NEWS
Reddam back to Breeders' Cup with Square Eddie
Posted: Saturday, October 04, 2008 6:33 PM
SQUARE EDDIE
Photo by Pat Lang, courtesy of Keeneland
by Steve Bailey
Prominent owner J. Paul Reddam turned a sun-kissed afternoon at Keeneland Race Course on Saturday into a trip to the $2-million Bessemer Trust Breeders' Cup Juvenile (G1) with a horse he has owned for less than five days.
Maiden winner Square Eddie, who Reddam purchased on Tuesday from British owner David Gorton, made a powerful move in the stretch and surged away from ten challengers to capture the $500,000 Lane's End Breeders' Futurity (G1) by 4 3/4 lengths.
The victory assured the Smart Strike colt out of Forty Gran, by El Gran Senor, a spot in the Juvenile as part of the Breeders' Cup Challenge "Win and You're In" series.
"That was impressive, wasn't it," said Reddam, who arrived at Keeneland about 2 p.m. EDT on Saturday to see the newest member of his stable. "We looked at the horse about two weeks ago, and the deal closed as soon as the horse got in the air to come to America on Tuesday.
"When we went back to the barn to see him before the race, he was calm and composed and we joked he looked like a baby Curlin since they are by the same sire. We weren't really sure what to expect, but needless to say we are very pleased."
Square Eddie won for the first time in his third start on July 22 at Salisbury, capturing a six-furlong maiden special weight race by 3 ¼ lengths. He finished second by a head in the Toteswinger Sirenia Stakes (Eng-G3) on September
6 at Kempton Park, drawing the attention of Reddam, who has made a habit of purchasing European horses who end up Breeders' Cup winners.
"I was impressed when he was second in the Group 3 because he finished strong and looked like he could use more ground," said Reddam, who campaigned Wilko to a victory in the 2004 Bessemer Trust Breeders' Cup Juvenile (G1) and Red Rocks (Ire) to a win in the '06 John Deere Breeders' Cup Turf (G1). "He showed a lot of courage coming to the wire. He was just very game.
"We also loved the breeding. He was a Canadian-bred, so we figured no matter what happened, he could go to the Canadian Triple Crown races next year."
Square Eddie settled off the pace in fourth then third in the Breeders’ Futurity as Notonthesamepage led the field through a half-mile in :47.54 and six furlongs in 1:12.10.
Jockey Rafael Bejarano called upon Square Eddie on the turn and the horse responded enthusiastically, driving powerfully over the synthetic Polytrack surface to a three-length lead in early stretch and an easy victory. He completed 1 1/16 miles in 1:43.04.
"As soon as we came into the turn, he just switched leads and took off," Bejarano told Southern California-based trainer Doug O'Neill, who saddled the horse for Reddam. "I couldn't have held him back if I wanted to. He's really, really strong."
Terrain closed willingly to finish second, 3 ¼ lengths in front of Pioneerof the Nile.
The victory capped a whirlwind week for O'Neill, who said he was thrilled to make the trip to Kentucky to saddle Square Eddie for Reddam.
"I don't know a lot about him but he seems very sound and very smart," O'Neill said. "With that pedigree, he's got all the ingredients to be a super horse. And he was super today.
"The only thing I can do now is keep bringing [Reddam] drinks and do whatever I can not to piss him off, so I'll get the chance to do this again in three weeks."
Reddam said O'Neill definitely will get that chance.
"We're going to do the obvious," Reddam said of running Square Eddie in the Juvenile. "I bought another European horse a few days before this one and he just finished second in a [European] race this morning. It's been a really good day."
For an Equibase chart, click here.
Steve Bailey is deputy news editor of Thoroughbred Times
