard to measure how she stands against greater competition. However, factoring in her elite pedigree, one that’s generated over $5 million in earnings (Omaha Beach-Galloping Ami, by Victory Gallop) makes the picture much clearer.