BUDDY'S SAINT

BUDDY'S SAINT


Sitting on top of my top twenty choices for the Triple Crown is a bay colt from the only crop sired by Saint Liam. This bay colt seems to have what it takes to win one or more of the Triple Crown races, hopefully all three. If a horse by Saint Liam is to win a classic, it will have to be this year. His foals have just turned three, and they will never be three again. Can Buddy's Saint pull it off? Only time will tell. But for now, it won't hurt to haul out the statistics and see what he's got going for him.

First, I'll examine his pedigree. I'm certainly not an expert, but it looks good to me. His sire, as I said, is Saint Liam, who won the 2005 Breeders' Cup Classic Powered by Dodge (gr. I), the Stephen Foster Handicap (gr. I), the Donn Handicap (gr. I), Woodward Stakes (gr. I), Clark Handicap (gr. II), and was runner up in the Whitney Handicap (gr. I), another Woodward Stakes (gr. I), the New Oreleans Handicap (gr. II), and the Iowa Derby. He was also third in the Oaklawn Handicap. Altogether, he made twenty starts, winning nine of them. Seeing that he retired sound, with two Eclipse Awards, he was obviously a very good horse. He got the mile and a quarter in the Breeders' Cup, so it seems as though he had some stamina, but still, it was his only win at a mile and a quarter.

The dam of Buddy's Saint, Tuzia, made twenty five starts, winning seven of them. It appears that she won only one stakes race in her lifetime, the restricted Nastique Stakes, but did succeed in running second in the grade I Personal Ensign Handicap. As a broodmare, she has five named foals, of which four made it to the races, three of the turning out to be winners. However, Buddy's Saint is her only stakes winner, as well as being her only graded stakes winner.

The broodmare sire of Buddy's Saint, Blushing John, was a high class horse himself. He made nineteen starts, winning the grade I Pimlico Special Handicap and the Hollywood Gold Cup, and coming in third in the 1989 Breeders’ Cup Classic. He also took the Eclipse Award for Older Male in 1989.

Saint Ballado, sire of Saint Liam, certainly has good credentials. Ten percent of his foals became stakes winners, his total being 70 stakes winners from 701 foals.

And of course, there are lots of other nice horses in Buddy's pedigree, including Halo, Hail to Reason, Fappiano, Lyphard, Blushing Groom, Northern Dancer, and more.

Now I take a look at Buddy’s Saint’s racing career, which has been very impressive to say the least. In his first race, he finished first but was disqualified and placed second after bumping Global Force in the stretch. Buddy must have shown something impressive in that race, because his next start was the grade II Nashua Stakes at Aqueduct on Breeders' Cup Day. Despite the huge step up in class, he won by twelve lengths, earning the third highest Beyer Speed Figure for a two year of 2009. The time for the one mile race was 1:35.67.

Three weeks later, he returned to try nine furlongs in the Remsen Stakes, also at Aqueduct. The class of the race was a bit higher, with the grade I Champagne Stakes winner Homboykris in the race. Homeboykris finished fifth, while Buddy's Saint romped by four and three quarters of a length.

That was his last race to date. Since then, he has been shipped to Florida and intends to run in the grade II Fountain of Youth Stakes, with either the Florida Derby or the Wood Memorial to follow. The Florida Derby has been moved to six weeks before the Kentucky Derby, with the Wood Memorial four weeks prior to the Kentucky Derby. This means that if Buddy's Saint was to attempt the Fountain of Youth/Florida Derby double, he would have just three weeks in between those two races. He has shown that he can do that, but these two races are of the highest class and will undoubtedly have higher class competition. On the other hand, he would be getting a six week break leading up to the Kentucky Derby. This could be good, and it could be bad. The Wood Memorial, four weeks after the Fountain of Youth and four weeks before the Kentucky Derby, seems to be slightly better timing. This is assuming that he is only being given two prep races prior to the Triple Crown. If he turns out for the Holy Bull, which seems unlikely at this time, I would say that the Wood Memorial is a must. Otherwise, his spring schedule could be quite trying, and possibly leave him too tired to win any Triple Crown race. However, his trainer knows much more than I do about Buddy's Saint, and I'm sure that whatever he chooses to do, it will be the right decision.

One last fact about his upcoming races. Despite the fact that this is not going to happen, I would like to mention the Hutcheson Stakes on the same day as the Fountain of Youth as a possibility. Its seven furlong distance would allow Buddy to build up to the Triple Crown, rather than attempt to nine furlong races in the course of three to four weeks. Just a thought.

Finally, I come to some facts and notes about Buddy's Saint that also point to a bright future.

1. I really like the fact that Buddy skipped the Breeders' Cup Juvenile. Despite the fact the Street Sense, in 2007, succeeded in sweeping the Juvenile/Derby double, he also proved that it is an extremely hard feat to accomplish. Also, the two Breeders' Cup Juvenile winners that followed Street Sense—War Pass and Midshipman—were injured leading up to the Kentucky Derby, and were forced to miss the entire Triple Crown. It seems to be a very trying race.

2. Buddy's Saint was purchased at the 2008 Keeneland September yearling auction, for $100,000. This has nothing whatsoever to do with his ability as a racehorse, but I thought I'd mention it anyway.

3. During the past nine years, four sires have had the Kentucky Derby winner in their first crop. They include Maria's Mon with Monarchos, Distorted Humor with Funny Cide, Street Cry with Street Sense, and Birdstone with Mine That Bird. Now, Buddy's Saint comes from his sire's first crop. Glancing quickly through more statistics, I find that Preakness Stakes winners Rachel Alexandra and Funny Cide, as well as Belmont Stakes winner Summer Bird, all came from their sire's first crops. I can't find anything to prove that this isn't just a bizarre coincidence, but it's a fact.

4. Bruce Levine, trainer of Buddy's Saint, has never attempted to win the Kentucky Derby before. However, in the past ten years, Bennie "Chip" Woolley Jr., Rick Dutrow Jr., Michel Matz, John Shirreffs, John Servis, Barclay Tagg, and Neil Drysdale have all won the Kentucky Derby on their first attempt. Seven of the last ten Kentucky Derbies. Hmm. . .





posted by Keelerman