2010 2yo Champion Colt or Gelding: Madman Diaries

Madman Diaries, a bay two-year-old son of Ward’s own stallion, Bring the Heat, flew to a track record maiden win and a stakes score at Woodbine in his first season of racing. His efforts in Canada were enough to garner the gelding the most votes for the champion two-year-old colt or gelding Sovereign Award.

Ward, who bred the gelding in Florida from his mare Harper N Abbey, owns half of the horse, having sold 50 per cent of him early in 2010 to California commodities trader Robert Teel. ‘It’s something every breeder dreams about,’ said Ward. ‘It’s just fantastic, I own the stallion, the mare and I raised him from just a little guy.’

Ward, the North American champion apprentice rider in 1984, retired from riding in 1989 due to weight problems and began training, initially with his father Dennis, and then on his own in the early 1990s. In 2009 he became the first North American trainer to send a horse to the prestigious Royal Ascot meeting in England and win: Strike the Tiger won the Windsor Castle Stakes and Jealous Again won the Group II Queen Mary Stakes.

Scroll to continue with content

Ward, 43, began shipping horses to Woodbine to race on a sporadic basis in 2008 and had shared some stalls in 2010 with fellow American trainer Larry Rivelli. He brought Madman Diaries to the Toronto track after the speedy gelding finished second in his career debut on April 8 at Keeneland Race Course.

A month later, on May 9, Madman Diaries wowed Woodbine onlookers with a booming 9 3/4 length maiden win in the track record time of :51 for 4 1/2 furlongs. ‘The purses are so lucrative up at Woodbine, I thought I would take him there to race,’ said Ward.

It proved to be a shrewd move as Madman Diaries flew to another lopsided score in his next start, a 9 1/2 length romp in the Victoria Stakes, the first juvenile added-money event at Woodbine in 2010. The gelding had the required two Canadian starts under his girth to be eligible for a Sovereign Award following his Victoria score but stayed for one more outing, the $150,000 Colin Stakes.

After assuming his customary place on the pace, Madman Diaries was locked in a tough stretch battle with hotshots Glory Game and Devilish Stunt, but then had to check in tight quarters very late and wound up second. It was after the Colin that Teel bought into the gelding through Warren Byrne, a Canadian/California-based bloodstock agent. Ward freshened up his youngster and sent him up to New Jersey for the prestigious Sapling Stakes (GIII) at Monmouth Park, which would the gelding’s first run on a traditional dirt surface.

With grit and determination, Madman Diaries battled throughout the six furlongs and edged away to win by half a length at 5 to 1 under his regular jockey Jeffrey Sanchez. The hard race led Ward to rest Madman Diaries for a few weeks before he sent his charge to the big day of racing, the Breeders’ Cup. Electing to try the shorter of the two juvenile races, the one-mile Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf, Ward was not only taking a chance trying his quick guy at a two-turn distance, but on the grass for the first time.

It turned out to be one of the best races of the young horse’s career. He forced the pace to the top of the stretch, got clear of his rivals before he weakened in the last furlong and wound up fourth, just 2 1/2 lengths behind victorious Pluck and runner-up Soldat, the latter who went on to win the Fountain of Youth Stakes (GII) at Gulfstream this winter. Madman Diaries’ juvenile record bested those of his Canadian based rivals such as fellow nominees Blue Laser and Rockin Heat, the one-two finishers in the Grade III Grey Stakes.

The champion’s sire, Bring the Heat, won three of seven races on the track and was stakes placed. A speedy runner, Bring the Heat is by Grade I winner In Excess (Ire) and from the stakes placed Incinderator mare One Hot Mama. Madman Diaries dam Harper N Abbey, by Florida stallion Outflanker, is one of six modest foals from the brilliant mare Meafara, who was second in the Breeders’ Cup Sprint on two occasion.