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This month's article...
Some of the Top 2-year-old Pacers
Though already September is upon us, the racing year is not nearly complete. A trend in recent years has resulted in an extension of the season through late November, and with Mohawk, Delaware, Lexington and the Garden State Park meets still ahead, there is still much to be determined with respect to the election of Divisional Champions.
The summer of 1998 has been an unusually hot one, with little rain - and as always this weather translates to very fast, and often World Record performances. And so it has been among the 2-year-old pacers this year.
This month's BLOODlines will focus on some of the trends in the 2-year-old pacing world, and look at a few of the freshman stars up to this point in time. Hope you enjoy.
Stars Are Born
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Grinfromeartoear (Artsplace / Smile Upon / Storm Damage) has had his connections - Perfect World Enterprises - smiling from the get-go. Although he never qualified until July 10, this colt has since gone undefeated in 6 starts ... and what starts they have been. After winning his qualifier in 1:59 (last half in :57.1), Grinfromeartoear was entered into a 2-year-old colt overnight race, and lowered his mark to 1:55.4.
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Since then, he has buzzed through the Niatross (1:52.2), Woodrow Wilson Elimination (in a World Record 1:51.3), Woodrow Final (1:52.3), Metro Elimination (1:53.3) and Metro Final (1:52.4)
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Grinfromeartoear joins A Stud Named Sue as the only horses to win both the Woodrow and Metro, and has already banked over $730,000 in his short career. He has established himself as the early leader in his class, and plans call for him have a rest before returning for the Governors Cup and Breeders Crown. If he were able to annex those two races, he would likely eclipse the record as the leading money-winning 2-year-old of all time (currently Redskin with $1,407,263 in 1986).
Grinfromeartoear does not have the pedigree that one might expect in a $100,000 yearling. Sure, he is by Artsplace, the world's leading pacing sire. But his Storm Damage mare (Smile Upon) never raced, and her eight previous foals included only one $100,000+ winner, and aggregate earnings of less than $200,000.
However, Smile Upon is out of Blue Horizon (Meadow Skipper), who gave us Panorama (sire of Staying Together), among her 6 foals in 1:55. And Blue Horizon traces back through Shifting Sands (Shadow Wave) to Golden Miss (Ensign Hanover), who was the dam of 1972 Little Brown Jug winner Strike Out (who died earlier this year after a lengthy and relatively successful stud career). Suffice it to say that Grinfromeartoear has a future that may even be stronger than his past.
This is a fairly “deep” crop of 2-year-old colts, and among those preparing to wipe away that Grinfromeartoear include Falcons Icon. Although ineligible to the Woodrow and Metro Stakes, Falcons Icon has been a monster in his New Jersey Sires Stakes, and has exhibited tremendous speed and gait. He currently holds the seasons mark on a half-mile track (1:55), and is undefeated in 8 starts. Falcons Icon is a Falcon Scooter full brother to Joshuas Trial p, 2, 1:55; 3, 1:52.2 ($244,280), and out of the Sundance Skipper mare Avon Moonbeam - a clear indication that Falcons Scooter is a sire that bears watching - particularly now that he will be getting top mares to his court.
Barnett Hanover is the full brother to last year's good 2-year-old Shotgun Scott (Western Hanover / Barbys Makentrax / Barberry Spur). Barnett won his first four starts of the year for owner John Grant, before running into Grinfromeartoear and finishing second to him in four of his next five. Nonethless, Barnett is the second-leading 2-year-old colt in terms of earnings ($400,000) - and a recent change to the Bill Robinson barn preceded a narrow nose loss to Grinfromeartoear.
It is interesting to me that the dams of some of our top stars in recent years have been less than “fashionable” ... Storm Damage ... Barberry Spur ... Sundance Skipper ... Pirate Skipper ... Forrest Skipper ... these are not the kind of mares from which one would expect champions - but here they come!! Just to set things back on an even keel, though - SEVEN of the ten finalists in the recent Metro Pace were out of mares by No Nukes.
Matt's Scooter has established a huge edge in terms of sires in the 2-year-old filly division - primarily on the merits of two Bob McIntosh-trained performers, Mattaroni and Her Mattjesty. Mattaroni is undefeated after six lifetime starts, including wins in the Sweetheart in 1:52.4 and the Kentucky Standardbred Division in 1:54.3. She already has $400,000 on her card, with lots of racing still ahead.
Mattaroni is the ninth foal of Sabella Lobell, and is a full sister to Mattropolis p, 3, 1:52.3h ($254,642) and Matt The Knife p, 4, 1:51 ($145,695). More importantly, at least to Armstrong Farms (her owner), she is the half-sister to the Abercrombie mare Village Jewel, who has produced five in 1:57 from her first five foals - including Village Jasper p, 3, 1:51 ($1,057,595) and Strong Clan p, 5, 1:50 ($663,377). Her future as a broodmare is secure, though she is sure to add significantly to her bankroll before she begins a new career.
Her Mattjesty was second to her stable-mate in the Sweetheart, and won her division of the Kentucky Standardbred in 1:54.1. She has close to $250,000 on her card as of this writing, and similarly looks to add significantly to that total as the year wears on.
She is out of the No Nukes mare Lady Hathaway, making her a sister to His Mattjesty p, 2, 1:52.1f; 3, 1:51 ($1,030,000). In addition, the other four siblings to Her Mattjesty have all taken marks faster than 1:58. This is a maternal family that was featured in the June 1997 BLOODlines:
Suffice it to say that Her Mattjesty also has a bright future ahead of her when her racing days are over.
Another special distaffer is the Apaches Fame filly Odies Fame. This incredible 2-year-old has won five in a row after beginning the season with two third-place finishes. Included among her wins are: a track-record equalling 1:54.3 in a Trillium event at Woodbine ... reducing the track record to 1:54.2 in her elimination and final of the Ontario Sires Stakes ... and an incredible mile at the 5/8's track Rideau Carleton on August 10 - in 1:52.3f!!! She has earned close to $200,000 at this writing.
Odies Fame was on the engine every step of the way at Rideau Carleton, through panels of :27; :55.2; 1:24 before breezing home in :28.3. The 1:52.3 mile is not only a stakes and Canadian record, but a World Record - eclipsing by a full second the 1:53.3 mark co-owned by Central Park West (1988) and Hardie Hanover (1993). This is not just lowering a record - but OBLITERATING it. And note that Central Park West took her mark at Pompano in November, and Hardie Hanover took hers in October at Mohawk.
Odies Fame is out of the No Nukes mare Odessa Lobell, and was a $7,500 purchase at the Forest City yearling sale last year. Her maternal family (Belle Mahone) is a fairly large one, and is responsible for Cam Fella (among others) - however, Odies Fame hails from a weak branch in the family tree. To digress for a moment ...
The fifth dam of Odies Fame is Pleasant Surprise p, 2, 2:02; 3, T 1:58.3 - by Adios. Pleasant Surprise is one of my favourite "historical" horses. A foal of 1950 (the first crop of Adios), Pleasant Surprise was bred, trained and driven by "amateur" driver McKinley Kirk. Pleasant Surprise was a top filly in both her 2&3-year-old seasons, and capped her sophomore year with the 1:58.3 world-record time-trial.
Just as Kings Counsel and Adios had locked horns in the mid-40's, with Kings Counsel prevailing more often than not over Adios - so their daughters Pleasant Surprise and Countess Vivian would battle in 1952-53, with Countess Vivian holding sway over the Adios daughter. It must have looked at the time that the Volomite line would similarly prevail over the Hal Dale line. Ah ... hindsight!
Also in 1953, a son of Hal Dale by the name of Dale Frost established a new world record for 2-year-old pacers (2:00.1). When bred to the aforementioned Countess Vivian, both sire and dam would be immortalized as the parents of Meadow Skipper.
Harry Harvey was the assistant trainer to Delvin Miller (owner of Adios and trainer of Dale Frost) in those days, and occasionally handled the driving chores behind Dale Frost. Harvey would go on to achieve fame as the developer of a grand-son of Dale Frost - named Albatross.
Harvey also took the drive behind the Armstrong Farms-owned Helicopter in the 1953 Hambletonian, and when the dust had settled on a bitterly fought three-heat affair, Harry Harvey (“a 29-year-old New Hampshire boy”) had become the youngest driver to win the Hambletonian.
1953 ... Phonograph ... Pronto Boy ... Florican ... Newport Dream and Newport Chief ... Jamie ... Meadow Rice ... Keystoner ... Solicitor ... Tassel Hanover ... Harlan ... Direct Rhythm ... Jamie - in my mind, each has its own special page in the history of the sport.
But back to Odies Fame. This youngster is by Apaches Fame, a son of the Big Towner sire Apache Circle. Apaches Fame has been a successful - though little-used - Ontario stallion, particularly showing a penchant for No Nukes mares. Last year, Apaches Fame returned to stand at Glengate Farms, where the quality and quantity of mares brought to his court will surely increase.
Also racing on that same card at Rideau Carleton was the top Free-For-All gelding Red Bow Tie p, 4, 1:49.1 ($1,200,000). But what does this have to do with Odies Fame?? Well ... there are three commonalities between Odies Fame and Red Bow Tie.
First ... Red Bow Tie is also from a Big Towner-line stallion (Raging Glory) ...
Second ... Red Bow Tie's 1:50.3f win was also a World Record (for 4-y.o. geldings) ...
Third ... Odies Fame's 1:52.3f win tied the World Record for 2-y.o. geldings on a 5/8 track, set at Pompano Park two years ago ... by Red Bow Tie !!
It's a small world, isn't it??
Send email to Ralph Sucee
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