Strengths: Showed significant improvement in his fourth career start, rolling to a seven-length maiden score over a one-turn mile at Belmont. Highly regarded earlier this summer, he finished third behind top Breeders’ Cup Juvenile contenders Tale of Ekati and War Pass in consecutive maiden special weight events. The removal of blinkers with a young horse is often a sign of maturity, and perhaps it has sparked improvement in this naturally speedy and talented colt.

Weaknesses: He improved by leaps and bounds in his last start, and horses who take such a pronounced step forward often regress (“bounce”) in their follow-up outing. He has only a maiden victory to his credit, and has yet to defeat the top Juvenile contenders.

In the Genes: His multiple grade 1-winning sire Touch Gold counts the Haskell Invitational at Monmouth Park, the site of this year’s Breeders’ Cup, amongst his six victories ($1.6 million in career earnings). He’s sired nine runners with career earnings exceeding $500,000, including previous Breeders’ Cup participants Composure (second in the ’02 Juvenile Fillies) and Midas Eyes, a two-time Sprint performer (eighth in ’03 and tenth in ’04). His unraced dam, In the Limelight, has produced a couple of other nice horses, including Minister Margaret, who won 32 of 63 lifetime starts in Puerto Rico ($495,634) and the multiple stakes-winning sprinter Cash on the Run ($180,557), who won five of his six starts as a 2-year-old.

Status: Remains in training for a 2008 campaign.

Bet You Didn’t Know: Last year’s Breeders’ Cup Juvenile champion Street Sense possessed just a maiden win on his resume in advance of championship day.