Santa Anita Track Feature: Let Em Shine

SANTA ANITA TRACK FEATURE: LET EM SHINE

BY ZEETA CASE

The subject of this article is involving the racehorse Let Em Shine. The colt shows lots of promise and is a 2 for 2 this year after finishing 3rd in his debut. He is a 3 year old colt out of Songandaprayer and the Johannesburg mare, Justaspell.

After leading the entire way until the finish as a 2 year old in his debut the horse has only shown promise. He has gone up in class and has been showing his talent and natural speed ever since and this time it has been giving him wins. Whereas it is only two wins at 6 furlongs I think the pedigree suggests that stretching out could not only be tactical but possible.
To judge the distance Let Em Shine may be able to go we need to consider some horses in the line. The sire is Songandaprayer as previously mentioned. We know that he was a contender in the 2001 Kentucky Derby and that he finished 13^th out of 17 horses. Before the running of the 127^th Kentucky Derby, the horse had won the Fountain Of Youth (G1) at 8.5 furlongs, and placed 2^nd in the Toyota Blue Grass Stakes (G1), contested at 9 furlongs. He had also raced 5^th in both the Florida Derby (G1) and the Holly Bull Stakes (ungraded at the time).  His record ended with a 8: 3 – 1 – 1 mark and earnings totaling $380,480. He was a distance horse and has 190 foals running and 130 winners along with 14 stakes winners including; Surplus Singer, Evelyn’s Dancer, Say A Novena, and High Emotion.
Then you have the father and son, both in which were distance horses and classic winners. They are Unbridled’s Song and champion Unbridled. Unbridled’s Song is winner of the Breeder’s Cup Juvenile (G1,8.5f), Florida Derby (G1,9f), Wood Memorial (G2,9f). Unbridled’s Song was also a winner at 7 furlongs in the ungraded Olympic Handicap as a 4 year old. Unbridled was a winner at 10 furlongs in the Breeder’s Cup Classic but also won at 7, 8.5, and 9 furlongs. Together these two, father and son, won 51 furlongs in stakes races including graded.
Johannesburg fits into the category as well. He won Breeder’s Cup Juvenile in America and won races in England, Ireland, and France and all were contested at long distances. Capote won the 8.5 furlong Breeder’s Cup Juvenile and Norfolk Stakes.
Other long distance running horses include the famous Seattle Slew, Fappiano, Caro,  Storm Cat, (a personal favorite) Ogygian, and many others down into the deeper end of the line. The mares in this line however were not as great runners as the males. As you look at what some of these mares have produced then it becomes more of an eye catcher.

What, though, has Let Em Shine shown that would lead to conclusions that he may be a force to be reckoned with? Well for one two wins in a row by at least 10 lengths combined shows that tactical speed and he can endure the distance of it. Note the times of both races. In his first win, in my opinion a more impressive race involving time. The (number) will indicate the second start he had this year the time. He went to the ¼ pole in 21.00 (21.39), the ½ in 43.23 (43.88), ⁵/₈ in 55.36 (56.24), and a finishing time of 1:08.36 (1:09.14).

So from his debut to his start now the horse has shown nothing but improvements and promise. I believe with the right course this will be a horse to watch in the future. Perhaps not a Kentucky Derby contender but a legitimate horse that can win when asked. Sprinting (6-7 furlongs) should be no problem for this colt and I hope to see him move up in class and to be another great one among the horses that the racing world has seen.

Link to his pedigree for more research on horses in his line: Let Em Shine