By My Standards Makes Believer of His Buyer

Sent through the ring by Scanlon Training & Sales at last April's Ocala Breeders' Sales Spring 2-Year-Olds in Training Sale, a colt from the first crop of Goldencents  had several strikes against him.

First, he was consigned early in the sale as Hip 6, a point at which most buyers are still feeling out the market and are reluctant to buy. Second, his pre-sale workout of an eighth-mile in :10 3/5 didn't turn any heads.

"We had two negatives going into the sale," Scanlon recalled. "He drew 6, which was tough, and that was the day they had 10-15 mile per hour headwinds during the workouts. But people took into account the conditions and it all worked out. He did everything right. We knew he wasn't going to have Quarter Horse speed. But he had that certain way about him, the way the good ones carry themselves."

But when the Kentucky-bred colt—now named By My Standards—was hammered down to Josh Stevens Bloodstock for $150,000, he affirmed the confidence of consignor David Scanlon. He later surpassed buyer Josh Stevens' expectations when he entered the Triple Crown fray with an upset victory March 23 in the $1 million Twinspires.com Louisiana Derby (G2) at Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots.

Sent off at post-time odds of 22-1, By My Standards earned a spot in the May 4 Run for the Roses, collecting 100 points on the Road to the Kentucky Derby for owner Chester Thomas and trainer Bret Calhoun.

Scanlon said the colt was not as developed as he would have liked when he was presented to the buying public at OBS, but he assured Stevens that if he were patient an investment in the colt might turn out well. Now that the colt is on the Derby trail, Scanlon said it is gratifying to see By My Standards success, considering he had so much to overcome as a young horse.

"It was great to see a horse like that come along and develop like that," Scanlon said of the Louisiana Derby victory, "because he wasn't the perfect package when he was a baby. The heart was there and the frame was there. He just needed to fill out. Josh asked me about him and I said I think he has a ton of potential. Just give him time and he will come into his own."

Stevens said his purchase of the Louisiana Derby winner was a rare step into the 2-year-old market. Although he wasn't looking specifically for a Goldencents juvenile at the OBS sale, he already had a good frame of reference with Mr. Money, another youngster sired by the two-time Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile (G1) winner whom Stevens had purchased the year before.

"I typically buy yearling and weanlings," Stevens said. "The 2-year-old sale is more of an an NFL combine, with the workouts and the agents all using their tools. I'm always looking for something under the radar. I wasn't looking for a Goldencents, but based on Mr. Money that led me to look at other ones to see if I saw something I liked."

Stevens said he comes up with a short list after watching the workouts and the gallop out effort following the breeze, honing in on horses that got over the track well. After reviewing the workouts using the Equix Pro-Stride system that permits potential buyers to closely scrutinize works by being able to start, stop, and replay the videos, he then inspected the horse's physically and when possible talked to the consignor.

"He had a nice stride with good mechanics," he said. "He was a good-sized colt but a little immature. He looked a lot like Goldencents and (his sire) Into Mischief ."

Although he didn't know Scanlon very well, Stevens was sold on the colt after talking to the consignor.

"He said 'he's just starting to figure it out and if you give him some time I think it'll work out.' It didn't sound like a sales job. He was sincere. I could tell he really believed in the colt."

And now that he's on the Derby trail, a lot more people believe in him too.