After a 1:52.4 performance in his sophomore debut a week ago, 2022 Dan Patch and O'Brien Award winner Stockade Seelster turned things up a notch on Friday (April 21) with an eye-opening effort.
With trainer Dr. Ian Moore once again at the controls, Stockade Seelster did all the work during his second test of the season at Florida's Southern Oaks Training Center. After sharp opening quarters of :26, :53.3 and 1:21.3, Stockade Seelster opened up on stablemates Lawless Shadow (Rick Farrington) and Watchmaker (Kyle Husted) with a :28.4 closer for a 1:50.2 mile. He was four lengths better than his O'Brien Award and multiple stakes-winning older stablemate Lawless Shadow.
Moore told Trot Insider last week there "probably won't be time enough to get a qualifier or race in before that first stake race," referring to the SBOA Stakes at Woodbine Mohawk Park on May 12, but the sophomore certainly appears ready to rumble off this morning's sharp effort.
Owned by Sally & Paul MacDonald, Stockade Seelster (State Treasurer - Soiree Seelster) posted a record of 8-0-2 in 11 starts during his rookie season with $917,470 in earnings and a mark of 1:49.3 en route to divisional honours both in Canada and the U.S.