Super Ninety Nine: Something to Look Forward To

He tossed his head, flashing his radiant white blaze as his red mane flowed, his neck arched as his rich chestnut coat gleamed in the morning sun. My eyes focused upon the Bob Baffert trainee's Breeders' Cup saddle towel, reading his name: Super Ninety Nine. Prior to seeing him in person, I had not been incredibly impressed by the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Sprint contender. However, as soon as the colt graced my vision, he became my top selection.

Super Ninety Nine
Photo by Terri Cage

Super Ninety Nine displayed great muscularity for his age, possessing the powerful build of a Quarter Horse. It was impossible to deny that the colt reminded me of a former grade one-winning Baffert trainee, Euroears. Sharing the same chestnut coloring and similar markings, Super Ninety Nine was also powerfully built just as Euroears had been and also galloped in the same robust manner.

Unfortunately, after being cast in his stall, Super Ninety Nine was withdrawn from the Juvenile Sprint and thus was unable to reveal what he was capable of on Breeders' Cup weekend. But Super Ninety Nine had impressed me enough in the mornings to land a position on my radar.

The colt's debut was clearly exciting enough for his connections to enter him in the Breeders' Cup. His first start came in a seven-furlong maiden special weight over Santa Anita's main track, in which the chestnut was sent off as the third choice in a field of twelve. Super Ninety Nine did not briskly leave the starting gate, but with slight urging from jockey Martin Garcia, the chestnut colt rocketed to the lead as the field commenced its run down the backstretch.

However, the Tanma Corporation-owned colt was soon overtaken by the favorite, Quietasacat, off of whom Super Ninety Nine raced just to the outside. Just a half-length separated the two as an initial quarter-mile split of 23.05 was set, but Super Ninety Nine gradually began to decrease Quietasacat's lead as the pair led the field into the turn.

Super Ninety Nine matched strides with his nemesis midway through the curve, gaining a slight advantage as they reached the quarter pole. With asking from Garcia, Super Ninety Nine began to kick clear, lengthening his lead at the top of the stretch, holding off the charges of his rivals. In the final yards, the colt seemed to find his best stride despite changing leads, crossing the wire 1 1/4 lengths in front.

Super Ninety Nine
Photo by Terri Cage

Bred by Northwest Farms LLC, this rising star brings to life bloodlines that are like a web of speed and stamina. Bred on a cross of two of the most powerful sire lines of the breed, Super Ninety Nine possesses a pedigree that is not lacking in strength on either side.

Sired by Pulpit, Super Ninety Nine shares the same sire as such grade one winners as Corinthian, Ice Box, Purge, Pyro, Rutherienne, Sky Mesa, Stroll, and Tapit. Pulpit is of course a son of the great A.P. Indy, the sire of nearly thirty grade one winners, including Bernardini, Flashing, Mineshaft, Little Belle, Music Note, and Rags to Riches. The A.P. Indy sire line from which Super Ninety Nine descends has been highly successful, as A.P. Indy is also the sire of such productive studs as Bernardini, Congrats, Malibu Moon, Mineshaft, and Stephen Got Even. 

Super Ninety Nine's dam, Exogenetic, is a three-quarters sister to Exogenous, an ill-fated multiple grade one winner, and is also the dam of the multiple black-type-winning Elusive Horizon. A daughter of Unbridled's Song, Exogenetic provides Super Ninety Nine with the same broodmare sire as the group one winner Better Than Ever, as well as the graded stakes winners Etched, Hold Me Back, and Out of Bounds.

War Exchange, Super Ninety Nine's fourth dam, was a stakes-winning mare who produced two graded stakes winners, one of which was Barbarika, two-time Horse of the Year Curlin's granddam, thus making War Exchange the multiple classic winner's third dam. War Exchange is also the third dam of the grade one-winning champion Countess Diana.

Misfortune kept Super Ninety Nine out of the Breeders' Cup, but I will not soon forget this striking colt, who I will be keeping a close eye on. Bringing to the table eye-catching conformation and movement, as well as a beautiful pedigree, Super Ninety appears to have bright future ahead of him. Perhaps many are thinking of what could have been had he been able to compete in the Breeders' Cup. However, I am simply looking forward to what this colt's future holds.

Super Ninety Nine
Photo by Terri Cage

Derby Hopeful: Secret Circle

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.

Secret Circle captured my attention more so than any other two-year-old in 2011. On July 23, 2011, I kept my eyes glued to the television for the third race at Del Mar. As a two-year-old race, I was eager to see how the race would play out. A superstar could very well come out of the race.

When Secret Circle overcame his rail position and pounced to the lead in the early stages of the race, my eyes focused on the flashy bay. I had missed the post parade, so I hadn’t gotten a good look at the horses prior to the race. However, this colt just screamed class and I could tell he was a Bob Baffert trainee with his Mike Pegram silks and blue shadow roll. My eyes were riveted by the bay two-year-old and I didn’t look at any other horse as the juveniles raced down the backstretch of the synthetic track.

Secret Circle
Photo: Terri Cage

He moved beautifully, his knees flat and his stride fluid as he galloped along on the lead. With slight asking from Rafael Bejarano, Secret Circle accelerated and drew away from the field. In the final stages of the race, Bejarano geared the colt down and even pumped his fist after they crossed the wire. Secret Circle had impressed me exceedingly and galloped his way into my heart.

Immediately following the race, my words were, “I found my Derby horse!”

Not only had Secret Circle impressed me with the way he ran, but when I looked at his pedigree, I was left even more fascinated. He is by one of my personal favorite stallions, Eddington, who is by the Kentucky Derby (GI)- and Breeders’ Cup Classic (GI)-winning Unbridled. He is the second foal out of his dam, Ragtime Hope, who was a multiple stakes winner.

Secret Circle earned his spot in my Equibase Virtual Stable © and I followed him closely. However, he did not start for over eleven weeks. He made his return in the Jack Goodman Stakes at Santa Anita. Not only was it his first start against stakes company, but it was his first start on dirt. It was not a problem, however. The son of the grade one-winning Eddington drew off to win the stakes by 5 ¼ lengths and was geared down late, though he drifted in slightly.

With his two remarkable victories, the last stop for the Bob Baffert trainee’s juvenile career was the inaugural Sentient Jet Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Sprint at Churchill Downs. I was excited to see the colt in person and was impressed by the class he carried himself with as he strolled past me, just inches away. I knew the race was his.

Photo: Terri Cage

The win didn’t come as easily as expected, at least in terms of winning margin. Secret Circle and Trinniberg set an absolutely wicked pace: the first quarter in 20.96, the first half in 44.55, and the initial five furlongs in 56.99. Secret Circle didn’t come home very quickly (13.53), but that was to be expected with the slow track labeled “good” and blazing fractions. He drifted out severely, but surely he was weary from the intense fractions and tiring track. Plus, he was running with blinkers for the first time.

Secret Circle returned to the work tab thirteen days after his Breeders’ Cup victory and has recorded six works since that win. The point of these works was to teach the fast colt to relax. He has been worked with and without blinkers, though the bay colt seems to be more relaxed without them. On December 22, he worked in company with Candrea without blinkers, relaxing several lengths behind her before catching up. Six days later, the colt went six furlongs in 1:10.80. He is expected to make his three-year-old debut in the Sham Stakes (GIII) at Santa Anita on January 7, which would also be his two-turn debut.

Many people doubt Secret Circle’s ability to go long, but I believe that if Bob Baffert continues to train the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Sprint-winning colt to relax, Secret Circle will have no problem routing. His sire, Eddington, was by Unbridled, a horse that placed in the top four of all three 1990 Triple Crown races – including a victory in the Kentucky Derby –, won the ten-furlong Breeders’ Cup Classic as a three-year-old, finished second in the ten-furlong Secretariat Stakes (GI) on turf, and finished third in the Breeeders’ Cup Classic as a four-year-old. Eddington himself won two mile and three-sixteenth races: the Pimlico Special Handicap (GI) and the Gulfstream Park Handicap (GII). He also finished third in the mile and three-sixteenths Preakness Stakes (GI), fourth in the twelve-furlong Belmont Stakes (GI), and third in the ten-furlong Travers Stakes (GI).

The longest distance Secret Circle’s dam, Ragtime Hope, won at was a mile and one-sixteenth. Ragtime Hope is also a half-sister to Really Polish, whose greatest victory came in the mile and one-sixteenth Dogwood Stakes (GIII). Really Polish, whose longest winning distance was nine furlongs, also finished third in the nine-furlong Kentucky Oaks (GI).

As long as Secret Circle has the mental toughness to learn how to relax, he has the ability to go long. He is an extremely fast, talented colt that I will be closely following for the rest of his career. Hopefully this is only the beginning of his journey.


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Breeders' Cup Juvenile Sprint

The Sentient Jet Juvenile Sprint is the newest addition to Breeders’ Cup weekend. Though many find it unnecessary, I see it as a great opportunity for two-year-old sprinters to showcase their talent for the Breeders’ Cup crowd. The following four colts are the ones I believe have the best shot. However, there will be plenty of other talented juveniles in the field, so it is not guaranteed that these four will perform the way I expect them to. It’s horse racing; anything could happen. Here are my top four picks for the Juvenile Sprint:

1. Secret Circle:  I have followed this colt since his maiden win, in which he immediately became my favorite juvenile colt. He may possibly run in the Juvenile instead, but it seems more likely that he will run in the Juvenile Sprint. In his maiden race on July 23 at Del Mar, the son of Eddington dominated the field, winning by 7 ¼ lengths. On October 10, Secret Circle easily won the Jack Goodman Stakes at Santa Anita. Though he is likely to run in the Juvenile Sprint, the bay colt has a good chance of stretching out in the future. Check out the Juvenile Spotlight I wrote about him at: http://pastthegrandstand.blogspot.com/2011/08/bafferts-next-superstar.html

2. Vexor:  This son of Wildcat Heir is coming off a win in the Nashua Stakes (GII) at Belmont Park, in which he battled with Trinniberg before crossing the wire three-quarters of a length in front. He seems to be very talented, but I am worried that the stretch duel may have taken too much out of him. However, in his only work since the Nashua, he worked a good 48.10 for a half-mile. Besides, by the time the Breeders’ Cup rolls around, it will have been nearly five weeks since he last ran.

3. Trinniberg: After finishing second at 68-1 in the Three Chimneys Hopeful Stakes (GI), Trinniberg battled with Vexor to finish second in the Nashua. The son of Teuflesberg seems to be no worse for the wear, as he turned in a bullet work at Churchill Downs for a half-mile in 48.20 on October 20. The colt has only been off the board once, when he finished fifth in the Three Chimneys Saratoga Special Stakes (GI) to Union Rags. Don’t count him out.

4. Hunt Crossing:  Despite hitting the gate in his first start, Hunt Crossing won his debut by an impressive four lengths for trainer Todd Pletcher. I followed him after that win, but the bay son of Corinthian did not have a good race over the slop in the Hopeful. However, he rebounded with a three-length victory in the Monmouth Park NATC Futurity. He recently worked four furlongs in 49.20 at Churchill Downs, which was the fifth fastest work out of forty. This is Todd Pletcher with a two-year-old; watch out.

*Update: Hunt Crossing is out with an injury.

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