Oaks Contender: Unlimited Budget

Oaks Contenders feature the fillies I view as the best contenders leading up to the Kentucky Oaks. Each horse spotlighted in an Oaks Contender will join the 2013 PTG Oaks Contender roster, found on the right side of the blog. Horses will be listed in an order that corresponds to how highly I think of them, with the horse I think most highly of ranking at the top. A horse featured in an Oaks Contender may be taken off the roster if its performances after its article are published are not up to par or if that horse is taken off the Oaks trail, though those articles will remain on my blog.

The most recent undefeated Kentucky Oaks (GI) victress was Rags to Riches, one of the most brilliant fillies in a decade teeming with great females. But approaching this year’s Lilies for the Fillies is another undefeated lady: Unlimited Budget. Coming off a win in the Fair Grounds Oaks (GII), which has produced seven Oaks winners and five of the last nine, Unlimited Budget stands as one of the top fillies in a deep division.

Debuting at Aqueduct last November, Unlimited Budget pressed the pace before drawing off to a breathtaking 9 ½-length victory. Making her graded stakes debut in her next start, the Demoiselle Stakes (GII), the Repole Stable-owned filly faced just three rivals. Breaking cleanly from the gate in the nine-furlong event, Unlimited Budget quickly earned an easy lead. Though future dominant grade one winner Emollient threatened her lead down the backstretch, Unlimited Budget began to kick clear as she led her adversaries into the final turn. When Emollient re-rallied in the homestretch, Unlimited Budget denied her any further advancement, digging in to win by 1 ¼ lengths.

The Todd Pletcher trainee made her sophomore debut in the Rachel Alexandra Stakes (GIII) at the Fair Grounds in late February. Following a minor bobble at the start, Unlimited Budget found herself several lengths off the pace for the first time in her career after she left the seventh gate, but only to employ a new style of running. Settling behind the front-running contingent as the field rounded the clubhouse turn, Unlimited Budget appeared comfortable down the backstretch as the pacesetter raced about nine lengths ahead of her.

Guided to the outside as the fillies began their run into the last bend, Unlimited Budget began to rally remarkably, cutting into Dancinginthecircle’s lead. In an authoritative manner, Unlimited Budget took the lead just prior to the eighth pole, and despite greenly switching leads down the stretch like she’d done in the Demoiselle, the daughter of Street Sense coasted to a 3 ¾-length triumph.

Unlimited Budget made her final prep for the Kentucky Oaks in the Fair Grounds Oaks, facing a tough field. Each of her six rivals had found stakes success; the field included the grade one-winning So Many Ways, the graded stakes-winning Seaneen Girl, the stakes-winning and graded stakes-placed Promise Me More, the highly-touted, graded stakes-placed Flashy Gray, the graded stakes-placed Blue Violet, and the stakes-winning Ante Up Annie.

Breaking from the outside post, Unlimited Budget raced wide into the first turn as she found a position just off the leaders. Settling just three lengths behind the leaders down the backstretch, Unlimited Budget remained relaxed as a fairly brisk pace was set. Around the far turn, the bay filly quickly gained ground on the leaders, racing wide around the bend to contend for the lead. In the final three-sixteenths of the race, Unlimited Budget battled Flashy Gray prior to kicking clear in the final stages in spite of galloping greenly to score by 1 ¾ lengths.

Unlimited Budget's pedigree
From pedigreequery.com

Unlimited Budget has already proven herself at the nine-furlong distance of the Kentucky Oaks when victorious in the Demoiselle and her pedigree certainly suggests that she will have no problem succeeding at it again. Her sire, Street Sense, won the 2007 Kentucky Derby (GI, 10F), the Travers Stakes (GI, 10F), and the Jim Dandy Stakes (GII, 9F), while his sire, Street Cry, captured the Dubai World Cup (GI, 10F) and the Stephen Foster Handicap (GI, 9F).

Unlimited Budget’s stakes-placed dam, Unlimited Pleasure, never raced beyond the distance of six and one-half furlongs and her two other graded stakes winners, Beacon Shine and Jardin, excelled at sprinting distances as well. But the sire of Unlimited Pleasure, Valid Appeal, won a nine-furlong edition of the Dwyer Handicap (GII) and is also the broodmare sire of Puerto Rican champion Soy Conquistador, who set records at nine and ten furlongs; Vacare and Splendid Blended, grade one winners at nine furlongs; and Best of the Rest and Eyes on Eddy, multiple stakes winners at nine furlongs.

The granddam of this talented filly, Cricket Box, was a very successful broodmare, producing the likes of a grade one winner at ten furlongs in Outofthebox and a stakes winner at a mile and one-sixteenth in Ruff and Ready. Unlimited Budget’s third dam – a daughter of Reine de Course mare Old Bess – yielded the multiple grade one-winning Mighty Appealing.

A unique characteristic found in Unlimited Budget’s genealogy is the fact that she is an outcross, lacking any inbreeding within the initial five generations of her ancestry. The most recent outcross that blossomed into a Kentucky Oaks victress was Hall of Famer Silverbulletday; others include Blush with Pride, Bold ‘n Determined, Buryyourbelief, Luv Me Luv Me Not, Pike Place Dancer, and Sardula.

Tough competition awaits Unlimited Budget upon the hallowed grounds below the shadows of the Twin Spires. But this filly has repelled any competition that has threatened her reign and will put up a fight when tested by a legion of talented fillies that comprises of champion Beholder and monster Dreaming of Julia. You will not want to miss this year's Kentucky Oaks.

Hy Lime Time: Finally!

Hy Lime Time
Photo: Terri Cage

As Hy Lime Time’s chestnut frame flew down the turf course at Remington Park, excitement began to build. He flashed under the wire in second, but he was incredibly impressive in defeat. After a horrible break in the seven and one-half-furlong maiden special weight for two-year-olds, the chestnut son of Limehouse rallied remarkably in late stretch to miss by a half-length. With his spectacular stretch run, Hy Lime Time gave his connections high hopes for his future.

Unfortunately, Hy Lime Time became sick and did not start again until March, finishing seventh on the main track at Fair Grounds. Before long, it seemed as if the colt could never win despite his obvious talent. From his first race onward, he lost thirteen races in a row. However, he had finished in good company, racing against the winners of three graded stakes and four ungraded stakes races altogether, including the grade one-winning Ultimate Eagle. He also raced against runners who had placed in a total of five graded stakes races and three ungraded stakes. He’d run at six different tracks, in five different states, on three different surfaces,and at five different distances.

I’d followed the colt since his maiden and each time he raced, I eagerly hoped that the unlucky chestnut would finally cross the wire in front. I couldn't wait to see him race in person. Dallas Keen, the colt’s trainer, and his wife, Donna, had raved about him and were clearly excited about his potential. It was obvious that he was a gifted colt but just couldn’t catch a break.

I hoped that he would catch that break on July 2, 2011, when I got to see him in person for the first time. I saw him in the barn that morning, along with True Swither, a gelding that would claim the seventh race on the Lone Star Park card for the Keens. After the seventh race, my parents, my best friend, and I ran into the Keens on the first floor of the grandstand. We congratulated them on True Swither’s win and Donna even told us that she’d have let us in the winner’s circle with them if we’d have been down there. I optimistically told her we would join them in the winner’s enclosure later that day after Hy Lime Time’s race.

As the ninth race approached, I stood along the rail of the saddling paddock with my parents and best friend. Hy Lime Time was the first horse that sauntered into the paddock, his beautiful chestnut coat gleaming as he carried himself with much class. He looked tremendous, exceeding my expectations for how grand of an individual he was.

We took our place along the rail as the maidens paraded in front of the grandstand. As the field of ten loaded into the starting gate for the mile and one-sixteenth race on the turf, I fixed my eyes on the first gate. When the horses broke from the starting gate, Hy Lime Time settled near the rear, traveling wide around the first turn.

As the field came around the far turn, I grew excited as Hy Lime Time began to make his move. He had to travel wide yet again, but he was absolutely flying onthe outside, displaying his usual electrifying late kick. My best friend and I found ourselves hopping up and down, cheering for the colt as if he was our own horse. With his long stride, the son of Limehouse strived to reach the wire first. But the finish line came too soon. I felt my heart sink as Hy Lime Time missed by a scant head. He’d been closing incredibly fast; the final sixteenth was in a time of 5.80 seconds. Despite the fact that he had lost, Hy Lime Time came cantering back to the frontside like a champion.

Hy Lime Time crossing the wire in his July 2, 2011 race
Photo: Terri Cage

Though I’d been a fan of his ever since the beginning of his career, witnessing his thrilling race in person led me to follow his racing endeavors even more closely. With each of his next six races, I was disappointed with yet another loss, but left with the hope that once he did break his maiden, it would be in spectacular fashion.

On opening night of Lone Star Park’s 2012 Thoroughbred meet, Hy Lime Time went to post for the fourteenth time. However, this time was different than all the other times he’d contested in a race; he was starting for a claiming tag for the first time. In the seven and one-half-furlong $25,000 claiming, Hy Lime Time was forwardly placed before taking the lead and never looking back, drawing away over a firm turf course to win by 7 ¼ lengths. Just as I’d hoped,the colt had broken his maiden in remarkable style. In addition, he was fortunately not claimed and therefore not taken away from the Keens and owners Roger Sofer and Jack Randall.

Finally entering the winner’s circle must have been a huge confidence boost for Hy Lime Time. He soon faced winners for the first time, taking a step up when he entered a first-level allowance race for May 6 at Lone Star. In yet another seven and one-half-furlong turf race, Hy Lime Time settled near the back of the pack around the first turn prior to inching forward in position down the backstretch. Rounding the far turn, the chestnut colt swung wide under Larry Taylor, striking to the lead and drawing away to an impressive 5 ¾-length victory, boosting his career earnings to $71,100.

It took him over a year and half to get it done, but now that Hy Lime Time has had his picture taken in the winner’s enclosure, he is on a roll. The potential for him to become a successful racehorse was there all along in his pedigree. A $23,000 yearling purchase at the Fasig-Tipton July Sale in Lexington, Kentucky, Hy Lime Time walked into the auction ring with a strong pedigree.

He is sired by Limehouse, a four-time graded stakes winner who stands at Vinery Stud in Kentucky. Since entering stud in 2006, the millionaire son of Grand Slam has sired the Canadian classic-winning Miami Deco, the graded stakes-winning Humble and Hungry, and the multiple stakes-winning and graded stakes-placed Delightful Mary.

The dam of Hy Lime Time is Saratoga Rhythm, a daughter of the grade one-winning stallion Saratoga Six and the stakes-winning mare Dancing Blade. Saratoga Rhythm is also the dam of the multiple stakes-winning and graded stakes-placed Saratoga’s Magic and the stakes-placed Six Numbers. Notably, Hy Lime Time’s fourth dam, Crème Brulee, is the dam of the multiple stakes-winning and graded stakes-placed Cloudy Dawn – who finished third behind Riva Ridge in the 1972 Belmont Stakes – and Hedevar – who was a stakes winner and world record-equaling rabbit of the Hall of Famer Damascus.

From the outset, Hy Lime Time has had the potential to become a lucrative racehorse. Plagued by bad luck, the stunning chestnut colt has finally found his groove and could not look any better. Big things are expected from Hy Lime Time. They’ve always been expected; he just needed to break through with a victory. Now he has a pair of wins to his credit and seems to be a rising star. Not only would seeing him succeed and continue to improve be rewarding since I have followed him since the commencement of his racing career and have become attached to him through his races, but his connections certainly deserve a gifted horse like Hy Lime Time.

For a race replay of Hy Lime Time's allowance win, please click here.

6-4-12: Sadly, Hy Lime Time broke down at Lone Star Park on June 3, 2012 while making a dazzling move and is no longer with us. It was truly devastating and I missed him from the instant I found out he was gone. You will never be forgotten, Hy Lime Time. You were a special horse and one I will always hold dear to my heart. I can't believe you're gone. I love you, buddy.

Hy Lime Time
Photo by Mary Cage

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Rosie Napravnik Becomes the First Female Jockey to Win the Kentucky Oaks

With her body lowered against the filly’s neck and withers, Rosie Napravnik asked the three-year-old filly beneath her for all she had. On the outside, the pair flew like a freight train. The wire was just ahead. Along with crossing that wire in front came the most coveted garland of lilies in the world, and, of course, the prestige of winning the greatest race for sophomore fillies in the world, the Kentucky Oaks (GI).

But it was not meant to be. Rosie Napravnik and St. John’s River finished a neck behind Plum Pretty in the 2011 Lilies for the Fillies. Two months later, Rosie Napravnik received an injury to her left arm and after four surgeries and her wedding, Napravnik was able to return to the races.

Rosie Napravnik
Photo: Terri Cage

For the second year in a row, Napravnik garnered the title of leading rider at Fair Grounds Race Course in New Orleans. Along with riding the talented colt Mark Valeski for trainer Larry Jones and former governor of Kentucky, Brereton Jones, Napravnik guided the gifted filly Believe You Can to wins in the Silverbulletday Stakes and the Fair Grounds Oaks (GII) for the same connections.

Four years after Larry Jones and Brereton Jones took the Kentucky Oaks with a daughter of Proud Citizen, the eventual champion Proud Spell, they returned to the race with yet another daughter of Proud Citizen – this time with a filly named Believe You Can. Prior to the Oaks, Believe You Can – like Proud Spell – turned in a blazing final work. The Fair Grounds Oaks winner completed five furlongs in an official clocking of 58.40 seconds, though others clocked her even faster.

Five days later, before the second largest crowd in Kentucky Oaks history, Believe You Can and thirteen other elite Thoroughbred fillies loaded into the starting gate before the grandstand at the historic Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky to contest in the greatest race for three-year-old fillies in the world. Side by side, the fillies stood in the gate, their eyes focused on the vast dirt oval ahead of them. Rosie Napravnik and the other jockeys settled aboard their mounts, prepared to ride a tremendous race. With one clang and an enormous cheer from the crowd, the young female Thoroughbreds leapt from the gate en route to a contest for the most sought-after lilies in the world.

Shortly after her clean break from the gate, Believe You Can was guided to the front by Napravnik, though it was the brilliant Broadway’s Alibi that took the lead as the field rounded the clubhouse turn. Rating just off the pace, Napravnik and Believe You Can found a good position in second as the fillies galloped down the backstretch, settling just to the outside of Broadway’s Alibi. Relaxing beautifully beneath twenty-four-year-old Napravnik, Believe You Can began to inch closer to the leader around the far turn.

As the fillies swung into the homestretch, it was clear that Believe You Can, with Rosie Napravnik aboard, and Broadway’s Alibi, with veteran jockey John Velazquez in the irons were headed into a fierce battle. With the riders asking their mounts for all they had, the two fillies dueled down the stretch before Believe You Can surged forward just before the sixteenth pole to draw off to a ¾ of a length victory. Triumphantly, Rosie Napravnik punched her fist into the air, a joyous grin spreading across her face.

With her victory aboard Believe You Can, Rosie Napravnik not only acquired her first grade one triumph, but she also became the first female in the one hundred thirty-eight runnings of the Kentucky Oaks to ride to victory. Her victory aboard Believe You Can is surely a source of inspiration for young women aspiring to have a career in the sport of kings, as well as a race that will never be forgotten and will forever be etched in the history books.

Rosie Napravnik wasn’t done yet. She came back after the Kentucky Oaks to win the nightcap at Churchill Downs, further putting an emphasis on her incredible talent and, of course, Girl Power.

As for Believe You Can, she was one of my featured "Oaks Contenders," so you can read more about her here.


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Oaks Contender: Summer Applause

Bret Calhoun has emerged from solely being a successful trainer in the South and has formed a presence on the national scene. For instance, in 2010, he saddled two Breeders’ Cup winners: Chamberlain Bridge and Dubai Majesty. Now, in 2012, he has a chance to saddle the victor of the renowned Kentucky Oaks (GI) thanks to a talented filly named Summer Applause.

The bay filly debuted in Canada as a juvenile, finishing a flat sixth in a five and one-half-furlong maiden special weight over Woodbine’s all-weather track. She redeemed herself next out, however, stretching out to seven furlongs. After settling off the leaders, Summer Applause struck to the lead in the stretch prior to drawing clear to win by 2 ¼ lengths.

Her final start as a two-year-old came at Fair Grounds Race Course in New Orleans, Louisiana, in which she contested in a mile and seventy yards allowance optional claiming over the track’s dirt surface. She showed a new dimension, setting the lead from start to finish as she effortlessly triumphed by 7 lengths.

Summer Applause’s stakes debut came in the Silverbulletday Stakes, in which the Calhoun trainee pressed the pace set by Believe You Can before the aforementioned filly went on to defeat her by 2 ½ lengths. Summer Applause clearly learned much from the race, however, as next out in the Rachel Alexandra Stakes (GIII), she continued her blossoming rivalry with Believe You Can. Returning to her style of rating off the pace, Summer Applause made a late move to take the mile and one-sixteenth race by a length, leaving Believe You Can in fourth.

The rivalry was revived yet again in the Fair Grounds Oaks (GII), in which Summer Applause rated off the pace before making an outside move on the far turn. It appeared as if Believe You Can was drawing away from the field, leaving Summer Applause behind, but the Calhoun trainee dug in under Robby Albarado. As she reached the sixteenth pole, she suddenly hit another gear and accelerated to close in on Believe You Can, only to miss by a head. The blaze-faced bay galloped out ahead of the victor.

Calhoun, who typically keeps a stable at Churchill Downs during the Louisville track’s meet, already has Summer Applause stabled beneath the Twin Spires, giving her plenty of time to get adapted to the track. She will get more training over the track compared to several other Kentucky Oaks hopefuls, which will certainly be to her benefit.

Summer Applause’s bloodlines are full of the names of elite horses, giving implications that Summer Applause has only just begun her journey to success. Her sire is Harlan’s Holiday, who has quickly become one of the most productive sires in the industry. A multiple grade one-winning grandson of Storm Cat, Harlan’s Holiday has produced the grade one-winning horses Into Mischief and Majesticperfection, the multiple group stakes-winning horses Mendip and Willcox Inn, and the grade three-winning runners Dynamic Holiday, Riley Tucker, Saratoga Sinner, Silver Reunion, and Tasha’s Miracle.

The dam of Summer Applause is Summer Exhibition, a result of the mating between the champion Royal Academy and the stakes-winning dam of the multiple graded stakes-winning Recoup the Cash. In addition to producing Summer Applause, Summer Exhibition is the dam of the multiple stakes-placed runner Big Easy.

Summer Applause features two crosses of the Reine De Course mare Crimson Saint, who was a graded stakes winner who produced the grade one-winning champion and sire Royal Academy, the grade one-winning and track record-equaling Pancho Villa, the multiple graded stakes-winning dam of Storm Cat in Terlingua, the stakes-winning Alydariel, and the stakes-placed horses Border Run and Encino (the latter of which is graded stakes-placed). 

She is also inbred 5 X 4 to Northern Dancer, who has appeared in both the bloodlines of the sire and dam in the pedigrees of such Kentucky Oaks winners as Rachel Alexandra and Keeper Hill, as well as recent Derby victors Mine That Bird and Big Brown.

Summer Applause descends from a line of royally-bred mares from E.P. Taylor’s powerhouse breeding program. Her fifth dam, the Reine De Course mare Victoriana, who herself is a daughter of a Reine De Course mare in Iribelle, is the dam of the 1952 Canadian Horse of the Year Canadiana. Victoriana was an even more successful broodmare than her dam, producing the champions Northern Queen (Summer Applause’s fourth dam) and Victoria Park, the multiple stakes-winning Bull Vic, and the dam of a champion. Other direct descendants of Victoriana include the Canadian Hall of Famer Vice Regent, the Canadian champion Northern Blossom, and the multiple group stakes-winning High Accolade. This productive dam line hails from female family ten, which has yielded the champions Beldame, Deputy Minister, and La Roche, as well as the 2005 Kentucky Oaks victor Summerly.

Summer Applause poses one of the biggest threats in the Kentucky Oaks as a result of her clear racing talent and determination, in addition to her royal pedigree. Though she has finished behind Believe You Can more than she has defeated her, I believe she is the better filly, especially the longer the distance. Summer Applause is absolutely one of the leading contenders for this year’s edition of the Run for the Lilies.


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Oaks Contender: Believe You Can

The historic Churchill Downs dirt surface had been turned into an oval of slop, ready for ten talented three-year-old fillies to gallop across it for the most prestigious race generated for fillies their age: the Kentucky Oaks (GI). Proud Spell, a stocky bay filly in the orange and green colors of former governor of the Bluegrass State, Brereton C. Jones, loaded into the starting gate below the Twin Spires before 100,046 fans. Her stablemate, Eight Belles, had been scratched out of the Oaks, her preference belonging to the next day’s renowned Kentucky Derby (GI). Tragically, Eight Belles’ remarkable performance in the Derby would end in catastrophe. For Proud Spell, however, she would carry the same trainer and jockey to a victory.

Following her Oaks triumph, Proud Spell captured two more graded stakes victories en route to being named Champion Three-Year-Old Filly of 2008. Her trainer, Larry Jones, had earlier that year announced that it would be his final year of training. With teary eyes, the racing world bid him farewell.

However, Jones soon returned to racing in 2011. He was greeted with a warm welcome and picked up right where he’d left off, conditioning the eventual 2011 Horse of the Year, the brilliant mare Havre de Grace. He continued to strong into 2012, revealing several talented three-year-olds at Fair Grounds Racecourse in New Orleans, Louisiana. Among those sophomores was Believe You Can, a filly who was sired by the same sire as Proud Spell – the graded stakes-winning Proud Citizen, who had finished second in the Kentucky Derby and third in the Preakness Stakes (GI) in 2002 behind War Emblem.

Believe You Can debuted in June of her two-year-old career at Delaware Park, finishing fourth behind two eventual stakes-placed fillies. Her second start would be much more successful; she ran gamely to score in a five-furlong maiden special weight over the same track by a neck after leading from start to finish. She continued her Delaware winning ways next out, dominating a non-winners of two lifetime allowance optional claiming by 4 ½ lengths in August after racing just off the pace.

Believe You Can’s graded stakes debut came at the competitive Belmont fall meet, in which she impressively took the six-furlong Tempted Stakes (GIII) over a small field that included the graded stakes-winning Gerogie’s Angel and the stakes-placed Select Cat. She displayed a slightly new dimension, coming from off the pace to score, though she wasn’t far from the leaders due to the short field.

Her final juvenile start came in the Pocahontas Stakes (GII) at Churchill Downs, in which she finished an uninspiring sixth of twelve. It was a deep field, however. Crossing the wire ahead of Believe You Can was the eventual multiple graded stakes-winning On Fire Baby, the graded stakes-placed And Why Not, and the stakes-placed and future multiple stakes-winning Glinda the Good. In the Pocahontas, Believe You Can defeated horses that had won or would go on to win a total of two graded stakes and one ungraded stake and fillies that had placed in or would go on to place in three graded stakes and three ungraded stakes races altogether.

Believe You Can made her sophomore debut at the Fair Grounds in the Silverbulletday Stakes in late January, in which she set a steady pace from start to finish to capture the mile and seventy yards race by 1 ½ lengths. The filly who finished second to her in the Silverbulletday, Summer Applause, turned the tables on her next out in the Rachel Alexandra Stakes (GIII) over the same track, however. In the Rachel Alexandra, Believe You Can settled in third rather than going to lead and raced along the inside before being maneuvered to the outside and faltering to fourth as the six-horse field bounded across the finish line.

The Larry Jones trainee rebounded next out, however, leading most of the way in the Fair Grounds Oaks (GII) over a small field to defeat her apparent rival Summer Applause by a head in a valiant effort to hold the other filly off while drifting out.

Despite the fact that Summer Applause has only managed to conquer Believe You Can once, many feel that she is the better filly. Though I am part of that group, I believe that Believe You Can is a gritty, talented filly with the pedigree to allow her to perform well in the Oaks, despite the fact that her only start over the Churchill Downs surface was not spectacular.

Obviously, Proud Citizen has already sired a Kentucky Oaks winner – and for the same connections at that. However, his success with three-year-olds does not stop there. He is the sire of two of the leading Kentucky Derby contenders for this year: the multiple graded stakes-placed Mark Valeski and the graded stakes-winning Went the Day Well. Proud Citizen, who is a grandson of the influential sire, sire of sires, and broodmare sire Gone West, is a direct descendant of the great mare Natalma and when bred to Believe You Can’s dam, El Fasto, the two form two crosses of Buckpasser, Natalma, Nearctic, and Tom Fool. El Fasto, a daughter of the significant sire El Prado, is a half-sister to the multiple graded stakes-winning Classic Elegance. She exhibits several crosses of Blue Larkspur, Mahmoud, Pharos, and Turn-To, some of the most influential sires found in the pedigrees of Thoroughbreds.

Believe You Can will have to run the race of her life in the Kentucky Oaks, but she has previously shown that she will lay it all on the line to get her nose in front. Her pedigree, though impressive, may not be quite as dazzling as other fillies pointing for the Run for the Lilies and her racing performances may not be as spectacular, but she is a hard-knocking filly running for connections with past successes in the Derby’s sister. She is certainly a justifiable contender for the Kentucky Oaks.


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Euroears Says Goodbye to the Track

On April 24, 2010, I stood along the rail at Lone Star Park as the field for the Texas Mile Stakes (GIII) made their way to the saddling paddock. I was familiar with several horses in the field and had seen many of them race before. I’d seen the eventual winner – Mythical Power – win the Lone Star Derby (GIII) the year before. I’d also watched Jonesboro – one of my personal favorites – race several times before, including his win in the 2009 Texas Mile. Also in the field was another personal favorite of mine, King Dan, who was trained by Dallas Keen, who I knew through the rescue he runs with his wife, Donna: Remember Me Rescue.

Euroears
Photo: Terri Cage

Little did I know, walking towards me along the rail was a horse that would capture my heart forever.  When I set sight on the stocky chestnut, my eyes widened as I realized how beautiful the horse was. The features of his face were very refined, including a bright eye. The white stripe on his face was made unique by two tiny brown spots in the middle of it. He carried himself with extreme class and as he moved past me, I was able to realize how well-built he was. He was a very well-balanced individual, possessing a long, sloping shoulder that allowed him to be evenly divided into thirds and have a shorter topline in relation to a longer underline. He was very muscular, having bulging forearms and gaskins and was wide through the chest and from stifle to stifle. With all of those characteristics plus being structurally correct, the Bret Calhoun trainee was an impeccable individual. I declared Euroears the most beautiful horse I’d ever seen.

Euroears ended up finishing second, crossing the wire just a neck behind the Bob Baffert-trained Mythical Power. With his dazzling beauty and gutsy performance, Euroears had captured my heart.

I saw him about a month later when he finished third in the mile and one-sixteenth Lone Star Park Handicap (GIII). I relished seeing him again, as I knew it was very likely the last time I would see him.

Flash back to three years earlier. Following a nine and one-half length victory in his debut at Lone Star, Euroears wheeled off five more consecutive victories, including wins in the F. W. Gaudin Memorial Stakes, Colonel Power Stakes, and Duncan F. Kenner Stakes at the Fair Grounds. Between those wins and his graded stakes efforts at Lone Star Park in 2010, Euroears won the Thanksgiving Handicap at Fair Grounds. All these races came for trainer Bret Calhoun. His last start for Calhoun came in a disappointing effort in the Firecracker Handicap (GII) on the turf at Churchill Downs.

Euroears
Photo: Terri Cage

Euroears did not return to the races until January of 2011. He was now in the hands of Bob Baffert in Southern California, where he had fired six bullets in the morning. He made his seven-year-old debut in the Palos Verdes Stakes (GII) at Santa Anita, drawing off to defeat five other talented horses, including the multiple grade one-winning Smiling Tiger, by two and one-quarter lengths. The final time for six furlongs was a dazzling 1:07.23.

His victory was enough to garner him a position in the starting gate in Dubai, where he took on some of the world’s best sprinters in the Dubai Golden Shaheen (GI) in his next start. After setting the pace at Meydan, the chestnut fought valiantly to finish second to the multiple grade one-winning Singapore-based Rocket Man.

Euroears returned to the United States, but did not start again until the end of July, when he made a start in the Bing Crosby Stakes (GI). As usual, the strapping chestnut took the lead immediately and posted blazing fractions. He never looked back as he flew across the synthetic surface, his impressive muscles carrying him with tremendous speed along the track. He earned his first grade one victory by a length and one-quarter, leaving behind him the multiple grade one-winning Smiling Tiger, the eventual 2011 Champion Sprinter Amazombie, and the 2010 Dubai Golden Shaheen winner, Kinsale King. Not only had he impressively defeated several talented sprinters, he had broken the Del Mar track record for six furlongs.

Euroears’ last four starts weren’t exactly up to par. He finished eighth in the Vosburgh Invitational Stakes (GI), in which he was impeded after the start. His effort in the Breeders’ Cup Sprint (GI) was very disappointing, as he was never really himself and faded to finish last. He rebounded slightly in the Vernon O. Underwood Stakes (GIII) at Hollywood Park after Thanksgiving, finishing fourth. In his final start, which came today in the Palos Verdes at Santa Anita, he broke poorly and didn't show his usual spark yet again, finishing fourth.

Euroears
Photo: Terri Cage

Though Euroears’ start in the Breeders’ Cup Sprint was disappointing, I was able to catch my final glimpses of him on the track while he was under the Twin Spires for the championship races. A couple days before the Breeders’ Cup races began, as I was standing along the rail of the clubhouse turn at Churchill Downs, I saw a stocky chestnut jogging towards me. I scrutinized the horse and once I noticed the distinguishable face marking, I screeched Euroears’ name with excitement. The chestnut pricked his ears as he neared me and his exercise rider smiled at me as the pair jogged by. I kept my eyes glued to “my boy” as he jogged down the track. It was a relief to see him again.

Joyfully, I watched other Breeders’ Cup horses jog by, but I was on edge, waiting for Euroears to gallop by. Before long, I caught sight of the copper-colored horse galloping around the clubhouse turn. I fixed my camera on him, my eyes lighting up as he galloped in front of me. A couple days later, I would admire him along the rail one final time as he headed to post in the Sprint.

Euroears has taken me on a journey I never would have imagined a horse would take me on. It’s not often that a horse that dominantly breaks its maiden at my home track – Lone Star – goes on to win a grade one in track record-breaking fashion, let alone race in Dubai or at the Breeders’ Cup. I am very grateful to have seen Euroears in person several times.

He will now stand stud at JEH Stallion Station in Oklahoma and will breed to both Quarter Horse and Thoroughbred mares. Euroears will now live out his days at JEH, which is where he belongs. Jim and Marilyn Helzer – who have owned Euroears since the beginning of his career – founded JEH in 1994. If there is anywhere Euroears should stay for the rest of his life, it’s with the Helzers.

About 150 miles south of the Oklahoma division of JEH Stallion Station is the track that started it all for Euroears: Lone Star Park. Someday, I hope to see sons and daughters there and at other tracks across the world, displaying the same scintillating speed as their sire.

Thanks for the memories, Euroears!

Photo: Terri Cage

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Juvenile Spotlight: Table Three Ten

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.

Alliteration, like that in the name of this El Prado filly, could be an announcer’s worst nightmare. However, the talent of Table Three Ten is a horse owner’s dream come true.

Born on March 3, 2009 in Kentucky, the gray/roan filly is a homebred for her owners, Cobra Farm. The daughter of El Prado is likely named after a restaurant of the same name in Lexington, Kentucky, the same city Cobra Farm is located in. Located on 340 acres in the Horse Capital of the World, Cobra Farm has been in the Biszantz family since 1995. The farm is where the 1977 Triple Crown winner, Seattle Slew, was born, as well as many other champions and graded stakes winners. Perhaps Table Three Ten could add to the list of champions born on the farm.

Table Three Ten, who is the first foal out of the stakes-placed More than Ready mare Hopes and Dreams, debuted on the day after Thanksgiving, otherwise known as Black Friday. Entered in a six furlong maiden special weight for two-year-old fillies at Fair Grounds Race Course, the Michael Stidham trainee sat off the lead before looming large as the horses came around the final bend.

Table Three Ten drew away when jockey Jesse Campbell threw some crosses at her, reminding her she had to keep running to keep the other horses away. Once Campbell looked behind him and realized that the gray filly didn’t need any more reminders, he sat still aboard the filly as they galloped toward the wire. The pair crossed the wire an easy five and one-quarter lengths ahead of the others.

With her victory, Table Three Ten made many watch lists, including mine. Her sire, El Prado, was a champion racehorse and an outstanding sire that died in 2009 – the year Table Three Ten was born – from an apparent heart attack. In her impressive debut, Table Three Ten conjured up hopes of continuing El Prado’s legacy. She has a long way to go, but if her maiden is any hint of what is in store, racing fans are in for a treat.


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Diary of Dexter: A Retired Racehorse

Past the Grandstand will begin a new series called Diary of Dexter about my retired racehorse, Wet Paint (AKA Dexter). Periodically, the blog will feature updates on the grandson of Storm Cat. You will really grow to love this wonderful horse.

Dexter
Photo by Mary Cage

Wet Paint may not have accomplished big things on the racetrack, but this horse means a lot to me. The son of Chelsey Cat (by Storm Cat) and out of the Lost Code mare Little Betty Blue earned $32,851 in twenty-three starts. He raced from age two until age four, all in Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and Louisiana.

After being eased in his final start, Wet Paint was retired from racing. He ended up with an outrider at Fair Grounds Race Course, but after that outrider left for Florida, Wet Paint was left in Louisiana. Dallas and Donna Keen took the chestnut gelding under their care, training him patiently and getting him some much-needed dental care.

The outrider who had had him before leaving for Florida had claimed him uncontrollable, but the Keens realized that was most definitely not the case. Once his teeth were floated, Wet Paint caught on to lessons very quickly, responding willingly. He was most definitely not the “uncontrollable” horse the outrider had deemed him.

A few days after Wet Paint arrived at the Keens’ Remember Me Rescue, I adopted him and named him Dexter. I just couldn’t ignore him. He was extremely friendly, gorgeous, and seemed very smart.

In fact, I believe he is the smartest horse I have ever ridden. He is an extremely quick learner and is willing to please. You can teach him something one day and he will remember it the next and if you don’t work on that one thing for a month, he will still remember it when you try it again. I have had him for over six months now. He still has a lot to learn, but he has made a lot of progress and looks to have a bright future.

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