Winner of :2004 Dubai World Cup G1, Pimlico Special G1 Pacific Classic G1, Cigar Mile G1, 2003: Preakness Stakes G1, Belmont Stakes G1, Travers Stakes G1, Hollywood Gold Cup G1, Bluegrass Stakes G1, Super Derby G1, Clark Handicap G2, Fountain Of Youth G2, Gotham G3, 2nd (by a neck) Breeders Cup Classic 3rd Haskell Inv G1 

Ability Report for horse Revenge
 
Revenge, golden chestnut colt
By Stephen Got Even out of Serena's Song by Rahy
 
This horse will mature at the average rate, probably will not peak until after the Derby.
This horse will have a very short peak time, perhaps only a single racing season.
This horse will be very immature at Derby time, likely unable to be a contender.
This horse prefers hard dirt.
This horse is good on soft dirt.
This horse is poor in mud.
This horse is poor on hard turf.
This horse is poor on soft turf.
This horse shows average fight if challenged at the wire.
This horse has physical problems that may lead to alot of injury downtime.
This horse has average ratability.
This horse holds its position well in curves.
This horse cruises once it has the lead.
This horse handles traffic ok.
This horse has consistency problems. Doesn't always meet expectations.
This horse recovers fairly quickly between races.
This horse can carry alot of weight and still run well, no problem with handicaps.
This horse stalks the pace.
This horse accelerates like a bullet!
This horse has average speed out of the gate.
This horse has lightning speed! A certain record-setter.
Handles 1mi to 2mi, best distance 1 3/8mi.

Various Articles from the Racing Rag......

Revenge vs. Spanish Midnight
This was one of those rare and wonderful years when a rivalry between two horses transcended the "big event" races. Of course you must think about Affirmed and Alydar in 1978. Affirmed won the Triple Crown (and not by much), but Alydar won the hearts of the racing world with his game and gallant stretch drives that left many cursing the fates that had him born in the same year as Affirmed.So it is with Spanish Midnight and Revenge. So great was the rivalry this season that everything else -- the prestige of the race, the size of the purse, quality of the field - dwindled to insignificance. In the rivalry of these two horses, all that mattered - to fan, trainer or owner - was which of the two horses hit the wire first.Back in the early spring, of course, there was no rivalry. Neither colt had raced at two, and the Derby favorite had to be Snowbank Farm's Wekiva Bay, 9 wins in 9 starts as a juvenile and 2002 Horse of the Year. His stablemate, the filly Demoness, was every bit as impressive, but we all wondered if she could hold up against the colts? KRF Stables's Revenge racked up an impressive 3-3-0-0 record early. He debuted in the Fountain of Youth Stakes (Race 77), where he beat a field of four over 1 1/8. He took home $120,000 that day, and certainly earned every penny of it by beating early season phenomenon Bold N' Free by 7 lengths. Revenge's next two wins, though, came in match races, and in neither was he extended. Then came the famous injury that put him out of action and led owner Karie McBrian to the fateful decision not to enter him the Kentucky Derby. She would, as she admitted later, regret it.Bonai Farms's golden chestnut Spanish Midnight won his maiden start in the 1 1/16th Aqueduct Stakes (Race 57), defeating Bold N' Free by almost 5 lengths. He won again three weeks later in the 1 1/8 Stymie Handicap at Aqueduct (Race 66). That win apparently convinced the folks at Bonai that he might be Derby material. They took him out of the New York winter and sent him south to Florida, and they began selecting his prep races carefully. He won the season's first major Derby prep, the 1 ¼ Gulfstream Park Handicap (Race 82) by almost 7 lengths over Celebration, giving Bonai's hopes a tremendous boost. Just two weeks later, however, the horse ran his worst race of the year in the Louisiana Derby (Race 98). He had shown that he liked to run out in front and set the pace, and in Louisiana he spent the first five furlongs almost sprinting after the rabbit Handsome Man. Both burned out in the final ¼ mile, and Spanish Midnight finished last in a field of four.But then came the prestigious Santa Anita Derby in early April (Race 114), where the easy-running Spaniard triumphed by 2 lengths over a strong field. Spanish Midnight came into Louisville with a 5-4-0-0 record, but, still, he went off only as co-favorite at 8:5 with the excellent Australian colt Bold N' Free. Spanish Midnight triumphed handily, but came back limping. He would miss the Preakness.After sitting out the Derby, still recuperating from injury, Revenge took both the Preakness by a wide margin. The two colts met for the first time in the Belmont Stakes, where Revenge prevailed by an impossibly enormous 28 lengths. The colt looked unbeatable.And he was unbeatable in their next meeting, the Hollywood Gold Cup (Race 206). This time Revenge won by 19 lengths, despite giving Spanish Midnight an incredible 24 pounds. But then came the Haskell Invitational (Race 259), and Spanish Midnight, in a very strong field, hit the wire first. Revenge suffered his first defeat and finished third behind King Midas.And so the rivalry stood - 2-1 in Revenge's favor -- when they came to Churchill Downs for the Breeders' Cup Classic (Race 382). The Bonai colt ran a tremendous race and flashed under the wire 1 ½ lengths ahead of his rival to even the season series at 2 wins apiece.After the Classic, we noted that the Horse of the Year Award was still up in the air. Spanish Midnight's record stood at 12-9-3-0 while Revenge was at 11-9-1-1. Since the Preakness, Revenge had been the leading money winner by a large margin, but Spanish Midnight steadily crept up and was second on the money list about $400,000 behind. With his win in the Classic, he claimed the number 1 spot and stayed there. All summer it seemed a foregone conclusion that Revenge would be Horse of the Year, but Spanish Midnight made a strong argument in the Classic. We wondered if the two would square off one more time in a late effort to clinch the title, and, gamely, both stables sent their champion to post in the Clark Handicap (Race 410) at Churchill Downs. Revenge ran a superb race to home a winner by 2 ¼ lengths to take the season match-up three wins to two. Eclipse Award voters rewarded him by naming him Champion Three-Year-Old Colt and Horse of the Year.



Race 182 BELMONT STAKES 6/7/03 BELMONT PARK
8 horses 12 furlongs

2 Revenge                 :22:4 :45:4 1:09.0 1:32:4 1:57.0 2:21:4  Call the Ghostbusters
5 Spanish Midnight :23.0 :46:3 1:10:3 1:35:2 1:59:4 2:26:2  Ran superbly
8 Unbridled Breeze   :23:4 :47:2 1:11:2 1:36:1 2:01:1 2:28:3  Best outing of the year
3 Golden Grace          :24.0 :47:4 1:11:4 1:36:3 2:01:2 2:28:4  Didn't fire in the stretch
7 Tear Drop                :23:2 :46:3 1:10:3 1:35:2 2:00:4 2:31:4  Too much distance
4 Celebration              :24:3 :49.0 1:13:3 1:38.0 2:02:4 2:31:4  A class act, but never a factor
1 Take Note                :25.0 :49:1 1:13:3 1:38:1 2:03.0 2:31:4  Strong effort, but over matched
6 Sea Siren                  :24:4 :48:4 1:13:2 1:38.0 2:03:2 2:32:4  Overmatched

*End Stamina: 2 Revenge 3812.134, 5 Spanish Midnight -364.0013, 8 Unbridled Breeze -993.2112, 3 Golden Grace -1527.301, 7 Tear Drop -1110.566, 4 Celebration -896.4701, 1 Take Note -620.2975, 6 Sea Siren -1767.553



March 22, 2003

Mysterious Disease Strikes in Baltimore
Entire Crowd at Pimlico Race Course Suffers Simultaneous Hallucinations

I know all thoroughbreds are tested before a race for drugs, but after watching what happened in the Preakness Stakes I'm wondering whether I ought to be tested for drugs.I must have been hallucinating. I must need either an optometrist or a psychiatrist. I couldn't have seen what I saw. Anyway, here's what I think I saw.Eight horses went to post for the one mile and 3/16ths on a fast track, each hoping to earn a little immortality and a lot of the $1,000,000 purse. Kentucky Derby winner Spanish Midnight is still down with an injury, but I saw a capacity crowd of 98,983 swamp Pimlico to watch this showdown between the undefeated Tear Drop, of Goforwand Stables, the undefeated Revenge, of KRF Stables, and Port Pirie Racing's Bold N' Free, who doesn't always win, but who never disappoints his growing legion of fansThe bettors made the big golden chestnut, Revenge, the overwhelming 4:5 favorite. I saw Tear Drop and Bold N' Free both go off at 4:1. Eureka Racing Stables of Canada entered stable mates Ensign Day, undefeated in 4 starts, and Take Note, one win in 6 starts. They went off at 10:1 and 15:1 respectively. Adding to the international flavor of the contest, the pale gray colt All Sheba, running for Rainbow, of Colombia, went off at 12:1. Celtic Cat of Stillwater Farms was making his 14th start, and, plagued by soreness, he hasn't had much success lately. The crowd sent him on his way at 19:1, but the long shot was the turf specialist Golden Prize of Westvale Farms. The big bay colt can handle distance and has won once in four starts, but he apparently prefers the lawn to the dirt, and wagerers only expressed 21:1 confidence.I saw Tear Drop, Bold N' Free and Revenge all break fast and run three abreast until Revenge took command and moved to the front directly before the grandstand, just 220 yards into the race. That burst of speed out of the gate, if it can be called that, was the last time in the race I saw Revenge exert more than minimal effort. The whole run, in fact, seemed effortless. He appeared to coast the entire last mile of the race. See what I mean? Incredible.As they neared the first turn, I saw the field break into two packs of four horses each. Ensign Day joined the three favorites and held in fourth place just a couple of lengths behind Bold and Tear Drop. Some six lengths behind him, Golden Prize led the second pack, followed by Take Note, Celtic Cat and All Sheba, all about 11 1/2 lengths behind the leader.Bold N' Free was running at moderate exertion, as he had been almost since the gate, but he was just keeping up with Tear Drop, who was running more easily. Revenge was hardly running at all, but he finished the first 1/4 in a slick :22 2/5ths with a 2-length lead.As they hit the backstretch, the leader's advantage was almost three over Tear Drop and Bold, who were neck and neck. Ensign Day made a move on the inside, but could not do more than pull even with Bold N' Free's saddle, and as they passed the half mile mark, he fell back to stalk. Revenge's second 1/4 had been slower (:22 1/5) but was still fast. Tear Drop turned her effort up a notch and slowly pulled ahead of Bold N' Free, but she didn't faze the leader, who loped on as though he were the only horse on the track.Revenge's third 1/4 mile was his slowest yet (:23 2/5) but that wasn't helping Tear Drop any. She was still rating but was obviously working -- and she was losing ground. As they entered the far turn, she was 4 lengths back, and that was as close as she would come the rest of the way.How fast was the pace? The second-place horse, Tear Drop, finished 6 furlongs in 1:09 4/5ths, which ties the season record for the distance - yet she was 4 lengths behind the leader. Demoness holds the season record for the mile at 1:35 3/5ths. Revenge, Tear Drop and Bold N' Free all bettered that in this race. When Revenge entered the stretch, Tear Drop was a full 7 lengths back, Bold N' Free 9 1/2 and Ensign Day, impressively game, 10 behind the leader. The closest of the trailing pack was Take Note, some 18 lengths off the pace.But, this is where it gets weird. Here was Tear Drop, a fast horse, running all out. Just behind her was another fast horse, Bold N' Free. Both had already proved they could run past a mile in very fast time, but here both were far, very far, behind the leader. And in the next few seconds, though they were running at top speed, they would fall farther behind.And here is where it gets even weirder. The golden Revenge began to increase his lead -- while slowing down. His fourth 1/4 mile was clocked at :24 flat, slower than the three previous quarters, but it gave him the mile in 1:33 1/5.About 100 yards later, after a mile and a 1/16th, I thought I saw Tear Drop hit what looked like her limit. With a furlong to go, she began falling back, and her last, slim chance to overtake the leader evaporated. Revenge loped on, and he finished with an incredible 24-length margin over two of the better horses on the circuit.In the winner's circle KRF Stables owner Karie McBrian greeted her colt, but she was still unaware of the magnitude of what Revenge had just done. Here it is:• He bettered the season record for 6 furlongs by 3/5ths of a second (though he still had 3 1/2 furlongs to go)
• He bettered the season record for the mile by 2 2/5ths seconds (though he had 1 1/2 furlongs to go)
• Unofficially, he bettered the season records for both the mile and 1/16 and the mile and 1/8.
• He demolished the season record for a mile and 3/16 (1:55 flat) by 3 and 3/5ths seconds.
• He broke by a full second the Pimlico track record for the distance (1:52 2/5ths) set by Farma Way in 1991.
• He broke by 2 full seconds the Preakness record of 1:53 2/5ths set by Tank's Prospect in 1985 and tied by Louis Quatorze in 1996.
• And, are you ready for this? He tied the World Record for the distance. The previous record for 9.5 furlongs was set by a horse named Toonerville, a 5-year-old running at Hialeah in 1976 and carrying a slight 102 lbs. Revenge carried 24 lbs. more!

And here's something else to consider: Two weeks ago, we all praised Spanish Midnight for his triumph in the Derby in a very quick 2:00 2/5ths for the mile and 1/4. If Revenge had run one more 16th of a mile at about the same speed as he had run the last 3, he would have finished a mile and 1/4 in 1:57 2/5ths. But what really pushes Revenge's performance into the realm of polka dot pigs, tap-dancing giraffes and singing kangaroos is that he never broke a sweat. He ran one of the fastest races in history and demolished formidable opponents without trying. He is so fresh he could run again this week and still go to post as the favorite in the Belmont.After pocketing what might have been the easiest $600 grand in horseracing history, Karie McBrian, was in such a good mood even the inevitable second-guessing couldn't upset her. You all remember her colt had come back injured after his 6-length victory over Celtic Cat in the Toyota Blue Grass Stakes (Race 121) at Keeneland. He recuperated for 10 days and still had about 10 more in which to get in shape for the Kentucky Derby. McBrian decided not to rush the colt and skipped Louisville. After the Preakness, when asked if she was sorry she had done so, she answered bluntly and honestly. "I screwed up," she declared. "Revenge should have run in the Derby with a few days less rest."The ghost of a Triple Crown for Revenge apparently does not haunt McBrian, who admits she is "thrilled" with the Preakness win. "People were doubting him because of his easy past races," she declared, "but I had faith in this horse. I knew that he would only improve."The doubters did not include Matt McMahon, owner of Bold N' Free and Port Pirie Racing. After the Kentucky Derby he went on record in the Weekly Racing Rag saying he thought Revenge might have beaten Spanish Midnight. He hasn't changed his mind. "This [the Preakness] just confirms that if Revenge had of been in the Derby, we'd have had a TC winner."Mac was justly proud of his horse's performance in the stretch. The colt never says die. Tear Drop had a lead of about 3 lengths over Bold N' Free, and although the Australian colt had been running harder far longer, he still had enough to come on. While Revenge disappeared into the distance, Bold began working on the filly, eating into the lead and gaining steadily. As they neared the wire he had made up three lengths in about 100 yards. But Tear Drop managed to hold him off and passed under the wire a bare 1/2 length ahead. "I think he probably could have overhauled Tear Drop if he'd had a little farther to run," McMahon said, then he laughed, "but then Revenge would have just pulled away even further!"McMahon's hard-working colt was sore again after the Preakness, and the owner is getting the horse's message. "At this stage, he is still not going to the Belmont, as he has pulled up sore after his last 2 starts, and he deserves a rest." When asked if Bold might possibly run, the Aussie paused, then said, "We'll wait and see how the field shapes up, but he's an unlikely starter at the moment. He has more than proved himself, and I'd like him primed for when he should peak at the end of the season."As for the second-place finisher, Tear Drop at long last gave it everything she had. That was considerable, but nowhere near enough. Owner Scott Adams of Goforwand Stables was "very pleased" with her run. "I think she is still developing," he said, "as is Revenge. Revenge put in an awesome performance and was much the best, but I think Tear Drop showed she can run with the boys at the very least."And the Belmont? Yes she'll be there. Adams thinks the distance will be "no problem. . .So here's to running down Revenge in the stretch next time out!"And so ended a very strange episode. So strange and so other-worldly that at this point I half suspect that Revenge was born and bred a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away.Race 156 PREAKNESS STAKES 5/17/03 PIMLICO
8 horses 9.5 furlongs

7 Revenge        :22:2 :45:3 1:09:1 1:33:1 1:51:2  Call the Men in Black
6 Tear Drop      :22:4 :46:1 1:09:4 1:34:2 1:55:3  Ran brilliantly
4 Bold N' Free  :22:4 :46:1 1:10.0 1:34:4 1:55:3  Overachiever
2 Take Note     :24:2 :47:4 1:11:3 1:36:1 1:56:3  Closed well, finished strongly
8 Ensign Day   :23:1 :46:2 1:10:1 1:35:1 1:57:1  Still developing, maybe a little too much distance
3 All Sheba       :25:1 :48:4 1:12:4 1:37.0 1:57:4  Possibly too tired
5 Celtic Cat       :25:1 :49:1 1:12:4 1:37.0 1:58:1  No factor
1 Golden Prize  :25:1 :50:2 1:15:1 1:40:3 2:04:1  Likes the lawn

*End Stamina: 7 Revenge 4194.718, 6 Tear Drop -662.3419, 4 Bold N' Free -837.3857, 2 Take Note -576.6313, 8 Ensign Day 123.2701, 3 All Sheba -601.621, 5 Celtic Cat -764.146, 1 Golden Prize -800.3215

Feb 22,2003

Most of the time, horses run their workouts in the cool of early morning at deserted tracks where only jocks, exercise riders, trainers and humble scribes are around to watch. Too often, the only reward those folks are thinking about is getting back to the warmth of the barn and wrapping their chilly fingers around a hot cup of coffee. This weekend, though, the folks at KRF Stables had a bit of luck and were able to put their colt Revenge through his exercise run in mid-afternoon in front of 56,000 race fans at Keeneland. Oh yeah, and the reward was 60% of the $750,000 purse in the Toyota Bluegrass Stakes, Race 121 on this year's card.Sure, there was another horse on the track, but make no mistake, this was a workout for Revenge and nothing more. The bettors knew it and made him a 1:9 favorite to prevail over the mile and 1/8. A turfer, the chestnut colt Celtic Cat, out of Stillwater Farms, went off at 3:1.Revenge went out to the lead and stayed there. He ran the first 3/4 of a mile at minimum speed but still clocked a 1:10.53 and held a 10-length lead over Celtic Cat. The Cat tried to make it interesting. He ran bravely through the far turn, closed steadily and even pulled even with the leader's saddle, but Revenge was just toying with him. The leader merely pumped a little harder for a few strides and then strolled home to a 6-length win. The slow time of 1:49.2 would ordinarily be unimpressive except that the colt put forth very little effort. He barely broke a sweat.Revenge has been having some fun, and making some pretty good money staging these public workouts. A couple of weeks ago he made a shambles of Affirmation in the Gotham Stakes, a two-horse exhibition in which the winner took home $90,000. After beating Celtic Cat, KRF took home $450,000. That's some cup of coffee. Revenge's record is now 3-3-0-0 this season, and he is sixth on the money list. The colt obviously has a lot of ability, but is he really that good? He debuted in the Fountain of Youth Stakes (Race 77), where he beat a field of four over a mile and 1/8. He took home $120,000 that day, and certainly earned every penny of it by beating Bold N' Free by seven lengths. Since then, however, the colt has run just twice, both match races. His record certainly suggests that he is a Derby horse, but the bottom line is we still don't know what he is, or isn't, capable of. He hasn't been challenged since his debut, almost two months ago.Owner Karie McBrian of KRF Stables dismisses all doubts. For her, Revenge is sweet; she believes she has a runner who will thrive in the longer races. Asked if his easy successes in his very brief career have given observers an inflated impression of the colt's true value, she scoffed and replied simply. "Revenge has beaten Bold N' Free."Now, however, we may have to wait even longer to find out what Revenge is made of. He injured himself in the Toyota, and will miss 10 days of training, leaving just another 10 days in which to get into shape for what would be the biggest race of his young life. McBrian would not reveal the nature of the injury, but admitted it had her "very upset." Is it possible that Revenge would skip the Derby? "I am not sure," said McBrian. "I will know closer to the race if he will run or not." Whatever happens in May, KRF is already looking ahead eagerly to June. "You can count us in for the Belmont for sure," said McBrian. "He will love the added distance."Race 121 The Toyota Bluegrass Stakes 4/12/03 Keeneland

The pace
:23.34 :46.71 1:10.53 1:36.72 1:49.21

2/9/2003
Random Race Notes

The Gotham Stakes (race 101) at Aqueduct saw two runners, and only two, show up to compete over a mile of muddy track. KRF Stables surprised some by spurning the Derby prep GalleryFurniture.com Stakes and entering its, the big, highly regarded chestnut colt Revenge in the Gotham instead. Affirmation, one of Bo's Wonderhorses, also went to post, but a third runner, Hollywood Daredevil, was scratched, apparently because he dislikes the muck. So it was a match race, but, more accurately, a mismatch.Revenge took the lead, but probably only because Affirmation likes to hang back, sometimes way back. The colt dropped behind almost 10 lengths while both runners set up a stretch battle. Affirmation finally turned on the burners, slipped inside and came up beautifully to take the lead by a nose, but Revenge was ready, fed a spurt of gas into the carburetor and rolled home in first gear to win by 5 1/2 lengths. Race 101 GOTHAM STAKES 3/22/03 AQUEDUCT
2 horses 8 furlongs Track Muddy

1 Revenge      :23.61 :47.61 1:12.51 1:38.71   Never challenged
2 Affirmation :24.94 :48.93 1:13.33 1:39.64   Waited too long

End Stamina: 1 Revenge 3402.168, 2 Affirmation -316.6813