Tough maiden races

[The Indomitable DrugS]

Looking for maiden races that produced several Graded Stakes winners.

Alydar's was incredibly tough. The race produced six different eventual Graded Stakes winners - including the top 5 finishers.



* winner Alydar beat Affirmed by 3.5 lengths next out over same track and distance in the Great American. Won 3 straight after this maiden race. 6-time Grade 1 winner overall.

* 2nd place Believe It was a multiple Graded Stakes winner at age 2. Beat Alydar in the Gr 2 Remsen. Won the Grade 1 Wood Memorial at age 3. Finished 3rd to Affirmed and Alydar in both the Ky Derby and Preakness.

* 3rd place finisher Sauce Boat only ran four more times - but he won 3 of them - including a Grade 1 stakes win. He's the dam sire of Tabasco Cat.

* 4th place finisher Junction became a multiple Graded Stakes winner. Won the Grade 2 Dwyer over Buckaroo (sire of Spend a Buck) and Darby Creek Road. Won the Grade 2 Withers over Star De Naskra and Buckaroo.

* 5th place finisher For Your Pleasure (co-favorite with Alydar on debut) won the Grade 3 World's Playground Stakes as a 2-year-old.

* 6th place finisher Calligraphy only ran two more times - one win and one second place in MSW races from those two subsquent tries.

* 7th place Historically was stakes placed and earned six figures in the late 70's. Beat Buckaroo and Quip as a 2yo.

* 8th place Morning Frolic became a Grade 3 stakes winner on turf. Was stakes place many times on both surfaces. Sired a 2-time champion sprinter in Japan.

* 9th and 10th place finished 1st and 2nd in the same race next time out on the class drop to MCL - they were 6/1 and 31/1 in the betting.

Alydar's MSW race went in 1:04.20 for 5.5fs - projected figure in the 103-to-106 range is huge for a 2yo in June.

The other four dirt sprint races on the card - all for older claimers - went...

7fs 1:26.40 (35 Beyer points slower)
6fs 1:12.00 (20 Beyer points slower)
6fs 1:13.00 (34 Beyer points slower)
7fs 1:26.00 (31 Beyer points slower)