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Hall of Fame - Raise Fury
Original article written by Laura Ferguson posted 13 years 2 weeks agoRaise Fury – Raising the Bar Since Year 7
Raise Fury’s story goes all the way back to year 4 of the SIM, at a time when Breeders’ Cup Sprint winner, Desert Stormer, and her legendary daughter, Sahara Gold, had made their marks in the breeding shed. The eyecatching dark bay filly was sold to Brianna McKenzie and with sprint breeding on both sides, hopes were high.
Raise Fury, however, did not live up to her name her first two years on the track. She managed two wins against weak company, and mediocre racing. Her connections hung in there, though – the filly flashed talent in the mornings, and the hopes were that she was a late bloomer. Perhaps it was going back to the seven furlong distance. Perhaps the light bulb finally came on. In any event, patience was rewarded late in Raise Fury’s three year old season, and from that point on Raise Fury, when kept to seven furlongs, was simply unstoppable. First came an upset victory in the La Brea Stakes-G2. She kicked off her four year old year with a win over Always in Love and Won’tlaughifyou try in the Distaff Steward’s Cup.-G1. She couldn’t quite hang on at a flat mile in the Manistique Handicap, but from that point on, the formula was simple. Raise Fury laughed her way home in an allowance prep, then stormed home an easy winner in the Test Stakes-G1. Her career finale came in the Steward’s Filly and Mare Cup, where she defeated such fillies as Nervous Gulp and Serena Saint. Her utter dominance at that distance landed her honors as Champion Female Sprinter.
Perhaps her record would have been better overall if she had stuck to 7 furlongs earlier (she ultimately was six for six at that distance). Ultimately, that really did not matter, as her performance in the breeding shed and influence on the dirt sprinting division continues to endure even to this day, more than 20 SIM years later.
She retired at a time when players could still breed multiple foals a year, and made the most of it. Her first foal was Maverick, by Mischief Maker. He was a bit of a disappointment, compared to Fury’s other foals, winning the Maryland Million and a little over $200,000 on the track, and siring only three foals, nothing of note, in the shed. However, Inspired Star, foaled that same year, more than made up for it. By the great sprint sire Tri Star, the dark bay torched the track, going ten for ten, and garnering all sorts of accolades along the way. She beat the boys in the 2yo Sprint Championship, and managed the rare feat of earning honors as Champion 2yo Filly, a title usually reserved for the winner of the Steward’s Cup. After an abbreviated sophomore campaign, Inspired Star showed she was more than a juvenile sensation, capturing the Steward’s Cup Filly and Mare Sprint, and title of both Champion Older Mare and Champion Female Sprinter. Like her mother, Inspired Star was a star in the breeding shed, producing Cherish, who also won the Steward’s Cup Filly and Mare Sprint and remained unbeaten in six starts. Cherish would go on to produce millionaires Best and Tycoon, and top fillies Treasured and Savor. Treasured is the granddam of Votum, who also won the Steward’s Cup Filly and Mare Sprint. Inspired Star also produced a top runner and sire in Compelling.
After producing Inspired Star, Raise Fury did not rest on her laurels. Like the year before, she had one okay runner and one star. Turbulance earned $375,240 on the track, and made no lasting impression. On the other hand, Inspired Fury, a full brother to Inspired Star, tried to live up to his sibling’s reputation. Ultimately, he won ten of twelve starts and several G1 victories along the way. As a sire, though, he was a bit of a disappointment.
The following year, Raise Fury foaled a coal black filly named Inspired Dance. As a racemare, she won eight of eleven on the track, including a thrilling deadheat with Status in The Look Stakes-G1. She would also win the Fantasy Land-G1 over Inconsolable, and in a rare loss, was second behind that rival in the Steward’s Cup Filly and Mare Sprint-G1. In the breeding shed, she was a close second to Inspired Star, as she foaled millionaire and successful sire Inspired Fox, and Puerto Rico sensation and Islands Champion Sprinter Inspired Strike, who retired with earnings just shy of the million dollar mark. Inspired Dance also produced G1 winner Traction, who tragically, like many other horses, survive the transition from the old SIM to the new SIM, and died before she could produce any foals.
Inspired Hope came next, by Five Circles, who normally is not thought of as a sprinter. Still, she won four of ten starts, finishing off the board only once, and was a stakes winner. She produced only one foal in the shed.
Inspired Skye got things back on track. The compact dark bay son of legendary sprint sire Em’s Always Busy went eight for eleven on the track, finishing off the board only once. His best distance was six panels, as he proved by winning both the Desert Golden Shaheen-G1, and Phoenix Steward’s Cup Sprint-G1. Sadly, his record as a sire was not nearly as good.
Raise Fury had hit homeruns with Tri Star twice before, so she returned to him a third time for a jet black colt named Inspired Fate. Once again, it was a winning combination. He would win seven of twelve, never finishing worse than second, and captured both the Steward’s Cup Sprint-G1 and the title of Champion Sprinter along the way. Like many of Raise Fury’s sons, though, he was okay, but not spectacular as a sire.
Inspired Fire was next, and like Traction, his career was cut short in the old SIM/new SIM crossover, but he still managed to win a G3 stakes and a little more than $750k before that happened.
Raise Fury’s final filly was Inspired Jet, by Awesome Again. Inspired Jet was a bit unlucky as a racehorse, finishing second in two straight Steward’s Cup Filly and Mare Sprints-G1, although she did win the Ballerina Stakes-G1 and eight of twelve starts overall. In the shed, she produced G2 winners Inspired Ace (by Look My Best) and Mythic Art (by Look My Best), as well as Look Jet (by Look Marvel), who was a bit of an underachiever on the track, despite winning several stakes, but has some foals lighting up the track in the morning.
Her final foal was Play On, by Riches Are Grand. Sadly, Raise Fury did not survive his birth. Play On went on to win the King’s Bishop Stakes-G1, the Ancient Title-G1 and a little over $1 million, before becoming a good, but not spectacular, sire.
All told, Raise Fury produced 11 foals in the breeding shed, who collectively earned $11,820,830, an amazing sum for dirt sprinters. While her sons have had a mixed record in the shed, some having more of an impact than others, her female line is still running strong, as shown by the likes of Votum. She is a deserving entry into the Hall of Fame.