Ties Atop TJC's Experimental Free Handicaps
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The Jockey Club's 2014 Experimental Free Handicap, released Jan. 29, features ties in both the male and female categories.
Texas Red, winner of the Sentient Jet Breeders' Cup Juvenile (gr. I), and Eclipse Award winner American Pharoah share high weight of 126 pounds on the male list, while champion filly Take Charge Brandi shares the 123-pound high weight on the female list with Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf (gr. IT) winner Lady Eli.
The 126 pounds assigned to Texas Red and American Pharoah is the standard impost for top Experimental colts and equivalent to the assignment to last year's highweight, New Year's Day .
The Jockey Club Experimental Free Handicap, published annually since 1935, is a weight-based assessment of the previous year's leading 2-year-olds, with the weights compiled for a hypothetical race at 1 1/16 miles.
This year's list of eligible horses was expanded to review all 2-year-olds of 2014 that started in graded or listed stakes races run in the continental United States instead of only the top four finishers. Out of the eligible 196 males and 174 fillies, a total of 100 males and 88 fillies were assigned weights.
The weighting committee of racing secretaries included four this year: P.J. Campo of The Stronach Group, Ben Huffman of Churchill Downs and Keeneland, Martin Panza of the New York Racing Association, and Thomas S. Robbins of the Del Mar Thoroughbred Club.
All Experimental Free Handicap weight assignments, as well as past performances for those horses, are available within the Resources section of jockeyclub.com.
Not only was Kentucky the foaling state for the top four weighted horses, but it was again the leading foaling state of all weighted horses with 71 males and 59 fillies; Florida was second with nine males and five fillies. Ireland led foaling countries outside of the U.S. with seven fillies and one male.
Kitten's Joy was the leading sire of weighted horses with two fillies and four males. Tied for second with five total were Curlin , Sky Mesa , and War Front .
Texas Red (Afleet Alex —Ramatuelle, by Jeune Homme) won two of five starts and earned $1,192,300. He was bred in Kentucky by Stonestreet Thoroughbred Holdings.
American Pharoah (Pioneerof the Nile —Littleprincessemma, by Yankee Gentleman ) was bred in Kentucky by Zayat Stables. He won two out of three starts including the Del Mar Futurity (gr. I) and FrontRunner Stakes (gr. I). He earned $361,500.
Lady Eli (Divine Park —Sacre Coeur by Saint Ballado) won all three of her starts with earnings of $719,800. She was bred in Kentucky by Runnymede Farm and Catesby W. Clay.
Take Charge Brandi (Giant's Causeway —Charming by Seeking the Gold) won four out of eight starts including the 14 Hands Winery Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies (gr. I), Delta Downs Princess Stakes (gr. III), and the Starlet Stakes (gr. I) for earnings of $1,620,126. She was bred in Kentucky by Charming Syndicate.
Experimental Free Handicap facts:
• The Experimental Handicap started in 1933 in the U.S. as a variation of England's Free Handicap. There was no Experimental compiled in 1934.
• Today a mythical race designed to gauge the ability of top 2-year-olds during their 3-year-old campaigns, the Experimental Free Handicap was for more than a decade a real race.
• The Experimental Handicap was a six-furlong race from 1940-45.
• The "free" designation became part of the name from 1946-52 because there was not a nomination fee.
• From 1946-52, the Experimental Free Handicap was contested as two races: one at six furlongs and another at 1 1/16 miles.
• Six of the Triple Crown winners led their 2-year-old class: Whirlaway, 126; Count Fleet, 132; Citation, 126; Secretariat, 129; Seattle Slew, 126; Affirmed, 126.