Al Stall Refuses to Place His Colt in a Bind

Zipse's Kentucky Derby Daily - Day 66

Take a second to think of who has been the most impressive three-year-old to compete so far in 2011? I don't know about you, but the answer I come up with is a recent maiden winner at the Fair Grounds for the honor. Bind is his name and he was positively super and scintillating eleven days ago.

Bind, despite only running in a maiden sprint, stole the show on the stakes filled card at the Fair Grounds oval with his 9 1/2 length runaway. The dark bay colt completely dominated the field of eight maidens, rallying from just off the fast pace under Rosie Napravnik and drawing off in the stretch to win for fun. The 11-10 choice of the bettors left onlookers thrilled and wanting more.  The clock validated what fans had seen. Final time for the six panels was a robust 1:08.80, less than a second off the track record at Fair Grounds of 1:08.03. Bind would earn a 105 Beyer for his effort.



The Kentucky Derby buzz started before the good looking colt had hit the wire. A  performance like that tends to get people excited, and it is that time of year when everyone is thinking Kentucky Derby. Everyone, that is but Bind's trainer Al Stall.

Bind will not be pointed to any of the Triple Crown races. So says Stall, and I believe the trainer who is noted for his patience.

A February foal, Bind is a son of Pulpit, out of the Unbridled mare Check. The well bred colt is a homebred of Claiborne Farm, owned in partnership with Adele Dilschneider, as was Al Stall's big horse from last year, Blame. In a stroke of pure luck, Claiborne looked to sell Bind in the 2009 Keeneland September yearling sale, but he did not sell on a final bid of $180,000. Stall was not able to get the colt into serious training until last Fall, and now sees no point in rushing the potential star simply due to Derby fever.

Stall was patient with Breeders' Cup Classic winner Blame, and so he will be with Bind. I, for one, am glad they won't be stunting the horse's potential and longevity by hurrying for the Derby. I like the plan, bring him along patiently and concentrate on races like the Travers and Super Derby, and then on to the fall.  

As you can tell, I am very excited to see what Bind can do. He looks like a legitimate star in the making, and should have no trouble with a distance. No Kentucky Derby? That's OK by me. Like Al Stall, I will be patient and look for all the good things to come down the road.



Meet Brian Zipse

Brian has been a passionate fan of horse racing his entire life. Taken to the races at a very young age, he has been lucky enough to see all the greats in person from Secretariat, Forego, and Ruffian through Rachel Alexandra, Zenyatta, American Pharoah and Justify. Before coming to HRN, Brian displayed his love for the sport through the development of his horse racing website, which quickly became one of the most popular blogs in the game. His racing partnership venture, Derby Day Racing, invites more fans to experience the thrill of racehorse ownership.

The Editor of Horse Racing Nation from 2010-2017, Brian authored a daily column as Zipse at the Track, created the popular racing webcast HorseCenter, and added his editorial flare to the overall content of the website. Now a Senior Writer for HRN, Brian continues to contribute his thoughts on racing, as well as hosting HorseCenter. A big supporter of thoroughbred aftercare, he serves on the Board of The Exceller Fund.

Brian's work has also been published on several leading industry sites. He has consulted for leading contest site Derby Wars and is a Vox Populi committee member. He is a voter for racing's Hall of Fame, as well as a weekly NTRA poll voter. 

A horse owner and graduate of DePaul University, Brian lives just outside of Louisville with his wife Candice and daughter Kendra.

 
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