Wilson On Warrawee Kay
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For the most part, the breeders of standardbred stars don't tend to get much time in the spotlight. Trot Insider has spoken with Mike Wilson of Warrawee Farm, as Warrawee Kay embarks on the biggest test of her young career.
"I've owned parts of horses that won the Kentucky Futurity and Breeders Crown, but watching a horse that you bred race in major stakes events is like watching your child participate in the Olympics, I suppose," Wilson told Trot Insider.
Wilson said that he is heading down to the Meadowlands Racetrack to watch Warrawee Kay to perform live in the $700,000 Breeders Crown Two-Year-Old Filly Pace (Race 3) on Saturday.
The bay daughter of Real Desire has assembled an enviable resume from her nine career starts. Trained by Steve Elliott, Warrawee Kay has won four starts and finished second on three occasions. The filly lowered her mark to 1:51.3 in a front-stepping Bluegrass Stakes victory. The Bluegrass score came three weeks after just missing by a half-length in her $300,000 division of the Kentucky Sires Stakes finals.
"Her dam (Armbro Wisdom) was a nice mare that we had bought in 2000 in Kentucky," Wilson explained. "She's a full sister to Armbro Romance p,3,1:49.4 ($794,375). She had a right front leg that was almost turned completely outward, so we opted to breed her instead of racing her."
Wilson told Trot Insider that when Warrawee Kay hit the ground she was "pretty nice looking." Wilson says that as she developed, though, nice-looking became something more.
"She looked really good as a yearling," said Wilson. "I told my friends to buy her. I knew the kind of potential she had, but nobody bit." Warrawee Kay was purchased by Alan Pataskala for $30,000 at the 2007 Lexington Selected Sale. Heading into the Breeders Crown this Saturday, the young lass has already banked $167,140.
"The first thing I noticed about her as a yearling was her athleticism. She had a great video. I find that when it's easy to 'video' a yearling, they usually turn out to be pretty good -- she proved me right."
Wilson said that one of the knocks people had against Warrawee Kay was that she was too small. He said that he didn't buy into it. To be fair, the proof of the filly's worthiness is in her lines.
In Warrawee Kay's 'Crown' elim last Saturday, Ron Pierce raced her from off the pace. When Kay made her move, she packed a wallop. Firing off a second-over trip, Pierce and his charge were flying late. Courtesy of a :25.4 final quarter over an off track, Warrawee Kay finished just a half-length back in second to Hawaiian Drink, who stopped the clock in 1:55.3.
Warrawee Kay's line from the Crown elim looks attractive, especially since she was coming in off a pair of qualifiers and hadn't raced pari-mutuelly since October 1 in Lexington.
Wilson told Trot Insider that a Warrawee Legend, a Dragon Again half-brother to Warrawee Kay, sold for $52,000 down at the Harrisburg Sale this year. Warrawee Memory, an American Ideal half-sister to Warrawee Kay, is currently at Wilson's farm.
"I've bred Armbro Wisdom back to Real Desire," Wilson told Trot Insider. With the success of 'Kay,' there is no wonder why.
To view printable program pages of the Breeders Crown races, click here.
Please remember that the preliminary program pages are based on information provided by the Meadowlands, and that final driver changes have yet to be made.