Closing out a successful 2025 Saratoga meet is the Grade I Hopeful Stakes exclusively for two year olds. Captured by many of the top two year olds in the country who go on to run in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile, this prestigious race is a good measuring stick for those who are still entering their racing careers. With an evenly matched field of eight in this year’s seven furlong sprint, two Midlantic runners take their shot at the Hopeful and look to finish this meet strong at the Spa.

Starting from the two hole is the Pennsylvania bred Flyin Hawaiian trained by Robert E. Reid Jr. Part owners LC Racing LLC owned his sire Maximus Mischief and kept this colt out of public auction with James Bonner and Robert E. Reid, Jr. owning the rest. With Quiet Virtue, by Quiet American on the bottom, this Westerly Farm bred colt may have sold for a pretty penny as Maximus Mischief has been producing quality runners as of late.

In a field full of competition that sold for six to seven figures, Flyin Hawaiian may appear outclassed with his humbler racing beginnings at Monmouth and Parx, but his bloodlines and recent eight and a half furlong win prove that he belongs. Going just four and a half furlongs last time, Flyin Hawaiian grabbed the early lead and set modest fractions only to easily put away his competition in the last half furlong. While this field represents a massive step up in class, an aggressive early trip is likely as Luis Saez takes the mount looking to go gate to wire on the distance stretch. With others who showed more speed against tougher fields in their early careers, Flyin Hawaiian would have to take a clear step forward to be a winner here at 20/1 on the morning line, but there is certainly plenty of untapped potential for this runner in just his third start.

Breaking to Flyin Hawaiian’s immediate outside is Romeo, a Maryland bred runner by Honor A. P. – Fancy Love, by Not For Love. With his up and coming sire, this colt recently re-sold as a horse of racing age in July for a whopping $1.7 million making him the priciest runner in this field. Now owned by Tagermeen Racing, Romeo has been transferred into the barn of Steve Asmussen from John Robb following his impressive win in the Bashford Manor Stakes at Churchill in late June. Taking them all the way around in that six furlong sprint, Romeo figures to be up on the lead once again as he adds another furlong; this time with Joel Rosario at the helm. While setting similar fractions of :21² and :44² may not be sustainable against tougher competition, his natural speed gives him an advantage on the others including Bob Baffert’s morning line favorite Buetane. With his recent purchase, anything less than a win here would be disappointing for these connections as they cap off this strong meet for Midlantic breds and look ahead to bigger things on the horizon. Bred by John C. Davison, Romeo starts with the second shortest odds on the morning line at 3/1.


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