Derby Hopeful: Hierro

In 2011, I posted “Juvenile Spotlights” about two-year-olds I had followed since early on in their careers. Now that it’s 2012, everyone’s focus is on the Kentucky Derby. Some horses from past Juvenile Spotlights will be featured, as well as additional horses on the Derby trail.

A colt I have followed since his second career start, Hierro is one of the newly-turned three-year-olds that impressed me the most last year. After two good efforts – the second of which he landed on my watch list –, the son of the grade one-winning Hard Spun brilliantly broke his maiden at Churchill Downs.

Hard Spun, his sire, was a versatile racehorse and was 2011’s second-leading first-crop sire. A multiple stakes winner at two, the son of the influential Danzig won four graded stakes as a three-year-old, including the seven-furlong King’s Bishop Stakes (GI). He also finished second in two prestigious ten-furlong races: the Kentucky Derby (GI) and the Breeders’ Cup Classic (GI). In fact, Hard Spun placed in four grade ones as a sophomore, three of which were classics. The beautifully bred bay won at a range of five and one-half furlongs to nine furlongs and won on two different surfaces: dirt and synthetic. With a versatile sire and dam, Hard Spun should pass on his versatility to his offspring.

Hierro’s dam, the grade-three placed Brief Bliss, has also produced a multiple stakes winner who is also graded stakes-placed, a stakes-placed filly, winners on every surface, and winners in sprint and route races. Through his grandsire Navarone, Hierro traces back to Never Bend, who traces back to the incredibly influential mare La Troienne.

We have frequently seen how important a prior start over the Churchill surface is for horses in the Kentucky Derby. For instance, Super Saver won the Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes (GII) at Churchill Downs as a two-year-old, Street Sense ran twice at Churchill Downs as a juvenile – including a dominant victory in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile (GI), Monarchos raced under the Twin Spires once as a two-year-old, Real Quiet ran at Churchill three times as a juvenile, and Grindstone made one start at the Louisville track as a two-year-old. If Hierro makes it to the Kentucky Derby, he will already have not only a start at Churchill Downs to his credit, but a win.

It is not just the fact that Hierro already has a Churchill victory to his credit that is impressive. The way he won that start is even more imposing. He showed the ability to rate, sitting just off the leaders for most of the race before taking the lead just before the quarter pole. From then on, he easily drew away from the field to win by 5 ¼, running the final eighth in 12.66 seconds despite never really being asked.

Hierro’s next start should come at the Santa Anita meet, where trainer Steve Asmussen has stabled many horses. The Stonestreet Stables-owned colt has worked five times over Santa Anita’s dirt surface, the most recent an impressive 47.60 half-mile breeze. He is being pointed toward the Sham Stakes (GIII) at one mile at Santa Anita on January 7, where he will likely meet up with my favorite three-year-old colt, Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Sprint-winning Secret Circle.

With his versatile pedigree and racing style, Hierro looks like a force to be reckoned with. We should soon find out how he competes against graded stakes company. Should he be competitive and stay sound and healthy, Hierro will be a threat on the Derby trail.


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Juvenile Spotlight: Hierro

One of my favorite things to do is find young horses that have the potential to be superstars. Two-year-olds I have discovered this year before they went on to bigger and better things include Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies (GI) winner, My Miss Aurelia, Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Sprint winner, Secret Circle, two-time grade one winner, Weemissfrankie, and grade three winner, Pure Gossip. It is very entertaining and rewarding to discover two-year-olds before they go on to record prestigious victories. Juvenile Spotlights highlight some of the two-year-olds I have discovered.

It would be no shock to see the famous gold and maroon silks of Stonestreet Stables LLC be successful with yet another horse. Of course, the two horses best known for wearing those silks are Curlin and Rachel Alexandra. Why not add another superstar to Stonestreet’s list?

One of Curlin’s main rivals in his three-year-old year was Hard Spun, who is the sire of the Steve Asmussen-trained Hierro, a two-year-old chestnut colt. By legendary sire Danzig, Hard Spun was a four-time graded stakes winner. Though he won the King’s Bishop Stakes (GI), he just might be most well-known for finishing second in the 2007 Kentucky Derby (GI) and Breeders’ Cup Classic (GI). The son of the late stakes-winning mare, Turkish Tryst, was very versatile, having won a grade one at the distance of seven furlongs and finishing second in two classic races at the distance of ten furlongs. The young stallion looks to pass on this versatility to his offspring.

In his first crop, Hard Spun has already sired a group two winner in the two-year-old Red Duke, as well as two other stakes winners. One of those stakes winners, Hard Not to Like, recently ran a decent fifth in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf (GII). Hard Spun’s sire, Danzig, was capable of siring talented horses at both short and long distances on both dirt and turf. Hard Spun’s dam, Turkish Tryst, was obviously a distance horse. Her first win came at a mile and one-eighth on the dirt, her second at a mile and one-half on the turf, and her third at a mile and one-quarter on the turf.

Hierro’s dam is Brief Bliss, a mare that once placed second in the Arlington-Washington Lassie Stakes (GIII). By the talented grade one-winning turf horse, Navarone, Brief Bliss has already produced Sam’s Bliss, a three-year-old stakes-placed filly, and Cherokee Triangle, who won three ungraded stakes and placed second in the Hawthorne Derby (GIII). Brief Bliss, who only won once, was only victorious at the distance of five and one-half furlongs. However, the granddaughter of Conquistador Cielo has produced winners at up to a mile and one-eighth, as well as winners at sprint distances. The mare has also produced winners on dirt, turf, and synthetic.

Hierro clearly has plenty of versatility on both sides of his pedigree. He could be successful as a sprinter or distance horse on all surfaces.

In Hierro’s first start, the chestnut colt finished fifth in a field of ten in a Saratoga maiden special weight. That may seem unimpressive, but the winner of the race was Alpha, who went on to finish second in the Champagne Stakes (GI). Another point that proves that Hierro’s performance in his first race wasn’t as flat as it seems to be is how bad of a trip he had. The Steve Asmussen trainee broke slowly, had to travel wide, and was forced to check on the far turn.

I first discovered Hierro in the post parade for his second race. The colt’s rich chestnut coat contrasted with the muddy track beneath him as he jogged over the Belmont surface. He had quality muscling and was clearly a very balanced two-year-old that exhibited much class. He was absolutely stunning.

In that race, the son of Hard Spun put in a very good performance to finish second to Souper Speedy. He pursued on the outside to miss by three-quarters of a length. The performance, along with his conformation, garnered him a position in my Equibase Virtual Stable ©.

On Wednesday (November 9), Hierro made his first start outside of New York. In a seven furlong maiden race over the dirt track at Churchill Downs, Hierro sat off the pace under a motionless Julien Leparoux. The colt took the lead towards the end of the far turn with Leparoux remaining still in the saddle. With barely any urging, Hierro drew away from the rest of the field effortlessly to score by 5 ¼ lengths. Despite the fact that the colt was under wraps in the final stage of the race, he still managed to run the final furlong in 12.66 seconds. It was an incredibly impressive victory.

Hierro seems to have a very bright future ahead of him. His name means ‘iron’ in Spanish, which is actually quite fitting. The colt has the breeding to be an iron horse and has already shown immense talent on the racetrack. Look for him to make a huge impression on the racing scene.

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