The 2006 Breeders Bowl Classic, Powered By ‘Solar’ Energy
Solar Song skimmed the rail in the final half-mile, and still had enough energy to hold off a furious rally by Ermington Pegasus to capture the $5,000,000 Breeders Bowl Classic by two-and-a-half lengths on Saturday. Ermington Pegasus, now the top three-year-old colt, uncorked a powerful stretch run, but proved to be too little, too late while finishing second, and the two of these horses combined to dominate the other challengers, with Toy Maker finishing third, vanquished by more than twelve-and-a-half lengths behind the winner.
The race started off with a surprise, when veteran campaigner Macho Niner set out on the early lead, followed closely by Toy Maker from the far outside post and Open The Gate and Wonderboy Cougar(IRE) in-between horses. The pace was strong, as Macho Niner cruised to an easy lead for the first three-quarters of a mile under only modest pressure from Toy Maker. In fact, the first half of the race felt more like a procession, with very little changes among the front runners. Meanwhile, Solar Song had settled back into mid-pack, falling to about nine-and-a-half lengths behind the lead.
Macho Niner proved to be very stubborn on the lead, managing to withstand mounting pressure on his outside from a game Toy Maker, but the pace on this ten-furlong trek was beginning to take its toll, and there were a couple of closers beginning to make their moves. Solar Song stayed on the rail but had begun to close ranks on the leader with about three-eighths left to run, and he was joined by Ermington Pegasus, who had fallen closer to the rear of the field but began to make inroads as the field approached the stretch. For a time, it looked as if Toy Maker would take over into the stretch, or Ermington Pegasus would fly right by them all with a dashing flying finish, but it was top-ranked Solar Song who stuck to the rail and soared through opening after opening on the inside, to reach the front with about a quarter-mile left, and was never seriously headed late, en route to a confident margin of victory of two and a half lengths over three-year-old Ermington Pegasus in second, who was game but fell to the top handicap horse in training today. It was a long way, close to thirteen lengths, back to Toy Maker, who held on to third over pace-setter Macho Niner in fourth. Privileged was one of the few horses able to hold his ground late, earning a paycheck in fifth, beaten by fourteen.
Solar Song earned $3,000,000 for his trainer, squirrel4, who had expressed a strong level of confidence in interviews this week about this colt’s ability to maintain his #1 ranking among the Sim’s top classic horses. It is important to note that Solar Song equaled a stakes record in the Breeders Bowl Classic, completing the ten furlong test of champions in 2:00 and meriting a speed figure of 115 in the process. The four-year-old is a well-bred chestnut son of Deputy Minister from a Nureyev mare, and this impressive victory now raises an interesting decision for Sim voters, to determine who is Horse Of The Year among the top Sim horses who won on Breeders Bowl Saturday, chief among them dominant BB Turf champion Horseshoe Bay. It was an impressive victory in the Sim’s marquee race, and now may the debate over championship honors begin.