Sweet Reason: More than just a Mudder?
Sweet Reason was ultra-impressive in her career debut. The daughter of Street Sense took to the sloppy Saratoga main track that afternoon like Lindsey Lohan to the tabloids … even if it did take a while.
The $185,000, 2012 Keeneland September Sale yearling purchase looked to be stuck in quicksand during the early stages of the 5 ½ furlong affair. Her trainer, Leah Gyarmati liked what she saw in the mornings, and did not expect her young filly to show much speed, but still, mired some 20 lengths back at one point, she could not have been overly confident of her goal for Sweet Reason of cashing a check.
That nervous feeling must have changed as quickly as the juvenile filly began to gain ground on the far turn. Coming off the turn as if shot out of a powerful slingshot, Sweet Reason gobbled up sloppy ground like she had not been fed in days. The stretch run was a sight to behold, as she rolled by everyone, hitting the wire more than six lengths the best.
Her next race was even better.
The Grade 1 Spinaway was a big jump up in class, but the combination of the eye-popper of a debut, with the fact that she was catching another sloppy track at the Spa, saw her bet down to 5-2. It turned out to be easy money, as this time she stayed much closer to the early pace, before exploding on the turn again, but this time only earlier.
Cruising to the lead under Alex Solis, who has ridden her in both races and many of her works, Sweet Reason again made her competition look like they were standing still. Rambling right up to the lead on the outside, she did not hesitate to battle with her competition or anything trivial like that. By the time the nine-filly field hit the stretch, the outcome was as good as over. Cruising to the wire in complete command, Sweet Reason made her second career start, a grade 1 win by nearly six lengths.
Owned by Treadway Racing Stable, not only is Sweet Reason a daughter of the only horse to pair victories in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile and the Kentucky Derby, but she is also out of the successful broodmare, Livermore Leslie (Mt. Livermore). Among her many winners was the 2009 champion New York-bred filly, Don’t Forget Gil. The graded stakes winning filly won the Florida Oaks and finished second in the Grade 1 Coaching Club American Oaks.
Whether or not Sweet Reason will be able stretch out successfully as the distances grow, and perhaps an even bigger question, if her electrifying turn-of-foot will translate to a fast track, still need to be answered. Saturday’s Grade 1 Frizette should be a good test. The one-mile affair at Belmont Park is only one-turn, but is also only a sixteenth less than the ultimate goal for 2013, the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies.
At this time, it looks like there is a good chance that she will see her first fast track in the afternoon on Saturday. Is she just a mud freak? We will soon know the answer, and I, for one, can’t wait to find out.