and i'll be coming around any day now, just you wait

Horses, just like kids, develop at different rates. Without fail, the kids that dominate sixth grade dodge ball find themselves soon surpassed physically (and usually mentally, too) by many of their peers come high school. The alpha kids peak and the rest of the pack slowly but surely matures and muscles up, leaving Ricky's parents wondering what in the heck went wrong. Sad stuff, really, but Ricky's folks will always have the middle school years to look back on.

With horses, you'll see certain precocious ones dominate their peers quite convincingly this time of year and even deep into the 2yo season, much like Ready's Pleasure did so in the Tremont last week at Belmont. I mean, there was no doubt that this guy was a man among boys on the day. He'll probably have many other days like that, too, running up at Saratoga this summer. Rest assured, though, that as the weeks and months roll by, his peers will catch up physically and mentally and prove much tougher competition. For $410,000 as a yearling he's a nice 2yo, sure, but you'll be hard-pressed to see him have an impact next season when the classics roll around.

Check out this article on his dam from the Form. She was purchased for a pittance off the racetrack, which goes to show that a bit of pedigree can go a long way in today's commercial market.