Visionaire
Brandon Benson/NYRA photo
2005, Grand Slam - Scarlet Tango, by French Deputy
Breeder: Reiley McDonald (Ky.)
Owner: Team Valor and Vision Racing
Trainer: Michael Matz
Regular Rider: Jose Lezcano
| Age | Starts | 1st (SW) | 2nd (sp) | 3rd (sp) | Earnings | |
| 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | $23,960 |
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| 3 | 10 | 4 | 0 | 2 | $441,922 |
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At 3: 1– NetJets King's Bishop S. (G1), Gotham S. (G3), 3– Northern Dancer S. (G3), Risen Star S. (G3)
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Visionaire
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Gone West
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Bright Candles
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French Deputy
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Silver Tango
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Mr. Prospector
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Secrettame
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El Gran Senor
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Christmas Bonus
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Deputy Minister
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Mitterand
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Silver Badge
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Royal Tango
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Consigned to 2007 Ocala Breeders' Sales Co. June two-year-olds in training and horses of racing age sale by Vision Sales, Stephens Thoroughbreds, agent. Purchased for $220,000 by Vision Racing.
Grand Slam won both the 1997 Champagne Stakes (G1) and Futurity Stakes (G1) as a two-year-old and went on to win the Peter Pan Stakes (G2) as a three-year-old as well as finishing second in the Breeders' Cup Sprint (G1) to Reraise.
Click on the above link to go to the Thoroughbred Times Stallion Register page for Grand Slam.
Dam Scarlet Tango was a winner whose first two foals to race are also winners, while granddam Silver Tango was a stakes winner and earner of $474,892.
Silver Tango is a half sister to stakes winner Sentimental Tango, a Seattle Slew granddaughter, who is the dam of Grand 3 winner Merengue, dam of Grade 3 winner and Grade 1-placed Point Determined.
Northern Dancer 4S x 5D
Bold Ruler 5S x 5S x 5D
Four crosses of *La Troienne through Businesslike, Baby League (2), and Bimelech
Contender Status
Visionaire jumped into the Top 20 of the Thoroughbred Times poll by virtue of his third place finish to Pyro in the Risen Star Stakes (G3) at Fair Grounds on February 9.
It was the first stakes race for the Grand Slam colt who was stepping up from a 5 1/2-length allowance victory at Gulfstream Park on January 4.
He had been owned by Vision Racing at that time with an interest being sold to Team Valor International prior to the Risen Star.
Visionaire ran an even race in the Risen Star, third or fourth throughout the running, but like others in the field was victimized somewhat by the slow pace, the mile being run in 1:38.75 in the 1 1/16-mile contest.
"I had to stay inside today," jockey Jose Lezcano said. "The pace was very slow, so we had to be a little bit closer."
Trainer Michael Matz opted to try the Grand Slam colt in the Gotham Stakes (G3) on March 8 at Aqueduct and was rewarded with the colt's first stakes victory as Visionaire and Lezcano emerged out of a heavy fog over a sloppy track to just nip front-runner Texas Wildcatter by a slender nose.
"My plan was just to make one move and come with a strong finish," Lezcano said. "I felt I had a lot of horse coming off the turn. I think he showed how good a horse he was today. He handled everything."
The Gotham victory put Visionaire squarely on course for the Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (G1).
Matz had considered Visionaire's next start to be in the Illinois Derby (G2) on April 5 at Hawthorne Race Course, but then decided the best course of action would be the Toyota Blue Grass Stakes (G1) on April 12 at Keeneland Race Course.
"Obviously, I didn't want to face Pyro and Cool Coal Man," Matz said of two of the top Blue Grass contenders.
"My big worry was having an extra week before the Derby and I won't get that now with going in the Blue Grass, but he won't have to ship up there [to Hawthorne] and back again. He's going to stay [at Keeneland] until he is shipped up to Churchill."
April 28 - Four furlongs breezing in :48.40 at Churchill Downs, track fast. 11th best of 44 workouts at the distance.
Trainer Michael Matz, noting that Visionaire worked with the maiden filly Novel Twist on April 28:
"He just needed a little target to go at; he's not a very good work horse.
"They don't give away money for works before the race."
April 22 - Four furlongs breezing in :49.60 at Keeneland Race Course, all-weather track fast. 16th best of 43 workouts at the distance.
"He just did a little maintenance work here, and then he'll do one more at Churchill," trainer Michael Matz said.
Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (G1) on May 3 at Churchill Downs
Team Valor's Barry Irwin, on trying to watch the Gotham Stakes (G3) run on a sloppy (sealed) track in a heavy fog:
"We went in the TV room and couldn't see a darn thing. We couldn't see anything until the stretch. That's the way to watch a horse race: just watch the last eighth [of a mile], then you don't get nervous. We were very nervous because of the way the track was playing."