COMMENTARY : Nothing Terrible About These Twos

Cigar’s dramatic victory in the Breeders’ Cup Classic last month overshadowed everything else that happened on the sport’s day of championship races. But the performance of Unbridled’s Song in the Juvenile confirmed the impression that this year’s 2 year olds are a promising group. After several years of drab Triple Crown competition, fans can perhaps look forward to some satisfying 3-year-old races next season.

No colt had ever won the Juvenile with as little experience as Unbridled’s Song; few have ever attempted to do so. The youngster had had so many disruptions to his brief career that he had been scratched four times while racing only twice. “This was not the way to get to the Breeders’ Cup,” trainer Jim Ryerson acknowledged.

Even though Ryerson knew his colt was at a disadvantage, he predicted on national television that Unbridled’s Song would win the Juvenile -- and next year’s Triple Crown, too. That is a measure of how brilliant and precocious the colt had acted in training.

Unbridled’s Song had a lofty reputation before he ever raced. His owner, Ernie Paragallo, had bought him for $200,000 as a yearling and put him into a sale of 2 year olds in March, seeking to turn a quick profit. The son of Kentucky Derby winner Unbridled had developed into such an impressive specimen that he drew a bid of $1.4 million from a Japanese buyer. But the purchase was canceled when a veterinarian didn’t like the X-rays of his ankle -- and, luckily, Unbridled’s Song stayed in the United States.

He won his debut at Saratoga in a runaway, but every time Ryerson got ready to put him into another race, he ran a slight fever. So he was forced to come into his first stakes test, the Champagne at Belmont, woefully unprepared; jockey Mike Smith couldn’t restrain him as he sprinted off to a six-length lead before running out of gas.

In the Breeders’ Cup, though, the 2 year old acted like a consummate pro: He handled the sloppy track, relaxed for Smith, sat in mid-pack, rallied into the stretch and outdueled the Wayne Lukas colt, Hennessy, to win by a neck.

Although the Juvenile winner usually earns the champion of his generation, Unbridled’s Song probably won’t (and shouldn’t) win the Eclipse Award on the basis of a single stakes victory. That honor ought to go to Maria’s Mon, who had won four of five starts before an injury kept him out of the Breeders’ Cup. He had overpowered his rivals, including Unbridled’s Song, winning the Champagne Stakes with the best speed figure earned by any 2 year old this season. He will be a formidable force in 3-year-old competition next season.

So, too, will Hennessy, who had won four straight races by a combined margin of 25 lengths before the Champagne. He lost that race with an ill-judged ride from Gary Stevens, who didn’t recognize that running near the rail at Belmont Park is usually fatal; then, with Donna Barton on his back, he lost the Breeders’ Cup by a neck. With a little luck he might have been the champion of his generation.

The most precocious of all the 2 year olds may be a filly who is still unknown to most East Coast racing fans. Advancing Star’s debut in a maiden race at Santa Anita was utterly stunning. She dueled head-and-head for the lead in what should have been a suicidal pace, but instead of collapsing she drew away to win by eight lengths-running six furlongs in 1:08 4/5.

She earned a speed figure as good as that of Unbridled’s Song in the Breeders’ Cup. Advancing Star looks like a sure-fire bet for stardom.

Perhaps it is an exercise in wishful thinking to suggest that next season’s 3 year olds will be an exceptional group, but the performance of Cigar in the Breeders’ Cup Classic encouraged racing fans to indulge in such speculation. After being the object of much prerace hype, he lived up to his billing with an admirable, gutsy victory that left no doubt he is a great racehorse. The Classic was the type of race that makes people love the game and get hooked on it -- but which American fans haven’t seen often in recent years.

The races that get the greatest public attention, the Triple Crown series, have been notably devoid of memorable performances. Recent classic winners such as Timber Country, Go for Gin, Tabasco Cat, Sea Hero and Lil E. Tee have been almost instantly forgotten. We can hope this long drought will be ended next season by Unbridled’s Song and his contemporaries.