So far the two most impressive two year olds I have seen just so happen to be by the same sire: Lemon Drop Kid.
Perhaps it is a bit of a rebirth for the impeccably bred son of Kingmambo, perhaps it is a lucky streak- in any case, it proves that he can at least produce a good, young, dirt horse like he was.Flashback: As a 16-year-old kid in 1998, I saw Lemon Drop Kid break his maiden in a six furlong maiden special weight at Saratoga. He was superbly
impressive in the paddock, as well as the race itself- and I always remember him looking the part of a good horse. He obviously went on to be a Grade 1 winner for three consecutive years (2-4), and now he has a couple of runners who could be anything.1.) Break Water Edison, named after a hotel/resort in South Beach Miami, FL, is out of the Storm Creek stakes winning mare August Storm, who is inbred uniquely to Crimson Satan- who puts an immense amount of sprinter speed in an animal, as well as the endurance-enhancing stallions Secretariat, Olden Times, and Northern Dancer. The horse, himself, really put on a show first time out at Belmont, then came back to run very greenly, but basically a winning race in the Saratoga Special. He made a huge run at the leader, ran awkwardly down the stretch, and remains a big shot to win his next race. The best thing I saw, though, is that he ran impressively from off the pace after winning wire-to-wire in his debut. As impressive as he was, he is easily the #2 most impressive two year old as of this very moment. That title belongs to his paternal half brother...
2.) Charitable Man. This colt looked like a really special colt from the moment the gates opened on his debut. He earned a 97 Beyer Speed Figure and never was bothered. He ran like a horse never challenged, with a huge stride, and who is begging to be moved up in distance. He looks like a spitting image of his sire, who could run anywhere on the track, and has a movement to him that excites me. His bloodlines are deceptively great, with fantastic race mares through and through. His dam, by classic stallion Saint Ballado, had a short-lived career but hails from the prestigious Virginia Edward P. Evans breeding stock. His third (Fortunate Facts), fourth (Bald Facts), and fifth (Too Bald) dams were either great race mares or wonderful dams. This immediate family includes General Royal, Exceller, Baldski, American Standard, Capote and Vaguely Hidden. On top of this we have the infused sire genes of Seeking the Gold (classic two turn ability), In Reality (speed), Sir Ivor (endurance and turf prowess), Halo (turf & dirt endurance) and Buckpasser (blatant endurance). When you stack all of that below Lemon Drop Kid, which inbreeds him to Mr. Prospector (SPEED), Buckpasser (see above), and Sir Gaylord (half brother to Secretariat who sired Sir Ivor, and was the favorite for the 1962 Kentucky Derby before an injury deprived him of said opportunity) you have a really interesting array of genes.
Watch out for this horse! He is owned by W.K. Warren, of Saint Liam fame, who is advised by Mark Reid (Sr. & Jr.), some of the best advisers in racing and general horseflesh. He is trained by Kiaran McLaughlin, who is very good with young horses and allowing them to develop. Will he eventually make it to the Breeders' Cup and perform well over a synthetic surface? The former we can never know until post time October 26, but I do believe with Kingmambo, Nureyev, and Halo in his blood, he will have no problem handling something with a bit of similarity to turf.
Very Exciting.
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