Stormy Rush Not Likely to Rush into Triple Crown Contention

Stormy Rush is another of the unlikely candidates to qualify for a spot in this year's Triple Crown. Ranked 39th at the beginning of the season, at this time falling to 44th, early or not, this colt's chances are looking slim. With two firsts out of four starts in 2010 and no placing in 2011 as of yet, Stormy has made a less than impressive mark on the scene this year. Offspring to Stormy Atlantic and Willow Rush, this will not do much to improve his odds at becoming a contender, despite some of the strengths it lends to Stormy Rush. Sire Stormy Atlantic has had little to no placing on the racing scene, but has strong turf skills and has sired past winners. Willow Rush is a stakes winning dam, as is Stormy Rush's second dam, however this does not add a great deal to his chance of placing. The only help offered to this colt is through Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame inductee and trainer to winners of the '95 Wood Memorial and Gotham Stakes, Roger Attfield.



Stormy Rush made his strong debut in 2010, with two firsts and a third out of four starts, but there is not much buzz about this year's Kentucky Derby surrounding this Kentucky bred, three-year-old colt. Most thought that Rush would start in the 2010 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf after a less than stellar showing at the Bourbon Stakes, but his last race in fact ended there. In 2011, Stormy has remained undefeated but untested on the circuit thus far. With his last race in October last year, the question now is where we will see this colt's first maiden of the year. With a long layoff, it will be interesting to see where trainer Attfield chooses to open the season for Stormy Rush.



What is certain at this point is that Stormy Rush has not been mentioned as a potential for the Aqueduct Gotham in March of this year. Perhaps Attfield is waiting for the right opportunity with the Wood Memorial in April, but there has been no indication as to whether or not the colt will enter there either. Attfield is not one to shy away from running a horse that shows promise, but again surprised everyone with the decision to end Rush's season with the Bourbon. That being said, timing is everything and odds tend to be very good after a layoff of this length. The additional months of training could very well work in this colt's favor here.

Is it possible to determine the odds of this horse making it to Triple Crown contention? Perhaps not, but tendency is to look at the three-year-old contenders based on their previous year's statistics and performance. If that is the case, with excellent breeding, an impressive maiden start, and moderately notable wins throughout the 2010 season, perhaps Stormy Rush shouldn't be written off just yet.