Terribly Great 2's: Know More

In a matter of weeks, trainer Doug O'Neill hoisted himself from relative obscurity into the history books of Thoroughbred horse racing.
Before the spring of 2012, few had heard mention of Reddam Racing or its eccentric, fan-friendly trainer. Not until, that is, a particular chestnut colt bounded his way into the hearts and homes of thousands of race fans world-wide.
Some love these connections, others hate them. Regardless, we are all familiar with the white and purple silks of Reddam Racing, no matter our views and "expert" opinions on them.

I'll Have Another, 2012's Derby and Preakness superstar

The final moments of today's Best Pal Stakes (G2) marked a very nostalgic moment for fans of I'll Have Another, the recently retired star of this year's Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes. A bay 2 year old clad in the same, white and purple armor, carved his name beside that of Creative Cause, Lookin At Lucky, Dixie Union and Best Pal with a lightning turn of foot that flung the banner of J. Paul Reddam in front of a pack of seven top-class two-year-olds. Know More, a bay son of Lion Heart, captured the Best Pal by a nice, visible margin.

While the final time of 1:16.14 was nothing record-shattering, the way in which the race was won was eerily reminiscent of I'll Have Another's famous late charge. What is next for Know More, a colt clearly gifted with something of the great, closing kick that has become the trademark of so many champions?

After only one race, it is hard to assess the quality and character of any racehorse, let alone a two-year-old.
We can, however, pull aside at least a fraction of the curtain on Know More's talent by delving into his pedigree.

Know More is sired by Lion Heart, a stallion best known for finishing second to Smarty Jones in the 2004 Kentucky Derby. While Lion Heart has produced a handful of notable distance runners (think Dangerous Midge and Line of David), his offspring average a typical winning distance of only 6.3 furlongs. Know More's grandsire is Tale of the Cat, a sire capable of producing just about every type of runner. Some of his more distance-happy offspring are Gio Ponti, Tale of Ekati, Spellbinder, Catboat, and Lion Heart himself. Tale of the Cat is sired by Storm Cat, whom is widely known for producing distance champions such as Bluegrass Cat, Courageous Cat, and Tabasco Cat. Lion Heart's dam, Satin Sunrise, raced 78 times in the claiming ranks, winning at distances of up to 1 1/8 miles.

Know More is his dam's, Seattle Qui's, fifth foal. Her first, Seattle Monty, was an unsuccessful sprinter who found the Winner's Circle only once in 9 claiming-rank starts. Her second foal, a 2007 Bernstein colt, broke his maiden by over 5 lengths and found victory in the William L. Proctor Memorial Stakes before failing to win again. Seattle Melody, Seattle Qui's third offspring, recently broke his maiden in a claiming event after failing in 12 other attempts. Her 2009 foal, Vacationing, has failed to succeed in 7 maiden special weight tries to date. Know More's damsire is the great Seattle Slew. In addition to winning the Triple Crown, Seattle Slew is known for siring prolific runners such as A.P. Indy, Landaluce and Slew O' Gold. He is the grandsire of Rags to Riches, Bernardini, and Lava Man, and the broodmare sire of Cigar. One of Seattle Slew's sons, Slewacide, served as broodmare sire to Kentucky Derby and Preakness champ Funny Cide. Know More's granddam is Qui Bid, who was sired by Kentucky Derby and Preakness winner Spectacular Bid.

While there are multiple speed influences in Know More's pedigree, it appears to lean more onto the routing side of the scale. It is very possible that this colt will learn to handle a good bit of ground. He was nothing short of brilliant in today's debut; fans have no reason not to hope that Know More could develop into a glossy, new classics contender.

Best Pal Stakes 2012: Field Overview

For two-year-olds vying for top juvenile status, there are few stepping stones as reliable as the Best Pal Stakes (G2). Hosted annually on the Polytrack of Del Mar Racetrack at a distance of 6 1/2 furlongs, the Best Pal has established itself as a hot spot for emerging talent. Last year, Grade I winner Creative Cause swept by future Derby and Preakness champion I'll Have Another to capture the race's 41st running. The year before, Best Pal winner JP's Gusto went on to perform well in a series of black type events. 2009's victor, Lookin At Lucky, went on to capture the Preakness Stakes.

In the spirit of curiosity and a love for watching young horses develop, let's take a look at the pack of juveniles entered to race in its 42nd edition.

Creative Cause flying to victory in 2011's Best Pal Stakes

(1) Heir of Storm. A colt trained by Alexis Barba. A month back, he captured a 5 1/2 furlong maiden special weight at Hollywood Park. While the final time for his victory was extremely slow, Heir of Storm has been working nicely at both Hollywood and Del Mar. Last Wednesday, he recorded a sharp four furlongs in 47.40 -- the 8th fastest work out of 52 over the same distance. A week before that, at Hollywood, his breeze of 47.20 for the four furlongs was marked the fastest out of 35 horses. While I'm not too impressed with this colt's debut, his works seem to say that he's not to be ruled out.

(2) Moreno. A colt trained by Eric Guillot. In his only race, Moreno overcame a very poor start to finish third behind Heir of Storm. While I consider that race to have been an especially weak one, Moreno seemed to play the role of that one horse who is bound to learn a lot from a troubled debut (watch the race; he was bumped around quite a bit). He has been working handily over Del Mar's main track in nice, solid times. Moreno may be ready to take a huge step up.

(3) Miss Empire. A filly trained by Peter Miller. She has raced three times, her only victory coming in the form of a 4 length runaway in the Cinderella Stakes. Among the eight horses she defeated were Unusual Way, the winner of Miss Empire's debut and Tilde, who bounced back with a three length victory in the CA Thoroughbred Breeders' Association Stakes. In her most recent start, Miss Empire finished third behind Bob Baffert's highly touted Executiveprivilege. While it comes off as a bit strange that Miss Empire is now being staged against the boys in a G2 event, I conclude that her connections know her best -- perhaps Miss Empire really is ready for a big sort of comeback. 2 year old fillies are notoriously inconsistent and difficult to bet on; if she's anything like the millions of females before her, Miss Empire may jolt back onto the racing scene with a very fine Best Pal performance. From her recent works, nothing but maintenance drills, it is very hard to tell.

(4) Scherer Magic. A gelding claimed into the Sadler barn out of a 7 length victory against maiden claimers, Scherer Magic parades into the Best Pal as the undefeated champion of the Hollywood Juvenile Championship Stakes (G3). I am always cheering for claimers gone black type, and certainly hope that Scherer Magic can string himself a garland of stakes wins. However, the final time for his Hollywood Juvenile win was slower than the fillies' stakes, carded at Hollywood Park at the same day and distance. His debut, too, was notably slow, just over 58 seconds for the 5 furlongs. The flip side of this is that Scherer Magic has been working very well; only days ago, he fired a 6 furlong bullet. Whether or not this gelding can win may be determined by the ferocity of the rest of the field. I have little doubt that Scherer Magic will put in a nice effort -- the question is if he's capable of persevering against tougher competition.

(5) Heir Kitty. A filly trained by Peter Miller. The Best Pal will serve as her introduction to dirt; Heir Kitty's only start was in a 6 furlong turf maiden special against other fillies. After pressuring the pace right from the get-go, Heir Kitty stole the lead and swept away with a gap of 4 lengths to the second place finisher. She has been working impressively over Del Mar's All Weather Track and seems to be entering the race on top form. While clearly talented, Heir Kitty is far from a stable betting decision. A circle of questions surround her, ranging from is she fast enough? to how will she take to the dirt? If you like a mystery, have at it.

(6) Amarish. A gelding trained by Jeff Bonde. Prior to self-destructing in the Hollywood Juvenile Championship, Amarish stacked up a maiden win of a gaping, 7 lengths and a 4 length triumph in the William L. Proctor Memorial Stakes -- both at Hollywood Park. I was extremely impressed with this colt's credentials, and went on to write an article about him. Before, that is, Amarish flailed on the lead in his third start and weakened into a very green sixth. Considering the razor-sharp fractions he set, it comes to no surprise the outcome of the race. Amarish set himself up for a definite failure. An untried, 2 year old colt, surviving off those fractions? I don't think so. That being said, the sudden failure might prove very good for this colt's future. Providing that he doesn't crash and burn as so many of the William Proctor's one-dimensional winners have, Amarish may learn to alter his running style and climb back into the Winner's Circle. While his only work at Del Mar, the slowest out of 53 others, tends to put the teeth on edge, it would certainly be a very, very good thing if Jeff Bonde is trying to teach the gelding to slow down and relax off the pace. I'm not - yet - giving up on this horse. He'll have to perform very well, though, to regain my respect.

(7) K Court. A colt trained by Janet Armstrong. It comes as no surprise that K Court is the longest price in the field. He has, after all, failed to find the Winner's Circle in the only two of his three starts that did not come in claiming company (2 furlong claiming company, to further elaborate). While he's coming out of a sharp blow of 59.80 for the 5 furlongs -- the second fastest out of twenty horses -- I can find very few things to like about this horse. Yes, this is horse racing. Anything can happen. Regardless, I would be very, very surprised if K Court held them off. He needs to take a huge leap of improvement.

(8) Know More. A colt trained by Doug O'Neill; bound to be a fan favorite as he's from the same barn as your Derby and Preakness winner. The mystery of the field, as he will be making his debut in this Grade 2 event. I have no opinions to press about this colt. If you like him, bet him. If you don't, don't. It would certainly be impressive if Know More is to break his maiden in stakes company! 

My Selections:

Miss Empire

 Moreno

Amarish

Who do you like in today's Best Pal? 

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Whitney Handicap 2012: Field Overview

As a household rule, Saturday is race day.
It is the day of the week I sit back with a iced mug of sweet tea, and lazily immerse myself in a full card of race watching -- eyes not straying from the glistening bodies of my favorite athletes: Thoroughbreds.
This Saturday, today, is no exception to that rule. A slew of brilliant races are lined up in my notepad. Today I am going to focus on just one of these outings: the Whitney Invitational Handicap.

The Whitney boasts a rich history of champions gone to post. In recent years, stars such as Blame, Lawyer Ron, Commentator (twice), Lemon Drop Kid, Victory Gallop, and Awesome Again have emerged as victors in the 1 and 1/8 mile romp. Historically, War Admiral, Kelso (three times), Dr. Fager and Alydar had their picture taken in the race's Winner's Circle. For many, the Whitney is best remembered for being the shocking race in which Triple Crown winner Secretariat lost to the obscure Onion, who never won again in anything but a claiming race.

In order of post position, let's go over this year's field.

Blame (left) scores in the Whitney

(1) Rule. A 5 year old stallion, trained by Todd Pletcher. In his only race this year, Rule won the 1 mile Monmouth Cup Stakes (G2). All three times he has raced at Saratoga, Rule has finished in the money. Around this time of last year, he won the Birdstone Stakes over the same track and distance of the Whitney.

(2) Hunters Bay. Another 5 year old stallion, trained by Reade Baker. Hunters Bay carries the co-lowest weight in the field, at only 115 pounds. He is coming into the Whitney out of three straight victories at Woodbine -- one of them just fractions over the track record. He has never raced or trained at the Spa.

(3) Caixa Eletronica. A 7 year old stallion, trained by Todd Pletcher. Caixa Eletronica has gone to post 55 times; on 18 occasions returning victorious. Most recently, he failed to fire in the James Marvin Stakes (G3), loping home fifth. A start before that, however, Caixa Eletronica triumphed in the True North Handicap (G2), and two before that came home the winner of the Charles Town Classic (G2). While inconsistent, Caixa Eletronica is a very gritty horse that I am immensely fond of. A while back, I wrote an article about him.

(4) Endorsement. A 5 year old horse, trained by Eoin G. Harty. Endorsement, like Hunter's Bay, is only carrying 115 pounds. He comes into the Whitney off of a last place finishing in the Suburban Handicap (G2) -- a race in which his trainer feels Endorsement was not acting like himself. Earlier in the year, Endorsement won the Texas Mile Stakes (G3) and set a new track record in a 1 and 1/16 mile Allowance Optional Claiming. He has been training well over the Saratoga track in spite of having never run over it.

(5) Trickmeister. A 5 year old stallion, trained by Richard Dutrow. This year's Donn Handicap marks the only race in which Trickmeister did not finish in the money. He has won four different stakes, including the Pleasant Colony Stakes, run under the same conditions as the Whitney. He has been breezing at Aqueduct, and has not been to Saratoga since the middle of 2010.

(6) Ron the Greek. A 5 year old horse, trained by William Mott. Carrying the top weight of 120 pounds, Ron the Greek is by far the favorite of the Whitney Handicap. Having not placed worse than second in his last seven starts, a win in the Whitney would mark Ron the Greek's third Grade 1 score of 2012. In his last start, Ron the Greek dominated a very tough field in the Stephen Foster Handicap (G1). Before that, he came second in the Oaklawn Handicap (G2), following a victory in the Santa Anita Handicap (G1). His only experience at Saratoga comes from a second place finish in a mile and an eighth Allowance Optional Claiming. He worked over the course on Sunday, completing four furlongs in 49.02.

(7) Flat Out. A 6 year old horse, trained by William Mott. Flat Out is the victor of last year's Suburban Handicap (G2) and Jockey Club Gold Cup (G1). He has had two starts at Saratoga, in both the Whitney (G1) and Woodward (G1); he was second in both. This year, while Flat Out hasn't seen the Winner's Circle,  he has improved with each start. In his most recent outing, he came second to Rule in the Monmouth Cup Stakes (G2). He has been working well on the dirt training track up to this point.

(8) Hymn Book. A 6 year old gelding, trained by Claude McGaughney. Hymn Book ships to Saratoga off of a second in the Suburban Handicap (G2). The Winner's Circle has eluded this gelding since his narrow victory in February's Donn Handicap (G1). He has never raced over Saratoga's main track.

(9) Fort Larned. A 4 year old colt, trained by Ian Wilkes. Fort Larned enters the Whitney off of a winning effort in the Cornhusker Handicap (G3) over Successful Dan. Today he will carry the same weight of 117 pounds. While Fort Larned has never raced at Saratoga, he is coming into the Whitney off of a series of very impressive works over the main track.


And there is your field for 2012's rendition of the Whitney Handicap.
It is a very wide open group, with no horses you could legitimately consider as ones to rule out.
That being said, I will place my money (all $2 of it..) on Caixa Eletronica.
While he doesn't visit the Winner's Circle every time out, and has never won a Grade 1 race, this horse seems overdue for some of his late stretch heroics.

Now who do you like in this year's Whitney?