This is a special horse, won the Pacific Classic by 19 & 1/4 lengths yesterday and was held up by Prat the last hundred yards.
His final time of 1:59.28 was only 17 one-hundredths of a second slower than the track record set by Candy Ride in the 2003 running of the mile and one-quarter contest. If the jockey hadn't turned back to look in his rear view mirror, the record would definitely have been broken. I have watched all his races and Flavien is yet to go to his whip. Horse has incredible heart and an obvious drive to win.
His average margin of victory in his five race undefeated streak is 12 & 1/2 lengths. Should be interesting to watch in the Breeders Cup. This horse, a four year old son of Tapit, just might be the Secretariat of this generation.
He is a descendant of equine royalty, tracing back to both Big Red and Man O' War.
Tapit is by Pulpit, who stood at Claiborne Farm. Pulpit is by A.P. Indy, the 1992 Horse of the Year and an outstanding sire. A.P. Indy is by Triple Crown winner Seattle Slew, and out of Weekend Surprise by Secretariat. Pulpit's female family traces back to one of Claiborne's foundation mares, Knight's Daughter, the dam of Round Table.
Tapit's dam is Tap Your Heels, a stakes-winning mare by Unbridled. Her dam, Ruby Slippers, also produced champion sprinter Rubiano, and is the third dam of champion Summer Bird. Tapit's third dam, Moon Glitter, was a stakes-winning full sister to important sire Relaunch. Tap Your Heels is inbred to In Reality, a descendant of Man o' War.
What a tremendous horse!
3 comments:
Wow, what stamina and heart.
Great breeding lines in this horse. Looking forward to watching him in the Breeders Cup.
My uncle's stakes winner (at Golden Gate Park) was running at Hollywood Park (in the early 1980s) and, as a relative, I donned the appropriate attire and went with the fam into the saddling ring, only to discover the 3 year old was running against a member of the stable owned by the Silver Bears, including Nelson B. Hunt, who was in attendance. So naturally I walked right up and introduced the opposition to Nelson and wished him luck and shook his hand. I don't think his expression changed.
Of course 'our' filly finished third or fourth to the Hunt's but, hey, rubbing shoulders at the Sport O' Kings...damn!
Walter Mitty
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