Fast and Accurate makes move in Top Midlantic-bred Poll

Virginia-bred Long On Value won the Jamestown Stakes at Colonial in July 2013. Photo by Nick Hahn.

Staff report

Funny how quickly things change in horse racing.

A month ago, Irish War Cry was a Kentucky Derby favorite, Unique Bella was the best three-year-old filly in the land, and almost no one had heard of Fast and Accurate.

In the meantime, however, Irish War Cry ran up the track in the Grade 2 Fountain of Youth to see his star dimmed; Unique Bella suffered an injury that will force her to miss the spring’s biggest distaff races; and Fast and Accurate was both in scoring a 24-1 upset in the Grade 3 Spiral Stakes at Turfway Park, putting himself in the three-year-old picture.

The results of all that are evident in the second 2017 edition of the Mid-Atlantic Thoroughbred/The Racing Biz Top Midlantic-bred Poll, released today and current through results as of April 6.

Unique Bella, who won her only start in March, in the Grade 3 Santa Ysabel, moves to the top spot among three-year-olds. Fast and Accurate, who was in the also receiving votes category in last month’s poll, moves all the way up to second. And Irish War Cry, leader of the first poll, drops to third in this newest one.

Among older horses, Finest City, second in the Grade 1 Santa Margarita Stakes during March, retained her hold on the top spot.

The big mover among sophomores was Fast and Accurate. The gray Hansen colt was bred in Pennsylvania by John R. Penn. After failing to meet his reserve as a yearling, Fast and Accurate sold, for $85,000, at the April 2016 Ocala Breeders Sales two-year-olds in training event.

The buyer: Kendall Hansen, owner of Hansen, who is Fast and Accurate’s sire. Fast and Accurate is out of the winless Green Dancer mare It’s Heidi’s Dance.

Fast and Accurate took four tries and a drop into the claiming ranks to break his maiden, which he did in a $30,000 maiden claimer in December at Turfway Park. He then won the grassy Sage of Monticello Stakes Gulfstream Park prior to his upset win in the Spiral.

The Spiral victory gives Fast and Accurate 50 Kentucky Derby points, good for an eighth-place tie and enough to guarantee himself a spot in the Kentucky Derby starting gate — if his owner ponies up the $200,000 required to supplement him to the series, which he has indicated he would do.

The bad news for Fast and Accurate: his only previous try on conventional dirt, at Parx Racing, resulted in a distant fifth place finish against maidens.

Two of the top five among older horses were not among the top five last month.

Virginia-bred Long On Value jumped from nowhere at all — he did not receive a single vote in last month’s poll — all the way to third. The Value Plus horse, bred by Snow Lantern Thoroughbreds, is winless in two starts this year but most recently ran a very game second, losing in a head bob in the Group 1 Al Quoz Sprint on the turf at Meydan on the Dubai World Cup undercard.

And Sunny Ridge, bred in New Jersey by Dennis Drazin, moved from the also receiving votes category to fourth on the poll. The Holy Bull gelding ran his record to two-for-two in 2017 when he rallied to take the Stymie Stakes at Aqueduct March 12.

The poll is conducted monthly among a panel of industry participants and media members.

Of the 10 horses on the twin lists, four were bred in Pennsylvania, and three were bred in New Jersey. Two hailed from Maryland, and there was one from Virginia. The list includes seven males and three females.

The monthly Mid-Atlantic Thoroughbred is the only publication devoted to Thoroughbred breeding and racing in the Mid-Atlantic region. The Racing Biz is the independent voice for mid-Atlantic racing and breeding and includes an online publication, a mobile application, and the weekly Off to the Races radio show.

The poll is restricted to horses that have run in 2017 and were bred in Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia, New Jersey, Delaware, and the Carolinas.

TOP MIDLANTIC-BREDS IN ACTION THIS WEEKEND

• Irish War Cry is 7-2 on the morning line in the G2 Wood Memorial at Aqueduct.
• Green Gratto is 15-1 on the morning line in the G1 Carter Handicap at Aqueduct.

Participating Voters: Ted Black (freelance writer), Michael Campbell (Thoroughbred Breeders’ Association of New Jersey), Joe Clancy (Mid-Atlantic Thoroughbred), Cindy Deubler (Mid-Atlantic Thoroughbred), Linda Dougherty (freelance), Debbie Easter (Virginia Thoroughbred Association), Paul Espinosa (Charles Town Races), Anne Frederick (Maryland Horse Breeders Association), Rich Glazier (Delaware Park), Cricket Goodall (Maryland Horse Breeders Association), Jim Hague (freelance), Nick Hahn (freelance), Carol Holden (West Virginia Breeders Classics), Tom LaMarra (The Blood-Horse), Jeff Nations (freelance), Kate Painter (West Virginia Thoroughbred Breeders Association), Vinnie Perrone (freelance), Frank Petramalo (Virginia Horsemen’s Benevolent and Protective Association), Gary Quill (The Racing Biz), David Richardson (Maryland Thoroughbred Horsemen’s Association), Brian Sanfratello (Pennsylvania Horse Breeders Association), Sal Sinatra (Maryland Jockey Club), Chris Sobocinski (Delaware Park), Dan Tordjman (freelance), Frank Vespe (The Racing Biz), Bill Watson (freelance), Lydia Williams (freelance), Bobby Zen (freelance).

Note — Not all participating voters will vote in every poll.