Currency Swap Takes Early Florida Frosh Lead

Monday, May 15, 2017

Bernies Blog

So far, seven of Florida's freshman sires of 2017 have had at least one runner. There have been 14 runners in all, and only Woodford Thoroughbreds' Currency Swap has had a winner. The son of High Cotton is represented by R Paper Chaser, who broke his maiden in his debut at Gulfstream Park on May 10, getting 4 1/2 furlongs in :51.74, just three-fifths of a second off the track record.

R Paper Chaser earned $19,600 for the effort and has his sire in first place on the frosh sire list. But Currency Swap has just 30 registered 2-year-olds in this crop, and several of the others have many more, so it's going to be a struggle for Currency Swap to maintain his early lead as the season develops.

Woodford also has the early second-place sire in the War Front stallion Soldat, who already has four runners. His Pete Marwick finished third at Keeneland on April 26 and collected a check of $4,470.

In third place is Pleasant Acres' Treasure Beach, whose Tigerbeach finished fourth at Keeneland on April 26 and earned $2,235, then came back and finished third at Churchill Downs on May 12 and banked another $5,600. Next comes Bridlewood Farm's Corfu, who has also raced twice and has posted a pair of fifths, good for $2,682.

Pleasant Acres' Anthony's Cross has one runner, Seminole Charlie, who finished fourth at Gulfstream on May 3 and earned $2,000. Two other Pleasant Acres stallions, Brethren and Poseidon's Warrior, have had nothing significant as yet.

FIRST SW FOR OVERDRIVEN - Last year's freshman sire race was somewhat boring, mainlybecause the lsit of stallions was so small, and only Ocala Stud's Overdriven and Woodford's Biondetti accomplished much. Biondetti led Overdriven in earnings and number of winners, but that has turned around so far this year. Overdriven leads in earnings - $486,627 to $292,389 - and in winners, 17 to 14. Now, Ocala Stud's stallion has added the first stakes-winner for either.

Arms Runner won the $101,690 Desert Code Stakes at Santa Anita by 1 1/2 lengths with an apparent liking for the downhill 6 1/2-furlong turf course. Norberto Arroyo Jr. had him geared down the final sixteenth of a mile. Arms Runner was purchased for $525,000 at the OBS March sale last year, and he's now 2-for-2 down the hill for Rockingham Ranch.