Hall of Fame - Blue Max

Original article written by Nathan Klein posted 4 years 1 week ago

In Year-23 the SIM managed to inaugurate a new type of horse racing. It was paint racing, very similar to quarter horse racing in how the races were run, just with horses with different colors. So, now with a new type of racing who were going to be the pioneering horses who kicked off the first year and dominated their rivals. Well, it turned out to be a blue roan colt named Blue Max.

By the time Paint Racing was inaugurated Blue Max was 3-years-old and not raced. It didn't take long though for him to make his first start. It would be in an NW2 lifetime race for a purse of $10,000. It was also at a distance of 350 yards. Despite running against more experienced runners he made up for it by finishing second. Unfortunately, he was not so lucky next time out only able to get sixth. But despite such a performance, he went into stakes company next time out. As well as that stretching out to 870 yards more than twice as long as he'd ever run before. Despite never winning a race and having to run further than he'd ever run before he broke quickly and was able to win by 1 3/4 lengths.

This race would mark a changing point for Blue Max as he would race in 870 yard stakes races another 2 times. Concluding the year with a run in the grade 2 Paint Championship. Again proving to be super quick out of the gate and never being catchable. With a 3 straight stakes-winning streak by the end of the year, he was able to seal Paint Horse of the Year and Paint Champion Three Year Old Male.

As a 4-year-old success continued. Now that he was a well-established king of 870-yard dashes. he first won his second graded stakes race the Grade 3 Green Eggs and Ham Stakes. Breaking out fast and slowly opening up his lead the further the race went. The same thing would happen in his next 2 starts. Including adding a second Grade 2 to his record when he ran away with the Glacier National Park Stakes. However, he was soon given a challenge when he ran in the Blackout Stakes. Unexpectedly Blue and Grey I got the jump on Blue Max taking the lead first although he would soon tire. Blue Max would get back his lead only about 1/10 of a mile left to go. But out of nowhere a late closer named Eagle Spirit began to charge super fast and in the final strides, Blue Max was passed. Eagle Spirit had defeated Blue Max. It had been over a year since Blue Max had lost.

But it was not over and Blue Max would try and rise back from defeat. He would start running in a race named after him, the Grade 2 Blue Max stakes. No surprise he would win only having to worry about two other horses who dared the challenge him. But now it was time for the last race of the year. A repeat in the biggest race for paints at the time the Grade 2 Paint Championship. This time he would rematch against the only horse that had ever beat him that year, Eagle Spirit. The gates opened he broke quickly with Stepdadsunclesbro right behind. They both ran the first quarter of a mile in unison before Stepdadsunclesbro began to fade. Now he was in front by a length with Bob Ross and Eagle Spirit charging late. The finish was close but so was Eagle Spirit and Bob Ross both were gaining on Blue Max but at the wire, Blue Max held on by a length

That was his last race concluding his career he had repeated his Paint Horse of the Year, a feat that has only ever been done twice since Blue Max's retirement, he also added Paint Champion Older Male to his list of 4 Simmy awards. Since then he had a decent sire career that lasted 10 years with runners such as Paint Champion Three Year Old Male Blazing Blue Jet who became a better sire then ever his dad. After being pensioned he lasted another 7 years as a stable pony before dying at the age of 22. Though he has passed he will still live on as the first ever star of Paint Racing and as the first and second ever Paint Horse Of The Year.

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