Future Star Watch - Alcindor

Never one to go to long without a star in his barn, Bob Baffert may have another colt with the talent to place his name next to the long line of major stakes winners for the silver haired Hall of Fame trainer. A late-developing three-year-old, Alcindor is a son of Unbridled's Song out of the Storm Cat mare Zing. Purchased for $1.15 million by Thoroughbred Legends Racing Stable at the 2008 Keeneland September yearling sale, he is a big, tall colt who was given plenty of time to grow into his frame. Because of his size, and the talent Baffert could see early on, the Kentucky bred was pegged with the rather auspicious name of Alcindor. Named after the NBA’s all-time leading scorer, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, who had changed his name from Lew Alcindor, Baffert’s new star has impressed greatly in his first two starts. On Sunday November 28, the dark bay made a big splash with his second triumph in as many starts. Alcindor had little trouble with a more experienced group of allowance foes, romping home in a seven furlong affair at Hollywood Park by 7 ½ lengths in the sprightly time of 1:21.67. The impressive win was number 1,999 for his trainer and followed a strong debut victory just five weeks earlier. That day, he stalked blazing fractions before rallying from third to get up and nail favored Chapman's Peak by a nose. He ran the six furlongs in 1:09.45 under jockey Martin Garcia as the well backed second choice in the wagering. His early success has been little surprise to those around the backstretch. Along with his obvious physical attributes, he displayed major talent in his morning works, flashing two bullet works at five furlongs and six furlongs this August at Hollywood Park. Clearly he has not disappointed so far in the afternoons. With the name, the connections, and the buzz generated by his first few performances on the track, Alcindor has quickly become one of the most talked about horses in Southern California. If he continues to progress, he may just have the talent to become one of the top handicap horses on the West Coast. With the Strub Series for newly turned four-year-olds just around the corner, it looks like he will have the opportunity to do just that. His first major test is expected to come in the $250,000 Grade I Malibu Stakes at Santa Anita the day after Christmas. With the expected tough opposition he will have to face in the Malibu, it is unlikely that the race will be a slam-dunk for him … much more likely to be a sky-hook.