It's Deja vu All Over Again© Greg Melikov
Jan 21, 2003
Lion Tamer strolled out and right away caught our eye. The colt was on his toes. His coat was shiny. It was Jan. 4 at Gulfstream Park.
Good friend Brad and I were reunited during the second day of the meeting during my holiday visit to South Florida.
Three years ago on Jan. 29 at the South Florida track, I nudged Brad and said: "Boy -- look at that horse. He certainly doesn't look like a first-time starter."
My friend responded: "You're right."
Several months later, I wrote here:
"Out pranced Trippi, trained by Todd Pletcher and ridden by Jerry Bailey. No lead pony. A perfect gentleman. I hadn't seen that shiny a reddish-brown coat in a long time. Body language communicates positives: a horse prancing on toes, head tucked toward the chest, neck arched, ears pointed and tail slightly raised sends incontestable signals.
"They're off and he breaks in the air. Oh, my, I think to myself, so much for that selection. Then Trippi makes up a ton of ground. He wins in a hand ride, covering five furlongs in 57 2/5 -- four-fifths of a second off the track record -- and 1:10 1/5 for the six furlongs isn't too shabby. He won by more than four lengths."
While Lion Tamer was starting his third race, he reminded me of Trippi. His presence. His posture. His stride warming up. Ironically, he is trained by Pletcher. But John Velazquez was in the irons.
Like Trippi, Lion Tamer broke last. Like Trippi, he stalked the pace and made up ground quickly. Like Trippi, he went the six furlongs in 1:10 1/5. Unlike Trippi, he won by more than eight lengths.
Trippi turned out to be a sprinter, winning seven of 14 races. His daddy was End Sweep and he was is out of the Valid Appeal mare Jealous Appeal.
He won his first four, including the Flamingo Stakes at Hialeah Park, but finished 11th in the Kentucky Derby. His next two victories at Belmont Park were by whopping margins: nine lengths in the Riva Ridge Stakes and 4 ½ lengths in the Tom Fool Handicap.
In 2001, because of foot problems, the earner of $666,220 was retired.
Lion Tamer's sire is Will's Way, whose first foals were 2 years old last year, while his granddad was Easy Goer. He is out of the Olympia mare Tippecanoe Creek.
Lion Tamer should go longer - Will's Way defeated Louis Quatorze and the favored Skip Away in the 1 ¼ miles Travers in 1996. As a 4-year-old, he beat Formal Gold and Skip Away in the '97 Whitney at 1 1/8 miles.
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