Hall of Fame: The Visionary

Original article written by Douglas Marley posted 4 years 0 weeks ago

In year 37, Kyasuriin Matsumoto bred her Arabian mare Malakah to the unraced stallion Alto De Maligne. This pairing was a shot in the dark as Malakah’s record of 9: 2-4-2 with earnings of $25,520 was not overly impressive. The only plus found in Malakah’s pedigree was that her sire, Moubarak, had one won four stakes in what could be called a modest stakes career. The fruit of this mating resulted in the superhorse The Visionary who would dominate the racing world for three years on the track from Y40 to Y42, and who still dominates the sire standings to this day.

The Visionary’s first trip to the starting gate was in a Maiden Special Weight contest at a mile and a quarter. Despite a poor start, The Visionary, was able to recover and finish a neck behind the eventual winner, and future stakes winner, Naseh.

The Visionary’s second place finish convinced Matsumoto that he was a racehorse, so she entered him in the $50,000 Hold My Breath Stakes at a mile and a quarter. He rewarded his owner’s faith in him with a head victory over future stakes winner, Mountain on Fire.

Three weeks later The Visionary entered the gate for the $50,000 Sayitsyurbirthday Stakes at a mile and a quarter. The race resulted in a third-place finish behind stakes winner, Valley of Kings.

In his next three starts, all stakes, The Visionary showed his dominance with three easy wins. The Visionary was ready to end his freshman season in the Grade 1, $250,000, Steward’s Cup Arabian Classic at two miles. With seven other stakes winners joining him in the gate, The Visionary was facing the toughest field in his short career. When the gates opened, he was kept in the middle of the field for most of the race. When he entered the stretch, he sprinted to the lead and crossed the wire two lengths the best.

The Visionary’s three-year-old season ended with a record of 7: 5-0-2 and earnings of $225,000, with five stakes wins, most importantly, one in the Steward’s Cup Classic, the premier Arabian race. There was no surprise that he was voted Y40 Arabian Champion Three-Year-Old Male, and Y40 Arabian Horse of the Year. The newly minted champion was rested at D’amoure Stallion Station during the Y41 preseason.

After a well deserved Y41 preseason rest, The Visionary began his sophomore year in the $75,000 Clippers Stake at a mile and a half at Endurance raceway in Montana. When the gates opened The Visionary found himself, in fourth place in a field of five. During the first mile of the race less than two lengths separated the field. As the field entered the stretch, the Visionary began to cut down the distance between him and the two leaders, Special Prince and Ishant. When the field crossed the finish line The Visionary found himself third by less than a length and a quarter.

Undaunted by the loss, The Visionary came back two weeks later in the $50,000 Trial Route Stakes at mile and a quarter. In this race, Special Prince entered the gate confident that he could dish up another defeat the reigning Horse of the Year. At the finish line fans saw The Visionary at his best, beating the field by a deceptively narrow neck victory. Special Prince who was not able to put together the performance that had previously beat The Visionary, finished fifth.

The Visionary was back and reeled off two more stakes victories by two and a quarter length and three lengths respectively. His fifth start was in the mile and a quarter Darley Stakes at a mile and a quarter. When the gates opened on the field of seven, The Visionary stumbled badly. His jockey collected him and placed the champion third behind the leaders. At the finish line, The Visionary didn’t have his usual kick and finished third.

Unphased by the loss, The Visionary was next entered in the Grade 1 Endurance Championship at two miles. The Visionary did not disappoint his fans as he won the $100,000 race by a solid length and a quarter. The Visionary’s next challenge would be an attempt to win his second Steward’s Cup Classic trophy and, hopefully, wrap up another Arabian Horse of the Year campaign.

The Visionary faced a full field of nine in his second Steward’s Cup Arabian Classic. When the gates opened The Visionary broke well and his jockey, Jordyn Barlow, settle him in to fourth place for the first mile. At the top of the stretch The Visionary had moved into second place by three quarters behind the pacesetter, Birthday Shots. At that point The Visionary showed his class and passed Birthday Shots and passed under the wire two and a half lengths ahead of the field. The win gave The Visionary a sophomore campaign record of 7: 5-0-2, all in stakes. His final earnings for the season totaled $410,000.

With the season over, The Visionary returned to D’amoure Stallion Station where he spent the Y42 preseason cleaning a space for his two new Simmy Trophies for Y41 Arabian Horse of the Year and Y41 Arabian Champion Male.

When the preseason ended, The Visionary returned to Montana to begin his third racing season in mile and a half Clipper Stakes. History repeated itself as The Visionary, again, finished third just as he had the previous season. With a warmup race under his belt he was ready to race in what would be the most profitable payday of this racing career.

The Visionary’s next start was in the Grade 1, $750,000 Arabian Desert Cup at a mile and a quarter. When the gates opened The Visionary followed his tested game plan and was dropped back to fourth place until the stretch where he moved from 4th by a length and a half to 1st by three quarters of a length. With this win The Visionary established a new career earnings record. The previous record, $1,111,950, was set in Y30 by Bobbie Girl.
In his next three starts The Visionary finished third twice and fourth. His fourth-place finish was his only off the board finish of his career. The Visionary’s string of losses gave the impression that he had lost a step; that time had finally taken its toll on the champion. His next start was an attempt to win his third Steward’s Cup Arabian Classic.

The Steward’s Cup races are the Olympics of the SimRacing world. It is a showcase event that is meant to cull the champions from the chaff. Each division is offered a race that is an indicator of the quality horses in that division. Win it once an you will probably be able to be placing a Simmy next to you Steward’s Cup trophy. Win it twice you will earn a spot in the Hall of Fame. Win it three times you earn a seat in the pantheon of legends.
When the horse entered the gates, The Visionary faced a field of nine, of those horses eight were stakes winners and several had beaten The Visionary in previous races. When the gate opened Birthday Shots, a horse that had finished in front of The Visionary on three occasions, surged to the front. The Visionary was held in the second tier of horses fifth, Birthday Shots held the lead for the first mile and three quarters of the race. Birthday Shot’s lead was slowly eaten away by the rest of the field, with The Visionary closing the fastest. Going under the wire, The Visionary held a three-quarter length lead over the field.

The Visionary’s victory was a phenomenal end to a somewhat mediocre year. The Visionary’s 6: 2-0-3 record with $633,000 in winnings probably would not have turned too many voter’s heads when voting for Simmys that year, but his Steward’s Cup victory set him apart. The Visionary was voted Y42 Arabian Champion Male.

At the end of Y42 The Visionary was ready to hang up his racing plates and move into the breeding shed his final race record was 20: 12-1-6 with a then Arabian career earning record of $1,412,700, with 4 Simmys and three Steward Cup trophies in his trophy case.

The Visionary’s breeding career was just as phenomenal as his racing career. The Visionary sired 1107 foals, of those foals 960, (86.77%,) entered the starting gate, 837, (87.19%), were winners. Of these winners 182 (21.74%) became stakes winners.

As the years went on The Visionary’s foals made names for themselves on the track. In the nine years since his retirement, his offspring have dominated the Steward’s Cup Arabian Classic. Of the nine Classics run since The Visionary’s third victory, five of them were won by his offspring including: Journey’s End (Y46), Visionary Leader (Y47) Kemosiri (Y48), and Seize the Sky (Y51). In the Steward’s Cup Arabian Distaff, all the winners between Y45 through Y51 were sired by The Visionary including: Pounces (Y45 and Y47), The Gifted (Y46 and Y48) Odysee (Y49) and Girl Gone Bad (Y50 and Y51). Of the twenty-six Arabian millionaires, seven were sired by The Visionary including: Pounces ($1,814,340), Berry Berry Good ($1,674,00), Visionary Leader ($1,562,000), The Gifted ($1,521,950), Seize The Sky ($1,372,990), Girl Gone Bad ($1,189,000), and Kemosiri ($1,177,240). Of the nine Arabian Horse of the Year Simmys, five have been The Visionary sired including: Journey’s End (Y46), Pounces (Y47), Kemosiri (Y48), Vazuthi (Y50) and Girl Gone Bad (Y51). Clearly, The Visionary was as dominate off the track as he was on the track.

In Y50 The Visionary was pensioned from the breeding shed. Not one to wander the pasture talking to everyone about his glory days, The Visionary entered his third career as an eventer. We can only assume, at sometime in the future, The Visionary will be placing Olympic medals in his already overflowing trophy cabinet.

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