Einstein Jammed In Stephen Foster by Macho Again
Macho Uno Colt Holds On For First Grade One Victory
Jun 20, 2009
In March on synthetics, he made Helen Pitts-Blasi the first female trainer to win the $1 Million Santa Anita Handicap.
In May on turf, he encored with a scintillating come from behind Kentucky Derby day victory in the $250,000 Woodford Reserve Turf Classic Stakes.
In June on Churchill Downs dirt, he fell a nose behind United Arab Emirates Triple Crown champion Asiatic Boy, an Argentine-bred, and a length short of winner Macho Again's driving forge down the center of the track in the $660,000 Stephen Foster Handicap.
He's Einstein.
Apple of Pitts-Blasi's Eye Einstein
The brainchild of Midnight Cry Stable, Einstein is the hard-working, seven-year-old dark bay darling of Helen's eye. He carried high weight in the Stephen Foster, 124 pounds, to four-year-old Macho Again's 117 pounds and six-year-old Asiatic Boy's 122.
Einstein was favored in his attempt at a third consecutive (grade 1) win on three different surfaces. He was chasing the record of the greatest winning earner and former claimer of all time, Lava Man. A Stephen Foster win would have made Helen's cerebral bay the first Thoroughbred to accomplish that task in the same year.
Traffic Jam Trapped Einstein in Stephen Foster
Trapped behind traffic early, jockey Julien Leparoux praised Einstein's effort. He told interviewers, "...when I finally got room at the eighth pole, he finished strong. He was the best horse."
Meanwhile, the gray Macho Again mattered under rider Robby Albarado, winning his first grade 1 in a last to winner's circle surge, using a circuitous wide turn path but gaining a victorious edge in his final sustained strides.
Macho Again Trainer Dallas Stewart Pleased
Trainer Dallas Stewart watched Macho Again, a Macho Uno son and Holy Bull paternal grandson, travel the Stephen Foster course in 1:49.75. The colt won the grade 2 Jim Dandy Stakes in 2008, as well as the grade 2 New Orleans Stakes in March this season. Macho Again earned second in the 2008 Preakness Stakes and in the grade 2 Super Derby for West Point Thoroughbreds.
To be a Kentucky stallion, "...you've got to be a grade 1 winner," commented West Point Thoroughbreds president Terry Finley.
Macho Again improved his winning mark to six wins from eighteen starts and career earnings of $1,475,247. He also has four places.
Pitts-Blasi Trained Einstein from Beginning
Pitts-Blasi calls Einstein, winner of eleven races from twenty-six starts, "a special animal". A son of thrifty Spend a Buck, Einstein is headed for the $3 million level in earnings with a bankroll of $2,609,904.
Pitts-Blasi has conditioned Einstein since trainer Ken McPeek purchased him for $60,000 for Midnight Cry Stable. Pitts-Blasi formerly served as a McPeek assistant.
In 2008, Einstein finished runner-up to Conduit in champion male turf horse Eclipse Award voting .
Pitts-Blasi's favorite equine Einstein could be headed for another thought-provoking ballot chase if he outthinks his rivals in the autumn Breeders' Cup competition.
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