As a handicapper, I refuse to be swayed by horses with names that catch my attention. When analyzing a race, I judge each horse on their own merit regardless of their name… but as a racing fan, I won’t hesitate to cheer for horses with appealing names. Bring on those “Kittens!”
As a resident of Wisconsin, I was pleased to learn that there is a horse named Wisconsin currently racing in Ireland. While watching races in Europe one Saturday morning, I happened to see his debut at the Curragh on May 13th, in which he finished a good second while going ten furlongs. Intrigued by the name, I looked him up and discovered that Wisconsin is a regally-bred three-year-old son of Deep Impact out of the multiple Group 1-winning mare Peeping Fawn. His pedigree, coupled with his connections (he’s trained by Aidan O’Brien and owned by Coolmore), led me to believe that Wisconsin was a colt worth watching.
Fast forward to May 25th, and I watched Wisconsin prevail in a 12.5-furlong maiden race at Tipperary, opening up a large lead in the homestretch before holding off a late rally from Steel Prince to win by three-quarters of a length.
Wisconsin wins at @TipperaryRaces and is the first offspring of Japanese sire Deep Impact to win in Ireland, giving Aidan O’Brien a double: pic.twitter.com/yLSCMPNYYh
— At The Races (@AtTheRaces) May 25, 2017
Only time will tell how talented Wisconsin might be, but he’s currently among the early entries for three upcoming Group 2 races in England and Ireland, including the King Edward VII Stakes and the Queen’s Vase at Royal Ascot. You never know–Wisconsin might just turn out to be the type of horse that I can cheer for as both a handicapper and a racing fan!
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