BUY
* Indicates Non Kentucky Derby Prep Race (i.e. awards no points)
1. Maxfield (Street Sense-Bernardini; Brendan Walsh; Godolphin; 2-2-0-0; 1st in the Claiborne Breeders’ Futurity (G1); 10 Kentucky Derby Points)
Was the scratch of this homebred son of Street Sense from the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile a blessing in disguise for Godolphin? Perhaps. In his first two career starts, Maxfield had looked very impressive (slow starts after the break aside) and his Claiborne Breeders’ Futurity performance in which he earned a 106 TimeForm speed rating for the eight and a half furlong distance was one of the more eye-catching efforts from a two year male horse in the prep races leading up to the BC Juvenile. It has been reported that as a result of Maxfield not running in the BC Juvenile and thus avoiding being potentially upset by several lesser rivals, he has now inherited favoritism for way to early Kentucky Derby rankings. But is he deserving of this honor? One could argue that there may be others that while they have more dirtied-up resumes are more worthy contenders for the title of Kentucky Derby favorite in November of 2019. Though Maxfield is no slouch himself and had he won that BC Juvenile he would have been the clear favorite for end of the year honors for two year old male horses. Now it is unknown as to exactly what the extent was of the “minor foot bruise” that forced Brendan Walsh to scratch his charge from the BC Juvenile field four days before the race. Though of November 10th, it has been reported that Maxfield will receive the rest of the year off, will likely ship down to Walsh’s training base in Florida for the winter and will return at some point then in early 2020 to kick off his three year old campaign.
One question that always arises with any potential Kentucky Derby contender is: can they get the classic distance of a mile and a quarter? Well Maxfield’s sire is Street Sense, a horse that not only won the Grade 1 Kentucky Derby in 2007 but also followed that up with a win in the Grade 1 Travers Stakes and a fourth place effort in the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Classic in November of that year at Monmouth Park, all contested at ten furlongs. In addition, Maxfield’s damsire is the great Bernardini who famously won not only the Travers and the Grade 1 Jockey Club Gold Cup but also ran 2nd in the Breeders’ Cup Classic in 2010. Maxfield’s dam Velvety is a very lightly raced mare that contested just three races over in Great Britain before being retired to be a broodmare and it appears that the furthest she ever raced was eight furlongs on the grass over there. Still it seems that Maxfield should have plenty of stamina flowing through his blood that will allow him to easily achieve the classic distance of ten furlongs and perhaps bring home the first ever Kentucky Derby victory for the Godolphin. Although it is unknown as to when Maxfield will run next, be sure to keep an eye on this colt and his jockey bespoke in royal blue as he appears to have great talent waiting to be unleashed.
2. Tiz the Law (Constitution-Tiznow; Barclay Tagg; Sackatoga Stable; 2-2-0-0; 1st in the Champagne Stakes (G1); 10 Kentucky Derby Points)
This son of Constitution has not been seen on the track since early October when he captured the Champagne Stakes at Belmont Park run over a mile on the main track. In that effort, Tiz the Law was acting up during the post parade, stumbled badly at the break and soon found himself in last. He was covered up and gradually began moving up to get into contention, found himself caught up in traffic around the 5/16ths pole, managed to find a seam around the 3/16ths pole, drew clear and then exploded down the stretch to easily win by four lengths at the wire. His performance that day earned him a 105 TimeForm speed rating which is a solid figure for a colt making just his second career start and racing over a track that was running quite slowly that day. It appears that perhaps his connections were somewhat nonplussed with Tiz the Law’s effort that day as they elected to forego the BC Juvenile (despite him having earned a guaranteed entry into the field) and instead give their charge some time off before his next race. However, that next race date is swiftly approaching as it been all but confirmed that Tiz the Law will be entered into the eight and furlong Grade 1 Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes to be run at Churchill Downs on November 30th. This will certainly be a race worth watching as a victory that day could propel Tiz the Law to the top of the two year class for end of year honors and make him one of the way too early favorites for the Kentucky Derby itself.
As for Tiz the Law’s pedigree, his sire Constitution was a somewhat accomplished router as he won the Grade 1 Florida Derby and placed in the Grade 1 Clark Handicap at three and then won the Grade 1 Donn Handicap as a four year old. However, all three of those races are/were contested at nine furlongs and his lone try at a mile and quarter in the Jockey Club Gold Cup in 2015 resulted in a sixth place finish behind Tonalist. Tiz the Law’s dam, Tizfiz, was a mare that was quite versatile routing over both turf and synthetic surfaces and her biggest win came at nine furlongs in the then named Grade 2 San Gorgonio Handicap run over the grass at Santa Anita. Finally Tiz the Law’s damsire, Tiznow, should need no introduction as way back in 2001 he famously won the Breeders’ Cup Classic for America at Belmont Park just weeks September 11th in a race that united the nation. Thus it seems that perhaps Tiz the Law’s pedigree on top might be a little lacking to get the ten furlongs though there appears to be enough stamina underneath that he should be able to gut out the distance if need be. In the coming weeks be sure to pay close attention to this colt to see how he is performing in his morning works and then watch how he fares in the Kentucky Jockey Club as that could be a crucial race in determining which direction he takes in his career.
3. Dennis’ Moment (Tiznow-Elusive Quality; Dale Romans; Albaugh Family Stables; 4-2-0-0; 1st in the Iroquois Stakes (G3), 8th in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile (G1); 10 Kentucky Derby Points)
Some may argue that Dennis’ Moment has no business belonging on this list following his performance in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile on November 1st and their argument would not be without merit. After an inauspicious beginning to his career at Churchill Downs way back in June in which he clipped heels with another horse and unseated Robby Albarado, Dennis’ Moment followed that non-effort up with an absolute trouncing of a $50K Maiden field at Ellis Park in July in which he bested his rivals by 19 lengths when contesting seven furlongs over the main track. He then continued his winning ways by kicking off the Kentucky Derby prep race season with an impressive effort in the Iroquois Stakes in September at Churchill Downs in which he earned a 115 TimeForm speed rating (the highest speed figure earned by any of the entrants in the BC Juvenile field). However, disaster struck on November 1st for this colt as he fell to his knees leaving the starting gate at Santa Anita and found himself well behind his rivals early on. Facing an immense amount of kickback from the deep and slow Santa Anita surface, this colt never recovered from his poor start and end up finishing a well-beaten eighth. To describe that last out performance as anything less than abysmal for his connections would require a heavy dose of sugar-coating. Yet, if there is any upside to emerge from the BC Juvenile for Dennis’ Moment it would be that his connections are quite fortunate the Kentucky Derby is not run at Santa Anita as this colt likely struggled to get any sort of footing on that track surface and that now that Dennis’ Moment has experience getting kickback in his face, perhaps the next time that he encounters such a situation he will be able to better responds to such adverse conditions.
It is unclear as to what race his connections are pointing him towards next but it would be of no surprise to see them give him some time off and then return him in the early spring to kick off his three year old campaign. We already know about the Tiznow portion of this colt’s pedigree so let’s dive on in to the dam side. Dennis’ Moment’s dam, Transplendid, was not great to put it mildly. She raced 13 times in her career, primarily over the grass, and won just once, never rising above the Starter Allowance or Claiming level. In addition, she primarily raced at a mile to a mile and a sixteenth but never farther. Now the race record of Dennis’ Moment’s damsire, Elusive Quality, stands out in sharp contrast to that of his dam. Elusive Quality was a multiple Grade 3 winner and was Grade 2 placed several times as well; however, while he did run fairly well both on the dirt and the grass, the majority of his efforts were at a mile or shorter. That it not very encouraging when viewing this portion of the pedigree for conveyance of stamina to get distances at nine furlongs and beyond. Therefore, it will be quite interesting to see how Dennis’ Moment fares in his next effort, especially if that start is beyond eight and a half furlongs, because if he struggles to handle the stretchout in distance he will soon find himself removed from this list.
4. Independence Hall (Constitution-Cape Town; Michael Trombetta; Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners, Twin Creeks Racing Stables, Kathleen and Robert Verratti; 2-2-0-0; 1st in the Nashua Stakes* (G3); 0 Kentucky Derby Points)
Arguably the performance of the year thus far for any male two year horse has to be that of Independence Hall on November 3rd in the Nashua Stakes at Aqueduct. That one mile effort against some very talented rivals marked his first foray into graded stakes competition and he did not fail to impress. He easily bested his rivals by over 12 lengths at the wire, displayed some very professional mannerisms throughout the race (unusual for such a young colt) and earned an eye-popping 122 TimeForm speed rating, the highest speed figure earned by any two year old colt this year. For a horse to put on such a display of talent like that in just his second lifetime start is something else to be sure. Now of course there are always the naysayers that state that such an effort might just be an anomaly and they expect Independence Hall to regress the next time out but perhaps not. I’ve already discussed Constitution when it comes to looking over Independence Hall’s pedigree, thus an examination of the dam side is now called for. Kalahari Cat won just over $100,000 in her 14 race career, winning just a handful of those starts whilst primarily racing at a mile on the lawn, thus one would expect her to convey more of a sprinter’s/middle-distance pedigree to her offspring. On the other hand, Cape Town was a very precocious two year old who won the Kentucky Jockey Club and then followed that up with victories in the Grade 3 Holy Bull Stakes and G1 Florida Derby the following year before running fifth in the Kentucky Derby. That mingling of two rather unique bloodlines on the dam side could lead to some interesting results for Independence Hall and may impact his ability to handle the stretchout to ten furlongs next May. Thus, it could be expected that Independence Hall should be able to easily handle distances up to nine furlongs but beyond that remains a bit of a question mark.
As for Independence Hall’s next race, it would be no surprise to see his connections take a shot at the Grade 2 Remsen Stakes run over nine furlongs at Aqueduct on December 7th. The timing of the race is logical as it gives Independence Hall nearly five weeks off following the Nashua and should serve as a good measuring stick to be able to assess his abilities going forward, especially considering that he will be will be stretching out another furlong in that effort and trying two turns for the first time in his career. So be sure to pay attention to any of this colt’s upcoming works to judge his form and obviously pay attention as well to any reports coming out of his camp as to whether or not he will still run in the Remsen in about a month’s time. If this colt can make the logical needed progressions and run well in that race (he doesn’t necessarily have to win it), he could quickly find himself amongst the top two year old contenders at the end of the year.
5. Structor (Palace Malice-More Than Ready; Chad Brown; Jeff Drown & Don Rachel; 3-3-0-0; 1st in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf* (G1); 0 Kentucky Derby Points)
Some may certainly be wondering why or how on earth a Chad Brown trained son of Palace Malice that just won the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf found his way onto this list. It’s quite simple in fact, Chad Brown has indicated that going forward, he intends to campaign this horse on dirt (well for at least one race). Now prior to his BC Juvenile Turf triumph, Structor had to gut out a win in the Grade 3 Pilgrim Stakes going a mile and a sixteenth on the grass at Belmont Park to win by just a head which may have been a portends of things to come. In his most recent start on November 1st when cutting back to one mile, Structor was able to just get past a massive longshot to win by ¾ of a length at the wire and earn a 100 TimeForm speed rating. While it was not the most impressive effort, it was not a terrible performance either. That being said, it will be interesting to see where Brown and Structor’s connections elect to go next with this colt as there are some rather conflicting signs in his pedigree that suggest his ability to handle dirt and get ten furlongs might be in doubt.
Palace Malice was an incredibly accomplished dirt router at both the age of three and four as his biggest achievements came in 2013 with a win in the Grade 1 Belmont Stakes and then a win in the Grade 1 Met Mile the following year. And then on the dam side, Structor’s damsire, More Than Ready, appeared comfortable contesting distances ranging from as short as seven furlongs on the dirt all the way up to nine and ten furlongs with his biggest win coming in the Grade 1 H. Allen Jerkens in 2000. Now Structor’s dam, Miss Always Ready appeared to prefer the turf to the dirt and when looking at both her and several of Structor’s other dams, it appears that they were primarily sprinters; this is concerning considering that it is generally the dam portion of a horse’s pedigree that passes on the stamina to handle various distances and with a bloodline heavily favoring sprint distances, a mile and a quarter might be in question. However, if the Palace Malice portion of Structor’s pedigree can be the primary influence in his running ability then the stretchout to at least nine furlongs should be alright. Finally, Structor has given every appearance in several of his morning works that he should handle the surface transition fairly well and his current running style does not appear to be truly indicative of that of either a dirt or turf runner at the moment which suggests that there may yet be time for Brown to mold his charge into a quality dirt router going forward. Neither Brown nor Structor’s connections have indicated as to which race they would like to see their charge run in next; although, with only a few true prep races remaining it would be no surprise to see Brown run this colt either in a high level allowance race before the year’s end or wait until January before returning him to the track.
SELL
* Indicates Non Kentucky Derby Prep Race (i.e. awards no points)
1. Eight Rings (Empire Maker-Pure Prize; Bob Baffert; SF Racing, Starlight Racing, Madaket Stables, et al; 4-2-0-0; 1st in the American Pharoah Stakes (G1), 6th in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile (G1); 10 Kentucky Derby Points)
Raise your hand if you saw this one coming. No one? Good, neither did I. For a horse with such an excellent pedigree, backed by a fantastic team of owners (one of whom happens to be the Magnier family of Coolmore fame) and trained by one of the best dirt trainers in the United States to put forth an absolute non-effort in the biggest race of his career to date is beyond puzzling. In his American Pharoah race, Eight Rings easily led his rivals (several of whom he would face again in the BC Juvenile) from gate to wire over that deep and tiring Santa Anita surface en-route to a six length victory and a 109 TimeForm speed rating. His disappointing sixth place finish then, when beaten by over 12 lengths, in that BC Juvenile over a track he should have thrived on (especially considering he had trained quite well over it leading up to the Breeders’ Cup) is very concerning. I honestly don’t know what to make of it. The pace of that race was pedestrian at best. Eight Rings wasn’t on the lead and didn’t face heavy pressure at any point. His main rival took himself out of the race from the start. At the end of the day, there are no excuses as to why Eight Rings performed so poorly. Thus it would not surprise me to see Baffert and the connections announce in the coming weeks that they have elected to give Eight Rings some time off and rest him until early 2020 when he would likely return in a race say like the Grade 3 Robert B. Lewis Stakes run at eight and half furlongs on February 1st at Santa Anita. If Baffert does elect to bring Eight Rings right back to the track then perhaps the Grade 3 Los Alamitos Futurity on December 7th is the next logical spot for him to run in.
As for Eight Ring’s pedigree, his sire Empire Maker was an incredible three year old who won not only the Florida Derby but also the Wood Memorial in 2003 and then followed that up with a second place effort in the Kentucky Derby and a win in the Belmont Stakes. Thus there is plenty of stamina available on his sire’s side. Now Eight Ring’s damsire Pure Prize only raced in a handful of graded stakes efforts over the course of his career, but he did conclude it with a second place effort in the nine furlong Grade 3 Fourstardave Handicap (which is normally run on the grass but was run over a sloppy main track that day) and then finished out that year with a win in the Grade 2 Kentucky Cup Classic Handicap run over nine furlongs at Turfway Park. As a side note, at the moment Pure Prize’s top progeny is the great mare Blue Prize who just defeated the ultra-talented Midnight Bisou in the Breeders’ Cup Distaff last weekend. Finally, as for Eight Ring’s dam, Purely Hot, she was a somewhat accomplished sprinter over synthetic tracks both here in the United States and up in Canadian at Woodbine. Overall, then while nine furlongs appears to be well within the current abilities for Eight Rings, given the potential for the sprinting influence from the dam portion of the pedigree to dominate Eight Ring’s stamina reserves, it would seem that a mile and a quarter might be just too far for this colt.
2. Shoplifted (Into Mischief-Yes It’s True; Steve Asmussen; Grandview Equine, Cheyenne Stables, LNJ Foxwoods; 4-1-1-0; 2nd in Hopeful Stakes* (G1), 5th in the American Pharoah Stakes (G1), 7th in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile (G1); 0 Kentucky Derby Points)
Following a second place finish in the seven furlong Hopeful Stakes run at Saratoga in early September, the form for this colt appears to have declined dramatically. He next ran 5th in the American Pharoah and then last time out was a non-threatening 7th in the BC Juvenile. This son of Into Mischief has yet to return to the 97 TimeForm speed figure he earned in that Hopeful effort and that is certainly concerning. Now perhaps there is an easy explanation for all of this and it lies with Shoplifted’s sire: Into Mischief. This incredible stallion standing at Spendthrift Farm is currently the #1 General Sire of 2019 and amongst his top progeny for this year are the incredible sprinter Covfefe, multi-Grade 3 winner Owendale, Mia Mischief and Engage. Overall when looking through many of his top progeny for this year, the one thing that stands out is that many of these horses are sprinters or routers that can really only handle distances up to nine furlongs. This is not really a surprise considering that throughout the course of his rather brief career, Into Mischief never raced beyond eight and a half furlongs and appeared to be at his best when sprinting or running just beyond a mile.
When looking over the pedigree on the dam side for Shoplifted, it really is not very encouraging either. His damsire, Yes It’s True, was a bona fide multiple Graded Stakes winning dirt sprinter, while his dam Shopit never raced above the Allowance level and was a sprinter as well. Thus to suggest that going forward Shoplifted will be able to contend at distances of nine to ten furlongs, much less eight and a half furlongs, is going to take a rather active imagination. However, I believe that his connections will likely give him one more try in an upcoming prep race, likely at Aqueduct, and if he fails in that effort, they will probably cut him back in distance and campaign him as a sprinter going forward.
3. Scabbard (More Than Ready-Gone West; Eddie Kenneally; Joseph Sutton; 4-1-2-0; 2nd in the Saratoga Special* (G2), 2nd in the Iroquois Stakes (G3); 4th in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile (G1); 6 Kentucky Derby Points)
This son of More Than Ready generated headlines earlier in the year and for all the wrong reasons as the connections likely did not properly consider what sort of impact this colt’s original name was going to have in this ultra-sensitive culture and atmosphere that we live in. Therefore after considerable backlash his connections wisely made the decision to apply for a name change with the Jockey Club which was swiftly granted. Scabbard’s graded stakes debut in the six and a half furlong Saratoga Special back in August was alright as he ran a non-threatening second behind Green Light Go that day. He then followed up that performance with a more admirable second place effort in the Iroquois Stakes in September, a race in which he stretched out to two-turns and a route distance for the first time and was rewarded with a 111 TimeForm speed rating. Then last time out, Scabbard likely did not take to the deep and tiring surface at Santa Anita as he really did not do all that much running that day, finishing 4th and regressed slightly in the speed figure department. It is unlikely that Kenneally elects to run this colt again this year, although if he does perhaps a try in the upcoming Kentucky Jockey Club would be the most likely landing spot for him as a return to the surface at Churchill Downs may serve him well.
Now I’ve already discussed the potential stamina influence that More Than Ready can have on his progeny so it would behoove us to take a look at what ability the damsire Gone West and the dam Cowgirl Mally might pass on. Gone West is an old, old sire that did the bulk of his running way back in 1987 and his career was highlighted by Grade 2 Gotham Stakes, Grade 2 Withers Stakes and Grade 1 Dwyer Stakes. He also hit the board in the Wood Memorial and the Grade 2 Peter Pan Stakes that year. It is interesting to note though that none of those races were contested beyond nine furlongs. Cowgirl Mally on the other hand never raced beyond seven furlongs in her rather brief career and thus would appear to be passing on sprinter’s stamina if anything. Therefore, if the male influences in Scabbard’s pedigree dominate in their ability to convey stamina over his female lineage then nine furlongs certainly is within the realm of possibility for this colt but anything beyond that remains a major question mark.
4. Green Light Go (Hard Spun-Pleasantly Perfect; Jimmy Jerkens; Stronach Stables; 3-2-1-0; 1st in the Saratoga Special* (G2), 2nd in the Champagne Stakes (G1); 4 Kentucky Derby Points)
Now I am not quite sure why this colt’s connections did not take a shot running him in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile as given his prior efforts, he likely would have been a major contender in that race. His graded stakes debut in August of this year in the Saratoga Special was very impressive as he easily handled Scabbard that day on the way to a nearly four length victory and a 108 TimeForm speed rating. Green Light Go was scheduled to run in the Hopeful the following month but given the sloppy conditions of the track that day, he was scratched from the race and instead pointed towards the Champagne Stakes where he lead for a quite a long time before being run down by Tiz the Law in the stretch. The 102 TimeForm speed rating he earned that day was a slight regression off his prior number but it was to be expected given how slowly the track was running that day. Perhaps Green Light Go’s connections viewed that deep and slow surface at Santa Anita as similar to the track at Saratoga the day he had scratched from the Hopeful and thus did not want to expose him at that moment to such conditions or risk him getting injured. Whatever the case may be, Green Light Go has not been seen racing or even training on any track since the beginning of October and neither his trainer nor his connections have given any indication as to when or where he might race next time out.
The pedigree for Green Light Go’s sire, Hard Spun, is absolutely incredible. This is a multiple graded stakes winning stallion at distances ranging from seven to nine furlongs and further more, Hard Spun ran second in the both the Kentucky Derby and Breeders’ Cup Classic in 2007 so that should be more than enough evidence that the ability to stretchout and handle classic distances runs through this colt’s bloodlines. Now on the dam side, Green Light Go’s damsire, Pleasantly Perfect, won multiple graded stakes over the course of his career but amongst them wins in the ten furlong Breeders’ Cup Classic in 2003 and the Grade 1 Dubai World Cup in 2004 stand out. Meanwhile, Green Light Go’s dam, Light Green, was an accomplished sprinter who never finished out of the money in seven career tries. Furthermore, Green Light Go’s second dam, Green Light, was also a bona fide sprinter. Thus with a fairly heavy dose of sprinter’s speed on the dam side of the pedigree being balanced out by true classic distance router’s stamina on the sire’s side of his pedigree could make for some interesting decisions going forward for Green Light Go. If the influence of both his sire and damsire win out and become the dominant traits in his bloodline, then Green Light Go should have no issues whatsoever handling the stretchout in distance and very likely might relish a mile and a quarter. If Green Light Go can prove that he belongs amongst the top Derby contenders going forward with a solid performance in his next start, then he may quickly find himself removed from this list and placed on the BUY list instead.
5. Storm the Court (Court Vision-Tejano Run; Peter Eurton; Exline-Border Racing, David Bernsen, Susanna Wilson, and Dan Hudock; 4-2-0-1; DNF in the Del Mar Futurity* (G1), 3rd in the American Pharoah Stakes (G1), 1st in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile (G1); 22 Kentucky Derby Points)
To state that I was not impressed on the night of November 1st following the conclusion of the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile would be a bit of an understatement. I thought it was a terrible race overall. It was one in which neither of the two heavy favorites even was able to contend. It was run over a ridiculously composed surface that had been created solely to allow Santa Anita to try and save face on the national stage by promoting a “safe atmosphere for all horses involved.” It consisted of a field in which several of the top two year olds in the country either scratched out of the race in the days beforehand or whose connections elected to forego racing at Santa Anita. Prior to his most recent race, Storm the Court’s race record was not all that great. In the Del Mar Futurity in early September, Eight Rings clipped heels with him and as a result both horses lost their riders and did not finish the race. Then just 25 days later in the American Pharoah Stakes, Storm the Court finished a well-beaten 8 ¼ lengths behind rival Eight Rings. Finally, in the BC Juvenile, Storm the Court obviously adapted to the deep and tiring surface well at Santa Anita as he led from nearly gate to wire and earned a career best 115 TimeForm speed rating in doing so. But that figure and that victory should come with a massive asterisk given the circumstances that unfolded at the beginning of that race as chief rival Dennis’ Moment fell to his knees at the start and never recovered while Eight Rings who would have been the likely pacesetter that day never fired over a surface he should have relished. All in all, while Storm the Court at the moment stands atop the Kentucky Derby points leaderboard, do not put much stock into that stat going forward as it would be very surprising to see this colt put forth another effort like his last unless everything sets up for him perfectly.
Moreover, let’s take a look at this colt’s pedigree and see if he can handle ten furlongs. Now his sire, Court Vision, began his career on the dirt in 2007 and won several key two year old prep races including the Iroquois and Remsen Stakes. He then ran third in both the Grade 2 Fountain of Youth Stakes and the Wood Memorial before finishing a disappointing 13th in the 2008 running of the Kentucky Derby. Afterwards, his connections made the decision to campaign him on the grass with occasional forays back onto the dirt. By and large, Court Vision responded well to the change in surface as he won a number of graded stakes including the 2008 Grade 1 Hollywood Derby going a mile and a quarter on the grass as well as the 2009 Grade 1 Shadwell Turf Mile, the 2010 Grade 1 Woodbine Mile and then capped off his career with a win in the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Mile in 2011. Therefore the primary influence that Court Vision has been that of a preference for grass and the ability to handle middle distances. When looking at Storm the Court’s damsire, Tejano Run, this is a horse that was an incredibly accomplished graded stakes router. Although he did not win many of his stakes efforts, he hit the board in 13 of his 15 tries versus graded stakes company at distances ranging from eight and a half to ten furlongs on the dirt. Now Storm the Court’s dam, My Tejana Run, was a sprinter plain and simple and not a very accomplished one either. It is going to take someone with far more talent and ability than I have regarding assessing pedigree (perhaps a bloodstock agent) to figure out how this blending of bloodlines is going to either help or hinder Storm the Court going forward. If the Court Vision portion of this colt’s pedigree takes over, this Storm the Court is going to be a very nice turf miler/router; yet, if the Tejano Storm bloodline prevails then there is a definite chance that Storm the Court could progress into a solid three year old that should be able to easily handle ten furlongs. If his dam’s bloodline wins out, well then this horse might make a nice dual surface sprinter. Whatever the case may be, it would certainly behoove oneself to watch as to where the connections of Storm the Court point him going forward as that will likely serve as a good indication as to whether or not they believe that he is a true Kentucky Derby contender.