Wednesday, February 2, 2011

Cali's 2010 2-yo Champion

   A horse that I really liked last year, Bench Points, was recently named the 2010 Cal-bred 2-yo champion. I was high on this guy last year and then he got injured with a bone chip in his knee and so I put him on the backburner. He was undefeated in 3 starts last year. Now, he's back and training very well and I'm picking him back up and will follow him as he navigates through the 2011 TC trail. Here are some of his latest works:

01/27/11 - Worked 6f at Santa Anita in 1:12.00 (dirt, fast, handily)
01/21/11 - Worked 6f at SA in 1:12.80 (d,f,h)
01/15/11 - Worked 5f at SA in 1:00.20 (d,f,h)
01/08/11 - Worked 5f at SA in 1:01.40 (d,f,h)

   I have always liked Benchmark colts although there haven't been that many successful runners as of late. However, one that comes to mind that was a very good runner is Brother Derek. So anyway, BP has a nice pedigree especially through his dam. BP's bms is Free House. He was a very good runner throughout his career! He won the Norfolk Stakes as a 2-yo and went on to finish 2nd in the Preakness, 3rd in the KY Derby, Belmont and Haskell as a 3-yo. He also won the SA Derby and went on to win G1 races as a 4 and 5-yo. Through Bench Points' 2nd dam, Visible Gold, he gets plenty of stamina. His 3rd dam is by Vaguely Noble whom has produced distance runners and is a chef-de-race with a Classic/Professional designation. So, BP has the pedigree to go longer. The farthest he went as a 2-yo was 6f.

   Bench Points is being pointed towards the G2 San Vicente on 02/20, a 7f race. This will be a big test for BP to begin his 3-yo year. There are some very good horses that are also pointed towards the SV. JP's Gusto, Premier Pegasus, Sway Away (another one that I'm high on), The Factor and Indian Winter. That's some tough competition! We'll see how good some of these horses are as well. The Factor set a NTR for 6f on dirt at SA (1:06.98). So, whomever emerges from this race as the winner, they'll be in very good position as to where they stand against this year's 3-yo class. Though, as long as BP and Sway Away have a good race and don't get blown away, then they will be in good shape considering it will be not only their 1st starts of the year, but their 1st starts in 5+ months. I can't wait to watch this one! All I gotta say is watch out for Bench Points and Sway Away through the 2011 TC trail!

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