Getting to Know Talco

Talco winning the Shoemaker Mile. (Photos by Eclipse Sportswire)
Earning his first graded stakes victory on June 13, the French-bred Talco did it in style by making that victory a Grade 1. That race, the $400,000 Shoemaker Mile, also ensured that Talco will be able to enter the Breeders’ Cup Mile if he wants to by giving him a “Win and You’re In” berth to the race.
Possibly best known in America before the Shoemaker Mile due to his third-place finish in the Hollywood Derby behind California Chrome, let’s dig a little bit deeper into the first American-based horse to earn a spot in the Mile.
Race Résumé
Starting his career in France in 2013, Talco was just a short head shy of breaking his maiden in his debut when going a mile. It wasn’t until his third start in April of 2014 that he finally broke his maiden by ¾ length.
From then on, Talco spent the rest of his time in Europe by finishing no worse than third in three starts, including a three length win over Bello Matteo in a 9.94 furlong allowance race. Interestingly, Bello Matteo went on to win his first group stakes victory one day before Talco.
Talco’s final start in Europe came in the Prix de Saint-Patrick, his first attempt at a stakes race. Again, Talco was held from winning a debut by a short margin when he finished 1/2 length behind Apache Spirit.
Talco transferred to John Sadler in California soon after that start when purchased by Hronis Racing and it didn’t take him long to find his way to the track, finishing third in the Del Mar Derby less than two months after his last race in Europe.  
Since transferring to the U.S., Talco has done well on the track, racing nine times and only missing the board twice. His third place in the Hollywood Derby was his third start in this country and two starts later he was dropped down to allowance optional claimer company to get some confidence back.
He earned his first U.S. win in March of this year followed a few weeks later by his first stakes victory in the Thunder Road Stakes in April. A second to Brazilian Triple Crown winner Bal a Bali in the American Stakes in May proved that Talco was finding his best stride. But his victory in the Shoemaker, covering the mile in 1:35 flat, proved that he is a legit horse. The victory tied his highest Equibase Speed Figure of 113, a figure he had earned twice before the Shoemaker Mile.
“When we saw the early fractions we felt pretty good, and we’re happy that this win pays his fee for the Breeders’ Cup (Mile at Keeneland on Oct. 31). He was first or second in his last four races and he got the pace today,” said Kosta Hronis, Talco’s co-owner, after the Shoemaker Mile.
2015 SHOEMAKER MILE

Video courtesy of Breeders’ Cup World Championships
As mentioned in Hronis’ quote, Talco needs a certain pace to be effective. In the Shoemaker Mile, he was as far back as nine lengths behind the leader early on and six lengths behind in the Thunder Road Stakes. If a speedy pacesetting horse like Obviously enters the Breeders’ Cup Mile, Talco will have a better chance than if no one wants to set a solid pace on the front end.
Pedigree
Talco is by European sire and Group 1 winner Pivotal, whose progeny have had major success in Europe. He is the sire of 2002 U.S. champion turf female Golden Apples and multiple U.S. grade 1 winner Megahertz among others. Overall, he has six champions among 114 stakes winners in 16 crops of racing age. The average distance raced for Pivotal foals, according to Equineline, is about 8.5 furlongs with their average winning distance sitting at about 8.2 furlongs, which is well within the scope of what Talco has shown he can effectively run at.
Talco is one of five winners and two stakes winners out of his dam, Trylko. His Street Cry half-sister Limonar is also a stakes winner at a mile, winning the 2011 Prix Coronation in her final start. Talco’s full brother Iznate was also a winner at a mile while another half-sister won at nine furlongs and another half-sibling won a flat race at two miles.
TALCO AFTER THE SHOEMAKER

By Group 1 winner Diesis, Trylko only made one start in her career, finishing second by 1/2 length in a maiden at six furlongs in 2004. Her dam produced two stakes winners, including 2004 Irish 2,000 Guineas winner Bachelor Duke and is the granddam of one other stakes winner in addition to producing Smartcity, a stakes placed Smarty Jones colt.
There is even more class farther back in Talco’s pedigree with 10 stakes winners from other branches of the family under his third and fourth dams. Overall, there’s nothing in Talco’s pedigree that should be a concern when it comes to running eight furlongs.
Unlike other Breeders’ Cup races where we already have a decent idea of who may be contesting the races the Mile has many question marks when it comes to who may enter, making it hard to figure out exactly where Talco fits into the Mile field on Oct. 31.