By Randy Moss
Two of our top five were in action at Churchill Downs on the Kentucky Derby day card.
5) COUNTER MOVE, BAQ, 5/2-11th, 6fT VIDEO
Beyer Speed Figure-87
(g, 4, Spun to Run–Gypsy Angel, by Silver Train)
O/B-Sequel Racing/Sequel Thoroughbreds (NY). T-George Weaver. J-Dalila Rivera.
After eight starts with two seconds and four third, but no wins, Weaver and owner Becky Thomas decided to try grass. Counter Move had little turf heritage. Spun to Run's progeny stats are solidly better on dirt, but you wouldn't know by the result. Counter Move drew off by 3 1/2 lengths vs. $50,000 claimers in a Beyer 14 points higher than his previous best.
4) RUIVA, CD, 4/29-3rd, 4 1/2f VIDEO
Beyer Speed Figure-89
(f, 2, Munnings–Minha Paixao, by Curlin)
O/B-Three Chimneys Farm (Ky). T-Wesley Ward. J-Juan Hernandez.
Our first “Five Fastest Maidens” 2-year-old of the year, and naturally trained by Ward. On a sloppy Wednesday at CD, another Munnings filly, Bush, was hammered down to 3-2 favoritism, but was left at the start, leaving Ruiva to dominate as Bush valiantly overcame a huge deficit to finish third. Her pedigree page is peppered with bold print: her dam was unraced, but her GISP granddam Miss Besilu (now in Japan thanks to a $2.2-million purchase) is a half-sister to the dams of Gun Runner, Saint Liam and Funtastic.
3) SILENT WAY, CD, 5/2-1st, 1 1/16m VIDEO
Beyer Speed Figure-91 (2nd)
(c, 4, McKinzie–Koala Queen, by Lonhro {Aus})
O-C R K Stable. B-Runnymeade Farm, Peter Callahan and Frederick Zinkhan (Ky). T-Peter Eurton. J-Flavien Prat.
Not unprecedented but unusual: a horse with a Beyer sequence of 85, 92, then 91 that is still a maiden. Silent Way, a $700,000 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga yearling and former John Shirreffs trainee now in the barn of Eurton, keeps running into buzzsaws and clearly has more talent than luck. First foal from his SW and GSP dam, a half-sister to the dam of GI Pacific Classic winner Collected.
2) POWERSHIFT, CD, 5/2-1st, 1 1/16m VIDEO
Beyer Speed Figure-95
(c, 3, Constitution–Free Flying Soul, by Quiet American)
O-Repole Stable. B-Liberty Road Stables (Ky). T-Todd Pletcher. J-Irad Ortiz Jr.
His debut runner-up finish to Emerging Market was so powerful (96 Beyer) that he was next tried in the Tampa Bay Derby. The result was a disappointing sixth, but Powershift rebounded to kick off Saturday's Derby card with a sharp victory over a field that included Silent Way (above). His dam was third in the GI Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Sprint and GI Santa Monica Stakes and half-sister Flying Connection was a New Mexico phenom who ran in the GI Kentucky Oaks and later was second in the GI Apple Blossom.
1) DOUBLECENTS, OP, 5/2-8th, 6f VIDEO
Beyer Speed Figure-96
'TDN Rising Star, presented by Hagyard'
(c, 3, Goldencents–Moka Latte, by Uncle Mo)
O-Keene Thoroughbreds. B-Clark Brewster (Ky). T-Brett Creighton. J-Ramon Vazquez.
In his Apr. 11 debut at Oaklawn, he had the misfortune of meeting Munnings Challenge, whose 94 Beyer made him No. 1 on that week's list. But Doublecents was a gallant second that day, five lengths behind the winner, but 6 3/4 ahead of the others. Last Saturday, he faced four others from that race and predictably walloped them at 3-5 odds, streaking away to an 11 1/2-length score with a Beyer that topped Munnings Challenge. His pedigree is somewhat modest by this week's standards–he was a $125,000 2-year-old at a Texas sale–but his dam is a half-sister to GI Florida Derby runner-up State of Honor.
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