Brilliant Speed: Always Brilliant

With turf superstars such as Gio Ponti and Cape Blanco retired to stud, the turf male division must direct its attention to new turf stars for 2012. Though we will lack many of the classy turf horses we've seen in past years, the division will still be deep. Acclamation should return after his spectacular year in 2011, as should the prospering gelding Sanagas and the spectacular Mr. Commons, but where do we look to make the division deeper? We look to the underrated, grade one-winning Brilliant Speed.

Despite carrying the well-known black, red, and white silks of Live Oak Plantation onto the track, Brilliant Speed didn’t exactly turn heads when he made his racing debut. Not only was his performance unimposing, but the colt went off at odds of 20-1, which made him the third longest shot on the board.

Brilliant Speed
Photo: Terri Cage

Most people’s attention was on the winner of the race, Boys at Tosconova, who had debuted in the Kentucky Juvenile Stakes (GIII) – finishing third – and would eventually go on to be a grade one winner. Boys at Tosconova won the five furlong maiden special weight over Belmont Park’s dirt surface by twelve lengths while Brilliant Speed finished 19 ¼ lengths behind him, finishing fourth in a field of seven.

Next out, Brilliant Speed tried the Saratoga dirt surface in a seven-furlong maiden special weight, but turned in yet another lackluster performance, finishing seventh of nine. The bay son of Dynaformer finished behind two future graded stakes winners in that race: the grade three-winning Joe Vann and the grade two-winning and Kentucky Derby (GI) third-place finisher, Mucho Macho Man.

Four weeks later, the Tom Albertrani trainee made his return to Belmont, making his turf debut and finishing third at odds of 9-1 behind the late multiple graded stakes-winning Banned while finishing willingly. He finished third on the Belmont turf yet again in his next start, showing a good turn of foot while going wide to finish behind the future multiple stakes-placed Beachcombing and grade three-winning Derby Kitten.

Brilliant Speed didn’t race for over two months, returning in a mile and one-sixteenth maiden special weight on the turf at Tampa Bay Downs. Despite traffic problems, the bay colt crossed the wire a length and one-half in front of the others.

Ever since, Brilliant Speed has faced only stakes company. Three weeks after his breakthrough maiden victory, the half-brother to the now graded stakes-placed Souper Speedy made both his three-year-old and stakes debut in the Dania Beach Stakes. After encountering traffic problems, Brilliant Speed finished second by a nose to Adirondack Summer. While doing so, the Live Oak Plantation homebred defeated six future stakes winners.

With just inches keeping the colt from his first stakes win in the Dania Beach, Albertrani pointed Brilliant Speed to the mile and one-sixteenth Hallandale Beach Stakes, in which he faced many of the same horses he had competed against in the Dania Beach. However, the colt was to face trouble and just miss yet again. After being forced wide by King Congie, who was later disqualified to third, Brilliant Speed crossed the wire in third and was moved up to second.

Brilliant Speed
Photo: Terri Cage

After over two months away from the races, the Dynaformer colt faced his biggest test yet: the Toyota Blue Grass Stakes (GI) at Keeneland. Not only would it be Brilliant Speed’s first try against grade one competition, but it would be his first race over a synthetic surface. In spite of being sent off at 19-1, the colt swept to a narrow victory under Joel Rosario, leaving in his wake horses that had won or would go on to win a total of five graded stakes and eight ungraded stakes.

Even though Brilliant Speed had run primarily on non-dirt surfaces, the talented three-year-old was pointed toward the greatest two minutes in sports – also known as the Kentucky Derby – which of course is run on dirt. After all, the Blue Grass winner had run in the Derby for twenty-eight consecutive years.

At nearly 28-1, Brilliant Speed raced extremely wide and despite closing well, he finished seventh in a tight three-horse photo finish. In nearly any other race, a seventh-place finish is quite a blemish, but by finishing seventh in the Kentucky Derby, Brilliant Speed defeated twelve horses, ten of which had won or would go on to win seventeen graded stakes races altogether.

His connections opted to skip the Preakness Stakes (GI) and aim for the Belmont Stakes (GI), the final leg of the Triple Crown. The Florida-bred colt went off at much lower odds in the Belmont than he did in the Derby – 11-1 – due to the fact that he was a “wise guy” horse. Racing wide yet again, Brilliant Speed rallied well over the sloppy track but couldn’t hang on and finished third in the mile and one-half race.

Following seven weeks away from the races, Brilliant Speed returned in the Jim Dandy Stakes (GIII) on Saratoga’s dirt surface. He finished fifth, defeating just two horses: the future stakes-winning Will’s Wildcat and the grade three-winning Scotus.

It was decided that Brilliant Speed would make his return to turf, which he had not raced on since finishing second in the Hallandale Beach Stakes in February. Just over five weeks after his disappointing performance in the Jim Dandy, Brilliant Speed went off as the favorite in the Saranac Stakes (GIII), a nine-furlong turf event contested over Saratoga’s inner turf course. With an imposing turn of foot, the athletic bay struck to the lead in the final furlong, sweeping by the others to score by 2 ½ lengths. Beaten by Brilliant Speed were the winners of seven stakes races total.

Brilliant Speed competed against grade one company on the turf in his next start, the Jamaica Handicap (GI) at Belmont Park. Due to the sluggish pace, the Albertrani trainee sat near the pace throughout the race, though he usually closes from mid-pack. Brilliant Speed and Western Aristocrat, who was making his North American debut, battled neck and neck around the far turn and though Brilliant Speed tried valiantly, he could not pass Western Aristocrat and finished second, beaten a length.

Brilliant Speed
Photo by Mary Cage

Brilliant Speed’s final race as a three-year-old would be one of his toughest tasks to date: the Emirates Airline Breeders' Cup Turf (GI) at Churchill Downs. Facing some of the most talented grass horses in the world, Brilliant Speed was one of four American-trained horses in the nine-horse field. As the third longest shot on the board, the three-year-old made a rally on the outside on the far turn and took the lead at the top of the stretch, maintaining it until inside the final furlong, when he was overtaken by the gifted European horses St. Nicholas Abbey and Sea Moon.

Brilliant Speed has always faced quality fields, even while he was still running in the maiden ranks. The colt will return for a four-year-old campaign in 2012 and will hopefully continue to display his ability to run against the best. If he does, he will likely be pointed toward some of the nation’s top grass races, as Brilliant Speed has never finished out of the money on the turf and has earned$460,000 – nearly 44% of his earnings – on the grass. The turf is clearly where his brilliance shines.

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