New Year’s Day, the winner of last year’s Breeders’ Cup Juvenile, received
the high weight of 126 pounds on The Jockey Club’s 2013 Experimental Free
Handicap, released Wednesday by The Jockey Club.
Ria Antonia, winner of last year’s Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies, and She’s
a Tiger, who was disqualified and placed second for interference against Ria
Antonia in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies and the 2013 champion two-year-old
female, shared the high weight for fillies with 123.
All Experimental Free Handicap weight assignments are available within the
Resources section of jockeyclub.com
The Jockey Club Experimental Free Handicap, published annually since 1935, is
a weight-based assessment of the previous year’s leading two-year-olds, with the
weights compiled for a hypothetical race at 1 1/16 miles on dirt.
A total of 107 males and 92 fillies were assigned weights. Eligible for
weighting were all two-year-olds of 2012 that finished among the top four in
graded or listed stakes races run in the continental United States. Listed
stakes in 2013 were those with a value of $75,000 or more available to all
starters, and no restrictions other than age or sex.
New Year’s Day, a son of Street Cry who was retired at the end of 2013, won
two out of his three starts in 2013 for earnings of $1,154,000. He was bred in
Kentucky by Clearsky Farms and is owned by Gary and Mary West. A weight of 126
was also given to last year’s high-weight male, Shanghai Bobby.
Ria Antonia, a daughter of Rockport Harbor, won two of her five starts in
2013 for earnings of $1,156,140. She was bred in Kentucky by Lynn B. Schiff and
is owned Christopher T. Dunn and Loooch Racing Stable Inc.
She’s a Tiger, by Tale of the Cat, won three of her six starts, including the
Grade 1 Del Mar Debutante, and placed in her three other starts for total
earnings of $725,650. She was bred in Kentucky by Dr. Rodney Orr and is owned by
Mark Dedomenico, Allen Aldrich, Lisa Hernandez, Stuart Downey, and Philip
Lebherz.
2013 champion three-year-old male Will Take Charge earned a weight of 103 on
the 2012 experimental free handicap and 2013 champion three-year-old filly
Beholder was the high weight filly with 123 in 2012.
The sires with the greatest number of weighted males for 2013 were Harlan’s
Holiday and War Front with four each. Smart Strike and Street Sense sired the
most fillies, also with four each.
Overall, the sire of the most horses on the 2013 Experimental Free Handicap
was Harlan’s Holiday with six. Colonel John and Kitten’s Joy were second with
five each.
Kentucky was the top foaling state for 2013 weighted horses with 127. Florida
had the second highest number with 19.
The weighting committee of racing secretaries once again was composed of P.J.
Campo of the Stronach Group, Ben Huffman of Churchill Downs and Keeneland, and
Thomas S. Robbins of the Del Mar Thoroughbred Club.
Following are trends and statistics gathered from the Experimental Free
Handicap over the past 10 years:
Pass at 127 pounds, seven more than Dixie Chatter, Into Mischief and Pyro at
120.
assignment was 119.2 pounds.
a Triple Crown race (Union Rags, Lookin At Lucky, Street Sense), three
others won graded stakes (Hansen, Uncle Mo, Declan’s Moon), and three others
were Grade 1-placed (Midshipman, War Pass, Wilko).
for the male division account for 49 horses.
the 49 did not at least place in a graded race at three.
Union Rags, Lookin At Lucky, Super Saver, Street Sense, Afleet Alex, Giacomo
and Birdstone.
year were not rated on the Experimental Free Handicap.
years: Rags to Riches, the 2007 Belmont Stakes winner, was not rated among
females in 2006 and Rachel Alexandra, the 2009 Preakness winner, was rated
at 116 pounds in 2008.
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