The Best Horse in the Country Hits the Mark
Who is the best horse in the country? That is always open to interpretation. Sometimes Horse of the Year may decide that, but there will always be difference of opinion. As we get closer to the Breeders’ Cup, which may help us find the answer, I am going to give my opinion who right now is the best horse in the country. ~ Steve Haskin
The Best Horse in the Country Hits the Mark
By Steve Haskin
Let’s cut right to the chase. Who is the best horse in America? The obvious favorites for Horse of the Year right now are Cody’s Wish and Arcangelo and perhaps White Abarrio, but Horse of the Year does not always equate to best horse. We have had several Horses of the Year over the past decade who have won the award due to lack of competition.
But to me there is one horse this year who has stood out from the rest based on several factors. He is the most explosive horse seen in a number of years, and I’m not referring to winning by huge margins. His victories have been jaw-dropping, with a turn of foot we have only seen from some of greatest European horses. When he sets his sights on another horse he hones in on him like a surface-to-surface missile. He can blow by horses in a flash on the far turn or in the stretch. He throws in :22 and change to :23 final quarters and :11 final eighths for fun. He can blow by you at a mile or a mile and a quarter, whether it’s at Belmont Park, Churchill Downs, Keeneland, or Gulfstream Park. He even romped in his career debut at six furlongs in the slop at Saratoga. And finally he has won three straight Grade 1 stakes at three different distances at three different racetracks.
His name is Up to the Mark, and to me he is must-see entertainment. I first became enamored with European racing watching Sir Ivor and Dahlia blow by horses like they were standing still in the 1968 and 1973 runnings of the Washington. D.C. International, respectively. I have not seen that kind of acceleration on an American turf course until now.
If you’re looking for goosebumps, somehow find a way to watch Up to the Mark’s first two starts on grass this past winter at Gulfstream. You will be convinced just from those two races you are looking at something special. Now with three mind-blowing Grade 1 victories under his belt he is on the verge of competing for Horse of the Year, and even if one of the bigger names beats him out, he still, in my opinion, will be the most gifted horse seen this year.
But before we get to his last three races and what he accomplished let’s find out who this colt is and where he came from.
The year 2020 was a strange one at the yearling sales for Vinnie Viola. It was the Covid year with many horsemen buying online. J.J. Crupi, Viola’s eyes and ears at the sales and the main person he depended on to pick out horses, had died in May, 2019. Crupi’s longtime assistant, Monique Delk, who had quite an eye for a young horse herself, was crushed by the loss and decided to take a year off from the sales.
Shortly before the Keeneland September yearling sale, Viola called Delk and asked her if she would mind helping out at the sale. This was “unchartered territory” for Delk, especially in such a strange year, but she agreed to help.
There was one yearling she wound up falling in love with. That was a son of Not This Time, out of the Ghostzapper mare Belle’s Finale. “He was a beautiful well-balanced colt with a great walk and a great mind,” Delk recalled. “He’s so easy on himself and likes his quiet time just laying down in his stall and relaxing. Vinnie partners up with Mike Repole and fortunately he landed on both our lists and we got him for $450,000.”
Shortly after the sale, on October 16, 2020, Viola asked Delk to join the team full-time and she accepted. “Mo is one of my favorite people and I pushed for her to join the team,” said John Sparkman, who does the pedigree work for Viola. “She is a lifer. Her dad was a trainer so she grew up on the racetrack and was Jimmy Crupi’s assistant and lead looker for years.”
Named Up to the Mark, the colt was sent to Todd Pletcher where he outworked arguably Pletcher’s fastest 2-year-old Wit, but he came down with a lingering virus followed by a minor injury that prevented him from racing until July 21 of his 3-year-old campaign when he romped by 4 1/4 lengths goings six furlongs in the slop, earning a strong 88 Beyer figure. But his next several races were disappointing as he battled with several issues.
That’s when Pletcher decided the grass would be easier on him and put him in a one-mile allowance race at Gulfstream on January 28 for his 4-year-old debut. Far back early in the 12-horse field, there was no way of telling whether or not he was handling the new surface. Then on the far turn he unleashed a sudden and explosive move, blowing by seven horses in less than 10 seconds and then drawing off with powerful strides to win by four lengths, flying home his last two quarters in :23 and :22 2/5 to complete the mile in a blistering 1:33 flat. As Gulfstream track announcer Pete Aiello called, “That was a power move on the turn.” Was this the birth of a major turf star?
Up to the Mark came right back in a 1 1/16-mile allowance race, and once again he dropped far back. But this time he was still ninth turning for home. Before you had a chance to think upset, he swung to the outside and in the proverbial blink of an eye he was in front, seemingly taking one stride to two for the others. He stopped the clock in a swift 1:40 flat and again stunned Aiello with his move. “Up to the Mark surges; look at this turn of speed!” he bellowed.
Pletcher then moved him way up into Grade 1 competition in the Maker’s Mark Mile at Keeneland, but this race did not set up for him, as the field got strung out and he found himself with way too much ground to make, as the winner flew home to equal the stakes record. Up to the Mark had to go five-wide turning for home and just missed by a neck of catching Eclipse Award winner Modern Games for second.
That was the last time Up to the Mark would lose, as he blew his opponents away in the Grade 1 Turf Classic going 1 1/8 miles at Churchill Downs and the Grade 1 Manhattan Handicap going 1 1/4 miles at Belmont. In the Manhattan he came home his final quarter in a spectacular :22 2/5 to cover the 10 furlongs in 1:59 1/5. In both races, he actually laid closer to the pace and just inhaled the leaders in the stretch. I can’t remember seeing a horse open up so quickly. It was obvious we were looking at one of the most exciting grass horses seen in this country in years.
After the Manhattan, Pletcher put him away for four months following a minor physical setback, bringing him back in the Grade 1 Keeneland Turf Mile against Godolpin’s top-class European miler Master of the Seas, fresh off a dominating 3 3/4-length victory in the Grade 1 Woodbine Mile. Dropping back to a mile from 10 furlongs was not an ideal situation, but he needed to get a race in before the Breeders’ Cup, so even a good second to Master of the Seas, who was the 6-5 favorite, would have been considered a successful return.
Down the backstretch, Up to the Mark and Master of the Seas were side by side in seventh and eighth with Up to the Mark on the outside. Around the turn, Master of the Seas suddenly took off along the inside and quickly left Up to the Mark three lengths behind him. As they turned into the stretch Up to the Mark looked out of it, as Master of the Seas bore down on the leaders inside the eighth pole.
Irad Ortiz on Up to the Mark, had to cut sharply to the inside, then came off the rail and set his sights on Master of the Seas, who had taken the lead inside the sixteenth pole. This was a European closer taking the lead late in the race, and European closers do not get caught by American horses. But Up to the Mark is no ordinary American horse. Apparently beaten, he gave one amazing surge fifty yards out and suddenly was right alongside Master of the Seas. Both horses lunged for the wire but it was Up to the Mark who just got his nose down.
Up to the Mark (left) wins 2023 Coolmore Turf Mile
To come off that long a layoff, drop back to a mile against one of the world’s best milers, and pounce on him with such quick and powerful strides while he was making what looked to be a winning move was something you rarely if ever see. To me this was the best performance of the year because it was something horses just don’t do.
The question now is do you keep him at a mile, which probably is no longer his best distance, or venture into unknown territory and stretch him out to 1 1/2 miles? You never know if that devastating turn of foot will be there at the longer distance with the possibility of a slower pace. And the Turf is likely to attract several Derby and Arc horses who specialize in 12-furlong races. Co-owner Mike Repole has already stated emphatically on TV that his next start will be the Turf, which would give him a better shot at Horse of the Year.
Having seen what this colt is capable of at three different distances and over different racetracks I am never going to doubt him regardless of the new distance, the stiffer competition, and a far different grass course than he’s been running on. Perhaps the firmer course at Santa Anita will help him get that extra furlong and enable him to use that turn of foot. We saw what he did over the firm Gulfstream course.
In the meantime I am going to keep thinking of what Up to the Mark has accomplished this year and the excitement he has bought to the normally humdrum grass division and proclaim him in my opinion the best horse in the country.
Photos courtesy of Adam Coglianese, Coady Photography
Racing historian, author, and award-winning retired journalist for the Daily Racing Form and The Blood-Horse, Steve Haskin was inducted into the National Museum of Racing Hall of Fame’s Media Roll of Honor in 2016. Known for his racing knowledge and insightful prose, he has been an exclusive contributor to Secretariat.com since 2020.
Someone who sees clearly. Up to the Mark should be Horse of the Year. Anyone who votes for White Abarrio lacks imagination. Among other factors, the best male dirt routers are retired early, while horses in other divisions are not. I don’t like continuing to make horses Horse of the Year from a shrinking pool.
Year end status of multiple Lane’s End stallions.
McCracken- new location unknown
Creative Cause- unknown
Lost Treasure- unknown
Cupid- to Maryland
Alternation- unknown
Lookin at Lucky- export on record
Early Voting-breeding issues
Classic Empire-unknown
Cloud Computing- Pa
Mor Spirit- Indiana
Free Drop Billy- Iowa
Gormley- Louisiana
Unified- Louisiana
Lexitonian- to Calumet
Honor Code- Japan
Prontonico- unknown
Can you follow up with where these guys are? If you can? This is a nice list of “old friends” from the racetrack, and it’s not a surprise they couldn’t all succeed as stallions.
Do you mean the unknowns?
Yes. I thought you might keep looking for info on them. But then again they’re probably marked “unknown” for a reason. Thanks for the list and for responding.
I’ve noticed many of these sires in pp’s lately. Creative Cause has cropped up quite a bit over the years and is probably the most established sire on your list. Mor Spirit had a runner on Sat. Cloud Computing and Classic Empire had offspring on the Derby trail this year.
Sad thing is that sires are dropped off of the news releases about this time every year for the stud fees for the upcoming season that starts around the middle of February and often there is no explanation as to why.
Outside of the pension of a stallion due to infertility or advancing age or a death or euthanasia “for infirmities” of old age many of the farms are just not forthcoming with information.
I agree with you about Creative Cause and Mor Spirit.
At least the stalions do seem to fare a little better than the broodmares. Many of the the mares end up in the slaughter pipeline.
Steve pretty much nailed it in his comment about American Pharoah. His foals are just not selling at the auctionsand not accomplishing much on the track either. His fee has dropped to 50,000 at Ashford. He did not shuttle to Australia this past season. I saw a photo of him last year shortly after he returned from his last shuttle. He looked awful; dull coat, poor muscle tone and weight loss. Ashford announced that he was going to take a break from shuttling. In recent photos he looks great. Shuttling is in my opinion hard on these stallions. They have full books almost year round with little rest. Some years ago I visited a large Arabian farm outside of Lexington, Kentucky. The farm owned a percentage of an important racing Arabian. He was shuttled between Poland and the United States. The difference was that he spent a year in the US, then went back to Poland for a year and then back to US for a year, etc.
Most of the sires do stand in Kentucky and with all these colts retiring at age 3 the farms, in my opinion, have become revolving
doors. They have to make room for the latest wonder horse with high expectations that the horse will become the next Tapit.
There is also matter of the continually decreasing registered foal crops. The Jockey Club has estimated that the crop in 2024 will drop again.
Regarding Justify who is being called the next “red hot sire”, I was curious as to how his crops were doing. To date most of named progeny have either not raced or have not earned much on the track other than handful. Not one of Zedan’s purchases have come close to earning what he paid for them. Another revolving door in my opinion. Spend millions on colts and fillies with a very low win percentage or do not make it to the track. Have to hand it to Coolmore, the organization is a master when it comes to marketing.
On a side note, many of the stallions that have landed in Japan are ridden including Animal Kingdom and Carravaggio. Godolphin is another organization that keeps their stallions in tip top shape with exercise.
And finally, daw the list of mares bred to Flightline. Talk about a list of Who’s Who in broodmares, Flightline got them. Secret Oath is booked to Flightline for 2024. Flightline’s book was limited to 152 mares. HA, if he had landed at say Coolmore, you can about guess his book would have been in the 225 to 250 range and possibly a candidate for shuttling in a couple of years.
I read about a week ago I guess that Lookin At Lucky was sent to Chile. He had been shuttling there. Guess he was sold to Chile.
Know for sure Cupid is in Maryland. FB friend visited him a new farm and shared photos.
Honor Code is in Japan. Lots of fans very upset over this.
Disposition of Early Voting is not known. Fans are hoping he lands at Old Friends or Kentucky Horse Park or has a second career.
McCracken supposedly had fertility issues. Not known where he landed. Possibly pensioned.
Gormley is in Louisiana.
If I read or hear some sort of conformation on the unknowns and others I will post.
Lynda I’m interested in Pioneerof the Nile…he started out great, as a sure …but I do not see many graded stakes winners lately…..I agree with you about Nest, she dominated vs her own age but couldn’t handle older, she might just not be as good as we thought….
If I learn anything about Pioneer of the Nile, will be sure to let you know.
Sadly Pioneer of the Nile passed away in 2019. He became uncomfortable after covering a mare and died a short time later.
The necropsy result was that he had a “heart attack”.
Prontonico, Medina Spirit’s sire is still owned by Caselton-Lyon and has shuttled to Chile.
Nest retired, not running in BCD. Will be run through the Night of Stars Auction November 07.
Not retired but will be sold to race or be a brood mare. There’s more detail in DRF story.
LOL, well that story flipped quickly.
Read the DRF…Pletcher said Repole could buy her back??
Makes no sense to me.
Probably should be retired. I’m sure there is an exception, but i can’t recall a top filly going off form and coming all the way back. They seem to lose the will.
Not sure I agree with you.
This whole theory that when a filly reaches a certain age she loses interest and wants to become a mama does not sit well with me.
Many fillies continue to race beyond age 3 and often until age 5 or 6; not only Thoroughbreds but mares engaged in other horse sports. There was a mare, do not recall her name, a few years ago who competed in a Grand National whike carrying a foal.
Actually a filly starts heat cycles at age 2 and can be bred, carry and deliver a foal.
I know this to be a fact, have an Arabian mare, a rescue. Her previous owner allowed her stallion to get to her when she was 2 and she had a foal before she was 3.
For some reason the sport of horse racing in the United States treats fillies amd mares like delicate little China dolls.
I did read that Nest is owned by a partnership that includes Repole. Pletcher said that Repole might buy the other partners out and return her to racing.
Actually think this has more to do with Pletcher and his training style than anything…unless of course she has been injured. She has not had a work her last race in which she ran 4th…the Spinster Stakes I believe.
Running 4th is not, at least in my opinion, going totally off form and I am reluctant to say that she cannot come back from that.
At any rate, she has raced 14 times which is at least double the number of times most colts do today.
This whole idea of lightly racing any horse ( colt or filly) then shuttling them off to the breeding shed has gotten to be a joke. It is one reason among many that horse racing is on its way out in the United States.
Atrocious conditions at Ascot resulted in a host of upsets but the conditions couldn’t stop the fairy tale ending of Frankie Dettori’s dazzling career as the wizard drove King of Steel on to finally achieving a Group 1 win in the Champion Stakes. The curtain came down while the fans chanted “Frankie, Frankie, Frankie.” More a rock star than your usual deprecating jockey. It’s been a fun time, with Frankie.
It’s a pity that Paddington and Tahiyra weren’t kept safe for the Breeders’ Cup instead of perceiving with them on a track that was against them while enabling a mud lark to steal the race from the get go. Without Frankie’s glorious end the day was pretty miserable really and that’s being kind.
Meanwhile, we had the storied Caulfield Cup run and won by Without a Fight yesterday, next Saturday the most prestigious race in Australasia, the Cox Plate, will be run at Moonee Valley. With all roads leading to the Melbourne Cup on November 7.
He will be riding Zandon in the BCC.
Comments floating around that he is coming to US to ride and only semi-retiring.
Geaux Rocket Ride missed his work last week with a fever…..he came back to the worktab yesterday—and ran an uninspiring 1:13 4/5 against a workmate who was under a stranglehold, methinks unless his next work doesn’t show better he won’t be going….
Early Voting removed from Ashford list due to inability to breed.
No word yet on Ashford’s plan.
Fans are hoping he goes to Old Friends or Kentucky Horse Park.
Others have suggested he be gelded and trained up for a second career.
And there was such a hurry to retire him! Poor guy.
At least he has not met the same fate as poor Laoban did at WinStar.
Arabian Lion officially retired to Spendthrift, will stand for $30,000 and is now available for inspection at Spendthrift.
Another puzzling retirement. Really hasn’t proven anything on a consistent basis.
Not on the worktab since finishing 7th in SA Sprint in September.
Injured maybe?
For Echo Zulu fans, the Paulick Report’s Friday show features an interview (recorded Thursday) with Dr. Ryan Carpenter, who did her surgery. He explains the procedure and adds that although she has a “lot of hurdles” still to face, she’s been a “model patient” thus far. Encouraging news.
Encouraging!
Steve, Thanks for recognizing a horse that I saw (via video) earlier this summer in the Turf Classic and Manhattan Stakes that just completely dominated his competition. I love his running style but most of all power of stride when he is let go. I hope he goes in the BC Turf Classic were I feel he will really be put to the test and if he wins he will he definitely can stake his claim for HOY.
On another note I was sorry to hear about Forte retirement and consider it is way premature, (just like Arabian Lion) . What has he really proven? I do feel he lost the Belmont and Travers due to poor rides by Irad but he has not run against older horse (Not that there really is much to run against) but his pedigree is OK but not like he his sire is an Uncle Mo, Curlin , or Tapit. If e he doesn’t hit it off with a hot couple of runners he will be shipped off to either New York or Japan. I hope Repole thinks it over more and changes his mind and runs him as a 4 year old or longer.
I’m not going to miss Forte th 3-year-old, I’m going to miss Forte the 4-year-old. Yet another horse not given the chance to be great. Unless this was a lot more than a quarter crack
Of the past 25 Kentucky Derby winners only TWO have won a North American Grade 1 race after their three year old season..
True Matthew but most never ran as a 4 year old…. A pathetic statistic that is the sorry state of today’s horse racing.
They seldom become influential sires either, Unbridled in 1990 being the last. Mind you, Justify is buckling the trend with his stud fee doubling to $200,000 for 2014.
The bloom of the Kentucky Derby rose winner doesn’t last long on the track nor at stud.
I don’t know why more Derby winners don’t become influential sires, but they don’t and it’s nothing new. I once asked myself how many Derby winners from the second half of the 20th century became what I would call great sires. My answer was: in this country, two–Northern Dancer and Seattle Slew. If you include Japanese breeding, and we should, Sunday Silence makes three. Unbridled died young so I would cut him a little slack, but I wouldn’t put him up there with the other three. Out of 48 possibilities, that’s about as far as I would go. As for the 21st century, it’s too soon to know, but I agree that Justify is the only one who looks like a possible great sire.
That’s right Jiffy, Affirmed was a better than average sire but not influential. Nevertheless, winning the Kentucky Derby inevitably always provides a certain amount of cache as the potential for the untested sire to become an influential sire.
Where there’s life there’s hope I guess, lol, but the evidence is against it.
2024 not 2014. lol.
Exactly Steve, Something just doesn’t seem right here.
Steve, I hoped that Forte would go to a rehab farm, get time for off for the quarter crack to heal and come back at 4.
With regard to Forte, I saw some things a bit differently than you did. I didn’t have any problem with Irad’s rides in either the Belmont or the Travers. I was concerned that Forte was even running in the Belmont. After his injury, the disruption in his training schedule, and his 10-week layoff, I didn’t think he was ready for a mile and a half, and I was bowled over by his performance. I saw no reason to blame anyone for anything–I was pleased with what I saw. As for the Travers, Forte just wasn’t himself that day. I don’t know why, but I know that no rider in the world could have brought him home in front of Archangelo in that race. As a fan of Forte, that one really hurt, but again, I couldn’t blame anyone. As for the colt’s possible residence some years from now, Heaven forbid that he ever go to Japan, but New York wouldn’t be so bad. I applaud New York’s breeding program and I’m always pleased to see them get good stallions. I know it’s not Kentucky, but if things don’t go well for Forte there, I’d be happy to see him in New York.
Forte retired. To stand at Spendthrift.
Per Mike R, not enough time for quarter crack to heal.
He had option to race at 4 with Spendthrift.
Mind felt it best for Forte to retire.
Sure will miss this beautiful and talented colt on the track.
Best wishes for a successful breeding career. Will look for his foals.
Mike Repole said running Forte against older horses in the Clark, Cigar Mile, or Pegasus would add nothing to the resume. If this is being done to protect the health of Forte, i agree. If it is being done to protect what’s left of Forte’s reputation i disagree. I’m not sure why anyone would pay big money to breed to this horse. He has never run really fast, is not durable, and is consistently outmoved on the turn. Not Forte’s fault, just reality.
The reality is, he was the Juvenile Champion and won more races than any other horse his age.
He wasn’t consistently out moved on the turn, he consistently out movied others. He did so in every race he won, which was most of of them, and in the Belmont placing second. The only time he didn’t was in the Travers. Your comment stating the opposite tells me you may not have bothered to watch his races. But you felt free to mock him.
I watched plenty. Horses get hung wide for a reason: they can’t keep up. He was a hard tryer, but two of his wins should have been disqualifications, not counting the positive test race. I’m speaking of the race at Keeneland and the Jim Dandy, both Irad ‘rides.”
“Horses get hung wide for a reason, they can’t keep up”. I disagree, they might be hung wide because they can’t get through the middle or because they have a wide post, as Forte had in the Florida Derby. He passed horses in every race but one, sometimes from the outside.
Whether or not he was disqualified, he still put up the effort and finished first in the Jim Dandy. The other race was no issue. It’s your opinion that he should have been DQ’d, not the stewards’. They’re still appealing the “positive” for a drug Pletcher said he never used, although the way they delayed the appeal is questionable.
Forte has a very good race record and you don’t get that from just being a hard tryer or being lucky. He also has a good physique, size, etc. Maybe his hoofs were a chronic problem as time went on, or maybe he was just unlucky with a couple minor injuries.
Discopartner, I am in agreement with your assessment of Forte and his racing career.
Todd Pletcher was quoted after the Jim Dandy that they tried blinkers in that race because they were not happy with Forte losing position on the turn in the Florida Derby and Belmont. Maybe it helped in the Jim Dandy, not so much in the Travers.
I’ll miss him too. He was fun to watch.
Count me in on those who will miss him. Forte was a special favorite of mine, and even though he won some important races and a championship, he never got an opportunity to prove what he could really do. I was always convinced that he was going to win the Derby, and without the bruised foot, who knows what might have happened in the Preakness and Belmont? We’ll never know what might have been, and that may be the saddest part. But he’s retiring in generally good health, and I wish him well in his life as a stallion. He should attract some good mares, and hopefully there will be some good little Fortes who might have better luck than their father.
In the end, I have no idea what to make of Forte. I loved how he won in the Juvenile, but I looked at his pedigree and thought, “if they can keep a son of Violence sound.” When he just kept eating up track in the Florida Derby, we all got pretty high on him at my work (where I’m fortunate to have 3 y/o division race fans to talk to). The Derby scratch was discouraging – but looks a bit less controversial now, I’m afraid. I thought with the grinding, late long striding style he’d shown in Florida, the Belmont was a good one for him, and it was an impressive effort – but not the AP Indy race I had hoped he’d have. By the Jim Dandy, you could feel the desperation to the way he was being campaigned. I’m glad he’s retiring off a win. I’m glad he’s retiring alive, and won’t be pushed to do what he cannot physically sustain. I can’t think of a scenario that would make me want to send a mare to him, despite how I’ve enjoyed watching some of his races. Sadly, I think his is the story of the modern TB – incomparable will to win, and a body that is incapable of holding up to the task. How? How do we fix that?
PS: it’s a little fun to think about Forte in our boy Up To The Mark’s post – I don’t think they could be more different. UTTM also sort of saved the day for the Repole group (licking their wounds) on Derby Day by winning the Old Forester.
In his final start, he was a beaten off 4th in the Travers, so, unfortunately, is not retiring off a win.
SJ, Forte is not the first and certainly will not be the last.
I just saw that he had been retired. I’m disappointed, especially since he STILL had so much potential. I’m trying to recall if Pletcher has EVER trained a male horse that could be considered great on the racetrack (I consider Lawyer Ron briliant rather than great). He certainly has done that will fillies and mares (Ashado, Rags to Riches), but this horses for the classics — Tapit, Eskendereya, and Forte — never made it past their 3YO year.
I like Locked, his 87 Beyer should help fetch a nice price, what I liked about his Keeneland race was he circled the field off of slow fractions, then instead of hanging, he battled and won ….he should get a lot more pace in the Breeders Cup! Timberlake continues to improve…and Bob did a wonderful job of getting Muth to switch off, I like his head-low running style ……..Bob is tough in The Juvenile, Locked looks like a $15 horse ….
I agree with you, especially in California. Prince of Monaco for me though. By the way, do you know if the Japanese 2 year old, Ecoro Neo, is actually coming or is there already.
Matthew W.,
Locked’s Beyer was “improved” 4 or 5 points after the race was hand-timed. He should still be a good price, given that the Baffert horses will go favored. Good luck!
Thanks Steve. 🙂
Once I got over my initial shock, I came up with pretty much what you said.
Early Breeders’ Cup Juvenile picks (3 races)
1) G1, Juvenile, @ 1 1/16 miles, Prince of Monaco/Muth (flip a coin)
2) G1, Juvenile Turf, @ 1 mile, Endlessly
3) G1, Juvenile Turf Sprint, @ 5 furlongs, No Nay Mets
Steve,
I have a question that’s unrelated to this post. I tried to find an email address for so I could ask this off thread since it’s not related to something you’ve written. I hope you don’t mind and you can share your insights.
Coolmore released it’s 2024 stud fees, and Justify doubled to 200K. I went looking for American Pharoah, and I was surprised to see he was listed at 50K. I know the breeding shed isn’t really what you cover, but I’m wondering why his fee has dropped that low.
I know he’s been siring a lot of grass horses. Is that the reason?
One is the grass horses, two is the lack of championship caliber horsess on either surface, three is disinterest at the sales. You cant have a horse with $150,000 stud fee with yealings selling for $50,000. And four, Pharoah does not ave a real strong pedigree especially on his dam side. And as for Justify he has started off red hot as a sire with a number of brilliant young horses and yearlings selling for close to $1 million.
Trust you, Steve, to find the best under-the-radar horse for the Breeders Cup (which is now less than three weeks away). He’ll add more than usual intrigue the big turf race before the Classic.
Can we expect your thoughts on the young horses for the Juvenile before the big weekend?
You sure can, probaby in two weeks. My next column is all set.
Groovy. Sensational. Answer Lively! (All champions.)
Speaking of horses that have an amazing turn of foot, I take you back to October 30th, 2010. I have been watching the races for over 40 years and the move Royal Delta made in her debut still ranks the #1 breathtaking race I have ever witnessed by a race horse in my entire life. She moved from last to first encountering traffic the whole way and drew off in a canter to win by a dozen lengths. She turned out to be a pretty good runner.
Saratoga Turf: Do yourself a favor & go to You Tube & watch the 1967 Travers Stakes. The immortal Damascus, watch that turn of foot.
It is without question the most stunnin g turn of foot I ever saw.
Theer are lots of spctacular races and explosive moves to choose from. Also we have dirt and grass races. Its funny about Royal Delta because she was nevr known for that in her career. She was more of a grinder. Lett’s also not forget about Arazi’s move. And Beholder in the Pacific Classic. As for Damascus he was 16 lengths back on the backsrtrech and won eased up by 22 lengths equaling the track record.
Locals call that Pacific Classic with Beholder “The Move”….I didn’t think she would win, fillies rarely defeat males at 10 fur dirt, but she closed the deal at the three eighth pole— enjoy your visit with her, I only saw her once– in her final race, and I bet on her!..
I’m not going to Kentucky. I’ve seen her several times.
Interesting you mention Royal Delta and Beholder, I recently viewed the 2013 Distaff, sort of a changing of the guard, as Royal Delta was going for her third Distaff, and a 3yo named Beholder went by her on the way to a 5 length win—afterward Laffit Pincay III asks her owner (name escapes me, sheesh) if he thought she had done enough to Garner the Eclipse, and he looks at him, as if to say “did you see the race?”….
Princess of Sylmar actually lost the championship by running in the Distaff at Santa Anita. Princess of Sylmar had beaten Royal Delta in the Beldame Stakes and beaten Beholder in the Kentucky Derby that year. Princess of Sylmar had basically been running for a year when she ran at Santa Anita.
Todd Pletcher wasn’t keen on running Princess of Sylmar in the Distaff but it was very sportsmanlike of King of Prussia Stables to enter her nonetheless.
Beholder today would have been scratched, from The Oaks–after flipping backwards on the track, before the race—she set torrid fractions and hung tough, Princess got her but she held 2nd–
Matthew, in the 2014 Ogden Phipps, Beholder came in 4th behind Close Hatches, Princess of Sylmar, and Antipathy. That’s twice Princess of Sylmar was ahead of Beholder to Beholder’s once being ahead of Princess of Sylmar.
This is a very cool horse. To me, turf racing is where it’s at. I like seeing them on the grass. Something I find very neat about this guy is that he’s out of a Ghostzapper mare. To me, Ghostzapper’s BC Classic was more impressive than Flightline’s, despite the fact that my favorite horse in the race was Roses In May. (I loved Devil His Due – talk about soundness – and had no plans to quit on his best son.) Anyway, Ghostzapper’s BC performance, and the brief (but stylish!) comeback at 5 gave him a place in my heart, too. As with many fine runners, his stud career seemed to be written off relatively early on, in flavor of the year style. Now that he’s an old man, we are seeing a resurgence and the influence of his daughters, following in the footsteps of his dam, Baby Zip. (I would call her a blue hen, as producer of Ghostzapper and City Zip, with the benefit of a “who’s that?” distaff pedigree that gives folks looking for outcrosses a tiny bit of slack.) It’s good to see an older stallion like GZ siring winners AND good mommas – Goodnight Olive and the intriguing Rhyme Schemes have both been exciting to watch in the last year. Even more of a wonder is that a grand old Classic runner like Ghostzapper hasn’t been shipped to Japan after not immediately reproducing himself. In his own right, Up to the Mark ought to interest breeders (but hopefully not next year!), pushing Mr Prospector and Northern Dancer out to the 5th Gen, and only the only double-up being Blushing Groom going back 5 generations. It will be really interesting to see how they enter him for BC weekend. I hope he does us proud as American Turf (as in, G1T) racing fans, and I hope it helps further the credibility of his excellent family!
Nice post.
Thank you Steve.
Not exactly sure how Up To The Mark got by me.
Will be checking him out!
Thought Arabian Knight looked real good this AM….
Love your analysis and admiration for Up To The Mark. He probably needs a minor upset in the Classic to get HOY. If White Abarrio or one of the top 3yos win it will be tough. I’m a sucker for 12+ furlong races, after all these are Thoroughbreds supposedly bred to run all day. I wonder what Mike Repole would want if Forte & Up To The Mark both win? Love your superb opinions on racing and your historical perspective. Your football opinions not so much.
You mean you dont like the Cowboys this year? On their way Lol
The only horse I can remember with that turn of foot was Damascus. I checked pedigree for Up To The Mark for four generations hoping to find the big D. Maybe there is some further back.Thank you Steve for the information. I think I will check out YouTube for some of his races.
On dirt Damascus had the most explosive acceleration ever. Up to the Mark’s acceleration reminds me of his broodmare sire Ghostzapper’s in sprint races.
Not This Time’s 3rd grand dam, Stem, was by Damascus.
I have not heard of “Up To The Mark” but I will check him out. Thanks for posting Steve, very nice read.
Turf horses are the best, including American dirt runners who try the turf. In the last 60 years, many horses who have won multiple Eclipse awards have run and won on both surfaces, from Round Table to Dr. Fager, Secretariat, Forego, John Henry, and Wise Dan.
I wish we had more turf racing in the US, and synthetic. Both usually have a lower rate of fatal injury for the horses as well.
Didn’t Man O’War run on the turf once or twice?
Man O’ War did not run on the turf, but he is found in the pedigrees of turf stars such as Sir Ivor and Roberto. One of the sires with the most Man O’ War in his pedigree was turf specialist Kitten’s Joy.
Eliza, I’m thinking and hoping that Justify might just be the sire you’ve been waiting for. Justify is siring Group & Graded Stakes winners the world over, both Northern and Southern Hemispheres – turf & dirt.
And California Chrome.
Just clarifying he won on turf.
Steve, the weather at Ascot for Qipco British Champions Day on Saturday could impact greatly on Up to the Mark’s chances of becoming Horse of the Year. Both Inspiral and Mostahdaf are doubtful to run at Ascot due to the constant rain and a heavy/soft track expected.
Inspiral is an ace miler, 5 lengths better than Master of The Seas, while Mostahdaf, should he come for the Breeders’ Cup Turf, is in peak form. So keep an eye on Ascot.
The Queen Elizabeth II Stakes mile race should be a scintillating race. I want both Paddlington and Tahiyra to win so a dead heat is the result to wish for. Ha ha
Best of luck, Steve and thanks again for another pleasurable read packed full of racing information to think about.
The older dirt horse division has been taking it on the chin, taking many knocks on their quality as a group, but after reviewing the Breeders’ Cup website and all the races and contestants, as far as I’m concerned there isn’t an emerging star amongst them, but a lot of leftovers from last year and some uninteresting 2 yo’s. Maybe Tamara will provide a thrill. The only interest I have is seeing if White Abarrio can win, proving that you can have an up and down career and still win the biggest race, against rivals who have been written about more glowingly, without actually having accomplished more. I see him as possibly being a bit like Knicks Go, and I don’t credit the trainer change, just the horse himself, some only get good when they reach maturity.
Doha….by Sea the Stars out of Treve (ARC winner)…..maiden winner by from here to across the street, a big street..
3rd career start first two starts unplaced …she beat 13 home to break her maiden….
Undefeated 2yr. old colt, Bentornato, will be going for his 4th straight win in the Florida Sire Affirmed Stakes, on Saturday, October 21st. By Valiant Minister, out of a Put It Back mare (Her Special Way) Bentornato appears to have a bright future moving forward. Hurricane Nelson appears to be his main competition in a full field of twelve.
Steve Young nailed it—Up to the Mark IS our best horse, especially since we no longer have Echo Zulu, who would have won the Sprint, (I’m fairly certain)….but finally an American based horse who ran down a top Euro—Closers do well, out west on turf….
oh well …I printed “Steve YOU nailed it” but I guess my spell check is a Niner fan!…
LOL
There’s a gigantic miler named Exaulted, who could make an all-american exacta, this year….talk about a horse that was “made” for the mile, Exaulted is nearly perfect, beating up on west coast horses …not nearly the same as Up to the Mark, but will be a big number, and fires every time….