2016 Preakness Stakes: Who is Stradivari?
Stradivari will enter the 2016 Preakness Stakes as the most talked about new shooter of the bunch, but how much do we really know about the horse set to make racing’s Middle Jewel his stakes debut? Not enough yet, but that is sure to change over the next ten days. Could he be the horse to hand Nyquist his first career defeat? Well, that would be asking a lot of him, but that is exactly why we run the races. Let’s get the ball rolling by getting to know this hot commodity a little better…
Stradivari is a son of the top class runner and sire, Medaglia d’Oro, and is out of the multiple graded stakes winning American Chance mare, Bending Strings. After not meeting his reserve of $335,000 as a yearling at the Keeneland September Sale in 2014, he was retained by his breeder, John D. Gunther. Gunther, of Glennwood Farm, has since sold partial ownership of the dark bay colt to the trio of Michael Tabor, Derrick Smith, and Mrs. John Magnier. Sent to the barn of Eclipse Award winning trainer, Todd Pletcher, the Kentucky-bred made his debut last fall in New York, but was unable to show his best stuff first time out. He finished a non-threatening fourth, beaten better than eight lengths in the seven-furlong maiden test at Aqueduct on November 8, but things have gotten much easier for him ever since.
Stradivari announced himself as a young horse to be reckoned with when he stretched out for his second career start four weeks after his debut. This one came at Gulfstream Park in an 8 1/2-furlong race changed off the turf. Stalking early under John Velazquez, the 9-5 second choice took control of the race on the far turn, and lengthened his advantage throughout the stretch run. On the wire, Stradivari was a dominant 11 1/4-length winner, and just like that, he moved on to most everyone’s Kentucky Derby watch list. A minor setback set him briefly to the sidelines, and off of serious consideration at a run for the roses, but when he did come back, he successfully made an even bigger impression.
To say he burst onto the Preakness scene with an overpowering win at Keeneland probably does not quite do justice to how well he ran that afternoon in Lexington. It was April 17, and Stradivari was again sent off as the second choice under Johnny V. Together they gained a good stalking position behind the race favorite, Siding Spring, who had run in four consecutive graded stakes races coming in for trainer Mark Casse. That one set the early pace of :24.08 and :47.47 seconds, while Stradivari bloodhounded him from second. When the real running began, it quickly became clear as to whom was boss on this day.
Stradivari played beautiful music for the sizable Keeneland crowd, as once again, he utilized the entire stretch as a runway to announce that he is one serious racehorse. The nuts and bolts of the race demonstrated what the fans already knew – Stradivari can run. Under no serious pressure from his rider, the winning margin was 14 ½, while the final time was 1:48.64. Different days of course, but for an unscientific comparison, the clocking was more than a second and a half faster than what Brody’s Cause had turned in to win the Grade 1 Blue Grass about a week before.
That’s it, that’s all Stradivari has done so far in the afternoon. Much like Bernardini from ten years ago, he comes into the Preakness off of only three lifetime starts, the last two being very impressive wins. For what it’s worth, I was also quite impressed with him in the mornings recently at Churchill Downs. One morning in particular, it looked like his rider had a hammer hold on him just so that he would not get away from the soon to be Kentucky Derby sixth, Destin early in the workout. Stradivari is a new shooter, and an inexperienced shooter, but make no mistake, he is a very talented shooter.