The good news for Michael Peterson is that his Mor Spirit appears to be progressing nicely off his Los Alamitos Futurity (USA-I) win after a solid victory in the Robert B. Lewis Stakes (USA-III). The bad news is that Songbird probably wouldn't have had any difficulty in beating him had she been entered, which doesn't bode well as to how he would fare against the top colts in his division.
In all fairness, Mor Spirit is still a work in progress. He has a monstrous stride that takes a little ground to get in gear but promises good things as the distances stretch out. Gary Stevens had to deliver a couple of reminder notices to get down to business after the colt straightened away in the homestretch, but once Mor Spirit leveled out, it was a pleasure to see the way those long, rhythmic strides covered ground. I suspect this colt will always be a little vulnerable to being bumped about, which may be a weak point in looking forward to May and the annual rodeo that is the first quarter of the Kentucky Derby (USA-I); long-striding horses usually have more difficulty recovering from being checked or knocked off stride than their more agile counterparts. But get Mor Spirit to the final turn in striking range and give him clear sailing ahead, and his ability to deliver a sustained drive will make him dangerous over longer routes.
So far as pedigrees go, Mor Spirit is depending mostly in his sire Eskendereya to supply the stamina needed for the Classics. How far Eskendereya would have gone isn't known, since he was injured before he could prove himself over distances longer than 9 furlongs, but he was certainly bred to go on. By Giant's Causeway out of a mare sired by Seattle Slew from an Alydar daughter, he traces back to modern foundation mare Almahmoud through the fine producer Queen Sucree (by Ribot), and his third dam is a Northern Dancer half sister to 1974 Kentucky Derby winner Cannonade. The distaff side of Mor Spirit's pedigree leans more toward quickness, giving him a nice balance between speed and stamina influences.
Mor Spirit's next target will probably be the Santa Anita Derby (USA-I), where he is almost certain to face stiffer competition that may include 2015 American champion juvenile male Nyquist, Nyquist's talented foil Swipe and the currently-unbeaten Smokey Image. How he fares there will give a clearer picture as to where he stands among his peers as all the prep paths converge on Louisville.
In all fairness, Mor Spirit is still a work in progress. He has a monstrous stride that takes a little ground to get in gear but promises good things as the distances stretch out. Gary Stevens had to deliver a couple of reminder notices to get down to business after the colt straightened away in the homestretch, but once Mor Spirit leveled out, it was a pleasure to see the way those long, rhythmic strides covered ground. I suspect this colt will always be a little vulnerable to being bumped about, which may be a weak point in looking forward to May and the annual rodeo that is the first quarter of the Kentucky Derby (USA-I); long-striding horses usually have more difficulty recovering from being checked or knocked off stride than their more agile counterparts. But get Mor Spirit to the final turn in striking range and give him clear sailing ahead, and his ability to deliver a sustained drive will make him dangerous over longer routes.
So far as pedigrees go, Mor Spirit is depending mostly in his sire Eskendereya to supply the stamina needed for the Classics. How far Eskendereya would have gone isn't known, since he was injured before he could prove himself over distances longer than 9 furlongs, but he was certainly bred to go on. By Giant's Causeway out of a mare sired by Seattle Slew from an Alydar daughter, he traces back to modern foundation mare Almahmoud through the fine producer Queen Sucree (by Ribot), and his third dam is a Northern Dancer half sister to 1974 Kentucky Derby winner Cannonade. The distaff side of Mor Spirit's pedigree leans more toward quickness, giving him a nice balance between speed and stamina influences.
Mor Spirit's next target will probably be the Santa Anita Derby (USA-I), where he is almost certain to face stiffer competition that may include 2015 American champion juvenile male Nyquist, Nyquist's talented foil Swipe and the currently-unbeaten Smokey Image. How he fares there will give a clearer picture as to where he stands among his peers as all the prep paths converge on Louisville.
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