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Sim Trainer Stats Sim Race Stats |
STORMY PROSPECTOR Owner/Trainer: bertamiran Record: 65-12-10-4, $11,014,350
Win: Breeders’ Bowl Classic-G1, Sand Castle Classic-G1, San Francisco Capitan Handicap-G1(2x), Sword Swallower S-G1,Canada Turf-G1, Bluegrass Cup Turf-G2(2x), Soupy Sails Classic-G2, Lil Zak Handicap, Media Starguest Handicap. Place: Breeders’ Bowl Classic-G1, Japan Classic-G1, Man of War Stakes-G1, Classic Turf Stakes-G1, United Countries Handicap-G1, Oldtimer Cup-G1, Secretariat Sweepstakes-G1, Dawn to Dusk Cup-G2, Confederate Stakes-G2, Slow Tree Special-G3, Marcos Footwear Handicap-G3. Show: California Handicap-G1, Japan Classic-G1, Flagman Ahead Stakes. The dark, handsome colt had a series of minor problems early on, but had always flashed talent. So, it was with high hopes that bertamiran sent the unraced five year old to the track. Stormy Prospector battled down the stretch to win by a head in decent time. Encouraged by that auspicious beginning, Bertamiran boldly sent his horse into stakes competition for an encore, and once again Stormy emerged victorious by a head, making up six lengths in the stretch over Son Sliding, a nice horse in his own right. The win streak came to an end next time out. It would take two more starts before Stormy captured another stakes, this time coming from way off the pace, and was deemed ready for the big time (although whether his connections knew the heights Stormy would later hit, who knows?). The graded stakes debut came in the G2 Soupy Sales Classic, and G1 winner Oliver Plus Pit was in the field. Once again, the dark bay would lag towards the back of the pack early, uncorking a furious, relentless drive down the stretch to win going away by two emphatic lengths, earning a 112 SF for the 9 panels. For whatever reason, Stormy was switched to the turf off that impressive performance, and yet, he did not disappoint, almost pulling off a second G2 victory in his first start on the lawn, but falling just 1/4 length short, again recording a 112 SF for the distance. On the turf, Stormy would tend not to drop as far back as he did on the main track, giving up less ground to his competition. Two bad outings later, his connections, undeterred by the losses, sent him against a tough field in the G1 United Countries Handicap. This time, the handsome colt outkicked Dusty Dance, School Kris and High Devil to finish second, but couldn’t catch Huge Tale. Two bad starts on dirt later, Stormy Prospector would again return to the turf, this time finishing a distant second behind Joe Cayenne, who was launching his own career to stardom. A trip to the Bluegrass was in order, and Stormy made it a rewarding one, capturing the G2 Bluegrass Turf Cup Turf by nearly six lengths. He then encountered a tough field in the G1 Classic Turf Stakes, and could only manage a distant third against Erica’s Well and Enough Knock. After encountering no better success against Joe Cayenne in the G1 Coalminer Cup, the decision was made to pass the Turf, and instead point for the Breeders’ Bowl Classic. Having gone winless on the dirt since the Soupy Sales, his connections were undeterred by their star’s chances, instead betting so heavily on their charge that he ended up the 7/1 second choice. Stormy Prospector justified their confidence, stunning a top caliber field that included Oliver Plus Pit, Mine Forest, One the Naked (who would take champion older horse honors that year), New Slew, Writer Orange and Down the Jazz, making a nice move on the back stretch to run down most of the field, and blowing past the pacesetting Oliver Plus Pit to romp home first by an emphatic 4 1/4 lengths. Stormy Prospector had earned his first G1 victory in style. Final time for the 10 furlongs was a remarkable 2:00 4/5 (118 SF). Stormy Prospector would make one more run that season, finishing second in the Japan Classic behind High Devil. From maiden to Breeders’ Bowl Classic hero, Stormy Prospector had an incredible season. The following year, Stormy Prospector got off to a slow start, but made the third race of the year count. Sent to the desert to compete in one of the sim’s richest races, the G1 Sand Castle Classic, Stormy was kept closer to midpack in the early going, and unfurled his usual kick to get clear at the top of the stretch, and then drew off to win by more than four lengths over Dusty Dance. Stormy Prospector had now won the sim’s two richest races, and proved that his Classic victory was no fluke, earning a 123 SF for the 10 panels. Switched back to the turf off of this monstrous effort, Stormy Prospector would capture the G1 San Francisco Capitan over High Devil and Joe Cayenne, adding his first G1 victory on the turf to his resume. The toll of the shipping and those two races, soon caught up to the six year old, and he would finish off the board in his next five starts. A return trip to the G2 Bluegrass Turf Cup would do the trick, as Stormy Prospector made amends, winning the race for a second straight year, beating Project Thor and Dusty Dance in the process. Bertamiran was looking for Stormy Prospector to repeat in a much more important race, though, the Breeders’ Bowl Classic. This time dismissed in the wagering at 15/1, Stormy Prospector, made his patented late run, but was outridden by the daring ride of Darling on Mine Forest, who had struck first, and left Stormy with too much to do. Still, Stormy Prospector was beaten a little more than a length for all the glory. A return trip to the Japan Classic was equally disappointing, as Stormy was a dull ninth, but he did manage to finish out the year with a second in the G1 Oldtimer Cup. While the season clearly had some ups and downs, it would be hard to be disappointed with a win and a second in the sim’s two richest races. At age seven, Stormy Prospector would earn Equinics silver in his second start of the year, beaten by Danger Zone in the Secretariat Sweepstakes. A trip to Dubai proved to be a letdown, as Stormy never got untracked, finishing ninth. However, a return to the G1 San Francisco Capitan was apparently exactly what the dark bay needed, as he exploded in the stretch to win by more than four lengths, leaving the likes of Joe Cayenne, Our Well and Mat Jodie in his wake. The years and the miles were beginning to catch up with Stormy, and while he could still pull out the big performance on occasion, they were not happening with the same regularity. It would take four more starts before he would hit the board again, this time finishing second behind Joe Cayenne in the G2 Dawn to Dusk Cup. Stormy Prospector used that race as a springboard to yet another G1 victory, beating a game Majestic Water and Green Bow in the Sword Swallower Stakes, posting a 116 SF for the 12 furlongs. Three starts later, Stormy won the G1 Canada Turf Handicap. This would prove to be the final victory of his storied career. He would compete in the Breeders’ Bowl Classic for a third and final time, but like the Sand Castle earlier this year, Stormy never really got in the game, finishing a distant eighth. Three G1 wins, and silver in the Equinics was an excellent year by anyone’s standards, but his connections had been hoping for a bit more on the sim’s two richest days. Stormy Prospector never hit the same heights again. In sixteen starts at eight and nine, he would be on the board only twice, placing in a pair of G3 stakes early in his 2003 campaign. Still, that sad ending did little to tarnish his illustrious accomplishments. Stormy Prospector’s career earnings are second only to Joe Cayenne, and as the big race specialist he left an impressive legacy, a win and a near miss in the Breeders’ Bowl Classic, a victory in the rich Sand Castle Classic; one wonders what Stormy might have been able to accomplish had he been able to race at three and four. |
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