Stakes History: Spiral Stakes

The first of the major Kentucky Derby preps is this weekend at Turfway in the Spiral Stakes. The national audience will be getting their first look at horses who could end up in the gate for this year's Derby. Though the race has had several names (Jim Beam, Lane's End), and was recently downgraded to a Grade 3 from a Grade 2. Some pretty good horses have won this race.



Note: there are a few horses where I could not find their Spiral wins on YouTube. Sorry about that


1986: Broad Brush (Ack Ack)- He would turn his Jim Beam into a Wood Memorial win. After finishing third in the Derby and Preakness, he skipped the Belmont. He would win the Ohio Derby, PA Derby, Meadowlands Cup, Big Cap, and Suburban. As a sire, he would have a BCC winner in Concern, Include who is quite underrated as an and Justenoughheart who is the dam to Lewis Michael and BC Juvenile Fillies winner Dreaming of Anna.


1990: Summer Squall (Storm Bird)- While little brother A.P. Indy would steal his thunder, he was a very good horse in his own right. He would win the Bluegrass on his way to finishing second in the Derby and winning the Preakness. I would also win the PA Derby and Fayatte Handicap after his Preakness win. As a sire, he has KY Derby winner Charismatic and KY Oaks winner Summerly.


1991: Hansel (Woodman)- 




He won the Jim Beam in stakes record time, and then followed that up with a win in the Lexington. After finishing 10th as the beaten favorite, he would win the Preakness and Belmont. While his career ended in August of that year after a runner up finish in the Travers, he had done enough to be named 3yo Champion Male. Hansel has been a disappointment at stud, and for a time was sent to Japan. However, he is back home in the US.

1992: Lil E. Tee (At the Threshold)- Much like his dad who won this race in 1984, he was ridden by Pat Day. After a runner up finish in the Arkansas Derby, he won the Run for the Roses. As a four year old he would win the Razorback Handicap as well.

1993: Prairie Bayou (Little Missouri)- He won the Blue Grass after his Jim Beam win. After finishing second in the Derby, he would become the first gelding since Creme Fraiche to win a TC race by winning the Preakness. Sadly, Julie Krone's Belmont win (the first by a woman jockey) would be overshadowed by his breakdown and euthanization. He was posthumously named 3yo Champion Male.

1995: Serena's Song (Rahy)- This would be the first of two times that year that she would defeat the boys. After a 16th finish in the Derby, she would win the Black Eyed Susan 2 weeks later. That July it would be the Haskell, and she would return to Turfway to finish behind Mariah's Storm (dam of Giant's Causeway) in the Turfway Breeders' Cup Stakes. Named 3yo Champion Female. As a four year old she would win G1 races such as the Santa Monica, and Hempstead (now the Ogden Phipps). Serena has a G2 winner in Grand Reward, G1 winner Sophisticat and G2 Harlington among her foals. She is in the Hall of Fame.

1996: Roar (Forty Niner)- He didn't run in the TC, but he still has recently made an impact on horse racing.   He's the broodmare sire of Rachel Alexandra, and his female family has the 2010 Leading Freshman Sire Congrats.

2002: Perfect Drift (Dynaformer)- He would go onto be one of the most popular racehorses. After a 3rd place finish in the Derby and 10th in the Belmont, he won the Indiana Derby. While he only won 1 Grade 1 race in the 2003 Stephen Foster (he should have two, but Seek Gold nosed him out 2006 edition), he always tried his best. He was retired in a ceremony at Turfway after his 2008 season. He currently splits his time between Churchill Downs museum and his owners farm.

2005: Flower Alley (Distorted Humor)-



While he would win the Lane's End, the light wouldn't go on until after the TC. He would win the Jim Dandy and the Travers, before finishing a very good second in the BCC. That normally would be more then enough to give him 3yo honors, but Afleet Alex who didn't run past the Belmont was named Champion. He wasn't the same horse at 4 despite winning a G3. At stud, it's been a bit on the quiet side. With that being said, he does have a G1 winner in Lilacs and Lace, G3 winner Bouquet Booth (who hails from the same female family as HOY Havre de Grace) and several promising horses. (Runner up in the race Wild Desert would win the Queen's Plate for CAN breds later that summer.)

2007: Hard Spun (Danzig)-



This was an important win for him in that he was able to rebound from a poor Southwest where he had finished in fourth. His TC record speaks for it's self, one of the "Big Three", he was second behind Street Sense in the Derby, third behind Curlin and SS in the Preakness and fourth behind Rags to Riches in the Belmont. Runner up behind Any Given Saturday in the Haskell and gets his G1 win in the King's Bishop. He returns to Turfway to defeat Street Sense in the Kentucky Cup, and ends his career with a good second in the mud in the BCC behind Curlin. Hard Spun finished 2nd on the Freshman Sire List last year via earnings (however had more winners then 1st place Scat Daddy), and is currently leading the Sophmore Sire List. Among his foals include G2 winner in England Red Duke, G2 placed Midnight Transfer and Glinda the Good, G3 placed Inny Minnie and Yvete Sangalo (MEX), as well as stakes winners Hardend Wildcat and Hard Not to Like. He also has a few promising horses.

2011: Animal Kingdom (Leroidesanimaux (BRZ))-



Surprised many people by not only taking the Derby in his next race after winning the Spiral, but it was his first time on dirt and did it with a jockey (John Velazquez) who got the mount after his horse had scratched (Uncle Mo), do to an injury to Robby Alberado who was supposed to ride him. He would show that he was no fluke by finishing a brave second in the Preakness behind Shackleford and prob. would have finished better in the Belmont if Johnny V had almost come out of the saddle. Unfortunately he was injured in the race, and was given the rest of the year off. However with no standout, in the 3yo division his Derby win was enough to just hold off mile specialist Caleb's Posse for 3yo Male honors. He returned better then ever in allowance earlier this year, only to suffer a minor injury that will have him sidelined for a few months.

Farewell Little Guy

Serena's Song and Dreaming of Anna have two things in common. They both like beating the boys and they are both are by Rahy. Sadly, the little horse that could passed away today of old age at the age of 26. Along with Serena and Anna, Rahy is also the sire of Anna's full brother G2 winner Lewis Michael, as well as multiple G1 winner and BC Turf winner Fantastic Light. As a broodmare sire his most accomplished grandchild is Giant's Causeway (whose dam Mariah's Storm was the insperation for Dreamer).

Here are videos of Serena winning the Haskell, Anna's BCJF and Fantastic Light's BCT.







Farewell Little Guy. :(

Mother Goose Legends Race (Part 2)

For a reminder here is the field with their jockeys:

1. Shuvee- Jesse Davidson
2. Ruffian- Jacinto Vasquez
3. Octave- John Velezquez
4. Serena's Song- Gary Stevens
5. Rachel Alexandra- Calvin Borel
6. Mom's Command- Abby Fuller
7. Smuggler- Edgar Prado
8. Sky Beauty- Mike Smith

All eight champions are in the gate! Everyone is standing beautifully and we are off in the Mother Goose Legends Race! Going straight to the lead is Ruffian, Sky Beauty is in second with Rachel Alexandra in third. Shuvee leads the next set of Serena's Song and Mom's Command, Smuggler is next and Octave is the early trailer. Ruffian is where she loves to be, up front. Sky Beauty is in second, Rachel Alexandra wants to go now, but Borel tells her not yet. Shuvee is next, Serena's Song is coming close to her though. Mom's Command is biding her time with Fuller, Smuggler is next and Octave is still last. Sky Beauty is now even with Ruffian. Borel and Fuller tell their fillies that the race is on here comes Rachel Alexandra, with Mom's Command in tow. Shuvee is starting to make her move and here comes Octave who is making up ground, and is making her move. Serena's Song and Smuggler trying their best to keep up. Ruffian is still in front as the field makes the turn for home. Rachel Alexandra, Sky Beauty and Octave! But here is Shuvee!!! Three fillies Shuvee, Ruffian and Rachel Alexandra are fighting it out, Octave is trying one last chance to catch them. Smuggler and Serena's Song are coming, but it will be too late for them. Four horses with a chance who will get it? Here's the wire! PHOTO! Between Ruffian and Rachel Alexandra, Shuvee finishes in third, Octave just ran out of time as did Smuggler, Serena's Song, it just wasn't Mom's Command's day today, the same goes with Sky Beauty.

All the fillies recieve a very warm appolouse as they return from their cool out. The photo sign is still up as Jacinto and Calvin sitting on Horse racing's Black Beauty and Rachel respectively as the photo sign is about to come down. Ruffian wins! A nose seperates to two outstanding fillies!

Final Order:

Ruffian
Rachel Alexandra
Shuvee
Octave
Smuggler
Serena's Song
Mom's Command
Sky Beauty

I hope that you all enjoyed this Legends race! I might do this again next month when it's DelCap week! Stay tuned for more details on that.

Mother Goose Legends Race (Part 1)

Welcome everyone to the first annual Mother Goose Legends Race! We have 8 former Mother Goose winners in today's Mile and Eighth race over a fast track. Lets meet these eight accomplished fillies!

Note: The jockeys that each horse has on her back is the jockey that she won the Mother Goose with


In Post 1 we have 1969 winner Shuvee with Jesse Davidson. The only filly to win the Jockey Club Gold Cup twice at the distance of 2 miles!

In Post 2 it's the great 1975 winner Ruffian with Jacinto Vasquez. A two time Eclipse Award winner, she'll be part of the early speed today.

In Post 3 2007 winner Octave with John Velezquez in the irons. She'll be coming off the pace.

In Post 4 it's 1995 winner Serena's Song and Gary Stevens. She's faced the big boys before, she'll have to come up big against these leading ladies.

In Post 5, it's the other speed horse in the field, it's 2009 winner and Horse of the Year Rachel Alexandra with Calvin Borel. Look for her to be up front early with Ruffian.

In Post 6, it's all girl power with 1985 winner Mom's Command and her jock Abby Fuller. They will be a force to be reckoned with.

In Post 7, 2005 winner Smuggler with Edgar Prado. Could be a dark horse in the field.

Last, but not least in Post 8 it's the newest Hall of Famer 1993 winner Sky Beauty with Mike Smith. She'll be up there with Ruffian and Rachel Alexandra.

That's the field for the 1st Mother Goose Legends Race!

Part 2 will be tomorrow with the actual call of the race! For now, leave a comment in the comment section for who you are rooting for in this race!

Now as to why these horses where chosen, of course being a big Rachel fan I had to include her. I'm also a big Mom fan thanks to her son Jonesboro. I wasn't the biggest Smuggler fan as I think she waltzed her way into Eclipse honors after Round Pond got injured. Ruffian has held the stakes record until Lakeway broke it (it has since been broken again by Rachel). Sky Beauty's nephew Tale of Ekati will always hold a place in my heart, I was debating on either Chris Evert (since the human Chrissy is making a return to TV this week) or Shuvee and went with Shuvee since she's cool! Serena well she and Rachel are the only Haskell winners who are female and Octave was overshadowed by her stablemate Rags to Riches. I was debating on Devil May Care, but then I would have had to make a jockey up for her since Johnny V was on Octave and I really didn't want to do that.

I hope you enjoy the call tomorrow!

Serena's Song

Since we are a little bit over a week away from Rachel Alexandra facing the boys again in the Haskell. I thought I would share a little bit about the last filly to win the Haskell. The Rahy mare, Serena's Song.

Owned by Bob and Beverly Lewis, Serena was trained by D. Wayne Lukas and had finished second behind her stablemate Flanders in the 1994 Breeder's Cup Juveinile Fillies by a nose. She had won that year's Oak Leaf S. and Hollywood Starlet S. (both G1's), as well as the Landalauce S.

Serena started 1995 against the girls. She won the Santa Anita Oaks which you can see here.



From there she preped against the boys in the Jim Beam Stakes (this is what is today the Lane's End Stakes).



After the Jim Beam, she went to face the boys again in the Kentucky Derby. Unfortanlly she did not finish in the top three that day. Ironcily the winner Thunder Gulch would start a historic Triple Crown for Wayne Lukas, as he also won the Belmont, but not the Preakness. That went to their stablemate Timber Country.

She would face the boys again and would not be denied.



Along the way she won the Mother Goose (in which Rachel is coming off a stakes record win), and older fillies and mares in the Beldame. That would be more then enough to earn her the 1995 Champion 3yo filly title. She would also win several G1's as a four year old, including the Ogden Phipps S.

Serena has done okay in the shed, but unfortanlly my favorite foal of her's was often injured. His name is Harlington. She's also the mother of Group 1 winner Sophisticat and Grade 2 winner Grand Reward. One of her son's Spark Candle raced in the US for one race, that was because he was possible for the Belmont S. along with his more highley regarded stablemate Casino Drive (the 3/4 brother to 07 winner Rags to Riches and 1/2 brother to 06 winner Jazil). However, niether of them made it to the race however as Casino Drive was scratched due to injury, and Spark Candle was not entered in the race.

Serena's Song had a Unbridled's Song filly this year (the filly is a 3/4 sister to the G2 winning Harlington who I mentioned before), I'm not sure who she's in foal to now however.

I hope you enjoyed this flashback on Serena's Song. I'll be doing these a little bit more often after the Breeder's Cup. :)