The Decades Most Under Appreciated Race

[The Indomitable DrugS]

My vote would go to a race that still isn't even on Youtube - the 2001 Adirondack Stakes.

2-year-old female sprinters aren't exactly the kind of horses that attact a lot of attention from casual racing fans... but perhaps the two best of the entire decade met up in the '01 Adirondack at Saratoga .. and both of them ran a mind-boggling race while both fairly fresh off of monumental trainer changes.

* You - RNA'd for just $9,000 as a yearling and came from the Rachel Alexandra connections (Bred by Dolphus Morrison, trained by Hal Wiggins, ridden by Calvin Borel) -- she scored a fast debut win at 9/1 odds in a maiden claiming race.

Was 2nd to Cashier's Dream in an alw race over a slow muddy track that came back MIND-BOGGLINGLY fast. After those 2 starts - she was bought by Ed Gann and recieved a giant trainer change from Hal Wiggins to Bobby Frankel. Frankel moved everything up at an alarming rate at that time.


* Cashier's Dream - was a Michigan bred filly trained by a guy who at the time was mainly a River Downs trainer - and is now mainly a Pinnacle trainer. Both the sire and dam of Cashier's Dream raced at the old Detroit Race Course.

Cashier's Dream won her debut in hand - at 43/1 odds in a maiden claimer at Churchill. Jumped up and beat You in a wickedly fast alw race in just her 2nd start. She was bought up by Team Valor and Heiligbrodt and transferred into the barn of Steve Asmussen. A fairly big positive trainer move.

Cashier's Dream won her Asmussen debut in the Debutante and set a track record at Churchill that still stands today. The Adirondack would be her 2nd start for Assmussen - and it would be You's first start for Frankel.

* In the Adirondack - Cashier's Dream and You ripped through fractions of 21.65, 44.62, 1:08.71 and battle down to the wire for 6.5 furlongs in 1:15 flat. You just edging by late.

The 3rd place finisher - a future Grade 2 stakes winner - was beaten 16 lengths. Smok'n Frolic .. a future 6 time Graded Stakes winning millionaire was beaten 21 lengths. The top two just obliterated the field.

The Beyer came back 107 - an absolutely insane figure for a 2-year-old filly in the summer. By comparison, 2-yo champions Storm Song and Folklore both won the Adirondack with Beyers in the mid 70's.

Cashier's Dream returned to easily take the Grade 1 Spinaway in her next start. Her winning Beyer in that race remains 3 points faster than Flanders for fastest in the Spinaway's history. You beat CD again in the Frizette and CD was laid off for a while after that race.

Cashier's Dream won her return in the La Troienne on Derby week as a 3yo - winning a sprint battle with Shameful - the dam of another good female sprinter in Indian Blessing. You is the only horse who ever finished ahead of Cashier's Dream in a race.

You eventually became a 4 time Grade 1 winner.

Two tremendously precocious overachievers for very shabby trainers fell into the right barns and got their teeth cleaned up really good by two of the best trainers - the result was not only two of the greatest individual performances in the history of summer time 2yo filly sprint racing ... but also an exciting and absolutely epic horse race from start to finish.