TRACKING THE TWO-YEAR-OLDS

The major native-bred two-year-old races are shaping up to be real crackers this season, especially with the announcement of the Lloyd Davis-owned and Rowan Mathie-trained Another Vigorous, who raised almost every eyebrow following his debut run last Saturday.

After some dynamic workouts in the mornings, Another Vigorous did not disappoint on debut as he romped home by three-and-a-quarter lengths in the $1.1-million Front Runner Sprint sponsored by Newport Mills Limited.

The gelded offspring of Legal Process out of the Go For Gin mare Miss Nickels got everyone off their feet when the hands of the timing clock stopped at 1:05.4 for the five-and-a-half-furlong (1,100m) event. The splits were recorded at 23.1 and 46.1 seconds.

The final time was just one-fifth of a second higher than the Stakes record of 1:05.3, which was achieved by Triple Crown winner She’s A Maneater in the same race last year. The track record is 1:03.1 held by Michele’s Magic.

Mathie said that although the win was expected, the performance was nothing to get excited about as he knows what his charge can do.

“It was a good performance by Another Vigorous to win the first time of asking. However, it was nothing really special, but it was a good performance.

“The plan coming into the race was to get a good break, sit in the pace and set for home the last two furlongs. He did just that and I am pleased. He is a bit green, so there is more room for improvement and you are going to see a lot more of him down the road,” Mathie informed.

From a level break, Commander Two (Javaniel Patterson) shot into the early lead as Another Vigorous settled tightly behind in second spot some three to four lengths in front of Greek Goddess (Omar Walker) and A Seh Soup (Andree Powell) trying to play catch-up.

Another Vigorous pulled alongside Commander Two approaching the top of the lane and the two were in a fierce battle in deep stretch, but with powerful strides Another Vigorous edged away for an emphatic victory to open his account.

The manner of victory had sent a powerful warning to his peers, especially with the Cash Pot ‘Only One For Me’ Trophy — the first leg in the Supreme Ventures Limited Two-Year-Old Triple Crown series — just under a month.