Sophomore Spotlight 2/11/13

In a spinoff of Juvenile Spotlights, new-on-the-scene three-year-olds will be featured in a new blog series called “Sophomore Spotlights.” These will only continue through the end of February and will follow the format of Juvenile Spotlights. This series was created to spotlight the up-and-coming sophomores that either did not race as a juvenile or did not perform as well as a two-year-old.

Tiz the Truth (2/2): A disappointing eighth in his debut, Tiz the Truth was a game second in his initial dirt try. The colt broke his maiden in his subsequent start, leading from start to finish to score by 7 ¾ lengths, completing the final furlong of the one-mile race in 11.87 seconds. A colt that has seemed to flourish on the dirt, Tiz the Truth is a son of the outstanding sire Tiznow. Being out of the French Deputy mare Truly Blessed, Tiz the Truth is a half-brother to the multiple graded stakes-winning Notional. The colt is therefore a direct descendant of the great Reine de Course mare Myrtlewood, the fifth dam of Triple Crown winner Seattle Slew.

Salutos Amigos (2/9): Second in his debut at Hollywood on the turf and fourth next out on dirt, Salutos Amigos broke his maiden over Santa Anita’s dirt oval, settling a handful of lengths off the pacesetter before striking to the lead and drawing off to a near-4-length victory. A son of young sire Salute the Sarge, Salutos Amigos is out of the multiple group stakes-winning Argentinian mare Sarasota, who has also produced the graded stakes-winning Sarah’s Secret.

Flashy Gray (2/10): After playing the role of runner-up in her debut at Keeneland, Flashy Gray dominated a maiden special weight at Churchill Downs by 10 ¼ lengths. Making her sophomore debut in an allowance optional claiming at Gulfstream, Flashy Gray easily defeated her rivals by 4 ¾ lengths. Sired by young sire Flashy Bull, Flashy Gray was a $775,000 purchase at the 2012 Keeneland November Breeding Stock Sale as part of Dolphus Morrison’s dispersal. Morrison, breeder and former owner of Rachel Alexandra, as well as former owner of my Miss Fifty, declared Flashy Gray to be “the best racehorse I’ve owned.” Read more about his thoughts on this filly here.