With incoming rain this afternoon/evening, Straight No Chaser got back on the work tab this morning at Santa Anita covering an easy three furlongs in :37.20 under Juan Landeros. Your son of Speightster was under a big hold early on and traveled nicely down the stretch. At this time, we couldn’t be happier with his progress.
What a statement from Straight No Chaser in his debut today at Del Mar. The three-year old broke sharply from the gates, took the lead and never looked back in dominating the five-furlong sprint by 2 ¼ lengths. The Speightster colt set fractions of 21.96, 44.87, and completed the five furlongs in 56.44 seconds with a very impressive gallop out as well. Jockey Edwin Maldonado said after the race (video above) that “he’s been working bullets and this is what we expected” and that Straight No Chaser acted like a professional once they hit the turf course. Winning trainer Dan Blacker who wasn’t sure how the colt would like the turf heading into the race said “He’s been working so strong on the main track, is he going to be as good on the turf? and obviously today we learned it was no problem.”
It’s always good to have flexibility with a horse and we’re excited to have both turf and dirt options moving. Today is yet another excellent example of taking care of the horse and letting them develop at their pace. Your colt had several minor setbacks over the course of the last year, and we were all rewarded today with a big-league performance and hope that he’s able to carry it forward throughout the summer and into the rest of the year.
We’ll send a link to the track photographer’s website as soon as winner’s circle photos are available.
Congratulations again!
Congratulations Straight No Chaser partners! Your colt took them gate to wire today, impressively winning his debut.
Full race recap to come.
Straight No Chaser is set to launch his racing career today at Del Mar in a $80,000 Maiden Special Weight which looks evenly matched, at least from a morning-line perspective.
Your colt has been assigned odds of 5-1 in the 12-horse field, which also has two also-eligibles waiting in the wings, pending any scratches in Race 2. The morning-line favorite, Peligroso, is just a tick lower, at odds at 9-2.
Straight No Chaser drew post 10 in the five-furlong turf race with Edwin Maldonado aboard for trainer Dan Blacker. The 3-year-old son of Speightster is among five first-time starters in the field.
Dan has been pleased with how Straight No Chaser is training coming into his first assignment, and he particularly liked his last breeze, which was from the gate on July 16th (5F in 1:00). His gate breezes has been exceptionally eye-catching and lead to the conclusion that he will be prominent in the early going.
With all-systems go and the team expecting a good run from Straight No Chaser, it’s important to remember this is your colt’s first start and it comes in a big field — with most of the runners having prior race experience — and there likely will be a scramble for the early lead in this sprint. Finish position aside, this debut also represents the opportunity for him to gain racing experience which will be of benefit going forward.
Here’s a good-luck toast to Straight No Chaser’s partners and to their colt for a good trip.
About the Competition (in post position order):
Magic Man (15/1) will make his first start as a gelding after six tries as a colt. He has run some competitive races early on in his career. Draw a line through his most recent race on dirt and he could be a factor again.
Peligroso (9/2) is the lone filly in this open maiden special weight. The connections have had no fear in doing this before as this will be her 3rd start against the boys in only five lifetime starts.
Cribbage Board (10/1) made a good account for himself on debut, earning a 74 Beyer Speed Figure. This CA-bred will take on open company this time but could step forward the second time out. Not our top choice but one that should be respected.
To Speight Her (20/1), a $100,000 OBS April 2021 purchase has all the credentials to love the turf. Workouts have just been ok from a time standpoint. We will watch one.
An Army of Light (6/1) makes his debut for trainer Peter Miller. His dam, Sunnysammi, was a 5-time winner sprinting on grass so it is no surprise this gelding is starting his career in this spot. He is showing some decent workouts on his form
Virat (20/1) debuted on the dirt and was simply a non-factor. Do not let this throw you off completely. Since the race, he has been gelded and will move to the turf for trainer Phil D’Amato. Flashing back two summers ago, Phil had Leggs Galore (also by Bayern) who was making her turf debut following two non-competitive races on dirt at Oaklawn Park. The rest was history as Leggs Galore is now a 9-time winner, including the Grade 2 Beuna Vista.
Peso (10/1) makes his debut on the grass for trainer Bob Baffert who is 0/9 when trying the turf the first time out. History will tell us that the connections may be unsure of his dirt works and are taking a bit of a shot here. Would like to watch one before we support him.
Mastermind (6/1) takes advantage of the “Ship and Win” program following a solid debut at Tampa Bay Downs behind MyRacehorse’s very own Psychedelic Shack. The competition as a whole will certainly be tougher this afternoon but now having a race under his belt, you would expect this guy to be much more prepared, especially from the gate.
Still On the Books (8/1) improved in his second lifetime start and will now be trying the turf for the first time. His dam, Cougarstown, has produced two winners on turf from a total of 15 starts.
Straight No Chaser (5/1) has been lighting up the work tab for trainer Dan Blacker. Does draw an outside post and will have to work out a clean trip but given the speed he has been showing us in the morning, it shouldn’t be an issue. Almost every local private clocker has been very high on his morning activity. Most recently, he received an “A-“ grade from Andy Harrington, something you don’t see often, especially with a first-timer. There is no secret about how he has been doing in the mornings.
Laughing Legacy (6/1) will be making his debut as a 4-year-old and has been completing all of his training at Los Alamitos. His work times are certainly quick which leads you to believe he has speed but the Los Alamitos track is generally a bit faster as well. Trainer Brian Kornier is 21% first time on grass and 24% with first-time starters in general.
Honeymoon Suite (10/1) is making his return to the races off of a 12-month layoff. He showed some ability as a 2-year-old and is working well from a time standpoint. His biggest challenge will be overcoming the 12 Post.
As Straight No Chaser nears a return to galloping with an eye on resuming breezing, not long after, the journey to get this son of Speightster to the races begins in earnest.
To date, Speightster’s top performer is multiple stakes winner Door Buster, who is the odds-on favorite in an allowance race tomorrow evening (Race 7) at Charles Town in West Virginia. A winner of six races, Door Buster enters this assignment fresh off an allowance race victory, and has won three stakes in the last year (the attached video shows one of the filly’s impressive stakes wins). Another one of Speightster’s progeny, among the 8 who are scheduled to compete at racetracks across the country this weekend, is Nerves of Steel, a stakes-placed runner, who is entered at Santa Anita in an allowance race (Race 5) on Saturday.
For the connections of the stallion Speightster, seeing more progeny arriving at the races is bittersweet, since the young and talented sire lost his life in February after fracturing a leg in a freak stall accident at Northern Dawn Stallions in Canada.
At the time of his passing, Speightster was only 10 years old, and was about to begin his sixth year at stud. The son of the very talented champion sprinter Speightstown had only arrived six weeks earlier at Northern Dawn Stallions, following his relocation from WinStar in Kentucky.
It was a crushing blow for Jay and Christine Hayden, whose purchase of Speightster was their first foray into stallion ownership. At the time of his death, Jay Hayden told the BloodHorse, “He was a stallion that really fit Ontario because his female family is so top heavy with top Canadian horses, the family of Dance Smartly and Smart Strike. Here we were the first week in February and he had north of 40 mares already, which is unheard of in Ontario because breeders want to pick their stallions after their foals are on the ground. It has hardly sunk in.” For the full story from the BloodHorse, please click here.
As a racehorse and a sire, Speightster was something special. On the racetrack, he was undefeated in his first three starts, including a victory in the Grade 3 Dwyer Stakes at Belmont Park, where he made quick work of his rivals with his 2 1/2-length victory. In the breeding shed, the gorgeous chestnut, who strongly resembled his sire, Speightstown, made a splash when his first crop reached the races and he was among the top 10 freshman stallions in North America in 2020. He had an even better year in 2021, cracking the top five as a second-crop sire with his progeny earning more than $4.2 million on the racetrack.
We’re excited to see what Straight No Chaser has in store for his partners when he reaches the races, and look forward to him carrying the banner forward for Speightster and adding to the sire’s legacy.
Come join MyRacehorse staff at the Great Race Place in Arcadia at Clockers’ Corner on Saturday morning March 12th starting around 6:30 AM, to see top thoroughbreds train at beautiful Santa Anita Park.This casual event will offer the chance to see many of California’s finest horses in action and some of MyRacehorse’s and Edge Racing’s California stabled horses.
Please note, routine jogging and gallop schedules can change for various reasons on a daily but will have team members out on site to point out as many MyRacehorse stable members as possible. Please reserve your spot by registering online.Morning workouts typically start at 6:30 AM and end around 9:30 AM. We will notify you of where to meet the MyRacehorse representative on the evening prior to the event.
Clockers’ Corner also has tables for dining so you can eat breakfast overlooking the morning workouts with the beautiful backdrop of the San Gabriel mountains. Breakfast is available for purchase from 5:00 AM to 10:00 AM.
An x-ray was taken this weekend of Straight No Chaser’s hind left tibia and it did reveal a callus.
He has jogged up much better each day according to trainer Dan Blacker and should be back moving fully sound on it by the middle or end of this week. The 3-year-old colt will have to take a brief step back in his training but will not have been removed from training. Once he is back moving sound, Straight No Chaser will jog for 30 days before returning to full training.
This type of injury is comparable to a horse starting to form a shin in the front leg. It has been caught in the very early stages and his prognosis is excellent to return to full training.