Last year, trainer Steve Asmussen guided a budding superstar on the road straight to the Kentucky Derby with a fantastic 2 year old who held killer configurations. Epicenter, with his incredible stamina and dominating lead speed stood out among the crowd early on and it looks like Asmussen will give us a brilliant repeat this year. His name is Extra Anejo.
Could he be that lucky? This horse is loaded, and the similarities to Epicenter are uncanny.
EXTRA ANEJO
Chefs: DP = 1-2-6-5-0 (14) DI = 0.75 CD = -0.07
Mares: DP = 2-11-6-9-5 Speed = 13 Stamina = 14 Index = 0.84 Triads = 19-26-20
St. Simon: 41.6%
Rating for the Derby: +++++
Gorgeous set-up coming from the stamina category with a horse who competed in his maiden today at Keeneland race-track.
Full field of 10 in the starting gate.
Seven Furlongs on the Dirt.
Traveled Gate to Wire.
Demolished the field by 9-1/2 lengths.
The son of Into Mischief was purchased for 1.35 million by Winchell Thoroughbreds (who also owns Epicenter) and put into the care of Steve Asmussen. This horse is all stamina from his chefs, with a negative .07 CD. He has the addition of excessive speed from his immediate sire and his triads are loaded. Everything mimics Epicenter, even down to the dominance of Intermediate speed located in the perfect spot in the mare's profile. This guy has 11.6f potential.
The way these configurations fall, both top and bottom, are eerily similar to Epicenter, right down to the amazing running style that is attached to it. Colts with these types of configurations are usually rear runners or even turf runners in some cases, as their stamina is such a prevailing element. The addition of the sire's speed and the exact way that the mare profile is arranged, that speed just shines through. Speed with major endurance and loaded triads is a Derby dream and this horse has it.
On the top of his chart through his sire, he has His Majesty which of course leads to the favorable Ribot and Flower Bowl combination. This is always an additional good luck charm when it comes to the Kentucky Derby. Because of Ribot, Extra Anejo is sporting 41.6% linebreeding to St. Simon. It doesn't get much better than that.
Assuming that Asmussen knows exactly what this young colt is holding and the way that he could be the twin of Epicenter when it comes to how he is built, I would guess that we should see this boy heading to the Gun Runner Stakes in due time.
To watch his replay, click this link... Race Replay | Keeneland October 13th Race 7
This horse is serious Derby material, and he gets 5 stars after just his 1st start in his debut. This is the very first time that I have ever given a 5 star rating to a maiden winner in October but based on his performance, his running style and most importantly, his killer configurations, I would be blind if I didn't. With complete health and safety, this horse is heading straight to the Kentucky Derby. There is no reason to wait for a Derby prep. Extra Anejo, which means "Extra Aged" pertaining to Tequila is a potential star.
It is important to understand though, with configurations like these, he should not be expected to win every single race leading up to the big day. He is not built to be a "sprinter" and it may turn out that he will face opponents along the way who are much better built for the shorter race that day. This maiden race was run at 7f, and that distance generally does not give advantage to the speedy youngsters. The better ones will regain that advantage once they get placed in an 8f race.
With EA's 11.6f capability, his performances will be even sharper as the distances grow at 9f+. With his lead speed style though, he certainly does have the shot at it along the way. The second you see his name listed in one of the Future Pools, grab those odds. These configurations are the very best seen so far and they are very rare year after year, especially on the lead. His balance is perfectly in sync with the Kentucky race in May. This guy will inevitably be the stamina category stand-out and if he continues along in upward fashion, we'll be doing a few very expensive extra aged tequila shots the day after the Derby. We have our very first live one.
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