Drill A Serious New Player in California

The Del Mar Futurity has a wild west ending with three aggressive colts pouring it on to finish first.  Previously undefeated Majestic City bore out under the left handed whip, squeezing Creative Cause out from between horses. Majestic City’s sideways progress slammed him into Drill, who staggered, but valiantly fought to the wire. When the Polytrack dust had settled, Drill was declared the winner by a long neck. Creative Cause, who took the worst of it finished third, but was placed second due to Majestic City’s bumper-car antics. For his trouble, Majestic City was placed third.  Only a neck and nose separated the trio. It was ½ length back to fourth to Gun Boat who avoided the troubled trio by racing on the rail.

With his tenacious victory over Hollywood Juvenile Championship (G3) winner Majestic City and Best Pal (G2) hero Creative Cause, the undefeated Drill has leaped to the forefront of the Juvenile Colts Division.

DRILL (Lawyer Ron – Cat Dancer, by Storm Cat) may have inherited his tenacious spirit from his sire.   Lawyer Ron made 26 starts in four years and left the racetrack with a 26-12-4-4 ($2,790,008) record. He was a throwback to the days when trainers weren't afraid to run their horses. He faced the starter ten times as a two year old, which in recent times, is more than some horses run in their entire careers. 

Lawyer Ron wasn’t a precocious juvenile. He ended his two year old season with a 10-3-1-3 record, earning wins in a maiden, allowance and listed stakes event.  At three, Lawyer Ron started to develop his talent. He was victorious in the Southwest, Risen Star (G3), Rebel (G3), and Arkansas Derby. Lawyer Ron headed to Churchill as the favorite for the 2006 Kentucky Derby, but after contesting the pace, he faded to twelfth.  Lawyer Ron was at the top of his game as a four year old, decimating his rivals in the Oaklawn (G2), Whitney (G1) and Woodward (G1) and just missing by a nose in the Jockey Club Gold Cup (G1). He set new two track records for 1 1/8 miles. One at Saratoga in the Whitney and the other at Belmont in the Woodward. Despite finishing seventh in the 2007 Breeders’ Cup Classic, Lawyer Ron was voted Champion Older Horse.  He was extremely competitive at the highest levels running 1 1/8 miles, but his worst finishes came in the largest events of his life running 1 ¼ miles in the Kentucky Derby and two off the board placings in the Breeders’ Cup Classic. However, Lawyer Ron did finish second by a nose to Curlin in the 1 ¼ mile Jockey Club Gold Cup. Overall, his record at 1 ¼ miles was 4-0-1-0.

Lawyer Ron traces his ancestry back to Northern Dancer through the Canadian Champion Sprinter Langfuhr and that one’s sire Danzig.  Although Lawyer Ron's sire Langfuhr was named Champion Sprinter in Canada after victories in the Vosburgh, Carter, Met Mile and Forego Handicaps, Langfuhr gets winners at all race distances. His progeny include two Canadian Triple Crown heroes, Wando and Mobile, UAE Champion Three Year Old Filly Imperial Gesture, and Canadian Champion Three Year Old filly Kimchi. 

Lawyer Ron only stood one and a half seasons at stud before succumbing to colic at the young age of six. His first crop is on the track and he is currently in the top ten of First Crop sires with six winners from 18 starters.  Drill is his only stakes winner, but his daughter Talk To My Lawyer has placed in two listed stakes.  Lawyer Ron’s offspring have won over dirt and Polytrack. They should improve with maturity and distance.

Drill’s dam Cat Dancer raced only as a three year old. She retired with a 12-1-3-1 ($53,465) record competing in allowance races.  Cat Dancer is a young mare. Besides Drill, she bore his three other foals. Drill’s half siblings  D’Oro Dancer, (11-1-1-1 $27,566) is currently contesting the claiming ranks in New York. D’Oro Dancer’s full sister Javanese is unraced. Both are by Medaglia D’Oro.  Drill has a full brother entered in this year’s Keeneland September Yearling Sale. Cat Dancer is a full sister to Monmouth Oaks heroine Magic Storm (12-3-0-3 $249,145). Magic Storm also placed in the Adirondack (G2) and Spinaway (G1) stakes. There is no other blacktype in the first two distaff generations of Drill’s family, but his third dam placed in the Long Look Handicap (G2) at 1 1/8 miles. 

Drill’s fourth dam is the blue hen Luiana, dam of Champion Three Year Old and Classic hero Little Current and his half-sister multiple Grade 1 winner Prayersn Promises.  Besides Drill, Luiana’s line has produced Kings Bishop winner and freshman sire Hard Spun. Fifth dam Banquet Bell is also a blue hen and her son Chateaugay won the Kentucky Derby and was named Champion Three Year Old.

The legendary Storm Cat is Drill’s damsire. He is currently ranked third on the national Broodmare Sire list in terms of wins and earnings.  Storm Cat’s daughters are versatile producers. Their offspring win over every surface and at every distance.  Often the sire of their foals is the determining factor for distances and surfaces the foals will prefer.

Drill is a large bay with the conformation of a route horse. He isn’t overly muscular, but should fill out during the winter and through his three year old season. Drill won his maiden on the front end (video) and showed his versatile nature in the Del Mar Futurity by sitting mid-pack.  He has a long fluid stride and he proved his athleticism in the Del Mar Futurity overcoming trouble.  Drill’s pedigree suggests that he’ll be a strong middle-distance competitor and he should improve further over a dirt surface. Drill will logically point for the Norfolk Stakes at Santa Anita on October 1, then contest the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile over the same surface a month later.