WON: Breeders Bowl Juvenile(G1), Camel Juvenile(G2), Montana Futurity(G3), Early Morning Special(G3)

2nd: DPCD Eruption Handicap(G1)

By- Tequila

    He was a very serviceable runner, even a solid one, capable of mid-to-high 90 speed figures in allowance company, and he had a flashy pedigree to boot (being a son of Gone West out of a Verbatim mare). He had turned five and opened the year with a couple of disappointing finishes, when owner/trainer foxvbullet decided to give Whenworldscollide 'The Operation' and send the converted mare to solid, if unspectacular, sire (and Danzig son) Belong to Me.

    The result was a precocious chestnut colt foxvbullet decided to call Half A World Away. With a dosage index of 3.00 and a center of distribution at 0.80, Half A World Away's (HAWA) pedigree said he could excel at anything from sprints up to a mile and an eighth (Roman's D/I and CoD indices show his best theoretical distances to be between 6 and 9 f). Foxvbullet decided to give this colt a short sprint in classy company to see what this youngster had.  He was entered into a 5.5 furlong in as high an MSW as there was, one with a $48,300 purse.

    Far from being intimidated in such company, the first time starter spent half the race on the shoulder of the leader before running by him and winning by an increasing 1 3/4 lengths and a solid 76 speed figure. Two of the 13 horses he beat that day went on to be stakes winners themselves later in the year. Not a bad start, but how fast could he really run? HAWA's first race against non-maidens was in a NW1x allowance. This time he didn't feel like waiting to stalk and went for the lead, but looked like he lost a bit of focus at the end and was beaten by a head at the wire. A bit of a setback for the colt, but his speed increased to 81, and it was a good race.

    The next chapter in HAWA's development was the first of trainer foxvbullet's intuitive gambles, and the one that may have been the first inkling of this colt's potential, at least to the rest of the simworld (foxvbullet apparently saw it first). Despite only a maiden win and a close place in an allowance, HAWA was entered in the Grade III Early Morning Special, a supershort 5 furlong sprint. This time, like his first outing, he stalked the leaders and blew by in deep stretch to win the race, at odds better than 7/1, posting a thrilling 88 speed figure. Suddenly this solid son of solid breeding was looking like one of the better two year olds in the sim, with an unlimited ceiling.

    Another 6 weeks later, HAWA was lined up in another Grade III race, this time at the more familiar to him distance of 5.5 furlongs. A familiar start, hovering right off the shoulder of the leader until deep stretch, when he kicked the overdrive in again and roared by at the wire for a win by less than a body length. He was beginning to show that most intangible of traits, especially in youngsters, the ability, even the preference, to hang tough and win under pressure down the stretch. It was almost as if the colt was teasing his competition, hanging just off of their shoulder, til the last possible moment he could before winning. It was a tactic that was about to bite him in the hindquarters.

    In hindsight, perhaps there were omens: After running all of his races in 42 day cycles, foxvbullet finally let the stable's young phenom convince the owner/trainer that he was ready to have a go in 28 days. And he was entered into the Grade I Hoserhead Juvenile, his first Grade I, and at a furlong and a half farther than he had ever raced before. None of the changes in HAWA's habits seemed to phase the cool and confident colt. His by-now trademark start of staying within a length of the leader didn't seem to hamper him, as his start speed of 82 was a tad on the fast side for him, but certainly within his demonstrated ability. In fact, everything looked textbook perfect for HAWA, as he closed to a half length behind leader Deputy Goldseeker and seemed poised to kick to the win, when suddenly, seemingly from nowhere, a blur called Terrordega blew past both the leader and HAWA as if they were standing still. The shock seemed to knock the wind out of HAWA, as he stalled down the last third of the stretch to finish fifth, although not more than a long neck separated the 3rd from the 5th place finishers.

    It was a wakeup call for the proud son of Belong to Me, and he clearly didn't like being beaten, much less by four other horses. Foxvbullet went back to the drawing board for HAWA, returning to 42 days before his next race, and schooling him between horses and having horses come up on him in workouts and working on his two turn techniques as well. He came back to the starting gate in week 2608 determined to get back in the proverbial saddle. No prep races for this intrepid soul. But a Grade II challenge in the Camel Juvenile, and at a mile to boot. From the opening stride every HAWA observer in the stands knew this one was different. HAWA wasn't playing any more... He went to the lead, and wasn't letting anyone pass him this time. Even as he hit the stretch with a clear lead of 4 lengths. Even when that lead began to evaporate in mid-stretch. Even when he was gassed and could feel the hoofbeats behind him. He wouldn't give it up. He wound up wiring that tough field (a field that included 10 stakeswinning horses in a 14 horse field). Half A World Away was suddenly up close and personal again. He was a horse on a mission.

    The next stage of that mission was his toughest to date: It was Breeder's Bowl time. The best of the best lining up eyeball to eyeball. Not only was every horse in this race a stakes winner, 10 of the 14 were graded winners. This time foxvbullet had given HAWA an extra week and threw the fastest horses the barn had at him during workouts. Jockey S. L. Ledwith (who had the reins on HAWA in his comeback race last time out in the Camel) knew what this youngster was capable of, and how to get it. They raced to a hotly contested lead that actually increased into the stretch, and as 10/1 shot Black Clown began closing the gap, HAWA dug deep and held on, registering a career-best 99 speed figure in his longest race, a mile and a sixteenth. A superb wire-to-wire finish in the premier championship race of the year for juveniles. There was very little doubt that this was one of the best young horses in the game today.

    A slight fade to 2nd in the Eruption Handicap on DelPenn Champions day did little to dissuade the foxvbullet camp (not to mention most other sim observers) of Half A World Away's status. It was his final start as a 2 year old and capped a brilliant season: 8 starts, 5 wins, and 2 places, including 4 graded stakes wins.

    And to top it off, the Two Year Old Colt of the Year Eclipse Award. To anyone who's watched this colt's development, it's a good bet that this award will be just the first in a long series of hardware to adorn the stall of Half A World Away.