Sim Trainer Stats
Sim Race Stats
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RAPID GREY
2002 horse, (Tactical Cat x With Approval by Bold Ruckus)
Owner/Trainer: champions2, champions4
Record: 58-23-14-7; $10,528,534
Win:Allied Assault H-G1, GSR Derby-G1, Windy City Turf Classic-G1 (2x), King Geoff and Queen Beth's Emerald S-G1, DUR Victorian Derby-G1, John Henry Classic-G1, Henry Trosek Turf Classic-G1, Godzilla vs The World Turf Classic-G1, Little Guppy Classic-G1, Keg of Guinness-G1, Prince of Whales-G1, Ferichenko Cup-G2, Pan American H-G2, Gilded Bay S, Victorian Coon Special, Quick Seattle Challenge S.
Place:Sand Castle Golden Turf Classic-G1(2x), Prix du Jockey Club-G1, Coxless S-G1, Lots of Luck-G1, The Turf Lounge-G1, Arkansas Turf Classic-G1, Salvatore S.
Show:Coalminer Cup-G1, Coxless S-G1, Lot's of Luck-G1, The Delta Republic-G2
Rapid Grey proved throughout his racing career that he was well named. Owned by various divisions of the champions stable throughout his career, the steel grey son of Tactical Cat was both game and classy, racing at the top of the turf route division for four consecutive years.
Rapid Grey began his career on the dirt, breaking his maiden at first asking. He would go on to place second in a minor stakes, then was distanced in his third outing. After an eight week hiatus, the colt returned to the racing wars on the turf, and he quickly showed that he had another gear on that surface. While he would settle for second in a turf sprint allowance, he flew from fourteenth to second in the blink of an eye and posted an 87 SF, the best of his career.
The lightly raced colt stayed in the allowance ranks to kick off his sophomore campaign. At seven panels, he began with a third, then won a “non-winners of two” with a 97 SF, then took down a small stakes at the same distance. With his late kick, it seemed that even longer races would play to the colt’s liking, but champions took a conservative approach, letting his colt build his confidence through the conditions. And so, when the grey once more returned to stakes competition, he had a five race win streak. He would close belatedly for fifth in the Silky Sullivan Stakes (after, ironically, showing a late kick much like Silky’s), and lost to Puppet Regime, a colt that Rapid Grey would face many more times over the course of his career. From there, the leggy grey would take another step up in class, to the Prix du Jockey Club-G1, but the added distance seemed to play to the colt’s strength. Champions was mostly right – Rapid Grey would have won but for the presence of Horseshoe Bay, a future Horse of the Year and Hall of Famer. Instead, the colt settled for second. The colt would race twice more that year. In the GSR Derby-G1, he charged from eleventh, after dropping almost 15 lengths out of it, to win going away. Rapid Grey followed that up with a second grade one score, this time in the DUR Victorian Derby-G1, defeating favored Jupiter’s Moons in the process. At the end of the year, Rapid Grey was viewed as one of the best in a tough division.
At four, the win streak continued. First came an easy confidence boost in a listed stakes to start the season. After that, the colt would once again show his dramatic late kick, going from eleventh to first in the Pan Americana Handicap-G2, leaving Rain God in his wake. From there, it was a trip to the rich Sand Castle Golden Turf Classic-G1, where a tough group of turf routers assembled to do battle. Ultimately, Rapid Grey left himself too much to do, dropping more than 14 lengths out of it on the backstretch, but passed the likes of Horseshoe Bay and Rain God, then the pacesetting Confederacy, to grab second, missing the victory to Puppet Regime by a length. The grey would settle that score in his next outing, defeating Puppet Regime by a head in the John Henry Classic, with Rain God and an aging Sunnybank Memorial also in the field. From there it was back to Ireland, where Rapid Grey had to settle for second behind Horseshoe Bay, beaten 4 ½ lengths by that rival, but finished ahead of Jupiter’s Moons. Cut back in distance to 10 panels, Rapid Grey showed still another gear in the Windy City Classic-G1, winning by 2 ¼ lengths with a 111 SF after dropping back 17 lengths in the early going. In a career full of thrilling finishes, this was one of his best. Favored New Storm was a well-beaten second. Stretched back out to 10 furlongs, the next two races were disappointing, at least by the colt’s other performances. He was a distant fourth in the Coalminer Cup-G1 before finishing a well-beaten fifth in the Breeders Bowl Turf-G1. A return to 10 furlongs did the trick, as the champions trainee closed out the year with a smart victory in the Harry Trotsek Turf Classic-G1 (112 SF). It had been another solid year, including one finish ahead of the divisional leader Horseshoe Bay.
At five, Rapid Grey picked up right where he left off, winning the Ferdichenko Cup-G2 as the heavy favorite. From there, it was back to his best distance of 10 furlongs, where he was favored in the Godzilla vs The World Turf Classic-G1. The colt dazzled with a three length win and a final time of 2:00 2/5, good for a 113 SF, which would prove to be the best of his career. After that came wins in the Little Guppy Classic-G1 and the Keg of Guinness-G1. In the Keg, the son of Tactical Cat made up more than 15 lengths to hit the wire just a head in front. From there, it was on to Royal Ascot, where Rapid Grey was heavily favored, and despite falling more than 15 lengths behind, the crowd did not panic, but let out a roar when the grey finally uncoiled his late kick. The favorite did not disappoint, catching pacesetter Rosenthal before prevailing by 2 lengths. The six race win streak finally came to an end in the Turf Lounge-G1, when Rapid Grey fell 1 ¾ lengths short, having to settle for second behind Otto Oh No. The tables would turn in the Windy City Turf Classic-G1, when the grey successfully defended his title in that race, winning by almost four lengths over Otto Oh No and Balerion. From there, Rapid Grey headed to France for a tilt at the Ark De Triumph-G1, but legendary frontrunner (and Hall of Famer) Lex Luthor went to the lead and never looked back, with Rapid Grey finishing a distant fourth. The colt was second in the Coxless S-G1, then faltered in the Pennsylvania Handicap, where he finished a non-threatening seventh to close out his campaign. While the beginning of the year was much stronger than the second half, the colt had won five G1 races and placed second in another two, continuing his ranking near the top of the division for a third straight year.
After some tough losses at the end of the year, champions gave his prize colt seven weeks off and a return against easier. An easy win in a listed stakes set the colt up for another tilt at the desert, but for the second straight year, Rapid Grey had to settle for the runner up position in the Sand Castle Golden Turf Classic-G1. This time, Kirby’s Best Yet had gotten the jump on the grey, and was able to hold him safe by 2 ¾ lengths. From there, Rapid Grey failed to defend his title in the Keg of Guiness-G1. He made up 12 lengths late for a belated fifth, although he was hardly disgraced, posting a 104 SF in the process. Next came the Arkansas Turf Classic-G1, where the heavily favored Rapid Grey was a fast closing second, once again making up 15 lengths but not quite catching Holdo. Holdo emerged the winner again in their next meeting, this time in the Lot’s of Luck-G1, where Rapid Grey was third. Fans were starting to wonder if the grey horse, now six, was starting to lose a step, but then Rapid Grey came out and proved them wrong in the King Geoff and Queen Beth’s Emerald Stakes-G1, beating Creepshow and Mia Then Back while making up 16 lengths to win by 3 ¾ lengths and posting a 110 SF. Rapid Grey was back. He would finish third twice and fourth once in his next three starts, all grade ones, but the grey showed again that he still had it in him in his seasonal finale, defeating Max California and The Gun Went Off in the Allied Assault H-G1 on DelPenn Champions Day, prevailing by a determined ¾ length and posting a 112 SF.
At seven, the miles started to catch up with Rapid Grey, and while he was still posting some fast times, the late kick was no longer quite there. After one third in the Delta Republic-G2 and four off the board performances in graded stakes company, the grey was dropped down to the allowance level for the first time since his sophomore year to see if that might do the trick. He would finish third. Rapid Grey would start 10 more times over the next four years, all at the allowance level, and while he won twice and hit the board several more times, the racing wars had clearly caught up with him.
Rapid Grey retired with a dozen grade one victories, and over $10,500,000 in earnings, good enough to make him tenth on the all-time earning list (as of this writing). He consistently raced at the highest level for four years. Rapid Grey's induction into the Hall of Fame is well-deserved.
As of this writing, Rapid Grey's son by Dylan Thomas, Rapid's Irish Grey, is unplaced in two starts sprinting on the turf, but it is too early to read too much into that.
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