Tuesday, October 2, 2018
One of the most unique stallions on this year's Florida general sire list is Two Step Salsa, the son of Petionville whose sixth crop reached the races this year.
The Get Away Farm sire began his career with two graded stakes-winners from his first crop (2011), Blue Grass Stakes winner Dance With Fate and Palos Verdes Stakes winner Conquest Two Step. In his first year, Two Step Salsa's progeny earnings hit $620,716. For the next four years, he was very consistent - from a low of $1,601,980 to a high of $1,695,866.
Last year was his high water mark, with a personal best of 58 winners and earnings of $1,909,980. With three months remaining on the schedule, Two Step Salsa has achieved new highs, 59 winners and earnings less than $6,000 from breaking $2 million. With Salsa Dog running today at Presque Isle Downs and Flying Emerald at Thistledown, that milestone could be reached before midnight.
What makes the feat so much more surprising is that Two Step Salsa doesn't have even one stakes-winner this year. What he does have is 24 runners who have earned more than $100,000, led by Dance With Fate at $680,050.
One who has no regrets sending mares to Two Step Salsa is Dennis J. Federico, who has bred full siblings Maddy's Salsa (3-year-old filly) and Maddy's Last Dance (2-year-old colt), both out of his stakes-winning Dance With Ravens mare Maddy's Dance. Now eight, Maddy's Dance has just the two foals following a racing career during which she compiled a record of 5-1-3 in 15 starts with earnings of $165,940. She broke her maiden for Federico in her Suffolk Downs debut in 2012, won the Maryland Million Distaff Handicap at three, and closed out her career with victories at Delaware Park and in the Million.
Maddy's Salsa raced in Federico's colors 13 times before being claimed out of a winning race by Bruno Schickedanz for $10,000. She's now 2-4-1 in 15 tries with earnings of $54,650.
Maddy's Last Dance finished second in his Sept. 3 debut at Gulfstream Park and collected $8,590, then came back and scored in a $50,000 claimer on Sept. 27 and earned $26,150, a total of $34,740. He'll earn a bunch more before he's finished, as will Maddy's Salsa, along with several more of the stallion's solid runners.
And Two Step Salsa's numbers will continue to reach new heights for the next 90 days.
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