Tip of the Week: High Hopes

Divisidero wins the American Turf Stake on the Kentucky Derby undercard. (Photo by Eclipse Sportswire)
When a trainer enters a horse in a graded stakes off nothing more than a maiden win in its career debut, it can turn out to mean one of two things.
There’s either a great deal of belief in a young, inexperienced horse, or someone is reaching a little too high for the stars.
While it’s not unusual for a trainer to take that tactic with a 2-year-old, when it happens at age 3 it’s worth noting, especially in the start after that first try against black-type company.
Divisidero surely showed some potential for trainer William “Buff” Bradley when he made his career debut as a 3-year-old on Feb. 7 at Gulfstream Park. Entered in a mile and a sixteenth turf race, the son of noted turf sire Kitten’s Joy unleashed a strong, six-wide closing kick and rallied from 10th to win by a half-length at huge 25-to-1 odds.
After that surprising and eye-opening win, Bradley entered Divisidero in the Grade 3 Palm Beach Stakes on March 7 at Gulfstream, a race that figured to be an acid test for the young colt.
While Divisidero didn’t win the Palm Beach, he raced more than well enough to stamp himself as a colt to watch. Sent off at 4-to-1 odds, he once again lost considerable ground with a six-wide rally and also ran into traffic issues in the stretch. At the wire, he settled for third after an adventurous trip, just three quarters of a length behind the winner.
Bradley clearly knew he had something good on his hands, and for Divisidero’s third start he chose another tough challenge, the Grade 2 $250,000 American Turf Stakes on Derby day at Churchill Downs.
The morning line listed Divisidero at 20-to-1, a highly attractive price for a young, developing horse, who, with some racing luck, could have been a perfect two-for-two in his brief career.
Enough people saw merit in Divisidero to knock his odds down to 8-to-1 and those who jumped on board were rewarded with a nice bankroll for the run for the roses later in the day. Divisidero once again launched a six-wide rally and surged from 11th in the field of 13 to post a three-quarter-length victory and top a $133.80 exacta with the 4-to-1 third choice in the wagering.
THE LESSON: It’s understandable to be leery of a horse running in a  graded stakes off a single career start, but if that horse turns in a strong effort there, be sure to tag along at the mutuel windows next time. You just might be looking at a rising star.