How Far Can Paddy Go?

Quick … what do Kitten’s Joy, Sunshine Forever, Manila, Mac Diarmida, Johnny D., Secretariat, and Run the Gantlet have in common? While I give you a few seconds to mull that over, please read on about the horse I believe most likely to be remembered as a superstar from the foal crop of 2007.  In the $500,000 Colonial Turf Cup last month, Paddy O'Prado who had finished 3rd in the Kentucky Derby and 6th in the Preakness in his previous two outings, went wide coming out of the turn, before making an electrifying move under regular rider Kent Desormeaux to take over from Two Notch Road. From there, he accelerated down the Colonial Downs stretch to win by three lengths over Arlington Classic winner Workin for Hops. To say it was an impressive score would not do it justice. The win in the Turf Cup was only the second career victory for the El Prado colt owned by Jerry Crawford and trained by Dale Romans, a figure that should be on the rise soon. It was an impressive win to be sure, but how can I predict such lofty heights for a horse with only two victories in nine starts? Easy. Paddy O’Prado is the best turf horse in the nation. No, not the best three-year-old turf horse, but the best horse running on American grass period. Hyperbole? I don’t think so. The Turf Cup was the best performance by any grass horse this year, and the observant race goer could see it coming. Good performances in the Blue Grass and Kentucky Derby underlined how good this attractive gray colt was getting. He drew raves from those who saw him train up to the Derby. One thing to remember with those performances though, is that they were not on his surface. Paddy O’Prado is a turf horse. Remember his maiden breaking run back in March? Paddy pointed at things to come as he easily dispatched a solid stakes field in the Palm Beach Stakes. That day he blistered the teletimer in 1:45.40 for the nine furlongs over Gulfstream Park’s turf course. With trainer Romans making the wise decision to skip the Belmont Stakes and focus on grass racing, the sky is now the limit. I see the Colonial Turf Cup as the first of many turf stakes for the future turf champ, continuing tomorrow. Look for Paddy O’Prado to handle a strong field in the Virginia Derby that includes Interactif, Stately Victor, and Krypton. From there it should be on to Chicago for Arlington Million Day as he marches towards the Breeders’ Cup. A march that I see culminating with an Eclipse Award as America’s best turf horse. Will Paddy O’Prado keep it rolling in the Virginia Derby? Will Dale Romans be so impressed with another win that he enters Paddy O’Prado in the Arlington Million next? Will I be right, and he will become only the eighth American three-year-old to be named turf champion in my lifetime? Stay tuned… Oh, I almost forgot, the answer to my opening question is: they are the only American three-year-olds to be named turf champion in the past 40 years. But you already had figured that out, now didn’t you?