It's light years way in horse time, but Cinderella runner Bluesthestandard could return to the Breeders' Cup Sprint on Oct. 30, 2004, at Lone Star Park in Grand Prairie, Texas.
"He came out of the (Sprint) perfect, but we're probably not going to run him the rest of the year," Ted West, father of trainer Ted H. West, said Wednesday, referring to Bluesthestandard's game second to Cajun Beat. "He's been running against the best all year and he's been shipping around," West continued. "I think we'll give him the next couple of months off and have him ready to run for the El Conejo, which I think is on Jan. 1. Then maybe we'll try to go on the same schedule with him next year as we did this year."
If all goes well, that would include the Sprint at Lone Star Park, a track over which Bluesthestandard has fared well in two outings.
The 6-year-old Georgia-bred gelding won the Texas Mile (gr. III) in April, then was second in the Lone Star Park Handicap (gr. III) at 1 1/16 miles in May.
"That race track shouldn't pose a problem for him if we get to the Breeders' Cup," West said. "How do you know what's going to happen a year from now? If the horse could make it, (owner Jeffrey Sengara) won't have to supplement him again and that helps a lot.
"But he's such a neat horse that I think I'd be more confident making long range plans with him than most horses because he's sound and seems to stay the same day in and day out. Budroyale was like that, too. We check all of our horses every morning, and when we would check on Budroyale, he was never a cause for concern, not ever. And Bluesthestandard never has been, either. They're the same type in a lot of ways."
Budroyale, like Bluesthestandard a $50,000 claim by Sengara, was second in the $4 million Classic in 1999, earning $800,000. Bluesthestandard was supplemented to the Sprint for $90,000 and earned $236,000 for his runner-up effort.
