A Winning Combination

# 12109      Unnecessary Buoy    4yo     Nureyev / Vigors / Sir Ivor

     One would not expect that this combination of sires would pass along the inherant stamina and ability to win at 1 3/4 miles with as powerful an effort as Unnecessary Buoy gave when asked to do just that. to understand this win you could start a few races back when UB broke his maiden at 9.0f on the turf. Through a series of races that kept his speed sharp and longer stamina building races, understanding where the horse is in his current form cycle and the physical condition of sharp at just the right week, UB was able to win at a distance longer than what his breeding suggests as an effictive winning distance for him. None of these factors alone could stand as an answer for UB's big win at this distance, it was a combination of all.
(Jockey instruction/Energy level for race 341. -1/1)

     As a 4yo, distances in maiden races (in the SIM) greater than 8.0f's, are alot more common to find than as a 3yo., route races for a 3yo horse (male or female) greater than 8.0f's are very rare. Later in the year it is very common to see longer maiden races for horses that are 3yo+, But if I have a 3yo that is having a hard time breaking it's maiden against 3yo's, how could I possibly think that Putting the horse in with older more mature horses and have a better chance of winning....they won't. Keep your 3yo's with 3yo's, even after they have broken their maiden, this is the last year that they will have restricted races for their own age group, take advantage of this situation.

     UB won his maiden race with apparent ease, coming from a stalking position four lengths off the lead, then to win with a widening margin of three lenghts...going away. This style of winning move indicates that the horse is capable of and asking for a longer distance. There are different ways to condition a horse so he will be prepared to win at a greater distance. In this case I opted to make sure UB's speed would not be lost, I put him in a 7.5f race at a higher class level, this should assure a strong paced race, I then asked UB for all the front running speed he could offer. (Jockey settings: 1/1) Note his speed figure in his winning maiden race; 94 , which was also his Life Time High speed figure. (LTH) While not being under the physical condition of sharp for this weeks race, it is very unlikely that UB would take another step forward and run a number higher than or equal to the LTH. A recessive race was in order, so this was an excellent time for a prep race.
(Jockey Instruction/Energy level; 1/1)

     This race worked out well, UB stayed seven lengths back and then closed two lengths in the stretch. Now, I felt UB was ready for a 10.0f race, but there was one problem, there wasn't any 10.0f turf races carded at this class level, also UB seemed to be on the downward side in his form cycle as his declining speed figures indicate. I found a 12.0f race that I knew he wasn't ready to win, but he did manage to come in second even with a further declining speed figure and eight lenghts behind the winner.
(Jockey Instruction/Energy level; -1/1)

     At first you might look and think that 1 1/2 miles is just past UB's better racing distance, but there is one clue that gives away his ability at this distance. You'll notice that even though UB was solidly beaten in this race and in the stretch he also lost two lengths, he also moved up a running position from third to second place. This is an indication that he does like the distance, it was only a lack of conditioning that prevented him from winning this race and confirms that 1 1/2 miles is well within his range of winning distances. This race was a very good effort, it ials conditioned UB for a 10.0f race that I'm very confident he'll win.
(Jockey Instruction/Energy level; -1/1)

     UB won this race with incredible ease, pulling away by six lengths, now he isready to run 12.0f's. After the 411. race, UB reported back to the stable with a sharp physical condition, this also showed that the 10.0f win came very easy for him physically. Because he is a 4yo, I decided to risk entering him in a race the very next week. With 2yo's and horses in their early 3yo season, a move like this could be very costly to your horse. It may cause them to be groggy, it may put them in a lay-off condition, (lay-off's usually lead to the injury condition) or worse, your horse may wind up injured. With UB being an older horse, I was willing to risk unfavorable consequences. But again, there was a problem; There weren't any 12.0f races carded at this class level. The only race available was at 14.0f's (1 3/4 miles) This race should have been beyond UB's distance capabilities, but the combination of proper conditioning, an upward trend in his form cycle, his superior speed and the sharp physical condition, all these contributed to this win.
(Jockey Instruction/Energy level; -1/1)

     In this 14.0f race, there were two horses that had big wins in their previous starts. One horse had just won at 14.0f's by 18 lengths. The other had just broke his maiden at 10.0f's by 10.0 lengths. But neither one could compare with the early speed of UB. Unnecessary Buoy sat comfortably one length off the lead,waiting for the other horses to tire, he collared them and opened up a five length lead that was too much for the others to compete against. Unnecessary Buoy lost 2 3/4 lengths in the stretch which is his way of speaking to me; "OK...I'm in great shape and I like to run at longer distances...but this is as far as I want to go....don't ask me to race any further than this....".

     And, I will not ask him to. I'm satisfied that Unnecessary Buoy's best winning distances range from 9.5f to 12.0f's (1 3/16ths to 1 1/2 miles).
     Also, Unecessary buoy did report back to the stable groggy after this race.

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September 13, 1999

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