If thoroughbred racing emulated the other major sports and added ear-splitting music to the fare during live action, they could have had the 1974 Bachman-Turner Overdrive smash hit "You Ain't Seen Nothin' Yet" blaring from all speakers as today's first race was being run at Turf Paradise.

    Among the entrants in the $5,000 claimer at five furlongs was one "Bullseye," a gelded son of Perfect Mandate out of Ms Hearts N Arrows, bred in California by Old English Rancho and Berumen. What makes this tale so worthy of BTO's No. 1 song is that Bullseye is nine years old, and he was making his first career start for owner/trainer W. R. Whitehouse.

    When Whitehouse happened upon Bullseye only he and the breeders know and I'm sure we'll soon find out, but we do know the gelding was entered in the California Thoroughbred Breeders' Association's Northern California Yearling Sale in 2009. He didn't bring his reserve, and was listed as a $9,200 RNA.

    Fast forward to a couple of months ago. Bullseye begins working at Turf Paradise and has five morning trials on his tab, the best one being his last, a 49-flat from the gate, 19th best of 32 that day. Not earth-shattering. 

    The gelding drew the No. 1 post for his debut with Ronald Richard as his rider. When the windows opened for the race, Bullseye took a pretty good monetary hit early, and was sitting at even money for a while. He began drifting up slowly thereafter, but when Richard settled him in the gate, Bullseye suddenly reared and his jock jumped off, while the horse turned sideways and stuck one leg over the side of the gate. 

    The assistant starter got him squared away quickly, while the vet gave him the okay. Richard hopped back on, and when they sprung the latch, the price was 4-1. Bullseye broke a tad slow, but Richard quickly sent him up on the inside to take over the lead, with the No. 2 horse,  2-1 second choice Coulson, just to his flank. Bullseye continued on the lead and the pair opened up daylight on the field, but at the top of the stretch, Bullseye opened up daylight on Coulson and the gelding roared away to score by nearly seven widening lengths. It was the stuff of which legends are made. 

    Bullseye paid $10.20, $5.60 and $3.40 and no doubt those in the know who bet all that early money made a pretty good score. As for Whitehouse, the first-place check was only $3,828 but maybe he made that much on his wagers. The next question is: how long will it be before we see Bullseye again? 

      

    

comments powered by Disqus