From the very start Believe in Royalty has been surrounded by high hopes. When the young colt entered the Keeneland September Yearling Sale in 2016, there were a lot of people who wanted him. The hammer fell when he reached the lofty price of $900,000, the final bid going to the partnership of Robert C. Baker and William Mack and Brereton C. Jones. The colt was named Believe in Royalty, and sent to Larry Jones to be trained.
I was very impressed by the pedigree of this colt when I came across it in the Keeneland sales catalog, and made a note to watch for this colt once he was old enough to race. The regal grey is by Tapit, who was named as America's leading sire in 2014, 2015, and 2016. But the high hopes didn't come from Tapit alone. The dam of Believe in Royalty is Kentucky Oaks winner, Believe You Can. With eight wins in fourteen starts and multiple stakes victories, Believe You Can was special in her own right. Bringing together a mare of her quality with a stallion of Tapit's caliber was nothing short of pure genius. While it's too soon to say if this colt will reach his high expectations just yet, it is fair to say that he's on the right path.
Believe In Royalty made his debut in August at Delaware Park. He got forced wide entering the first turn of the race, which caused him to lose ground. However, the unflappable youngster was able to pull it together and make a move, closing steadily in the stretch. He finished a very solid third.
Believe In Royalty made his next start at Laurel Park, going one mile on the dirt. The track was sloppy due to earlier periods of rain, but the slop wasn't enough to falter the ambitious colt. After the opening quarter mile, Believe In Royalty boldly stormed to the front to challenge Broad Surprise. The tenacious pair hooked up and dueled down the track, neither one willing to yield. Believe In Royalty maintained a slight advantage as they splashed toward the stretch, but Broad Surprise was glued to his side. This win was going to have to be earned.
Believe In Royalty and Broad Surprise continued to go at it, opening up on the rest of the field. They turned it into a match race as they barreled around the final turn. The other horses couldn't keep up and were left well behind as Believe In Royalty and Broad Surprise brazenly took shots at each other the whole way down the stretch. Neither horse was backing down as they continued their race for the wire. They were locked in an intense battle and it looked like the win could go either way. But then, with about an eighth of a mile left, Believe In Royalty found something more. With a determined blast of speed he began to inch away from his valiant rival. In a true display of courage and heart, Believe In Royalty thundered home by 2 1/4 lengths.
Any horse that breaks his maiden in a dogfight is one to admire. For such a young horse to go out there and fight the way Believe In Royalty did says a lot about his potential. Not only was his will to win obvious, but his speed and strength were unwavering as well. And as Believe In Royalty would prove in his next start, his win was no fluke.
Believe In Royalty made his next start in an optional claiming allowance race at Laurel. He would be traveling one mile on the main track once again, but this time the track was listed as fast and the horses he was facing were fellow winners.
The nimble grey exploded out of the gate and confidently rolled right up to the front. Believe In Royalty decided to turn the race into a game of "catch me if you can" and took off. With ruling speed and a hulking stride, the vivacious colt proved too much for his competition. He was all alone as he led the fray around the oval of Laurel. His overwhelming speed carried him into the stretch with a seven-length lead and the race was over from there. It was no contest. Unthreatened by his foes, Believe In Royalty cruised to victory in a hand ride. The favorite, Rivington, was no match. He was able to close in to be second, but was still a good 3 3/4 lengths behind Believe In Royalty.
It will be exciting to see what this talented colt can do moving forward. He is in good hands with Larry Jones, who is the very man that trained his mother, Believe You Can. It would be great to see if this spirited youngster can reach the famed heights of his parents, or perhaps go on to even greater glory. It is too early to tell now, but Believe In Royalty is off to a very auspicious start. I think that he will be capable of running with some of the best in the future, and maybe, just maybe, he will march to victory under the Twin Spires in May. His mother did it in the Oaks. Maybe he can do it in the Derby?
All photo credit goes to Dottie Miller
Be sure to follow me on Twitter for updates and more racing news! https://twitter.com/Down2TheWire_
Here is a link to another article I wrote about other potential future stars of racing https://chelsealowman66.wixsite.com/mysite/single-post/2017/10/29/Future-Stars-of-Horse-Racing
And here is a link to some early Kentucky Derby picks! https://chelsealowman66.wixsite.com/mysite/single-post/2017/11/19/Early-Derby-Thoughts