Second Chances: Maiden Watch Round III

--Steve Sherack

TDN’s Steve Sherack adds three more runners to the maiden watch in the latest installment of Second Chances. Click here to view previous columns.

Stonestreet Stables’s HIERRO (c, 2, Hard Spun--Brief Bliss, by Navarone), a $350,000 OBSMAR graduate (Breeze Video), should move forward nicely following an educational fifth-place finish going seven furlongs in his debut at Saratoga Sept. 3 (TDN Video). Given a 4-1 chance in a salty 10-horse field, the chestnut was the last one to exit the stalls and raced in eighth through an opening quarter in :22.59. With Ramon Dominguez aboard, the Steve Asmussen trainee began to gain some momentum while racing two wide on the turn for home until briefly forcing to check in traffic. Guided to the inside, he showed plenty of immaturity in the stretch, racing greenly down the lane and reporting home 8 3/4 lengths behind impressive Darley homebred firster Alpha (Bernardini). The final time over the fast track was 1:23.97; Hierro received a 65 Beyer Speed Figure. Out of the graded stakes placed mare Brief Bliss, Hierro is a half-brother to Cherokee Triangle (Cherokee Run), MSW & GSP, $330,294. He was bred in Kentucky by Sally Andersen.

PUNCTUAL JEFF (c, 2, More Than Ready--Floating Island, by A.P. Indy) ran a winning race when second-best tackling two turns in his unveiling at odds of 5-1 over the Saratoga spinach Sept. 3 (TDN Video). Trained by Chad Brown, the Paul Pompa Jr. colorbearer was away slowly and trailed the field of 12 through slow early fractions of :24.06 and :49.69. The $230,000 KEESEP yearling purchase began to launch his bid while saving ground beneath Ramon Dominguez on the turn for home, gamely split horses when tipped out at least six wide into the stretch and came flying down the center of the course to just miss 27-1 longshot Kitten’s Kid (Kiten’s Joy) by a neck. The final time for the 1 1/16-mile event over the firm going was 1:44.27. Punctual Jeff, from the extended family of MGISW Devil May Care (Malibu Moon), received a 63 Beyer. He was bred in Kentucky by Forging Oaks LLC.

The Turbulent Descent team of Blinkers On Racing and trainer Mike Puype may have another nice one on their hands in the form of CLEARLY A COWBOY (c, 2, With Distinction--Cowgirl Lucky, by Stephen Got Even). Given a 9-2 chance in his career opener at Del Mar Sept. 4 (TDN Video), the $90,000 OBSAPR juvenile (Breeze Video) chased along the inside in sixth, raced in traffic on the far turn, and battled on nicely along the rail in the stretch to just get up for the show spot over a pair of rivals, finishing 4 3/4 lengths behind the good-looking winner Norm’s Passion (Artie Schiller). The final time for 5 1/2 furlongs over the Polytrack was 1:02.98; Clearly a Cowboy, bred in Kentucky by Robert and Mary Harris, was awarded a very solid 76 Beyer.