Post by S u N f r O s t ~ on Sept 29, 2014 9:31:14 GMT -5
Pedigree: HoF True Enough x On To Dancing
Race Record: 60 21/18/13
Awards Won:Y7 Encouragement Award
Y8 Encouragement Award
Y9 Best Dirt Horse
Radiance is an older horse. He comes from a time period many of you are not familiar with, and unfortunately many of you are also unable to comprehend just how different this time period was. Races were not entered by race week - they were put up in individual threads which were then responded to. However, the greats of past racing all hail from this time period, and Radiance was definitely among them. Looking at his two year old season, you will see that he won an impressive seven times, hitting grade three and capping it off with a fantastic victory in the Breeders Cup Juvenile. This was in a time when juveniles were tossed against older horses for some of their races, which makes his record very impressive.
As a three year old, Radiance hit the Triple Crown trail with a vengeance. He took the Wood Memorial Stakes then moved into the Kentucky Derby. After placing third, it was decided to rest him for the Belmont Stakes. After skipping the Preakness, Radiance came back strongly with an amazing victory in the Belmont Stakes. From there, he consistently faced older horses through the rest of the season and still won. Among those wins are the Dubai Colt Cup and the Palm Tree Paradise Invitational. He also placed second in the Climax Cup and third in the High Strung Derby. Consider how in today's day and age, three year olds typically don't face their elders until the latter months of the season. For Radiance, it was older horses from the get-go due to the differences in race schedule structure. That obviously made it difficult for three year olds to excel until they became older horses themselves...yet Radiance did. He finished off his season by rolling in the Breeders Cup Marathon.
As a four year old, Radiance retained his title as one of the top dogs. He won the These Old Bones Stakes, the Independence Stakes and the Dubai Colt Cup. After running such a great season of mainly firsts and seconds, Radiance entered the Breeders Cup Classic and won beautifully. It was at that point in time that an old member of the site, Kirsten Jade, said to me "What more can you expect out of this horse? Just retire him!". She was correct - what more could I expect out of Radiance, who had won three different Breeders Cup races including the Juvenile - Classic exacta? There was nothing Radiance had to prove on the track when he retired. It had all already been said.
Yet another member, Ripley, has already commented on Radiance's fitness for a place in the Hall of Fame. Here are her comments: "Y9's Best Dirt Horse, was only outperformed by Stablemate Impressario. Is that really the only thing keeping this bay horse out? He ran 60 times, won 21 of them. He took the Breeders Cup Juvenile, the Hardcore Cup, the Diamond Stakes twice, the Wood Memorial, the Dubai Colt Cup twice, Belmont Stakes, Breeders Cup Marathon, and the Palm Tree Paradise Invitational. He also won the Bank On Silver Memorial, the These Old Bones Stakes, the Independence Stakes, and the Breeders Cup Classic. His campaign is very similar to Bank On Greatness'. Does one deserve to be in, but not the other?"
With all of this in mind, I firmly believe that Radiance deserves a place in history in the Hall of Fame and I hope that you do too!
MAJOR RACES WON
Y7 Breeders Cup Juvenile
Y8 Wood Memorial Stakes
Y8 Summer Cup Grade 3 Dirt
Y8 Dubai Colt Cup
Y8 Belmont Stakes
Y8 Breeders Cup Marathon
Y8 Palm Tree Paradise Invitational
Y9 Bank On Silver Memorial Stakes
Y9 These Old Bones Stakes
Y9 Summer Cup Grades Four, Three & One Dirt
Y9 Independence Cup
Y9 Dubai Colt Cup
Y9 Breeders Cup Classic
NOTABLE ACHIEVEMENTS
By today's standards, Radiance may not look overly impressive. But you have to remember that this horse raced between seven and five SIM years ago. Back then, the racing schedule was not as developed as it is now...but the competition was still tough, and Radiance proved himself an impressive foe. To give you an idea of just how old this horse is, some of the races in his final season were randomized. With that in mind, let's talk about his achievements. Radiance won three different Breeders Cup races as well as the ever-impressive Dubai Colt Cup not once, but twice. Unfortunately, results from Y9 are the only ones you can actually look up, but take my word for it when I say this horse was impressive. In the Y9 Classic he defeated Limitless Time among others, and in the Y9 Dubai Colt Cup he defeated that same foe as well as eventual three-time Breeders Cup winner Bank On Greatness. Radiance defeated the best during his time and actually retired early after his four year old season, which never happened for my horses at the time, as a result of his achievements. He deserves a spot among the best.
