Call Me Micky J. looks to rise in Bashford Manor Stakes at Churchill Downs

Call Me Micky J. arrived at the 125th Bashford Manor Stakes with the kind of profile that can unsettle a field: a West Virginia-bred colt with just one start, a sharp debut win and Irad Ortiz, Jr. named to ride. That combination made the $225,000, six-furlong dirt stakes at Churchill Downs more than a stage for Hey Tuff Guy, the flashy Churchill Downs debut winner who was being treated as the leading entrant.

Equibase lists Call Me Micky J. as a colt foaled Jan. 30, 2024, by Sharp Azteca out of Lovely Rate, by Exchange Rate. He was bought for $20,000 at the 2025 Fasig-Tipton Midlantic Fall Yearling Sale, then rewarded John E. Salzman, Jr. with a winning first start at Laurel Park on May 2, when he took a 4 1/2-furlong maiden special weight in 54.34 seconds and held on by 1 3/4 lengths after a slow break. For a horse with so little experience, that was enough to move him from an inexpensive yearling to a legitimate stakes runner.

The Bashford Manor gave him a far stiffer assignment. Churchill Downs listed the race at six furlongs on dirt with a maximum field of 14 starters, 122 pounds assigned, and allowances for eligible non-winners. The history around the race only sharpened the test: Spy Charger’s 58.40-second clocking in 1978 remains the fastest winning time since 1976, Gulfport won by 12 1/4 lengths in 2022, and Romeo took the 2025 renewal for John J. Robb with Xavier Perez aboard.

Salzman’s willingness to enter him said plenty about the colt’s first race and the way he has been training since. A recent gate breeze in :37.00 showed he remained sharp, and the booking of Irad Ortiz, Jr. suggested the barn believed the step up was worth making right away. Salzman also said the colt’s name was a nod to Mick Jagger and the Rolling Stones, a reference to his wife’s taste in music.

The longer view is what makes Call Me Micky J. interesting beyond the sale price and the catchy name. Salzman believes he could eventually handle two turns, which makes a six-furlong stakes like the Bashford Manor a useful checkpoint rather than a final destination. If he handled the class rise against a field led by Hey Tuff Guy, he stayed on a path that could stretch well beyond Churchill Downs.