Night Fury Rages to Victory in Steward's Cup Juvenile

Original article written by Marzy Dotes posted 12 years 0 weeks ago

Favorite Girl lounged under her favorite tree in her paddock at Nursery Stud in Kentucky, watching the activities at the bustling farm. At 15, she’s no longer living on borrowed time having been pensioned after she foaled a colt by War Daddy.

In her younger days, she watched as her bold striding son, Linkin Park captured the Steward’s Cup Marathon four years ago zooming down the stretch to edge out both Wow and three-times third place finisher Earn the Roses.

This year, her young colt Night Fury did like and captured the $2 million Grade I Steward’s Cup Juvenile by a ½ length over Gunnarr. The winner who reminded many in attendance of his dam sped the 1 1/16 miles on the dirt oval at Toronto Racecourse in 1:43.90. His sire, former American Champion Three Year Old Colt Boise is now pensioned after an amazing stud career including offspring like Iki, Heed the Warning and Gifted who also won Steward’s Cup races but he’ll live on through future generations of his racers with familial lines reaching back to him.

Night Fury bred and owned by Laura Ferguson started out his career training quickly in the mornings and then transferred that speed and strength to his races, breaking his maiden first time out by 2 ½ lengths. Next time out, he finished a close second behind The Birthright after both of them spent most of the Pacific Classic Stakes chasing a runaway named Much Better. Still, given his bloodlines and his performances it was clear that Night Fury’s best days would be ahead of him.

But then that’s the case of many youngsters who foray into the most competitive arena of horse racing known as dirt routing. Ambitious dreams and plans are formulated each time a mare is bred but given the abundantly high number of racehorses, only a few of them can be realized at the top level of the sport.
The Birthright had his own dreams.

The dark bay colt with the wicked stripe and earmuffs that’s a homebred of Bill Outsilver’s flopped in his debut at a mile finishing ninth but when he moved up in distance, he broke his maiden handily by three lengths attracting a lot of attention with his speed. His matchup with Night Fury ended at the finish line of the Pacific Classic Stakes with him a head in front. He’s a son of The Awakening one of Triple Crown winner and Hall of Famer Awake As I Am’s sons at stud. The Awakening did his best racing during the final year of his career before retiring to stud where he’s ranked in the top five in most of the statistics gathered on first crop dirt routing sires. Broodmare Right For You, a daughter of Righteous hasn’t done much in the shed so far but has a very nice son in The Birthright.

Others in the field were also chomping at the bit to take the championship style race and mark themselves as favorites for next year’s Triple Crown Trail.
Scott Eiland bred and owns Philosophic, who’s a son of another newer sire I and I, another son of Awake As I Am. With two crops to hit the racetrack so far, he’s sired 15 winners including the very nice colt Seek Up. Philosophic’s dam, Press Party cost Eiland $710,000 at auction and the daughter of pensioned sire Derby Report looks to be a nice one as her yearling daughter Priestess by Prophet is working nicely in the mornings.

So far this bright eyed chestnut colt had won two of his starts including the Thriller Stakes where he beat System by a neck. That put him in great shape for the Juvenile.

Regally bred Fast loomed largely as well. This statuesque bay colt was purchased by Larry Burndorf at auction for $1.754 million and so far had won two of his first three starts including a stirring victory in the Persevere Stakes. He’s by versatile sire Big Gamble whose progeny include milers as well as routers and out of the brilliant broodmare Sensation. Second in the Steward’s Cup Juvenile Fillies this daughter of Five Circles and Now is a full sister to Hall of Famer Wonder and she’s not been shabby in the shed herself. She’s produced stakes winning Famous (by Redwood) but she’s also produced nice broodmares like Receptive whose daughter Hidden Gem (by Awake As I Am) is undefeated in two starts so far.

Also going into the race undefeated was Jon Xett’s homebred Wizardry who won all three of his races including the Cape Stakes. He’s another son of I and I and is out of Tredntroddentrails (whose dam Champion Older Mare Alliteration produced Verbose Vignette , Declare or Desist and Azelia Bay) and he’s looked very impressive.

So it wasn’t going to be easy for Night Fury to stake his claim to his own Steward’s Cup trophy but under a tight hold by jockey Michael Moody, he looked determined enough to give it his best shot. And as the gates opened, Night Fury proved to be in no hurry sliding back into the eighth spot. Up front, Fast was living up to his name pushing the pace by a half length over Flame Stakes winner Minister who led narrowly over Wizardry. As they hit the backstretch, Fast remained determined to lead the pack with Minister opening a length over Wizardry while Night Fury cruised in the seventh spot. As they hit the far turn, Fast didn’t surrender an inch to Minister while Night Fury moved up stealthily into the sixth spot.

But as they hit the stretch, Night Fury released what he had left which was more than enough to take the lead and with Moody urging him along, beat the other racers to the wire. Gunnarr, a homebred owned by Emily Mitchell who’s out of Axel’s first crop finished second by 2 ½ lengths over Philosophic who came in third. After his victory, Night Fury headed off to Terrapin Station in Maryland to prepare for his future campaign as a sophomore. Not surprisingly, he’s been nominated to the American Triple Crown so he’ll likely show up to make his own mark on the trail towards the Louisville Derby later in the season.

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