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Group success for Black Minnaloushe
19/09/05

The success of Black Minnaloushe's first Northern Hemisphere crop has continued with a rousing victory in the Gr.3 Kentucky Cup Juvenile by his very promising son Stream Cat.

A stakes winner at his previous outing when powering to a two-length victory in the With Anticipation Stakes at Saratoga Park, Stream Cat produced an even more impressive last to first burst to take the 2YO feature at Kentucky's Turfway Park.

"When you give him the cue, he switches gears like a pro" said Stream Cat's jockey Gary Stevens. Stevens also rode a previous winner of the Kentucky Cup Juvenile Stakes, Editor's Note, who went on to place in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile before winning both the Gr.1 Louisiana Super Derby and the Gr.1 Belmont Stakes as a 3YO.

"I had a lot of faith in his closing ability" added Stevens, who allowed the Patrick Biancone-trained son of Black Minnaloushe to settle 12 lengths off the pace in the mid stages and then come late with a run described by the Thoroughbred Times as being "like a powerful locomotive".

Run over the same distance as the Breeders' Cup Juvenile contested in late October, the Kentucky Cup Juvenile has been a valuable lead-up in the past to the Gr.1 2YO championship decider.

The Kentucky Cup Juvenile has been won by top horses such as the undefeated Breeders' Cup Juvenile winner Vindication, Breeders' Cup Juvenile placegetter Tejano Run, who went on to run second in the Kentucky Derby as a 3YO, and Point Given, who was a subsequent winner of five Gr.1 events including the Santa Anita Derby, Preakness Stakes and Belmont Stakes.

The deeds of Black Minnaloushe's first crop, whose winner/place getter to starter ratio is currently at 58%, have seen the son of Storm Cat rise to the top six on the first season sires table in the United States. He has also made an impact across the Atlantic through the deeds of Black Charmer, a multiple group performer who holds a nomination for the upcoming Gr.1 Dewhurst Stakes at Newmarket.

Black Minnaloushe, an unbeaten stakes winner himself before winning two Gr.1 miles as a 3YO, has shuttled to New Zealand's Windsor Park Stud since 2002. 2YO's from his first Southern Hemisphere crop have impressed trainers in their early education and are due to hit the racetracks this spring.