New Kid on the Block: Vividly
In the second of this five part series, we turn our attention to the Brendan Walsh barn
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Happy New Year! With the new year comes a new batch of horses to get to know some of whom were previously raced overseas. Oftentimes, the horses with the biggest names and resumes get the most attention before their debuts, but I want to focus on the lesser known horses who could make a splash in the US.
In the second of this five part series, New Kid on the Block focuses on a mare who aims to finally fulfill her potential in the US.
Vividly
Charm Spirit - Zero Gravity, by Dansili
Former trainer: Charles Hills
New trainer: Brendan Walsh
Vividly -- bred and initially campaigned by Juddmonte Farms -- has the top notch breeding one comes to expect of horses from that outfit. She is by G1 winning miler Charm Spirit -- whose progeny have notably taken well to quick ground -- and is out of stakes winning Dansili mare Zero Gravity. Obvious successful bloodlines aside, it’s a pedigree which suggests she should appreciate firm ground and American racing conditions overall.
Vividly debuted as a two-year-old at Newbury and the performance itself was nice. What you don’t see in the short replay below is that she didn’t have a clear path when the leaders began to quicken. Once the gap opened, however, she found the line well en route to a third place performance.
It’s worth noting that was over good-to-firm ground and the runner-up Dark Lady wound up going on to win a G3 later that season. It was a decently productive race overall with three of the nine horses winning their next outing.
One of those three next out winners was, in fact, Vividly and she did so in brave gate-to-wire fashion.
Following the win, Vividly was off for over two months before disappointing in the G3 Oh So Sharp stakes at Newmarket, but it was the first time she raced over ground with “soft” in the designation. She didn’t look comfortable over that footing and it was noted by the vet post-race that she lost her right hind shoe in run.
Vividly ran a mediocre fifth when reverted back to past tactics of running off the pace in her 2020 debut at Ascot.Her final European performance was under 0-95 handicap conditions at Goodwood, Vividly took some money having been sent off at 15/2. Returning to the pacesetting ways which saw her successful in her maiden breaking score, Vividly was allowed to get to that position rather easily and she traveled comfortably in the early stages of the race. When initially asked, she appeared to respond, but when put under further pressure, she quickly was wrapped up by rider William Buick. While the post-race vet report did not result in any abnormal findings, rider William Buick stated he heard Vividly make a noise and her trainer Charles Hills indicated she appeared to lose her action. The following month, she was sold as a broodmare/racing prospect to Avenue Bloodstock. Avenue Bloodstock are a relatively new group, but they’re made up of some of the biggest names in the business including former long-term members of the Godolphin team John Ferguson and Mark McStay. Among their savvy buys in recent years have been G3W/G1P Finche (private purchase) and Jockey Club Derby runner-up Pedro Cara.
Aside from her likely preference for typical US ground conditions, I’d expect Vividly to be benefitted from getting away from a handicap system. Her handicap rating was too high and it left her in no-man’s land abroad. Essentially, she was unlikely to win off of her current mark in a 0-90 or 0-95, but when right physically she would race well enough that her rating was unlikely to drop by much. In America, however, she would be eligible for a first-level allowance.
Since November, Vividly has been working regularly at Palm Meadows Training Center. Brendan Walsh often works his horses to finish together on the line, so it can be a bit tough to glean too much from vision of said works. What I have taken from watching her, however, is that she has looked fitter both physically and mentally as she’s progressed through the winter for his barn. In November, she was a bit weak through the line and had to be pushed more to finish, whereas by the end of December she had looked more comfortable and had appeared to finish her works more willingly.
Does Vividly look like a future G1 winner? Probably not. She does, however, come to America with conditions in hand and all being well she could be capable in lower tier stakes races.
Did you miss part one of New Kid on the Block? If so, find it here.
Exactly the type of insight I was hoping for with this series! I don't fully understand the handicap system overseas so thank you for that, but I do understand Brendan Walsh training a horse with conditions and can see getting real value on this one. I appreciate all of the detail in here from the breeding to the old/new owners, to the old/new trainers, and even the training style. I DID do a double take at the Dam's sire. The great Barry and Joni Butzow campaigned the FL-bred Zero Gravity who is still running in Florida last I saw but not for the Butzows any longer.