With all the discussion of sales toppers failing to equal their value on the track I thought I'd submitt this story, from the Texas Thoroughbred Association site re: TENSAS YUCATAN, a sale topper at the F-T Texas 2YO in training sale after she set a blazing time in the trial.
I kept my eye out for her but after winning her Maiden at first asking she seemed to drop off the radar screen.....then she reappeared to take the "Oaks" race on the Super Derby card this past month - in convincing fashion, I might add. Her stride was the most remarkable thing to watch during that race - this mare really stretches it out and does so very smoothly. A very different sort of stride than I witnessed via Simulcast feed in the LaTroiyenne stakes. She was very shortstrided in that race. My thought after the "de Bartolo" win was: - they need to keep this beast on the Turf!
Here's one story on her from the internet outlining her race history:
After breaking her maiden at first asking at the Fair Grounds in January, the trainer's son, Ralph Nicks, entered her in against $125,000 stakes company at Deta Downs where she ran a close second. From there, she went back to the Fair Grounds and promptly demolished an entry level allowance group. The win was so impressive that the younger Nicks entered her again against stakes company. Only this time, it was against Grade II bears in the Fantasy Stakes at Oaklawn Park, where her promising record suffered it's first real blemish.
"We were a little unlucky in that race," explained the elder Nicks. "She suffered a deep bruise in one of her ankles that was a little hard to diagnose at first."
That may have contributed to her dismal showing in her next start, the Grade III Troyienne Stakes at Churchill Downs in May, where for the second consecutive time she managed to beat but one rival.
"There again she had some bad racing luck," countered Nicks. "She was just wiped out by another horse in the early part of the race."
Shortly afterwards, she was sent back to Louisiana for some rest and rehabilitation. And perhaps, too, for the opportunity to run against some less demanding company for a change.
Two months would pass before she ran again, but the company she caught was hardly easy fare. The Louisiana Breeders' Oaks drew a solid group of statebreds, headed by the undefeated, multiple stakes winning filly, Ahead of Her Time, who was widely considered at the time to be a shoo-in for local Champion Juvenile Filly honors.
As it turned out, Ahead of Her Time kept her perfect record in tact, but for the first time she had to run her best race just to eke out a narrow win over a game and obviously talented Tensas Yucatan.
"When I entered her in that race, I thought she might need two more weeks of training," Nicks recalled. "But, I still thought she ran a pretty good race, considering the filly she was running against."
No doubt about it. And in her next out in the Elge Raspberry stakes here in late August, she utterly avenged that loss by soundly thumping Ahead of Her Time, handing that one her first career defeat in six outings.
The rubber match between the two came Saturday in the Marie DeBartolo Oaks. Tensas Yucatan stepped on the track for the post parade in all of her massive glory the even-money favorite. Moments later, she would run to those expectations, and then some.
Ahead of Her Time gave it her all. But for the second time in less than a month, "all" simply was not good enough to beat this equine Amazon.
So, has Tensas Yucatan found a permanent home on the turf, where she is now two-for-two, with both wins against stakes company?
"We'll certainly continue to run her on the grass, when the races are available," Nicks said. "But I think she'll probably be just fine on the dirt, too — if we can keep her healthy."
Nicks said Tensas Yucatan's next start would probably be at the Fair Grounds.
"We were considering a race here, but now it may be a little soon to bring her back," he explained. "If things go as planned, her next start will probably be in New Orleans."
Her recent record more-or-less justified the backing. She had almost beaten multiple stakes winner Ahead of Her Time in the Louisiana Breeders' Oaks here in July. And she had come back since to utterly avenge that loss in the Elge Raspberry three weeks later, handing Ahead of Her Time her first loss in six career outings.
The giant had become a giant killer.
AND, then this from TTA's website, after her Rasberry Elge stakes win but prior to winning the Marie deBartolo Oaks:
Fasig-Tipton Texas 2YO sale topper Tensas Yucatan scores first stakes win
8/31/2007
Tensas Yucatan, a Louisiana-bred daughter of Ide who sold for $270,000 to top last year’s Fasig-Tipton Texas 2-Year-Olds in Training Sale, scored the first stakes win of her career on August 31 at Louisiana Downs.
Ridden by Donnie Meche for trainer Morris Nicks and owner James Spence, Tensas Yucatan cruised to a 4 ¼-length win in the $75,000 Elge Raspberry Stakes. Among her beaten foes was Ahead of Her Time, who came into the race undefeated after five career starts. With this victory, Tensas Yucatan improved her bankroll to $131,128 and her record to 7-3-2-0.
Consigned by Eddie and Charlene Milligan’s Texas-based Twin Oaks Training Center, agent, Tensas Yucatan worked a co-fastest time of :10 for a furlong during the under tack show before the sale.
A Sale Topper anomaly??
Moderators: Roguelet, WaveMaster, madelyn
