Enticed, rolling to the wire in the Gotham (Coglianese/NYRA photo)
Enticed bounced back to his best form in Saturday’s Gotham Stakes (Gr. 3), sailing smoothly over the wire by nearly three, dominating lengths. It was a sight to behold, as this promising son of Medaglia d’Oro had come into the race off of a performance that left everyone scratching their heads.
A month earlier, Enticed embarked on his three-year-old season in the Holy Bull Stakes at Gulfstream Park. Despite the high hopes that his connections had for him, Enticed could do no better than fourth that day, beaten by almost fifteen lengths. It was hard to see a horse with so much potential struggle down the stretch, and it left many people wondering if the big, mahogany horse simply wasn’t as great as everyone had hoped. However, when you take a closer look at the running of that race, it was clear that Enticed had some obvious excuses.
After breaking from post one in the Holy Bull, Enticed was forced to go against his running style and use early speed that he does not possess. The big, leggy horse got stuck on a dead part of the track, constantly being assaulted by the stinging kickback of dirt the entire way around. It was simply a bad day for the colt, and in the Gotham Stakes, he got his chance to prove that. There was way more to him that what we saw in the Holy Bull.
When the starting gates flung open in the Gotham Stakes, Cove Blue and Old Time Revival charged to the lead to set the pace. Breaking from post nine, Enticed was content to let his foes battle for the lead, and he settled nicely into the middle of the pack. While the other horses blazed down the track on the front end, Enticed sat back, never taking his eyes off of his competition. He was waiting for the perfect moment to pounce.
As the stretch loomed ahead, the time to strike came for Enticed. With a swift and decisive kick of his legs, he launched his attack. In a bold and daring move, Enticed swung wide going into the stretch, but it was a move made with pure confidence. The long-striding colt was in complete control as he dauntlessly zeroed in on Old Time Revival, who was attempting to turn the Gotham into a runaway. But Enticed wasn’t having any of it. Unraveling his massive stride, Enticed began closing in on his foe with startling speed. His dark, imposing frame drew closer and closer to Old Time Revival, eating up the ground at a rapid rate, until he blasted ahead to secure the lead.
Enticed looked like he was out for a casual lope around the track as he breezed right by Old Time Revival. With uncanny serenity, Enticed pulled away to a comfortable 2 ¾ length victory. He left a field of quality horses in his wake that included the likes of multiple graded stakes winner, Firenze Fire, and Grade 1 winner and Holy Bull runner up, Free Drop Billy.
The class of the horses that Enticed defeated in the Gotham Stakes wasn’t the first time this big, strapping horse took down solid competition. At the age of two, Enticed emerged victoriously from an intense stretch duel in the Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes (Gr.2), at Churchill Downs. The horses that Enticed defeated that day have come back to do nothing but flatter the form of that race, making Enticed’s impressive win that day look even more amazing. The colt that was third behind Enticed in the Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes was none other than Promises Fulfilled, the impressive winner of the Fountain of Youth Stakes. The horse that was sixth that day was a colt by the name of Reride, who has gone on to find success in the Mine That Bird Derby. Quip, who ran seventh to Enticed in the Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes, returned to the winner’s circle on Saturday with a powerful score in the Tampa Bay Derby, and Bravaso, who was well beaten in tenth behind Enticed that day, has also come back to find success with a win in the Risen Star Stakes. To say that last year’s Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes has been a key race would be an understatement.
Enticed is a stunning specimen, and one that I have followed from the very beginning due to his intriguing pedigree and regal build. The potential has always been there with this horse, and now more than ever he appears to be a major contender on the road to the Kentucky Derby. While many people had their doubts about him after his performance in Florida, his triumph in the Gotham, along with the quality of horses that he has been defeating, should be enough to give this colt the respect he deserves. To date, this promising, young horse has displayed versatility by winning on both wet and fast tracks. And if that weren’t enough, he has also proven that he enjoys the strip of Churchill Downs, which gives him an advantage since it will be the site of the battlegrounds, come May. His raw talent and pure class, combined with his muscular frame and efficient running style make him a very exciting horse to follow moving forward. And if his class and strength isn’t enough to convince you, maybe his pedigree is.
Enticed is by Medaglia d’Oro, who scored at the 1 ¼ mile Travers Stakes, and placed in the Breeders’ Cup Classic, Pacific Classic, and Dubai World Cup at the same distance, during his racing career. Stamina is clear on his sire’s side, and luckily for Enticed, it doesn’t stop there. Enticed is out of the beautifully bred mare, It’s Tricky. Highly talented as a racehorse, It’s Tricky won several stakes races in her career, and was a very game runner up in the 1 ¼ mile Alabama Stakes (Gr.1). It’s Tricky is by Mineshaft, who scored in multiple 1 ¼ races during his career. Mineshaft himself is by the infamous, A.P. Indy, winner of the grueling 1 ½ Belmont Stakes, as well as the Breeders’ Cup Classic. And as for A.P. Indy, he is by Triple Crown champion, Seattle Slew, and out of the mare, Weekend Surprise, who is by the immortal superhorse, Secretariat. When it comes to class, ability, and endurance, Enticed has not been left wanting. His flawless bloodlines are nothing short of royalty, suggesting that he has what it takes to be a true Kentucky Derby contender.
With the blood of countless, classic champions coursing through his blood, it is fair to say that a horse like Enticed will ace the 1 ¼ mile distance of the Kentucky Derby, and will likely relish distances beyond that. As early as it is, I can already see Enticed being a major player in the Belmont Stakes. It is a while off, but if he makes the gate, I pity the horses that have to run with him. Enticed is a talented horse now, and I expect him to only get better as the races get longer. The added distance in the races to come will only give Enticed more time to uncoil his tremendous stride, which poses him as a major threat to whoever is in front of him, as he will have more room to close in on his rivals.
Enticed when he broke his maiden on a wet track (Coglianese/NYRA)
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