1st: Breeders Bowl Juvenile (G1), High Flyer Stakes (G1)
3rd: VideoLand Colt Division (G1), Manofjunk Stakes (G2), Sprinklers Are Broke Again Stakes

By- Sharon Shimko

A championship performance. In a year when turf runners dominated the juvenile division, one of the freshman leaders made the penultimate switch in surface to come away with the fantastic prize. The capeside stable connections knew they had a prime star in their son of Danzig, Buda With The Slew. After a promising main track in-the-money finish first time out in a Bluegrass Racetrack Maiden Special Weight, the stable decided to criss-cross the country and test their colt upon the lawn right away. The winning California result embarked ‘The Buda’ on a sky-rocketing top company career -- the colt stretched out to a mile and hit the board in his first turf stakes event and then added a fine allowance confidence booster before manhandling a full field of twelve Grade 1 turf freshmen in the High Flyer Stakes at Ireland. With a clean ticket of stakes points needed for a Breeders Bowl berth, Buda With The Slew navigated through crowded traffic to finish third in Ascot’s Manofjunk Stakes to King’s Millenium, another top turf star, over a fair mile-and-a-sixteenth.

That near-miss effort turned out to be the golden invitation to a date with destiny for ‘The Buda.’ Opting for the main track Breeders Bowl Juvenile, the colt paraded to the post under middling odds. Under a clear blue Kentucky sky afternoon, the zesty chill in the air fueled ferocious fire in ‘The Buda’s’ heart. From the back of the pack, the colt’s jockey unleashed this star’s tumultuous run -- circling the field with no mind to the dirt in his face, Buda With The Slew romped professionally home in the stretch by a good two lengths clear at the wire. It was a championship performance and testimony to the quality of the freshman turf stars -- King’s Millenium took the BB Juvenile Turf that day too. After a good breather, Buda With The Slew came out a bit short on racing time in the Grade 1 VideoLand, closing out his 2YO season. But it didn’t matter -- the hero of the year’s biggest juvenile race and top company battler of the lawn, captures the biggest race for his trainer: a championship trophy and perhaps that clear Kentucky blue sky shall host his electrically dynamite late-run next May. Good luck capeside stable with your 2000 two year old champ, Buda With The Slew.