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Hall Of Fame - Adjust the Lens

Original article written by J K Rowling posted 13 years 4 weeks ago

When one hears the name Adjust the Lens, turf sprinting usually comes to mind. However, most of his career was spent on dirt and he eventually became a top sire on all-weather. Very few horses, especially sprinters, can boast such dominance on all surfaces like Adjust the Lens has. Trained by Bob Oliva, Jonathan Pac, and currently owned by Brianna McKenzie; Adjust the Lens has made his mark as an extraordinary sprinter.

Adjust the Lens‚ first nine starts were on dirt. In his first start, he romped in the Serena Slew Stakes. Oddly enough he only raced once more that year, finishing third in the Oceanside Futurity. As a 3 year old, Adjust the Lens was shifted to trainer Jonathan Pac and won five of six starts including three grade 1 races in a row. These three, the King‚s Bishop, Vosburgh, and Malibu, were won by a combined 12 ≤ lengths.

After a smashing 3 year old campaign, the following year was a bit erratic. Adjust the Lens shipped out to Dubai to run in the Golden Shaheen after six weeks of rest. He finished third to the more prepared Saturn and Pincay. Four weeks later, he shipped to Europe where he won the G1 Golden Jubilee over Whileaworldsleeps. As his first race on the grass, the Golden Jubilee completely altered Adjust the Lens‚ career. Seeing an opportunity, Jonathan Pac shipped him back to the US. There he soundly won a sponsored prep race by 4 lengths before romping by 3 lengths in the Steward‚s Cup Turf Sprint.

Admirably, Adjust the Lens hit the track again as a 5 year old. His opener was a return to the dirt in Dubai where he finished second to Lost. Deciding that he was a better performer on turf than on dirt, Jonathan Pac returned him to the grass. He once again shipped from Dubai to Europe and impressively won the G3 Temple Stakes by 7 lengths. Less than three weeks later he returned to the G1 Golden Jubilee and demolished the four other entrants. Another ship back to the US earned him another graded stakes win in the Morvich Handicap. In the final race of his career, Adjust the Lens finished second to Stand Up Speak Up in the Steward‚s Cup Turf Sprint.

Adjust the Lens‚ pedigree is quite possibly one of the most interesting in the game. Three of his four great-grandsires are Storm Cat. This inbreeding would be the key to his success both as a turf sprinter and a powerful sire. Originally bred as a dirt sprinter, the dominance of Storm Cat made Adjust the Lens successful on both surfaces. It is a well known fact that within the game Storm Cat was a wildly popular turf producer, siring champions like Acapulco, Three of Crowns, A Bus, and Stop and Stare.

Adjust the Lens‚ sire, Out of Focus, was bred in a 2x2 fashion to Storm Cat. By Yokoa Cat and out of the modest Sharp Cat, this severe inbreeding gave Out of Focus the push to become a solid sprinter. Running from years 8 to 10, it took him six starts to break his maiden and not five starts later became the long shot winner of the Steward‚s Cup Sprint. Once in the shed, Out of Focus had a modest career. Interestingly, his top four earners were all full brothers out of Storm Seeker with Adjust the Lens leading the way in earnings.

Adjust the Lens‚ dam, Storm Seeker, was a grade 1 winning dirt sprinter. By Serena Slew and out of Desert Stormer, Storm Seeker is half to millionaire Awesome Storm, hall of famer Raise Fury, and several other graded stakes winners. Storm Seeker‚s breeding career was both short and limited. Her first foal out of Black Ice fell flat. Her second foal, Trust, went on to be a millionaire. Every year afterwards she visited Out of Focus and produced four foals before being pensioned. Her youngest, Adjust the Lens, would become the most successful.

As a sire, Adjust the Lens was extraordinarily versatile. He saw both dirt and turf mares and produced grade 1 winners on both surfaces. With the introduction of all-weather, he became one of the best sires on the surface with over 100 winners to date. As of year 29, his youngest foals are two year olds and he has produced three millionaires. His second highest earner, Adjust the Sound, carries on his legacy of a turf sprinting sire.


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