On Saturday, January 4, 2025, racing enthusiasts were treated to the debut of Stormbringer, a striking bay colt born of Bold Conquest and the illustrious Triple Crown champion, She’s A Maneater. Trained by Jason DaCosta and ridden by Robert Halledeen, Stormbringer launched his career in a maiden condition race for native-bred three-year-olds, covering a distance of 5 ½ furlongs. His morning workouts had hinted at a progressive start and he didn’t let anyone down.
Stormbringer made a strong start, settled into a rhythm early on, and displayed a powerful acceleration that left his competitors trailing far behind. His victory margin of an astounding 24 lengths marked one of the most significant wins in recent memory. Although his finishing time of 1:07.0 may not have been record-breaking, the nature of his victory hinted at the emergence of a certain horse to watch.
“He is very promising,” expressed DaCosta. “He didn't run against much today, but he did exactly what we wanted him to do. He broke well, relaxed early, and accelerated when asked. I'm happy with the performance, and his preparation coming into the race was good,” DaCosta remarked in his post-race interview.
While DaCosta remained excited about Stormbringer’s potential, he also approached the future with a sense of caution. “Let’s keep our fingers crossed and hopefully he will be good enough to be Classic material. We’re hoping for the best. Everything looks promising so far,” he added.
At the start, Stormbringer surged to the front, leading ahead of competitors Giant Vigorous (Tyrese Anderson), Mineola (Abigail Able), and Prince Ogilvey (Carlos Blake). As the race progressed towards the half-mile turn, Stormbringer slightly upped the pace, with Mineola attempting a fleeting challenge. As the contenders approached the final bend, Halledeen expertly guided Stormbringer, straightening him out for the final stretch. Even without any significant challengers, Stormbringer demonstrated his immense potential, smoothly shifting gears to secure his first win.
Giant Vigorous crossed the finish line in second place, 2 ½ lengths ahead of Althia (Phillip Parchment), who took third. The race splits recorded were 25.1 seconds for the first quarter, 48.4 seconds for the half, and completing the six furlongs in 1:00.2.
