Joha wins Breeders' Futurity at Keeneland

• Joha took the lead early and never relinquished it on his way to winning
• Joha earned 10 points in the newly-created :Road to the Kentucky Derby" system
• Joha also secured a spot in the upcoming Breeders' Cup Challenge races

LEXINGTON, Ky. -- Trainer Mike Maker, who had one of the country's top two 2-year-olds in his barn last year with Breeders' Cup Juvenile champ Hansen, has a young rising star for this season.

Joha, son of 2003 Breeders' Cup Turf champion Johar, went to the lead and never relinquished his advantage in the Grade 1, $400,000 Dixiana Breeders' Futurity Saturday at Keeneland.

Dynamic Sky made a late rally in the stretch, but couldn't catch Joha, who is now 3-for-6.

The race is a Breeders' Cup "Win and You're In" Challenge race, which means Joha automatically earns a spot in the $2 million Breeders' Cup Juvenile on dirt at Santa Anita Nov. 3.

Joha has yet to race on dirt, registering two wins on synthetic and one on turf. Maker said he would consult with owners Bluegrass Equine Bloodstock as to which Breeders' Cup test to try, but added he feels his colt could compete on any surface.

"I don't see why he wouldn't handle the dirt," Maker said. "He was ready early, which he wasn't supposed to be because he's a two-turn horse."

Joha, the fifth betting choice in the 13-horse field, went off at 8-1 and paid $19.40, 10.80 and 7.00. Java's War finished third.

Joha earned 10 points in the new Kentucky Derby points system, which replaces the graded earnings criteria used for the past 26 years. Points are credited to the top four finishers in designated races on the Derby trail.

In the With Anticipation Stakes on turf at Saratoga on Aug. 30, Joha went to the lead, but couldn't hold on and lost by a head to Balance the Books.

On Saturday, Joha and jockey Rajiv Maragh -- aboard the colt for the first time -- used the same tactics, rushing to the front of the pack and setting solid fractions of 23.90 and 48.41. Favorite Tizracer and jockey Jose Lezcano settled in second with Arlington Washington Futurity winner Pataky Kid stalking in third.

Dynamic Sky and Luis Contreras rallied five-wide, and Java's War, with Richard Eramia aboard, joined him in the lane, with Dynamic Sky shifting out and bumping Java's War. Neither could reach Joha, who used a rail ride to his advantage.

Eramia claimed foul against Contreras, but the stewards ruled no change.

"He was the best horse in the race, but he runs very green," Mark Casse, trainer of Dynamic Sky, said. "He showed he could step up in class. If we ever get him to run straight, he's going to be really, really tough. We will give the Breeders' Cup Juvenile serious consideration."

Maker noted the differences in Joha and Hansen, who went on to win the Gotham Stakes and the Iowa Derby before being retired this summer with a tendon injury.

"Obviously, when (Joha) stretches out to two turns, he's showing speed, but not the speed that Hansen has," Maker said. "I think this horse will go on a lot further."

Maker had also entered Joha in Sunday's Grade 3 Bourbon Stakes at Keeneland -- where he would've met up with rival Balance the Books -- but said he elected to run the colt here because he was "doing so well."

Joha covered the 1 1/16-miles in 1:44.52. The dark bay, out of the Mujadil mare Mujado, now has total earnings of $425,767.

"I got to the lead and I slowed it down going down the backstretch," Maragh said. "He had a lot in the tank. He just kept on fighting when they came to him."

Maker said the race set-up suited his colt's running style.

"We really didn't discuss it much (before the race), but the horse has some natural speed," he said. "Last time (at Saratoga), he probably opened up a little sooner than we would've liked. At least we had some company with him there to keep him honest."