A Star Is Born?
This is it. The beginning of 2yo racing, when some disappoint, and yet others spark hopes and dreams. For some, this will be as good as it gets. For others, it’s time to hitch your wagon to a rising star, for this is just the beginning of a dizzying ride. Many will improve off of this beginning, winners and losers alike. Some will be injured. Some will come alive on the opposite surface. This week only begins to provide the answers to the anxious trainers’ questions. But, for whatever it’s worth, the inevitable question comes – who was fastest? And so, let’s take a quick look at those who earned a speed figure of 70 or better while going a perfect one for one:
80+ SF
Two horses smashed through the 80 SF barrier in their debut in Minnesota; the losing colt having the misfortune to face Mt.Nobileyev(IRE) (Fasliyev x Mt. Livermore), a dazzling quick filly. I originally wasn’t going to mention any non-winners, but you gotta feel for the connections of Vision, by freshman sim sire Pollard’s Vision (The Minstrel is the DS), who did everything right but couldn’t catch the fleet filly, who shot out of the gate like a rocket and never looked back. One hit wonder or future star? Who knows? But you can’t complain too much about an 84 SF and an 81 SF right out of the box.
You want an exciting race? Wander over to the Garden State and catch the nightcap. Two juveniles went hammer and tongs the whole way, battling it out from start to the finish, covering five furlongs over the wet track in rapid fashion. After fighting for the lead for 4.99 furlongs, American Tattoo, a son of freshman sire Eddington out of a winning Dixieland Band “he-mare,” got his nose in front in the final stride. Apache Sunrise made every step a winning one until the wire in a heartbreaker. The son of Harlan’s Holiday is out a stakes winning A.P. Indy mare. Both youngsters earned an 81 SF and showed tremendous heart.
An impressive turf debut was made down in Texas, as Irish Grounds(IRE) opened up a three length lead early and was never seriously threatened, winning comfortably by more than two lengths, earning an 80 SF. The son of Black Tie Affair is out of a winning Noverre mare.
70-79 SF
In the Bluegrass, thoughts always turn to the Derby, and this guy probably already has his connections dreaming, as Thunder Bug earned a 78 SF while winning a 6 furlong Kentucky maiden. The Statue of Liberty colt is the first foal out of a winning Pine Bluff mare.
Gone Western smoked her way to a 75 SF going 6 furlongs in the sands of Dubai. Dayjur is the sire of this speedy miss, who is out of a stakes winning A.P. Indy x Gone West (hence the name) “he-mare”.
I love Mingun as a sire prospect (½ to Kingmambo by A.P. Indy), and my faith in this freshman sire was rewarded when my own Dervish (Fappiano is the DS) won a 6 furlong owner restricted stakes by 1 1/4 lengths with a 74 SF.
Freshman sire Kitten’s Joy had a very nice looking winner in Christmas Joy, out of a Fusaichi Pegasus mare, who earned a 74 SF while winning a 5 ½ furlong turf allowance.
Over in Japan, another freshman-sired youngster made a splash, this time on the dirt. By Eurosilver (out of a Pine Bluff mare), Silver Makes Gold rallied from midpack to win a 5 ½ furlong maiden with a 73 SF.
The Pain of Being won an owner-restricted race out in the Golden State, making a late move to win the 6 furlong race by 3/4 of a length, posting a 73 SF. The son of Dixie Union is out of a winning Summer Squall mare.
The track was rated good, but Ape the Great (Event of the Year x Northern Baby) handled the off-going in style, coming from the back of the pack, ignoring the muck kicked into his face, to win a 5 ½ furlong maiden with a 73 SF.
The turfily bred Winticket Tu(GB) (Old Vic x Primo Dominie) left folks guessing how good she might be on that surface. We won’t know yet, but we do know how good she is on dirt, going gate to wire to beat the boys in a 5 ½ furlong dirt allowance with a 72 SF.
Bold Lake bulled through a full field to win an Arkansas maiden, finishing the the 4 ½ furlong dash with a 72 SF. The son of Green Desert is out of a stakes-winning Meadowlake “he-mare”.
Down in Alabama, Tactical Rat won a 6 furlong dirt maiden by 1 1/4 lengths. The Tactical Cat filly is out of the G3 winning Red Ransom mare, Rubbing From Rat and earned a 72 SF for her efforts.
Out in California, Doll’s House, half-sister to Ab Fab, a top-rated juvenile last season who already has four graded stakes wins to his credit, made a smart start to her career, winning the 5 ½ furlong event with a 72 SF. The chestnut filly is by Smart Strike, out of a winning A.P. Indy mare.
In the very next race, Thankyou Comeagain earned a 72 SF going 5 furlongs over the fast California surface. The son of Quinton’s Gold is out of a stakes winning Storm Cat mare, and is a half-brother to French Cat, who was a 2yo stakes winner last season.
The Emerald Isles unveiled a talented juvenile in the cleverly named Colour Purple (Rainbow Quest x Giant’s Causeway), who dueled in the early going, then was good enough to win by 1 1/4 lengths in a five furlong dirt maiden race, earning a 70 SF for the performance. Another one I’d be curious to see run on the turf.
Over in the District of Columbia, Foolish Beat (Hennessy x Conquistador Cielo) beat the boys and the girls to win a 5 furlong event with a 70 SF.
Going the marathon distance of six furlongs, Hang Loose (Medaglia d’Oro x Chester House) did exactly that, coasting to a three length score in Denmark with a 70 SF. He comes by his precocity naturally, as he is a half to Peace Process, who was a juvenile stakes winner last year.
I sit here in snowy, chilly Kentucky, missing the unseasonable warmth we had earlier this winter, but down in balmy Northern Florida, Cost Conscience made his debut a winning one, earning a 70 SF for 5 furlongs. I gotta love this guy, as I’m a big fan of crossing Congaree with a grandson of Mr. Prospector. Out of the Unbridled mare Shop At Costco, this guy’s the latest winner from that combo.
In Louisiana, while New Orleans is getting ready for Mardi Gras, Lowlands Nights was having his own coming out party, rallying to collar a 5 furlong dirt maiden in his debut, with a 70 SF. The son of Pure Prize is out of the stakes winning, G3 placed mare Triangular Beer, and is a half-brother to juvenile stakes winner Lowlands Mystic.
Starspiel earned his 70 SF going five furlongs over a track rated good. The son of Singspiel is out of a Crafty Prospector mare.
Good luck to all the winners this week, whether you ran fast enough to get a mention or not in this article. I am going to be doing an article on how the freshman sim sires fared this first week of racing, most likely tomorrow. Enjoy!