Owner Steven Walfish grabbed the Accelerate colt following the May 2022 Fasig-Tipton two-year-old in training sale at Timonium, at which he was an RNA for $38,000. He was bred in Maryland by the Bowman & Higgins Stable and coincidentally foaled on Valentine’s Day 2020.

In all, Super Accelerate has three times in eight outings overall. with earnings just over $130,000.

“I could tell right from the beginning that he had the potential to be the most talented horse that I have ever trained,” Graham said. “That’s why I wanted Horacio Karamanos on him right from the start. It took [Super Accelerate] a while to really figure things out, but he’s really starting to develop into the horse that I thought he would be.”

That’s no light statement from Graham. She has conditioned three different Grade 2 winners during her career including Barbara Fritchie heroine Lady Sabelia and Dinner Party (then the Dixie) winner Mr O’Brien. Although second in his career debut last October 14 while pressing the pace early in a waiver maiden claiming $45,000 event for two-year-olds at Laurel Park, Super Accelerate hardly showed genuine promise in his next two starts as a juvenile, finishing seventh and fifth, respectively, in a pair of similar events at Laurel before Graham opted to give him a brief break prior to his sophomore campaign.

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Super Accelerate appeared to benefit from the modest layoff when he set the early fractions and finished a solid second in a seven-furlong maiden waiver $45,000 claiming event at Laurel on February 5. But just over three months later he was a nondescript fifth in a field of 10 runners in a similar event at Pimlico. Graham admitted that she was moderately disappointed in that performance, but Super Accelerate would certainly make amends in his subsequent outings.

Dismissed at 6-1 in a seven-furlong maiden special weight event at Laurel Park on June 16, Super Accelerate finally earned his diploma and graduated in style. Away alertly to sit just off the pace, Super Accelerate surged to command at the head of the lane and then drew clear late to a five-length score while stopping the timer in 1:25.85 for the seven panels.

That was just the beginning.

Two weeks later in a state-bred allowance at Laurel over the same distance, Super Accelerate forged a 26-1 upset when he saved ground through the early stages, angled off the rail for the stretch drive, then overhauled even-money favorite Freeze the Fire in the lane for a two-length score, this time getting the seven panels in a snappy 1:22.71.

“When we looked at his speed figures for the maiden win, we were a little disappointed and a little surprised,” Graham said. “I thought he actually ran pretty well that day, but his figures were low. Then he came back and ran well in that a-other than allowance race, and he got good numbers for that race. So, our next logical spot was the [Star De Naskra] stakes after that.”

Despite winning his previous start as a serious long shot, Super Accelerate was eventually made the 2-1 favorite in the $75,000 Star De Naskra Stakes for Maryland-restricted three-year-olds at Laurel on July 29. Perhaps underlining the oddness of a horse going from 26-1 one race to 2-1 the next, Freeze the Fire was 3-1 in the Star de Naskra en route to a fifth-place finish.

Regardless, Super Accelerate promptly continued his winning ways. Steadied briefly down the backside while chasing the pace, Super Accelerate launched his bid on the far turn and rallied past Easy Action and Coffeewithchris for his third straight tally and first in stakes company.

Graham immediately focused her attention on trying the Robert Hilton Stakes at Charles Town.

Super Accelerate is 8-1 on the morning line with Carlos Lopez named to ride. Ryvit, flashy winner of the Grade 3 Chick Lang this spring at Pimlico, is the 9-5 morning line favorite for Hall of Fame trainer Steve Asmussen.

“He’s just finally coming into his own and developing into the type of colt we expected all along,” Graham said of her charge. “That race goes for a lot of money and the distance is perfect for him… We bought him [out of] the two-year-old in training sale at Timonium, so he’s used to training on the bullring. I think he will feel right at home on the small track.”