Champions Nyquist, Songbird Top Experimental
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Photo: Skip Dickstein
Songbird was the highest-weighted filly with 125 pounds
Champion colt Nyquist was assigned high weight of 126 pounds to top The Jockey Club's 2015 Experimental Free Handicap and champion Songbird was the second-highest overall and highest-weighted filly with 125 pounds, the first of her gender since 1997 to be assigned more than 124 pounds.
Reddam Racing's Nyquist, a son of Uncle Mo out of the Forestry mare Seeking Gabrielle, won all five of his starts in 2015, including the Sentient Jet Breeders' Cup Juvenile, FrontRunner Stakes, and Del Mar Futurity, all grade I, and was honored with an Eclipse Award as top 2-year-old male.
Fox Hill Farm's Songbird, undefeated in four starts and the Eclipse Award-winning 2-year-old filly, is tied with Countess Diana as the second-highest weighted fillies in the history of the Experimental Free Handicap; behind the 126 assigned to First Flight for 1946. Songbird, by Medaglia d'Oro out of Ivanavinalot, by West Acre, won the 14 Hands Winery Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies, Chandelier Stakes, and Del Mar Debutante Stakes, all grade I.
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 reviewed all 2-year-olds of 2015 that started in graded or listed stakes races run in the continental United States and, for the first time, in Canada.
Out of the eligible 244 males and 221 fillies, a total of 113 males and 105 fillies were assigned weights. Adding the Canadian races increased the total number of eligible 2-year-olds by 33 fillies and 29 males, including 15 weighted fillies and 10 weighted males.
"We are very pleased to include horses from Canadian races in the Experimental Free Handicap for the first time in its history, and we are grateful to The Jockey Club of Canada and Woodbine Entertainment Group for their enthusiastic assistance," said James L. Gagliano, president and COO of The Jockey Club. "In previous years, the only Canadian horses to be considered for the Experimental Free Handicap were those that had competed in a graded or listed stakes race in the U.S."
All Experimental Free Handicap weight assignments, as well as past performances for those horses, are available within the Resources section of jockeyclub.com.
| Experimental Free Handicap Males Top 10 | ||
| Lbs | Horse | Pedigree |
| 126 | Nyquist | Uncle Mo--Seeking Gabrielle, by Forestry |
| 124 | Swipe | Birdstone--Avalanche Lily, by Grand Slam |
| 121 | Brody's Cause | Giant's Causeway--Sweet Breanna, by Sahm |
| 121 | Hit It a Bomb | War Front--Liscanna (IRE), by Sadler's Wells |
| 120 | Airoforce | Colonel John--Chocolate Pop, by Cuvee |
| 120 | Greenpointcrusader | Bernardini--Ava Knowsthecode, by Cryptoclearance |
| 119 | Birchwood (IRE) | Dark Angel (IRE)--Layla Jamil (IRE), by Exceed And Excel (AUS) |
| 119 | Exaggerator | Curlin--Dawn Raid, by Vindication |
| 119 | Mohaymen | Tapit--Justwhistledixie, by Dixie Union |
| 119 | Mor Spirit | Eskendereya--Im a Dixie Girl, by Dixie Union |
| Experimental Free Handicap Females Top 10 | ||
| Lbs | Horse | Pedigree |
| 125 | Songbird | Medaglia d'Oro--Ivanavinalot, by West Acre |
| 120 | Catch a Glimpse | City Zip--Halo River, by Irish River (FR) |
| 120 | Rachel's Valentina | Bernardini--Rachel Alexandra, by Medaglia d'Oro |
| 118 | Alice Springs (IRE) | Galileo (IRE)--Aleagueoftheirown (IRE), by Danehill Dancer (IRE) |
| 118 | Gomo | Uncle Mo--Gentle Audrey, by Elusive Quality |
| 118 | Nemoralia | More Than Ready--Alina, by Came Home |
| 118 | Nickname | Scat Daddy--Nina Fever, by Borrego |
| 117 | Carina Mia | Malibu Moon--Miss Simpatia (ARG), by Southern Halo |
| 117 | Lewis Bay | Bernardini--Summer Raven, by Summer Squall |
| 117 | Street Fancy | Street Sense--Bold Angel, by Cat Thief |
Kentucky was the foaling state for Nyquist and Songbird and, once again, was the leading foaling state of all weighted horses with 72 males and 66 fillies; Florida was second with 10 males and five fillies. Ireland led foaling countries outside of the U.S. with four fillies and two males.
Uncle Mo was the leading sire of weighted horses with five fillies and five males. Tied for second with eight total weighted 2-year-olds were Scat Daddy and Tapit .
The weighting committee of racing secretaries included five this year with P.J. Campo of the Stronach Group, Ben Huffman of Churchill Downs and Keeneland, Martin Panza of The New York Racing Association Inc., Thomas S. Robbins of the Del Mar Thoroughbred Club, and Steve Lym of Woodbine Entertainment.
Download the Experimental Free Handicap.
Following are a few facts about the Experimental Free Handicap:
—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 through 1945.
—The "free" designation became part of the name from 1946 to 1952 because there was not a nomination fee.
—From 1946 to 1952, the Experimental Free Handicap was contested as two races: one at six furlongs and another at 1 1/16 miles.
—The six-furlong division of the race was discontinued in 1956, and the race was not held in 1957.
—Seven 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), American Pharoah (126).