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Turf Sprint Division: A Surprising Rivalry
Original article written by The Steward posted 12 years 1 week agoAn exciting rivalry is happening right under our noses.
Two of the finest sophomore turf sprinters have taken turns beating each other in some of the biggest South African races of the year. Alpaca and Sunday Sound are producing thrilling results on a smaller stage, forgotten since their narrow 1-3 finish in the Steward's Cup Turf Dash last year. The similarities between the two include that they are turf sprinters and have outrun their modest pedigrees by far; the differences range from the fame of their trainers to their heights.
Alpaca was bred by Nikki Sherman out of the unraced Pulpit x King's Best mare Sports Reporter. Sherman bred her to Knightsbridge Road for her very first foal. The resulting colt - Alpaca - galloped as a "claimer" and was promptly sold for $25,000 to little-known Eddie Trent, who took out his trainer's license in Year 25. He made 130 starts that year, winning 8, and was a combined 24 for 603 in his first four years.
Sherman was so disappointed with the mare that she bred her one more time, to Snug, and got a colt (now gelding) who is currently 0 for 3 in maiden special weight races. She sold the mare for $1,000 to Jackie Gottsche, who will be the one laughing as her Hand of God colt foal is bound to work lights out next year.
Trent took Alpaca along as a yearling, schooling several times, galloping, and finally shipping to Barbados for his 4 furlong debut where he finished third. It wasn't until Alpaca went 6 furlongs for the first time did he win, but then he couldn't stop winning. He won five in a row, shipping from Barbados to Futurity Park, back to Barbados, up to Canada and culminating in the Steward's Cup Turf Dash. His speed figures improved throughout the journey: 71 - 73 - 78 - 83 - 85, and he handed Trent something he couldn't have been dreaming of with a 4% overall win percentage - a Steward's Cup trophy.
Finishing third in the Steward's Cup, beaten a mere half length, was Sunday Sound, a previously undefeated son of Adjust the Sound. Norman Architecture, who always has a good runner in the barn, has won the Louisville Derby, and has $42 million in lifetime earnings, bred the colt from his three-time winning Right Hand Man mare The Plymouth Ho. Her dam, a maiden-breaking Automobile mare, was out of a Mizzen Mast x King of Kings mare. Basically, there had yet to be a strong runner in the female family, but now The Plymouth Ho seems to have churned out two of them, as her yearling full sister to Sunday Sound, Plymouth Sound, looks awfully nice.
Sunday Sound won his first five races, including four stakes, beating the likes of SIMMY Champ Cat of Two Storms and 6-for-9 Shelter. His third in the Steward's Cup was only surprising because it came behind Alpaca rather than Demand An Encore. He rebounded as soon as he started his sophomore campaign: in both the grade 2 Impala Sprint and the Grade 1 South African Sprint Championship, Sunday Sound edged Alpaca by a total of two lengths. Both races came against older, more seasoned rivals as well.
Just when it appeared that Alpaca may have been "done" as a juvenile, he stepped up to beat Sunday Sound by a head in the Diamond Runner Sprint week 9. That brought their record to 2 wins each against the other.
"I'm enjoying the rivalry with Alpaca," Architecture said. "It gives the racing an extra edge. It's great when you race against another horse who is so close in ability to your own, you never know who is going to come out on top." Architecture also made a shrewd observation: "Alpaca looks to have the edge at the five furlong trip and my horse at further." Sunday Sound is headed for the Grade 1 Hitch a Ride Sprint Week 12, where he is likely to meet Alpaca again. But while the Steward's Cup Turf Sprint is the year-end goal, the same may not be said for Alpaca.
"I really didn't think of it as a rivalry until Norman emailed me a couple weeks ago, asking if I was steering Alpaca toward another Steward's Cup run," Trent said. "I think he might have had fear that I was. But it has become a good solid rivalry, and for Norman to consider Alpaca as a rival to Sunday Sound, that's high praise. I have a feeling that Alpaca and Sunday Sound will be crossing paths ar least once more before the end of the year, and Alpaca still has a lot more wins waiting for him."
Of course, a win in the Turf Sprint isn't a given for either of them, even if Alpaca runs. Sea Sponge is the horse that split them in the Turf Dash last year, finishing second. The son of Sea the Stars is a homebred for Pepper Carol and has six wins in ten starts. He went five for six as a juvenile, and won the grade 2 Yakima Crown in Singapore this year. He is another breeding success story, as his Snuggle dam, Love Sponge, won only once in 13 starts and was pensioned after giving birth to her most famous son.
These three aren't the only stars is a very tough group; Demand An Encore is 8 for 10 and seems likely to reach the $1 million mark fastest. The aforementioned Cat of Two Storms and Shelter have both been adding to their resumes. Mr. Vain just upset Cat of Two Storms and Sea Sponge in the Grade 1 Guitar Stakes. The fillies are no easier - A Shoe Sale, Girlfriend, Prayer, Steel Toe Boots and Romance is Easy are all impressing. Even if you're never been into turf sprinters, the division is currently red hot and will be a highlight of Steward's Cup day.