Thermal Cat
 

OK, he isn't on the Derby trail. He's not in the Derby. But he is a 3 year old and running on the Churchill card tomorrow. I did a double take when I first saw the 102 Beyer and looked up the results from Hawthorne on April 11 myself. This fig looks legit. Track was very deep that day. He won by 8.5 lengths over Bet Seattle, who came back last week to win. The gap from 3rd to 4th was another 7 lengths. Smokem Gray, who was 2nd in a key race on March 21 ( 5 also rans have since graduated) was absolutely drowned by Thermal Cat, beaten nearly 19 lengths.

The last time I saw a Hawthorne maiden produce a similar performance it was Meadowlake.

Last year I remember Asmussen had a first timer that ran something like a 112 or so in Southern California. But he must've gotten hurt from the big effort.

Curious to see if this colt can duplicate the effort. Even with the 102, I suspect the crowd won't trust the number and make Baffert's horse the favorite.

Declan's Moon I think is the horse you are talking about. Ran that at Santa Anita, first time out. Edited: I looked it up and it was Del Mar.

I think it was Maclean's Music. Don't know what happened to him after that first start.

What about Meafara? :)

Funny i was just glancing at this race in my form......Id take him over the baffert horse...GL

You're right. I forgot about her. There was another freakish fast horse named Pleasant Prospect around 83 or 84 who won big at AP, then went to Suffolk for a $100 sprint stake and won easily, only to get hurt and get retired. Meadowlake lasted 2 starts.

As for Meafara (a daughter of Meadowlake) she ran back before the BC had a sprint for fillies and mares. She still ran 2nd against the males.

Meadowlake won his maiden by 22, the Arlington Futurity by 6 (both at Haw) and an allowance race at Belmont by 2 1/2. Might have been special.

Had to be euthanized after breaking down during Race 1. Connections of Thermal Cat just scratched their other runner today in Race 8, Imposing Grace after this tragedy.

What a shame. Just uncanny how many debut winners that earn a monsterous speed figure are doomed to short-lived racing careers.

Anyone remember Melair absolute freak?

RIP Thermal Cat
 

I don't even want to read the article, just makes me feel ill. Could be these two-year-olds who are breaking down after brilliant first performances are getting microdamage to their bones, making them vulnerable next time out. It wouldn't be surprising, they've probably never run so far so fast before, the exact situation that results in microdamage. There's a test coming for microdamage as it's implicated in catastrophic breakdowns, can't arrive too soon.