Last year, Field Commission was one of a sparse Florida freshman stallion class. The son of Service Stripe, who stands at Solera Farm, had just four registered foals in his initial crop, and only one of them started. That was Ten Hut, who finished sixth twice and eighth once in New York, earning $1,217.

    Based on those stats, the people at Solera asked The Jockey Club if the 2009 Champion Sprinter in Canada could receive special dispensation and be counted as a freshman again this year. The original answer was yes, but that has not happened. Field Commission is listed under second-crop sires this year.

   On Feb. 26, Ten Hut made his 2016 debut at Aqueduct, and, at odds of 12-1, turned in by far his best performance. The 3-year-old colt finished second, beaten a neck, and earned $8,200.

    On Wednesday, the first Florida-bred 2-year-old to run in 2016, a Field Commission colt, showed up at Keeneland. Drafted went off at 4-1 racing 4 1/2 furlongs over the newly-installed dirt track, and flew to a 2 3/4-length victory under Mitchell Murrill. The colt won at the direct expense of trainer Wesley Ward's Spelker, co-owned by former NFL wide receiver Wes Welker, who was the 20-cents-to-a-dollar favorite.

    The Equibase chart doesn't come close to telling the real story about the race. It shows Drafted sitting one length off the rapid pace set by Spelker - a quarter in :22.26 - but the reality is that Spelker was three lengths in front of Drafted on the turn for home, and Drafted inhaled him with a powerful wide move, drawing off late in a track-record :50.45 seconds after a :44.34 half. The victory was worth $26,650 and Field Commission is, at least temporarily, Florida's second-leading second-crop sire. He does have 32 registered foals for 2016.

    Drafted was entered in the Kim Harrison consignment in the 2015 OBS August yearling sale, and was RNA'ed for $19,000. She had him back at the recent March sale and he went for $35,000 to P. R. Laird and trainer Eoin Harty, who look like they have a good one on their hands. 

    

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