Messier

Messier, a 2-year-old son of Belmont Stakes winner Empire Maker, finished second in his career debut in June 2021 at Los Alamitos but graduated with honors in his next start at Santa Anita Park on Oct. 22, winning a six-furlong maiden race by 6 ½ lengths.

Trainer Bob Baffert elevated him to stakes company for his third start in the Grade 3 Bob Hope Stakes, a seven-furlong race at Del Mar on Nov. 13. Sent off as the 6-5 favorite against only four opponents – two of them stablemates – Messier rallied from a stalking position to win going away by 3 ½ lengths.

Based on that impressive win, Messier was the odds-on favorite in the Grade 1 Los Alamitos Futurity on Dec. 11. He lost a stretch battle to Slow Down Andy, and finished second, beaten a length.

Messier made his 3-year-old debut in the Grade 3 Robert B. Lewis Stakes Feb. 6 at Santa Anita, and shook off pace pressure through the backstretch with a powerful move in the far turn before drawing clear of four opponents and winning the 1 1/16-mile race by a dominant 15 lengths as the odds-on favorite. While the Robert B. Lewis was a qualifying points race for the 2022 Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve, Messier did not gain 10 points with the win due to Churchill Downs’ ban of all Bob Baffert-trained horses from running in the Derby.

Messier made his first start for the Tim Yakteen barn on Apr. 9, in the Grade 1 Runhappy Santa Anita Derby. As the 6-5 favorite, he tracked early leader Forbidden Kingdom, then took the lead on the far turn when that rival began to back up. He could not hold off the late challenge of stablemate Taiba, and ended up second. However, Messier still earned 40 points towards the Kentucky Derby, ensuring himself a spot in the starting gate for that race. 

Messier briefly took the lead in the Kentucky Derby but a swift pace through a half-mile in :45.36 proved too much to overcome as he faded badly late and finished 15^th. He subsequently was returned to the barn of Baffert and was unplaced in the final two starts of his 3-year-old season.

Messier ran fifth in the Grade 2 San Pasqual Stakes before he was transferred to trainer Kevin Attard. He finished third in an allowance race at Woodbine in his lone race for Attard.

Messier was again transferred to a new trainer for his 5-year-old campaign, joining the barn of Rick Dutrow.

Making his first start for Dutrow on Jan. 27, 2024, at Laurel Park, Messier finished second on a muddy track in a 1 1/16-mile allowance-optional claiming race. He then returned to stakes competition for the Excelsior Stakes at Aqueduct and crossed the finish line first but was disqualified and placed second.

Messier finally halted an eight-race winless stretch on May 3 at the Belmont at the Big A meet in the Grade 3 Westchester Stakes. He pressed the early pace in the Westchester, opened a three-length advantage in early stretch, and then held on to win by three-parts of a length under Jose Gomez.

Messier is owned by the partnership of Golconda Stable, Madaket Stables, SF Racing, Siena Farm, Starlight Racing, Waves Edge Capital, Catherine Donovan, Robert Masterson, and Jay Schoenfarber. He was bred in Ontario by storied Sam-Son Farm and is out of the two-time stakes-winning mare Checkered Past, by Smart Strike. His relatives include Canadian champions Catch the Ring and Catch the Thrill.