Tuesday, October 29, 2013
Like most breeders, I ponder long and hard about the names I give my horses. The word "aspiration" has many meanings. One of them is, "a strong desire to achieve something high or great", which is the inspiration for the name of the speedy 2 year-old filly Aspiration.
Much was anticipated of the mating between Champion Dominican Sire Blueformer (Dynaformer) and multiple stakes-placed Anticipation (Favorite Band). The mating would materialize 3 generations of RSA breeding: 3rd dam Minikada (Hold Your Peace - Jolie Coeur, by Roberto - Belle Marais, by Northern Dancer) produced Champion 3 year-old Filly and Mare of the Year Mariah Lo (Carlo Alberto), 2 year-old stakes winner Rossy's Toy and the talented but unraced Conjuro (Saint Crimson). Conjuro was sold at auction to Dr. Rodolfo Rincon Martinez to be raced in partnership with Dr. Angel Contreras Sr. Dr. Rincon encountered a personal situation that forced him to return his 50% ownership. As luck would have it Conjuro, Aspiration's grand-dam, produced classic winning 3 year-old Colt Yabonico, who was a full sibling to her dam Anticipation. The cross also duplicated the mating of Caribbean Champion Sicótico (Blueformer over a Northern Dancer line mare), provided duplications of Roberto and Northern Dancer upon a tale-female line that traces directly to Pretty Polly.
The Aga Khan once said, breeding is "... a constant challenge. Every time you sit down and breed you are playing a game of chess with nature", ... and I say...nature is a formidable and taunting adversary. Despite all her glorified ancestors, Anticipation foaled a small and crooked filly, and to make matters worst, Anticipation did not thrive at the farm. The disappointing filly, added to the dam's poor health, prompted us to offer her at auction where she was reserved (RNA). Anticipation's health continued to decline and she finally passed.
In the meantime, the unnamed filly developed ever increasing muscles upon her small and unsteady frame and since we offer all of our yearlings at auction, we were happy with the idea of getting her sold off the farm. The summer of her yearling year the filly improved, but became too muscled for her offset forelegs (on hind site, the same reasons I sold her Champion uncle Yabonico). At the sale, she caught the attention to owner-breeder Octavio Garcia, who hammered her down for a very respectable DOP $375,000. The elated buyer confessed to me that he thought she was the full package and expected to add her to his broodmare band at the end of her racing days.
The filly proved a fast and excellent worker. However, she soon presented some stifle inflammation and on a couple of occasions locked her patella. Buyer Garcia, who is a close and dear friend, mentioned the problem, and we promptly returned him his money. I believe that in life and horseracing "what goes around, comes around", and after a couple of weeks the filly normalized and never once presented stifle problems (curiously her dam Anticipation had stifle problems at her yearling sales time and I was unable to sell her, she never once presented stifle problems when placed in training).
Enough background... Finally, here comes the story:
Aspiration burst through the gate and posted blistering fractions with ease. Upon entering the stretch, jockey Luis Jimenez looked back at the competition, shook her reins, and she sprinted away 8 lengths clear to complete the 1,000 meter event in a speedy 1:00.1.
The promising first-timer is owned by her breeders RSA, races in our black and red silks, and is trained by Eugenio Deschamps and Juan Jimenez.
Future race plans are yet to be determined, but we are giving very serious consideration of entering her in the Clasico Angel Contreras Mejia-G3 as an entry mate to our very talented 2 year-old colt Amoroso (Sicótico), to be run on November 9th.