Photo by Eclipse Sportswire

Preps are most generally associated with major stakes races, but they can also come in handy for claiming horses.

The difference is that for claimers the “preps” are not always that obvious.

Ludicrous Speed serves as an excellent example of how a prep turned in by a claiming horse can be a rewarding experience.

In five straight starts from Aug. 8 through Nov. 22 – all in $6,250 claiming races – Ludicrous Speed ran at a mile in each of them. He started near the back of the pack in all of them and then rallied without success. In the Nov. 22 start, he came the closest, finishing second, a length behind the winner.  In those four other starts, Ludicrous Speed’s best effort came on Nov. 6, when he was fourth, beaten by 3 ½ lengths.

Ludicrous Speed had a late kick, but it simply wasn’t strong enough to propel him into the winner’s circle.

So on Jan. 2, trainer Gary Jackson decided to sharpen his horse’s speed by entering him in a six-furlong race, again at the $6,250 claiming level. He even put an apprentice jockey on Ludicrous Speed to give him a seven-pound weight break.

With the turnback to a sprint, it was no surprise that Ludicrous Speed was last in the field of nine after the opening quarter mile. But what happened in the final furlong showed a new side of Ludicrous Speed. Though he finished third, 2 ½ lengths behind the winner, Ludicrous Speed flew home. He made up 5 ½ lengths in the final furlong in a solid effort.

With that race under his horse’s belt, Jackson returned Ludicrous Speed to a one-mile race on Jan. 23 at Gulfstream Park, again at $6,250, and put regular rider Edgard Zayas back in the saddle.

Benefitting from the conditioning he gained in the turnback to a sprint, Ludicrous Speed closed as powerfully in the mile race as he did in the sprint. Fourth with a furlong to go, Ludicrous Speed once again kicked into high gear. The strong late burst of speed that was missing from his previous mile races came into play as he closed fastest of all to win by a half-length at highly attractive 6-1 odds.

It may not have been a prep in the traditional sense like the Wood Memorial Stakes or Jockey Club Gold Cup, but for a claimer a turnback in distance in one race can certainly lay the foundation for success in a subsequent start.

THE LESSON: Turning back in distance can sharpen a horse’s speed and prep it for an improved performance when it returns to a longer race.