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Stardom Bound: 2 Year Old Review (Week 8)
Original article written by The Steward posted 13 years 0 weeks agoLet's just get it out of the way immediately: Maelstrom is a freak. We already know he is special, because he's already proven it. Fast work times (two sub :58 works, including a :57.62) mean nothing until you actually get out there and do some running, and Maelstrom did just that. The Sun Raider colt stalked the pace, swept to the lead, and drew off by just under ten lengths (9 3/4). His pedigree is the perfect combination of speed and stamina, being out of Steward's Cup Distaff winner Such Great Heights who is a half sister to the "speedy" router Fighter Jet. We already know he is fast, we know he is brilliant, and we know that he should be a top sire given that pedigree. So why can't we have a coronation of Maelstrom as the next great SIM horse yet?
For one thing, with great power comes great responsibility. Trainer Luis Polar has been around a while, and he's had some nice horses (Receptive comes to mind), but he hasn't trained anything "great" since End of the Line way back in Year 16. Does he have any idea how to get a horse to the Derby? Even more stunning is that Maelstrom's 89 speed figure isn't the top figure run by a juvenile so far this year, in fact, it's only tied as the 7th best figure so far this year with still 2 more solid weeks (11 and 12 at the time of writing) to go regarding the "best of the best" debuting. If I were Luis Polar or Maelstrom's apparent legion of fans, I'd be more worried about winning Friday's Don't Hesitate Stakes, a grade 3 which brings together ultra fast maiden winner Wheely the Bomb (who will crop up later) and the unraced but incredibly-bred Smoulders. Even if Maelstrom wins, you can guarantee another sick speed figure in this race... and it's only Week 11 of his juvenile year.
Week 8 was actually lighter than you might think, or perhaps Maelstrom overshadowed everything. The aforementioned Wheely the Bomb, a Tot Ziens brother to Wheely a Class Act, broke his maiden in his second try at Futurity Park, scoring by 6 1/2 lengths with an 86 speed figure. It was nearly as impressive as Maelstrom's debut with the added bonus that Auntie Wheely, the dam, is a class broodmare with four six-figure earners in addition to Wheely a Class Act. Her three-year-old, Thrown a Wheel, I firmly believe would have won this year's Louisville Oaks if she'd been entered. Karen Shields handles Wheely the Bomb.
Laura Ferguson's Tremendous Moment caught a lot of eyes with a classy 3 1/4 length win in a Premium Park allowance. The son of East is a half brother to Thriller and Babe Ruth (dam of Sport of Queens amongst others) and is now two for two at the time of writing. Although he made many people's Derby lists, he has surprised his trainer most of all. Although she has yet to gallop him this year, she knows he progressed significantly from last year to this year.
Impress impressed (it was too easy) with a three-length win at Louisville Downs in a snappy 1:37.29. The son of Awake As I Am makes me a little nervous in that he was leading by over five at the top of the stretch, and that lead dwindled down towards the wire, but there really should be no questions about this colt's ability for trainer Callie Anderson. Instead, it is interesting to note the closing finish of Advance Play, the Steward-bred, Kidwell-owned "miracle" purchase that was picked up for only $6,000 on an underbid and promptly worked :58.21. The son of Advance Guard should have no trouble winning next out.
As for dirt milers, the only one who really caught my notice was bred by myself, Desert Superhorse. This is one of those times when I name a horse something that is supposed to be a major hint. The son of Desert Force was picked up by Anna Benson for $405,000 and won by 4 1/2 lengths at Futurity Park.
In regards to turf horses, I liked two fillies and one colt. Wild Horse Race broke her maiden first out for owner/breeder Carolyn Eaton, earning a 73 speed figure. There was nothing truly astounding about this Untamed filly's debut, but I note her because her dam, Sea Horse Racing, is actually one of my favorite mares currently in the game and if I were smart, I'd try to buy a foal from Carolyn or the mare outright. Unfortunately for me, the antics of Wild Horse Race will inevitably make the mare far more expensive than her $139,000+ earnings record should indicate. The other filly, How to Succes (what? Maybe we can get that changed?), is by Thomas Jefferson and won by more than three with a 74 speed figure. The Max Winterson-homebred is out of the Worth My Weight mare Allamerican Breeze who won a mere $33,675 on the track in 13 starts.
The colt, Kittens, is now two for two at the time of writing. The son of Offshore Excursion has managed to become that stallion's fifth highest earner in only two starts. He is Steward's Cup nominated, so don't be surprised to see him do well there. He is a homebred for Chani Ruzzo out of the Rock of Gibraltar mare Kitten's Toy, a mere maiden breaker with a 54 speed figure.
The rest of the standouts were all dirt route fillies. Don't Hesitate's full sister Don't Recall won by a length for Mac Silver, earning "only" a 68 speed figure and steadily passing horses until she got to the lead. Bob Oliva's Our Khrysty, named after his real life stakes winner of the same moniker, is also by Don't Mess and is out of the multiple stakes winning Sun Raider mare Lokite Superstar. The win was particularly impressive because she stumbled badly at the start, regained her feet to shoot to the lead, and went on to hold off the gaining On the Sands.
Jolene Danner's homebred Slumber, a daughter of Awake As I Am, scored by 1 1/4 lengths at Florence Park over a wet racetrack. She is out of the Throne mare Royal, who is a sister to Chretiens, Astonishing and Annihilating. Danner hated the mare while she was running due to her mere four wins and her dislike of anything longer than 1 1/16 miles despite her pedigree, but it seems as though Royal is about to make herself useful.
Lastly, Best of the Future won a strange race for Paul Heinrich, who paid $3.5 million for the half-sister to Just Victory. She was unveiled in one of those early non-winners of two races that are really glorified maidens, but strangely only two other horses showed up, despite it being a Friday race on a fast track at Adolescent Acres. Best of the Future went fast enough to win by 4 1/2 with a 72 speed figure, and returned to win again over the same strip three weeks later against a similar field. It will be interesting to see what the daughter of Born the Best can do against a real field of horses.
You may be wondering how certain horses catch my eye when it seems that a lot of horses run the same speed figures. What makes one 68 different from another? Forgive the strange analogy, but I imagine that I'm a bit like Simon Cowell when it comes to finding talent on the racetrack. I am not only looking for a neat pedigree or a fast maiden race, but I'm looking for the "X-factor" - a stylish, impressive performance done with relative ease. I'm looking for horses who bounce back and don't stay tired too long, and who beat horses that went on to win next out. Am I missing some future superstars? sure! I mean, I'm totally ignoring all weather all together here! But I can almost guarantee that the horses I'm mentioning will be the ones whose names you hear in the Steward's Cup this year and beyond - they are the kids who stand tall amongst a group of younger, less precocious classmates.