January is a month as uncertain as its weather for newly turned 3-year-olds. Generally speaking, those racing at this time are not the division's top prospects from the year before; those will not usually be seen under silks until February or early March. The colts taking their first tentative steps on the road to Churchill Downs in January are often those who waited until the last quarter of the year to break their maidens, too late to get into the mix for the major fall 2-year-old races. Sometimes, like 2006 Kentucky Derby (USA-I) winner Barbaro, they become stars. More often, they have their brief moment and then fade from view as the sophomore competition becomes more intense.
Which way El Areeb will go isn't known yet, but he certainly looked the part of a rising 3-year-old hopeful in taking the January 2 Jerome Handicap (USA-III), the first points race of 2017 for this year's Road to the Kentucky Derby. Already a stakes winner over 6 furlongs in November, the gray son of Exchange Rate ran off and hid from six rivals in his first test over a route. That earned him his first graded win and 10 points toward a Derby starting berth, but more importantly, it revealed a willingness to rate off a rival until asked. As both his previous wins had been scored in front-running fashion, the new tactics were an important step in the colt's mental maturation and bode well for his ability to compete at the next level.
El Areeb is a son of the late Exchange Rate, who scored his biggest win in the 2001 Tom Fool Handicap (USA-II). Before writing El Areeb off as a speed horse who got lucky over a wet track, however, it's worth remembering that Exchange Rate's progeny include stakes winners at up to 2500 meters (about 12 furlongs). Further, El Areeb hails from a solid Canadian family that includes Queen's Plate winner Regal Intention and Canadian Oaks winners Tilt My Halo and Tiffany's Secret, and his dam is a daughter of 1992 Belmont Stakes (USA-I) and Breeders' Cup Classic (USA-I) winner A.P. Indy. He will still have to prove that he has inherited the speed and the stamina to become a contender along the Triple Crown trail, but today's win was certainly a step in the right direction and a positive omen for his future.
Which way El Areeb will go isn't known yet, but he certainly looked the part of a rising 3-year-old hopeful in taking the January 2 Jerome Handicap (USA-III), the first points race of 2017 for this year's Road to the Kentucky Derby. Already a stakes winner over 6 furlongs in November, the gray son of Exchange Rate ran off and hid from six rivals in his first test over a route. That earned him his first graded win and 10 points toward a Derby starting berth, but more importantly, it revealed a willingness to rate off a rival until asked. As both his previous wins had been scored in front-running fashion, the new tactics were an important step in the colt's mental maturation and bode well for his ability to compete at the next level.
El Areeb is a son of the late Exchange Rate, who scored his biggest win in the 2001 Tom Fool Handicap (USA-II). Before writing El Areeb off as a speed horse who got lucky over a wet track, however, it's worth remembering that Exchange Rate's progeny include stakes winners at up to 2500 meters (about 12 furlongs). Further, El Areeb hails from a solid Canadian family that includes Queen's Plate winner Regal Intention and Canadian Oaks winners Tilt My Halo and Tiffany's Secret, and his dam is a daughter of 1992 Belmont Stakes (USA-I) and Breeders' Cup Classic (USA-I) winner A.P. Indy. He will still have to prove that he has inherited the speed and the stamina to become a contender along the Triple Crown trail, but today's win was certainly a step in the right direction and a positive omen for his future.
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