Sweet Lou: He’s not alone

After his 1:47.4 victory in the North America Cup, crowds all around the standardbred hemisphere think that he’ll dominate this division this year.

Then, I come in, proving he won’t.

It may be true that Sweet Lou leads the division, but that doesn’t mean he will beat this group in every start. What makes a great horse is he can lose, but make up for it the next start by doing something tremendous.

I’ll use Rock N Roll Heaven as an example. He was the super horse of 2010 and he lost some of the major races, including the Meadowlands Pace and North America Cup. But that doesn’t take away from how he did it that established his great legacy.

Rock N Roll Heaven started out his campaign with a win in the Berry’s Creek, which was not run in 2012, and rebounded to go the fastest mile in New Jersey Sires Stakes history, going 1:48.3.

Rock N Roll Heaven banked $2,748,818 in his campaign.

One of his major lows came in the Burlington, where he was caught in the fog and the light of the teletimer spooked him. He broke stride and circled the course in the wrong direction.

Qualifying four days before, Rock N Roll Heaven then took his North America Cup elimination in 1:48.4 (One second slower than Sweet Lou), to come up short in the final and lose to Sportswriter.

When Rock N Roll Heaven shipped back to the Meadowlands, he went the fastest Meadowlands Pace elimination in 1:47.3. Is it possible that Sweet Lou can face the same fate?

That is where I’m getting at. Sweet Lou may never equal Rock N Roll Heaven, but he is in the same spot as he was two years ago. Breaking the Canadian record, Sweet Lou will have to face the misfortune of some of the favorites in the North America Cup.

Right now, you’re probably saying well, who can beat Sweet Lou. One quote said that, “Every so often, there comes to racing a horse so perfectly conformed, so talented and so tragic that it breaks the hearts of even the most hardened horsemen.” That book came from The Complete Book of Thoroughbred Racing, aimed towards the great filly Ruffian.

It can slightly relate to Sweet Lou. There is no doubt that he is talented, but talent is one thing and luck is another. Any horsemen will tell you that it is entirely based on the trip, unless you get that horse of a lifetime. If that horse is Sweet Lou, that is too early to tell, but from a handicappers view, anything is possible.

Hurrikane Kingcole winning a leg of the NJSS

One competitor throughout the year will be Hurrikane Kingcole. Making a break in his elimination, he paced some unbelievable fractions. He went :30.3, :58 (:27.2), 1:23.3 (:25.3) and 1:49.2 (:25.4). Analyzing those fractions, you will see his final half was in :51.2 and final three-quarters in an astonishing 1:18.3! If you don’t know, the fastest three-quarters ever was in the 2009 Meadowlands Pace, where Somebeachsomewhere paced 1:19.1. The three-year-old son of Cams Card Shark was not in tip-top shape at two, but looks to beat a monster closer at three.

Ontario-Sired Warrawee Needy

Another threat on the trail is the Jamieson trained Warawee Needy. The three-year-old went amazing miles in the Ontario Sires Stakes, but did not equal Sweet Lou’s sub-1:50 Breeders Crown triumph. But, it takes one bad move to change the entire outcome of the race and Warawee Needy will likely follow Up The Credit’s path, just being slightly greater than he.

The Virgil Morgan trained Pet Rock also seems to be a likely-spoiler this stakes season. The Rooney champ always gets into the race late and seems to know how to get the trip. He may be like Rockin Image in 2010, running-up to Rock N Roll Heaven in nearly every outing.

The last one I’ll mention is oddball Simply Business. He seems to be as tempered as Hypnotic Blue Chip, by that I mean he races when he feels like it. How can we tell? Look at his last couple of lines. He lost his Metro elimination last year and exploded in the final. Its all up to how he looks before the race.

 
There are many more that can challenge Sweet Lou in his 2012 campaign. You can’t assume that he is the best from one race. A good horse can win, a great horse can win big, but a champion is truly the best. It is too early to tell if Sweet Lou is harness racing's next superstar.