Derby Hopeful: Went the Day Well

He’d only raced four times and he’d never won on dirt. His final prep for the Kentucky Derby (GI) had come in a race that wasn't exactly known for producing Kentucky Derby winners and his trainer was dubbed solely a turf trainer. Against all odds, Animal Kingdom proved doubters wrong and came home with a victory in the Run for the Roses.

A year later, a colt with the same connections and same final prep for the Derby, the Vinery Racing Spiral Stakes (GIII), is looking for the roses. His name is Went the Day Well. And he just may be several steps ahead of where Animal Kingdom was going into the Kentucky Derby.

Went the Day Well began his career in England, making his first start in September at Haydock Park. Though he did not win the race, he ran such a remarkable second that Barry Irwin, CEO and founder of Team Valor International, soon purchased both the colt and his dam. Following another runner-up performance in England, this time at Leicester, Went the Day Well was shipped across the pond to Graham Motion’s stable in the United States.

Went the Day Well – a New York-bred – made both his American and sophomore debut in February at Gulfstream Park in a nine-furlong maiden special weight over dirt. Breaking sluggishly, the bay colt raced wide off the leaders before making a respectable rally to finish fourth behind the future grade one-placed Teeth of the Dog and the eventual stakes-placed Dynamical.

The Graham Motion trainee broke his maiden next out in a mile and one-sixteenth dirt maiden special weight over the same track. Rating off the pace, Went the Day Well was maneuvered to the outside around the turn before drawing off to win by 1 ¼ lengths.

With much confidence invested in the colt, Team Valor and Motion sent Went the Day Well to the Spiral at Turfway Park, which was, of course, the same race that Animal Kingdom had used as a springboard to his Derby victory. Sent off as the third choice in a field of twelve, Went the Day Well was forwardly placed before splitting horses around the far turn. He surged to the lead before jockey John Velasquez – who rode Animal Kingdom to Derby glory – made the colt change his leads prior to the pair easily drawing away from the rest of the field to win by 3 ½ lengths. With his victory, he defeated  the winners of one graded stakes and four ungraded stakes altogether, as well as runners that had placed in two graded stakes and four ungraded stakes all in all.

Irwin expressed that he was less surprised by Went the Day Well’s impressive Spiral victory than he was by Animal Kingdom’s. He has also let it be known that he is extremely confident in this colt. I believe Irwin has plenty of reason to have plenty of trust in Went the Day Well, due to the colt’s obvious racing talent and his notable pedigree.

The sire of Went the Day Well is Proud Citizen, a winner of the Coolmore Lexington Stakes (GII) at a mile and one-sixteenth who also finished second in the Derby and third in the Preakness Stakes (GI). Proud Citizen is by Gone West, the grandsire of 2004 Derby and Preakness winner Smarty Jones, and out of a direct descendant of the great mare Natalma – the dam of 1964 Kentucky Derby and Preakness winner, Northern Dancer. Proud Citizen is the sire of the 2008 Champion Three-Year-Old Filly, Proud Spell, as well as two other talented three-year-olds this year, the Larry Jones trainees Believe You Can and Mark Valeski.

Tiz Maie’s Day, a daughter of the great racehorse and sire Tiznow, is out of the graded stakes-winning runner-up finisher in the 1989 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies (GI), Sweet Roberta. This makes her a half-sister to the stakes-winning Jah and the multiple stakes-placed Ontario-bred Sweet Breanna. At fifteen years old, Tiznow is fairly new to the broodmare sire standings, but his grandsire, Relaunch was a very successful broodmare sire, being the damsire of the champions Ghostzapper and Forever Together, as well as the grade one victors Ad Valorem, City Zip, House Party, Negligee, Passing Shot, Pure as Gold, Starrer, and Stellar Jayne.

Went the Day Well’s sixth through ninth dams form a string of Reine De Course mares, beginning with the 1927 Irish Oaks winner, Cinq a Sept, who was later imported to the United States, where she foaled the granddam of Went the Day Well’s sixth dam, Imperatrice. Imperatrice, a stakes winner, was purchased by Meadow Stud, where she foaled the 1973 Broodmare of the Year, Somethingroyal – dam of the great Secretariat. Went the Day Well’s fifth dam, Speedwell, is similarly bred to Secretariat, being by his sire, Bold Ruler, and out of his granddam, Imperatrice.

Went the Day Well has likely inherited much stamina from his third dam, Candy Bowl, who is a daughter of Majestic Light. A son of the Derby- and Preakness-winning Majestic Prince, Majestic Light was a multiple grade one winner capable of winning at a mile and one-half. Went the Day Well’s strong dam line stems from female family two, which, of course, yielded the great champion Secretariat. However, it has produced many more great horses than just Secretariat. Other members of this prolific female family include the greats Cigar, Go for Wand, Northern Dancer, and Phar Lap.

This morning, the colt worked 1:01 flat for five furlongs in what trainer Graham Motion expressed was one of the best works Went the Day Well has ever turned in. Who also turned in a spectacular workout a week before the Derby? Animal Kingdom did.

This Team Valor candidate may be overshadowed by bigger names, but it would be no surprise to see Went the Day Well carry the red and green silks of Team Valor International across the Churchill Downs finish line en route to a Kentucky Derby victory for the second consecutive year. A lightly raced competitor, Went the Day Well possesses the pedigree of a horse meant for success. He is a horse well worth paying attention to.


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Juvenile Spotlight: State of Play

One of my favorite things to do is find young horses that have the potential to be superstars. 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." Some Juvenile Spotlights feature horses right after they have broken their maiden or after they record their first major victory. Either way, I have followed these horses since before they hit the headlines. I don't do a Juvenile Spotlight on every two-year-old I "discover", but I try to feature as many as I can.

The green and red silks of Team Valor International flashed across the finish line in front. The horse’s name was not Animal Kingdom, Daveron, Pluck, or Summer Soiree. It was State of Play, a two-year-old colt by War Front and out of the Procida mare Valeta.

State of Play broke his maiden in his debut, a five and one-half furlong race on the turf at Saratoga. After keeping close to the pace, the dark bay/brown colt swept to the lead in the stretch to win by two and one-half lengths in a hand ride.

In his next start, State of Play took on talented turf juveniles in the With Anticipation Stakes (GII) at Saratoga. He led from start to finish, and though he only won by a half-length, jockey Ramon Dominguez rode him confidently. The final time for a mile and one-sixteenth on the turf was 1:43.97.

State of Play’s sire, War Front, is currently the runner-up on the leading second-crop sires list. This year, he has sired grade one winners Summer Soiree and The Factor, as well as many other stakes horses. Though on the track War Front was a talented sprinter on the dirt, he has sired both talented sprinters and routers on every surface. The Factor is a graded stakes winner on dirt and synthetics and has won at a distance range from six furlongs to a mile and one-sixteenth. Summer Soiree has won on both the dirt and turf, with each of her wins coming at over a mile. Needless to say, War Front is a very versatile sire.

The dam of State of Play, Valeta, also produced Straight Gin, a flat-racer turned talented steeplechaser. After finishing fourth in the Toyota Blue Grass Stakes (GI) and a disappointing ninth in the Preakness Stakes (GI), Straight Gin was turned into a steeplechase horse.  In his fourth start over hurdles, Straight Gin got the win. He then went on to finish third in the International Gold Cup Timber Stakes.

In addition to being the dam of State of Play and Straight Gin, Valeta produced Knoxville. As a two-year-old, Knoxville finished second in the Christmas Futurity at Turf Paradise. He later went on to win the Talks Cheap Stakes at Turf Paradise as a three-year-old. Both of these races were at six and one-half furlongs on the dirt.

Clearly, Valeta is capable of producing speed and stamina. It seems she has passed this on to State of Play, as he won his first race at five and one-half furlongs near the lead and then won the mile and one-sixteenth With Anticipation on the lead. With War Front as his sire and Valeta as his dam, State of Play seems to have plenty of versatility.

The Graham Motion trainee definitely has a chance to become a top horse on grass or dirt. Depending on the decisions his connections make, they could defend their title in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf or the Kentucky Derby, or any other prestigious race for that matter. They seem to have a talented enough colt on their hands to do so.

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