WON: Movieland Futurity(G1), Simulated Sports Championship Weekend(G1), Homing Stakes, Noholme Lane Special
4th: The Breeder's Bowl Futurity(G1)

Eruption On Top of the Mountain

By- Hannibal

“The Derby dream is now within his grasp.”

Tony, head trainer of A.F.C. Stables, tried to hide an involuntarily permeating grin with those words, punctuating a summary of the impressive, Eclipse award winning season achieved by his colt, Eruption.

Although the son of Miswaki out of a Deputy Minister mare raced only six times, he overcame a minor injury early in his career to put forth two of the most impressive efforts by a juvenile at the end of his campaign, securing the divisional championship.

Reiterating the support of the voters, the jubilant trainer exclaimed rather matter-of-factly “Eruption ducked nobody, and beat the best in the two year old division.”

Although Eruption isn’t the most physically imposing colt and wasn’t considered the barn’s most potent weapon until this summer, his competitive disposition has been long documented since a young foal. “…(he) developed quickly into the leader of the pack while frolicking with his companions in the paddock.”

“He has matured into a nice physical specimen” Tony noted, adding that from the day he arrived from the farm, “Eruption was always interested in his training early on, and was always very much within himself. He didn't need to be pushed.”

Despite the colt’s professionalism and competitive tendencies, there wasn’t much of a buzz around the barn when Eruption was set to make his career debut.

“We started him in a relatively easy spot since we didn't have high expectations at the start. All that changed quickly, though. The competition got him going, and after a wire to wire effort under a hand ride, we thought we might be looking at a nice colt in the making.”

Indeed, Eruption’s debut victory was exciting. He broke from post six and tugged his way to a narrow lead while under a stout hold. As Eruption entered the turn, his lead grew with each tiring rival beginning to lose ground. Jockey Robbie Case never made a motion on the colt as the duo expanded the lead with every stride through the lane, en route to a four and a quarter length victory.

Five weeks later, Eruption promptly moved directly to stakes company, facing only five others in the Noholme Lane Special. After dueling for the first half-mile, Eruption sped off and won easily by three and a half lengths. However, while he expended very little effort in winning the six and a half furlong event, the victory carried unfortunate consequences for the budding star.

“… He came back slightly off in his right front, so we backed off him for some three months. After that, we had to play catch up for the rest of the year.”

With only a pair of slow works entering the six and a half furlong Homing Stakes, Eruption was ready to make his return against a quality field of ten others. In a performance reminiscent of his two other triumphs, the colt overcame the layoff and ample pace pressure to win again in gate to wire, expanding lead at the finish style.

“We got a taste of what we had when he crushed the field in wire to wire fashion in the Homing Stakes in Maryland off the protracted layoff. That race was the fastest race by a two-year-old up to that point in the year (August). Right then, we started thinking Breeder's Bowl, even though he had not been beyond six and a half furlongs.”

Four weeks after his win in the Homing, Eruption shipped to Maine Intercontinental Racecourse, the ‘graveyard of favorites’. Hosting one of the first Breeder’s Bowl prep races going a route of ground, Maine’s Grade I Breeder’s Bowl Futurity at a flat mile drew a stellar group of juveniles.

While members of the local press questioned the speedster’s ability to handle Maine’s two-turn configuration, no one was selling the colt’s chances short, particularly with Aaron Jones, a man who excels with front-running types, in the saddle. As the second choice in the field of fourteen at 5-1 behind favored Crazy Horse Too, Eruption broke from post eleven and was hustled to make the lead into the first turn.

Although Jones tried to give the colt a breather on the backstretch run, Eruption pulled his way to a clear lead, opening up by as many as four lengths entering the far turn. However, as Jones hit the top of the lane, the field was drawing closer and Eruption had little response to offer. The tandem checked in fourth, more than seven lengths behind the winner and rival Eclipse Award finalist Ghostly.

While the press had little to say about Eruption’s performance other than commentary regarding his inability to go a route of ground, the barn, on the other hand, offered up another explanation. “Eruption was rushed into his next start (Breeder's Bowl Futurity). He was not fully cranked, and we thought we might have a short horse. In a field laden with speed, we let him go right out of the gate…and he finished a well-beaten fourth after fading in the lane.”

“The hopes of the Breeder's Bowl ended right then.” Admitted Tony, who did his best to remain optimistic. “He came out of the race in good order, so he was pointed to a Grade I on the Breeder's Bowl undercard.”

Undeterred and unaffected by commentary insisting that his colt was a pure speed sprinter, the conditioner entered him in the Grade I Simulated Sports Championship Weekend Stakes at a flat mile. Confident that Eruption could handle the distance, the focus became teaching the blazing fast colt to relax.

“With strict instructions to rate the colt at the start”, according to the barn, Eruption made the lead easily from the gate and went on to simply expand that lead incrementally, displaying for the first time a willingness to succumb to and react to the wishes of his rider. He won the race by nearly four lengths with a final time of 1:36, earning a new career best speed figure.

Seeking confirmation of the potential exhibited by his colt, the barn shipped him west to California in preparation for the Grade I Movieland Futurity at a mile and a sixteenth. “We figured he may be even better if we could take him off the lead early.”

Facing a stellar field of juveniles, including three Eclipse Award finalists, Eruption faced a daunting task. “The Movieland Futurity turned out to be possibly the best juvenile field of the year, featuring three of the dirt Eclipse finalists, including the (Breeder’s Bowl) Juvenile winner Credit Buster, the (Breeder’s Bowl) Juvenile Turf winner Ed's Pegasus As, and the only horse to defeat Eruption, the undefeated colt Ghostly.”

“We were fortunate enough to secure the services of jockey Mike Dorsey for the race, and he followed the plan to perfection.”

Burdened with an outside post again, Dorsey snatched a snug hold on Eruption quickly, settling him in behind rivals while saving ground in the two-path. As the pace-setters rounded the far turn, Eruption drew closer while still in hand, splitting the top two at the top of the stretch and assuming command. Under an aggressive hand-ride and less than a handful of light taps of the whip, Eruption powered away from the field at the eighth pole and streaked under the line a three and three-quarter length winner.

With a scintillating final time of 1:41.4 for the mile and a sixteenth, Eruption earned a staggering speed figure of 113, a figure that the trainer speculated was “…possibly the fastest figure ever posted by a juvenile in the sim.”

Tony went on to praise the decision of Credit Buster’s (winner of the Breeder’s Bowl Juvenile) camp for showing up for the Grade I event. “I have to give credit to Brentuk, trainer of Credit Buster, for giving Eruption the opportunity to face his colt in that race. He could have stayed in the barn and won the Eclipse, but he was a sportsman and ran.”

The barn isn’t making any bold predictions for the colt’s future, but openly acknowledge what people expect of the colt. “The goal has always been to breed champions” adding that when this colt arrived from the farm “…we were looking for a horse who could possibly be a factor in the Classic races for 2003.”

As far as whether he thinks his colt will win the Bluegrass Derby, Tony recoils from the direct question as though stung by a jinx.

“The Derby dream is now within his grasp.”