Locked, once viewed as a top 2024 Kentucky Derby (G1) prospect, is on the comeback trail in a big way. The 4-year-old Gun Runner colt looms as a prime contender for Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher in the $3 million Pegasus World Cup Invitational Stakes (G1) Jan. 25 at Gulfstream Park.
Locked returned from an 11-month layoff due to a knee injury to dominate an allowance optional claiming race by 7 1/2 lengths at the Belmont at the Big A meet at Aqueduct Racetrack Oct. 19. He then stepped back into stakes company and in his first test against older horses, met that challenge. He ran down Mullikin for a 1 1/2-length score in the Dec. 7 Cigar Mile Handicap (G2) at Aqueduct. John Velazquez was aboard for those two starts.
Owned by Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners and Walmac Farm, Locked was purchased for $425,000 at the 2022 Keeneland September Yearling Sale. He made a splash in his third career start by winning the 2023 Breeders' Futurity (G1) at Keeneland and then finishing a solid third in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile (G1) at Santa Anita Park.
Hopes were high for his 3-year-old campaign before a knee injury forced Pletcher to scratch him from his planned 3-year-old debut in the 2024 Fountain of Youth Stakes (G2) at Gulfstream Park. Aron Wellman, president and founder of Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners, discusses the rollercoaster ride Locked has taken them on as part of a wide-ranging question-and-answer session conducted with Tom Pedulla of America's Best Racing.
PEDULLA: Locked created some buzz as a 2-year-old. Were you excited about him?
WELLMAN: He was one of those rare horses who, the moment you get him down to Ocala (Florida) and teach him his early lessons, he hinted that he was a pretty serious athlete. We were very, very excited about Locked from an early stage.
PEDULLA: What happened that led him to be scratched from his 3-year-old debut?
WELLMAN: He had a very rare injury to a front knee ligament. That was a testament to Todd and his team and their attention to detail. A lot of guys wouldn't have picked up on it. Thanks to modern technology and a team of vets that were on the case, we were able to detect what the injury was and we gave him the requisite time off. Ian Brennan and his team at Stonestreet Farm did a wonderful job rehabbing him.
PEDULLA: How did you handle not having the 3-year-old campaign you dreamed of?
WELLMAN: I'd be lying to you if I said it wasn't a punch to the gut. We all know how hard talent is to come by to begin with, and now we've got a supreme talent on our hands in every respect. Our team had a conviction that he would really thrive at a mile and a quarter (the Kentucky Derby distance). You can find talent, you can find speed, but to find classic profile individuals is so unique, and Locked really possessed all the ingredients to be a true classic horse.
PEDULLA: How do you help your partners deal with such disappointment?
WELLMAN: As my parents raised me in this industry, it's not a game made for men who wear short pants. Our partners at Eclipse are very well versed in that notion. We always operate that the horse comes first. As disappointing and frustrating as it was to have to take Locked off the classic trail, we knew we had to do right by him and, if we did, we would put him in position to come back and hopefully showcase himself and have that trajectory into his 4-year-old year.
PEDULLA: His comeback race must have been very encouraging.
WELLMAN: It was really exciting to see him be as brilliant as he was at seven furlongs in his comeback race off the layoff because he is a true two-turn horse. To see him run a tick off the track record set by Artax at Aqueduct many years ago going seven furlongs (1:20.04 on May 2, 1999) exhibited his sheer brilliance.
PEDULLA: Do you view the Cigar Mile as another big step forward?
WELLMAN: To win the one-turn Cigar Mile as a 3-year-old against a handful of older grade 1 winners really spoke to his elite, upper-echelon ability and class.
PEDULLA: Were you ever doubtful he would make it back?
WELLMAN: I try to do my best to operate with what I refer to as cautious optimism. Even with the most pristine and sound horses, we all know that anything can happen at any time. So, once you have a horse that has endured an injury, especially one as rare as the one Locked experienced, you kind of hold your breath all the time that you are going to be able to keep them on the straight and narrow.
PEDULLA: Although he has only made six starts with four wins and almost $1 million in earnings, what do you think of his résumé to this point?
WELLMAN: With the Cigar Mile paired with his Breeders' Futurity, it makes him a serious, serious stallion prospect and we're hoping there is more to come. But you never take it for granted. Until they are in that starting gate and they open that latch, you never take anything for granted
PEDULLA: What is your level of optimism approaching the Pegasus?
WELLMAN: I maintain that cautious optimism. He's training exceptionally well right now. Todd is very happy with him. John Velazquez worked him at Palm Beach Downs and was delighted with his performance. By all accounts, Locked is in awesome form. The key is to hope he continues to thrive between now and Pegasus Day. If he does, I think our partners are going to be in for one heck of a thrill.
PEDULLA: How does the Pegasus suit him? I would think that, ideally, you would want another furlong.
WELLMAN: It's a mile and an eighth. It's a short run to the first turn at Gulfstream. But he's proven to be so adaptable in terms of his tactics and style that, honestly, we're hoping his natural talent, quality, and class prevails. He's got the mental and physical constitution to be an elite performer, and he's proven that.
PEDULLA: Do you believe the two comeback races positioned Locked to be at his best for the Pegasus?
WELLMAN: Todd and our team have always felt that the older he gets, the more he matures, and the more distance he has, the better off he will be. He has a seven-furlong race, a mile race, and now he's going to get a mile and an eighth. With those two races under his belt, this should be prime-time Locked territory.
PEDULLA: Although he is an older rider at 53, how much of an asset is John Velazquez?
WELLMAN: Johnny has been an integral part of Eclipse's success from day one. He is the consummate professional. It's as if he is drinking from the fountain of youth because he is as good as he's always been and at the top of the rider ranks for decades. He seems to get better with age. He's not just an all-world jockey. He's an all-world person.
PEDULLA: How many horses are under the Eclipse banner, either owned solely or in partnership?
WELLMAN: Probably 150.
PEDULLA: You are in your 13th season. How many did you have when you founded Eclipse?
WELLMAN: Zero.
PEDULLA: What does such dramatic growth tell you?
WELLMAN: That the horses have been very good to us because they're our best advertisement. People interested in racehorse ownership watch the races and they see the baby blue and black Eclipse silks winning big races on Saturdays across the country.
PEDULLA: What might the schedule look like for Locked the rest of the year?
WELLMAN: The Pegasus is goal number one. We have tunnel vision on the Pegasus right now. We know what all of the options are for a horse like him moving forward. We don't want to take anything for granted. We want to see how he performs on Pegasus day. Hopefully, he performs the way we think he will. That will allow us to have options on the table. But he'll tell us after the Pegasus the right places to go.
PEDULLA: Are the $20 million Saudi Cup and the $12 million Dubai World Cup possibilities?
WELLMAN: The Middle East is out there with the big money. But, in all candor, with a horse like Locked, while I'm not downplaying the importance of the purse money, I think if he allows us to continue a campaign past the Pegasus, we'd be more likely to be interested in prestige over purse money because we do believe he has the profile and the ingredients to be a serious stallion when that time comes.
