Tough maiden races
 

Looking for maiden races that produced several Graded Stakes winners.

Alydar's was incredibly tough. The race produced six different eventual Graded Stakes winners - including the top 5 finishers.



* winner Alydar beat Affirmed by 3.5 lengths next out over same track and distance in the Great American. Won 3 straight after this maiden race. 6-time Grade 1 winner overall.

* 2nd place Believe It was a multiple Graded Stakes winner at age 2. Beat Alydar in the Gr 2 Remsen. Won the Grade 1 Wood Memorial at age 3. Finished 3rd to Affirmed and Alydar in both the Ky Derby and Preakness.

* 3rd place finisher Sauce Boat only ran four more times - but he won 3 of them - including a Grade 1 stakes win. He's the dam sire of Tabasco Cat.

* 4th place finisher Junction became a multiple Graded Stakes winner. Won the Grade 2 Dwyer over Buckaroo (sire of Spend a Buck) and Darby Creek Road. Won the Grade 2 Withers over Star De Naskra and Buckaroo.

* 5th place finisher For Your Pleasure (co-favorite with Alydar on debut) won the Grade 3 World's Playground Stakes as a 2-year-old.

* 6th place finisher Calligraphy only ran two more times - one win and one second place in MSW races from those two subsquent tries.

* 7th place Historically was stakes placed and earned six figures in the late 70's. Beat Buckaroo and Quip as a 2yo.

* 8th place Morning Frolic became a Grade 3 stakes winner on turf. Was stakes place many times on both surfaces. Sired a 2-time champion sprinter in Japan.

* 9th and 10th place finished 1st and 2nd in the same race next time out on the class drop to MCL - they were 6/1 and 31/1 in the betting.

Alydar's MSW race went in 1:04.20 for 5.5fs - projected figure in the 103-to-106 range is huge for a 2yo in June.

The other four dirt sprint races on the card - all for older claimers - went...

7fs 1:26.40 (35 Beyer points slower)
6fs 1:12.00 (20 Beyer points slower)
6fs 1:13.00 (34 Beyer points slower)
7fs 1:26.00 (31 Beyer points slower)

The maiden D'Wildcat won also had Crafty C.T (it might have been the other way around actually). During Santa Anita's 2001 winter meet.

I think Strolling Along and Sea Hero were in the same maiden race at Belmont in '92. I think Strolling Along won it.

Cobalt Blue and Stormello were in the same maiden race at Hollywood Park in '06. Not sure either won.

Silver Charm and Gold Tribute may have been entrymates at Del Mar in '96. However, it might have been Deeds Not Words in there for DW Lukas instead.

Gold Tribute also ran into Deputy Commander in his 3yo debut (a maiden race) after running in 3 Graded stakes as a maiden to close out his 2yo campaign.

Old Trieste's maiden win at a mile at Del Mar may have had Real Quiet in it.

When Magical Mile broke the track record at Hollywood for 5f in '90, I think the 2nd place horse was Jacodra, who later broke the 6.5f track record at Hollywood as a 3 or 4yo.

Were Flame Thrower and Street Cry in the same maiden race?

David Copperfield beat FuPeg in the latter's debut.

General Challenge was beaten by Cliquot in his debut.

I think Timber Country was in a couple of good maiden races before finally getting the job done on his way to champion 2yo.

DrugS, I knew that was a key race before you were born, and it's actually even been discussed here. Harvey Pack used to have guest handicappers on between races on weekends, and Caligraphy returned on Marlboro Cup day in the Fall, and I picked him with Harvey.

He ran second to Cloud Forest.

Nice job nonetheless.

Look at Race 6 from September 4, 2010. That Saratoga Maiden Special Weight race produced the winners of the Grade 3 Iroquois in Astrology, the Grade 2 Remsen in To Honor and Serve and Grade 2 Lewis in Anthony's Cross as well as Data Link who will be one of the favorites in the Blue Grass.

Not Alydar standards but a pretty productive heat nonetheless.

Paul

Anthony's Cross also beat Tapizar in his maiden win at CD.

Crafty C.T. ran a 106 Beyer that day in defeat.

So we can call it a negative key race for KY Derby purposes.

Pleasant Tap ran 3rd in Grand Canyon's maiden victory. September 1989 at Del Mar.

Maria's Mon & Louis Quatorze

http://www.equibase.com/premium/eqbP...try=USA&race=2

Did Miss Union Avenue break her maiden in a turf sprint on that card as well?

Diligence, Gold Fever, Ide, Trail City and Fortitude: http://www.equibase.com/premium/eqbP...try=USA&race=6


Fabulously Fast & Aldiza: http://www.equibase.com/premium/eqbP...try=USA&race=3

I think Miss Union Ave was 1994 on the Dwyer undercard..

Eliza, Set Them Free, Nijivision, and Lost The Code were all in the same maiden at Del Mar in 1992.

You wouldn't automatically think a maiden race for 3yos over the turf at Fair Grounds would be especially productive, but Chief Bearhart, eventual millionaire Chorwon, and future steeplechase champ Flat Top exited the 6th at FG on March 23, 1996.

They had you on in 1977? What were you - 15 years old?

Real Quiet's debut race actually had five eventual Graded Stakes winners. It was a 5f race at CD in mid June.

Dice Dancer 1st (won the Gr 2 Withers)
Polished Brass 2nd (won the Gr 2 Sanford)
Da Devil 3rd (won the Gr 2 Kentucky Cup Classic)
Stay Sound 4th (won the Gr 3 Haw Derby)
Real Quiet 7th (missed the triple crown by a nose)

Four pretty shabby Graded winners - but still - pretty impressive to have five in a maiden race.

Yes. I think it was the first time I was on.

I also picked Native Courier ( a Sid Watters horse out of the great Courtly Dee ) when he broke his maiden on another appearance.

Awesome handicapping....



I assume you also picked What a Summer in the 6th that day?

By the way - my old troll name here finished 3rd in that race.

Other way around

Forty Niner Days, Burnt Hills and the great Grand Canyon.

Grand Canyon, Pleasant Tap and Tight Spot.

While a maiden, Thirty Six Red lost to some good ones.

Not all in the same race, but still...

Senor Pete
Rhythm
Blackhawk's Ghost
Adjudicating
Polish Numbers

Judge Smells romped (as he did in all three starts) in a race that had Ferdinand.

I was wrong then.....I must have picked him when he finished second in his prior start, as that was the day Affirmed won the Belmont. No way I was also there a week later.

And you would not be giving out the chalk either....

Exactly. He was like 9:2 when I liked him.

34 years ago to find a competitive maiden race.


But racing is doing just fine! Listen to the smart people!

He was 9/2. Was coming off of a Dec layoff when he ran 4th to Bold Voyager.

The money sure was wrong in this maiden race....



Assago not only faced Affirmed and Alydar in age restricted MSW races - but he also was entered in John Henry's debut on turf in an age restricted claiming race. He didn't get in on the AE .... or he surely would have been single digit odds in 3 seperate races against Affirmed, Alydar, and John Henry .. all of those horses foaled in 1975.

Assago ended up not being much. I had to install that software on my work computer. It's a good thing I keep an image of the software handy!!

1975 Assago, B, c, Assagai

In North America 7 89 3 9 10 47,134 0.92

North America 2 YO Record 10 1 1 2 11,140

DP = 13-7-2-0-0 DI = 21.00 CD = 1.50

Sold at Hip # Sales Price Sire Avg Rank Stud Fee

KEESEP 1976 1341 $10,500 $9,200 ylg (3/10)

3-for-89? Wow - he must have fell off a canyon after his post John Henry claiming race on turf form.

Historically was entered with stablemate Affirmed in that debut race for both - and was outworking him on the same dates. The 'clocker selections' for that race didn't have Affirmed picked 1-2-3.

I was wondering why he went off at 14-1. It's not like Laz held anything back in the morning!

Alydar, in his debut, was favored over Affirmed in the Youthful in his following start.