Tip of the Week: Maiden Voyages

The notion of a maiden beating allowance horses requires a vivid imagination.
Simply running a maiden in a stakes race takes a good sense of humor.
There are some exceptions, though, to that rule of thumb, especially at an early age in a horse’s career.
Though added money races for 2-year-old are called stakes, in some cases they are little more than glorified allowance races in which most or all of the participants have won only a maiden race.
In races like that, the gap between the winners and a maiden could be relatively small. Sometimes, the maiden could be the best horse.
One those instance took place Sept. 7 in the Arlington-Washington Futurity at Arlington Park.
The field of seven featured six horses with just a maiden win to their credit and one maidens.
The winless Solitary Ranger had last raced on April 26 when he finished second in a maiden race on Keeneland’s Polytrack main track. While Solitary Ranger had not raced then, the winner of the race, No Nay Never, shipped overseas for his next two starts and won a minor stakes at Ascot and then a Group 1 stakes at Deauville.
Solitary Ranger had clearly faced a better horse than any of his rivals met in their victories, making him a contender in the race at the very least.
Having a sharp trainer in Wayne Catalano also helped Solitary Ranger’s cause. If Catalano thought enough of Solitary Ranger to enter him in a stakes off a four-month layoff, he certainly seemed worthy of a long look in a field filled so many inexperienced horses.
Those who looked closely enough and liked what they saw in Solitary Ranger were treated to a $9 payoff when he won by 5 ½ lengths as the 7-2 third choice in the wagering.
THE LESSON: Backing a maiden against winners is usually foolish, but in allowance and stakes races for 2-year-olds the overall lack of experience in the field can help even the playing field for the maiden.
SOLITARY RANGER IN THE ARLINGTON-WASHINGTON FUTURITY

Photo courtesy of Four Footed Photos