HMDC AND PARTNERS FIRST JUVENILE RUNNER OF THE SEASON STARTS
A new generation of HMDC and partners runners have been readied steadily for their career debuts and a gelding named Slingshot will be the first to break from the gate. He’ll face a bulky field of ten 2-year-olds in the first race (12:50 pm), a 5 1⁄2 furlong dash for Accredited-breds that carries a purse of $33,900. Trainer Justin Radosevich has been bringing him along steadily and Victor
Fernandez has been assigned the ride.
Slingshot is the first of a extended partnership with Taste of Victory Stable and TBC Racing, in that they have decided to invest for the long run as evidenced by the fact that Slingshot is bred by “HMDC Racing Stable.” At this stage of the game there are no past performances to guide us as to the talent level at the races, so we will look at pedigree and recorded workouts as a measuring stick.
Slingshot is a son of the late Ohio Champion Stallion, Dominus, out of Untainted by Speightstown. That mating created a speed-influenced pedigree with inbreeding to the great Mr. Prospector in his third and fourth generation. Like young athletes, juveniles develop at different paces, and Slingshot has been brought along steadily for his debut. Justin has done just that. It appears that two of Slingshot’s main foes in this group are also sons of Dominus with HMDC connections – Hardway Mike was bred by Mapleton Farm and Silence Earthlings a product of the Duncan Farms program.
His recorded works are not eye-popping, but let's look as his personal improvement in the workouts rather than those of precocious morning glories. His 4-furlong work on September was a leisurely :52 2/5 out of the gate. Seven days later he returned for more gate familiarity and quickened his time to a :49 2/5 clocking. Using the standard 1/5th of a second equals a length, Slingshot improved his performance by 15 lengths. Looks like he is sitting on go.
Later on the card, in the 7th race our Bonita Dominica will seek redemption after a head-scratching debut. A late-developing daughter of Dominus- Surviving New York- Survivalist, she was sent away as the favorite in her debut only to run a uninterested sixth. Trainer Justin Radosevich has decided to make a change and has equipped her with blinkers to keep her focused. Chances are, that he took her for a test spin on September 2 with the blinkers and she recorded the fastest 3-furlong work on the tab. Sometimes change is good for a change. Instead of breaking from the outside post, as she did in her debut, she will break from the rail in this $33,900 maiden event for Accredited- breds at 6 furlongs. Jose Bracho will be back in the saddle.
