Toward the end of December, I compiled an extensive list of two-year-olds pointing toward the 2012 Triple Crown, ranging from such well-known colts as Hansen and Union Rags down to maidens like Najjaar and Mr. Style. It was such a fun list to create that I decided to write up a "sequel" post. So here it is -- 29 additional little-known Triple Crown contenders, the majority of them are nothing more than maiden winners, and most of them based in California. Enjoy!
ATIGUN (Istan - Rimini Road, by Dynaformer) - Perhaps he doesn't have the classiest of pedigrees, but this colt has nevertheless displayed a great deal of talent thus far. After breaking his maiden sharply in his fourth start, he finished a decent fifth in the Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes (gr. II), beaten just 5 3/4 lengths. I wouldn't be surprised if he turns up somewhere in Florida next time out, perhaps at Gulfstream somewhere, or even the Tampa Bay Derby.
BATTLE FORCE (Giant's Causeway - Leo's Pegasus, by Fusaichi Pegasus) – This John Shirreffs-trainee broke his maiden second time out going a mile on turf with a highly impressive late run. He then ran a strong third behind Stoney Fleece and Handsome Mike in the Generous Stakes (gr. III) over the Hollywood Park turf. His pedigree suggests that he could prove successful over dirt as well, so I'm excited to see how this colt develops over the next few months.
BOBBY FLAY (Bob and John - Hot Serve, by Tabasco Cat) - Trained by Bob Baffert, this colt trained very well prior to his debut, in which he ran a strong third going 6-1/2 furlongs on the main track at Hollywood. I expect him to improve with additional time and distance.
CANDY'S JEWEL (Candy Ride - All Pleasure, by All Gone) - This colt, in my opinion, could turn into a very nice one indeed. Winless in four starts so far, he has nevertheless recorded a pair of strong seconds behind such promising colts as Sky Kingdom and Groovin' Solo. So long as he continues to improve, he could end up being a major threat in stakes races up to at least nine furlongs.
CHIPS ALL IN (North Light - Maria's Mirage, by Maria's Mon) – This little-known colt has been quietly compiling a solid 4-for-5 record, with stakes wins in the Eddie Logan and Gold Rush Futurity among his victories. His lone loss came in the Golden Nugget Stakes at Golden Gate Fields, where he missed by just a head to a nice colt in Passing Game. His Eddie Logan win was very, very strong, and while he may end up being more of a turf/synthetic horse, he certainly merits watching in the coming months.
CLOUD HOPPER (Stormello - Tifonica, by Equalize) - Has lost every one of his four starts to date, but the Art Sherman-trainee has finished second on three occasions while finishing ahead of such promising colts as Liaison, Drill, Basmati, and Got Even. He obviously needs to step up his game a bit if he's going to be a factor in graded stakes races, but plenty of horses have made it to the Kentucky Derby without having won a race at two, including last year's runner-up, Nehro.
CONSULADO (More Than Ready - Goodbye Stranger, by Broad Brush) - Gave a good account of himself in his debut effort going 6-1/2 furlongs over the main track at Hollywood, charging late to miss by just 1 1/4. Trained by Mike Puype, I expect him to run even better next time out and believe he could improve with more distance, although he could possibly prove best as a turf miler.
FED BIZ (Giant's Causeway - Spunoutacontrol, by Wild Again) - Put in a decent late run to be fourth in his debut for trainer Bob Baffert, then took a one-mile maiden special weight at Santa Anita in a sharp 1:35.48. Obviously, the Santa Anita main track is very fast, but it was nevertheless a highly impressive effort that could set this colt up for a big year.
FLEET EAGLE (Don't Get Mad - Crazy Sissy Joe, by Silver Deputy) - A lot of people feel that the well-regarded colt Out of Bounds could be among the best three-year-olds in southern California at this time. If that is the case, than one must respect the talent of this colt, who was beaten only three-quarters of a length by Out of Bounds last time out. He has been keeping very good company and could be a decent colt this spring.
FLY LEXIS FLY (Badge of Silver - Becky Loves Silver, by Silver Charm) - A dual classic winner in Peru, his owner is sending him to the barn of Angel Penna, Jr., to prep for the Kentucky Derby at Gulfstream Park. Hard to say how he will stack up against the best colts in the United States, but he already has wins under his belt going ten and twelve furlongs, so distance should not be an issue.
FULL CRY (Bluegrass Cat - Back Bay Dixie, by Dixieland Band) - Owned by Peachtree Stable and trained by Bob Baffert, this colt has yet to race but has been training exceptionally well and could potentially be a very, very good colt this year. I can't wait for his debut, which will should likely come any week now.
GOT EVEN (Stephen Got Even - Kathryns Birthday, by Blare of Trumpets) – This Peter Miller-trainee broke his maiden in claiming company, and his first stakes attempt yielded an eighth-place finish in the Generous Stakes (gr. III), but he apparently has an affinity for the Santa Anita main track as witnessed by his dominating victory in the seven furlong California Breeders’ Champion Stakes, which he won by 4 1/4. A front-running type, on the surface he appears to have some distance issues, but his pedigree is strong enough to suggest that he can go longer.
GROOVIN' SOLO (Bob and John - Squall Linda, by Summer Squall) - This colt has had a very unique career thus far. Owned and trained by Myung Kwon Cho, he finished fourth and fifth in his first two races, both at Del Mar during the summer. Then, four months later, he turned up in the $750,000 CashCall Futurity (gr. I), where at odds of 87-1 he was pulled up after a rein broke. Thirteen days later he broke his maiden going a mile at Santa Anita in 1:36.02, defeating the likes of Candy's Jewel, Castaway, and Cloud Hopper. It will be interesting to see how he turns out in the following months.
HANDSOME MIKE (Scat Daddy - Classic Strike, by Smart Strike) - A stakes-caliber colt trained by Doug O'Neill, Handsome Mike finished second in the Generous Stakes (gr. III) on turf before running seventh in the CashCall Futurity (gr. I), setting the pace before ending up being beaten by only 2 3/4 lengths
HODGE (City Place - Tarahumara, by Black Tie Affair) - Third-place finisher in the Hollywood Prevue Stakes (gr. III) beat the grade I-placed Brother Francis when breaking his maiden and should make his 2012 debut shortly. He has been breezing sharply for trainer Mike Machowsky and should be ready to make some noise this spring.
HOLY CANDY (Candy Minister - Spooky Minister, by Deputy Minister) - Does anyone else feel this colt could be the next one in the line of "Candy" horses from the barn of John Sadler? A stablemate to the grade I winners Twirling Candy and Sidney's Candy, Holy Candy has raced only once, finishing second to the well-regarded Empire Way in a 6-1/2 furlong maiden special weight at Hollywood Park. Seeing how well he has been training as of late, I expect him to make his 2012 debut within the next week or two.
INDIAN AMBUSH (Indian Charlie - Never a No Hitter, by Kris S.) – This highly promising colt broke his maiden second time out for trainer Bill Mott in a mile and a sixteenth maiden special weight at Churchill Downs, tracking the early pace before drawing away to a two-length win 1:44.99. One of the colts he defeated that day, Tetradrachm, returned yesterday to break his maiden at Fair Grounds over a couple of nice colts in Proper Empire and Sir Bond.
ISN'T HE CLEVER (Smarty Jones - Sharp Minister, by Deputy Minister) - 3-for-4 so far in his young career, Isn't He Clever missed by a half-length in his stakes debut, the Clever Trevor Stakes, then shipped out to Sunland Park for the Riley Allison Futurity, which he won by 11 3/4. This is a colt that could be a legitimate contender for the $800,000 Sunland Derby (gr. III) in March, which has turned out classic winners Mine That Bird (Kentucky Derby) and Ruler On Ice (Belmont Stakes) in the last three years.
MACHO ROCKET (Macho Uno - La Defense, by Wild Again) - Bob Baffert and Martin Garcia . . . a duo that demand respect whenever they pair up with an up-and-coming three-year-old. Macho Rocket's only start to date yielded a narrow victory going six furlongs at Hollywood Park. Since then, he has been breezing very well and could be a major contender later this spring, although his pedigree is perhaps a bit biased toward sprinting than routing.
MAGNETIC STORM (Stormello - Puff the Magic, by Red Ransom) - Yet another Bob Baffert-trainee, this colt has yet to race but has been breezing steadily for a while now. With a pedigree strong enough to carry him at least nine furlongs, Magnetic Storm could be this year's version of Midnight Interlude, Baffert's 2011 Santa Anita Derby (gr. I) winner that did not hit the races until his three-year-old year.
MANK (Pulpit - Stirring, by Seeking the Gold) - Trained by John Shirreffs, this colt showed nothing in his lone start to date, sprinting 6-1/2 furlongs on the downhill turf course at Santa Anita to finish tenth. But this colt is not bred to be a turf sprinter -- he is supposed to be a dirt router. In my opinion, this colt is going to show a ton of improvement with time, distance, and dirt.
MIDNIGHT TRANSFER (Hard Spun - French Satin, by French Deputy) - Broke his maiden in huge fashion first time out at Santa Anita, scorching six furlongs in 1:08.02 to win by 4 3/4 lengths. Admittedly, he did get a very good trip -- sitting in third a few lengths off of an intense speed duel -- but nevertheless, the Carla Gaines-trainee was highly impressive. Could the San Vicente Stakes (gr. II) be a logical early-season goal?
NIGHT TIDE (Malibu Moon - Yo Ali, by Quiet American) - Racing for the same connections as the 2009 Kentucky Oaks (gr. I) winner Plum Pretty, Night Tide finished third in the Hollywood Juvenile Championship Stakes (gr. III), but has not raced since finishing a distant fifth to Creative Cause in the Best Pal Stakes (gr. II) on August 7th. He returned to the work tab in December and has been working steadily since then, so I expect we'll see him back before too long.
SHEER TALENT (Wildcat Heir - Malpractice M. D., by Langfuhr) - Trained by Dan Hendricks, this colt broke his maiden first time out at Del Mar against the likes of Drill, Groovin' Solo, and Cloud Hopper, then was beaten only 3 1/4 lengths in the Del Mar Futurity (gr. I). A disappointing effort in Golden Gate Field's Golden Nugget Stakes was followed by a decent fourth beaten 1 3/4 lengths in the Hollywood Prevue Stakes (gr. III) and -- most recently -- a good second in the Eddie Logan Stakes on the turf. Might be one to keep an eye on.
SPIRIT RULES (Tribal Rule - Heavenly Lady, by Danzatore) – This California-bred colt crushed a field of state-bred maidens in his second start, cruising home by 8 1/4 lengths under Joseph Talamo. He completed the 6-1/2 furlong event in a sharp 1:15.63. Time will tell how far he can run, but for the moment he looks as promising as any other.
TENACIOUS THOMAS (Stormy Atlantic - Zoom Zip Zoom, by Old Topper) - Defeated a couple of promising-looking colts in Consulado and Bobby Flay to break his maiden going six furlongs at Hollywood Park in 1:09.55. He did get away with fairly easy opening fractions while setting the pace, but he did prove himself very "tenacious" indeed in the homestretch to gamely hold off Consulado by 1 1/4 lengths.
UNBRIDLED'S NOTE (Unbridled's Song - Siberian Fur, by Siberian Express) - This Steve Asmussen-trainee has won his only start to date, dominating a six furlong maiden special weight at Churchill Downs by 4 1/2 lengths. He has since shipped out to California, where he has recorded one half-mile breeze. It will probably be several weeks before he returns to the races, but watch out when he does.
UNUSUAL HEATWAVE (Unusual Heat - Miss Alphie, by Candi's Gold) - Perhaps this California-bred will prove best as a sprinter, but I liked the way he broke his maiden going 6-1/2 furlongs on the downhill turf course at Santa Anita. After stalking the early pace, he came on strongly in the homestretch to win by a length in 1:13.05. From the barn of Alexis Barba, he lost his first four starts at a variety of distances, but against some decent company, and could be a player this spring if he keeps improving.
Z DAGER (Mizzen Mast - Fees Waived, by Wavering Monarch) – This Steve Asmussen-trainee broke his maiden second time out at Fair Grounds, holding off a late challenge from Sir Bond to win the mile and seventy yards event by 1 1/4 lengths. He has breezed once since then and could potentially show up in the LeComte Stakes (gr. III) later this month.
-Keelerman
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