Running in the shadows – Ruler on Ice inching closer to glory
Like a silent assassin the sophomore colt, Ruler on Ice, has been quietly finishing on the money all year long and putting in performances which should be highlighted more, but in his case it’s either expectations sore because he is the Belmont Stakes winner
or he is a victim of less hype created before any other big race he participates in.
Either way Ruler on Ice has had a pretty good 2011, and a 3-year-old season which is not necessarily over because the George and Lori Hall star is expected to run in probably the most important post Breeders’ Cup race and the first Grade 1 event of the fall
meet, the Grade 1 Clark Handicap at Churchill Downs.
But let’s assess Ruler on Ice’s 2011 season in descending order, which of course takes us to America’s best race, the 2011 Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Classic.
As the field roared down the Churchill Downs stretch, everybody missed the colt running in distinctive pink and orange silks, maybe because they were too busy watching the stubborn front runner, Game on Dude and the prominent Drosselmeyer who became the
focal point when he started his flashy streak for the ultimate winner.
Ruler on Ice settled for third money, above the favourite Uncle Mo and his stable mate Stay Thirsty who wilted to finish 10 and 11th on the day, he even left behind the fantastic filly, Havre de Grace.
Going two months back, Kelly Breen opted to run Rule on Ice in the Grade 2 Pennsylvania Derby. Ruler on Ice wasn’t expected to do all that well because he was coming off a 4th place finish in the Grade 1 Travers Stakes to winner Stay Thirsty.
The son of Roman Ruler did make the Pennsylvania Derby winner To Honor and Serve a little nervous and stretch when he was homing in on him, but like his luck he ran out of ground to finish a respectable, second in a well run race.
The Kentucky bred colt prior to his rare off the board finish in the Travers Stakes, was involved in another Grade 1 million dollar race, the Haskell Invitational.
Ruler on Ice roared past his opponents to meet Shackleford in the stretch, they both would’ve made something out of nothing in that race, but Bob Baffert’s unknown runner Coil showed an amazing turn of foot to from last to front to spoil the party for the
two Triple Crown protagonists.
Belmont Stakes was where it all started, and Ruler on Ice would love to win the last major race of the season and the calendar year with a bang.
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