Everyone seems to be wild about Justify, our 13th Triple Crown winner, and rightly so! The athletic colt who only just started racing this February exudes class and confidence and we’re excited to see what he does next. We may be a little spoiled now though, having had two Triple Crown winners within the span of just a few years, so don’t be fooled into thinking they’re a dime a dozen! We may be hard-pressed to find another one just like Justify, but we can at least find a few with similar qualities, simplistic as they are.
In honor of Justify, this week we’ve picked out three chestnut geldings with chrome. They may not be Triple Crown winners, or even Stakes winners for that matter, but they could still be the next eventing champion you’re looking for:
Neutronstar. Photo via Finger Lakes Finest Thoroughbreds Inc.
Neutronstar (GALILEO (IRE) – BROWN EYES (GB), BY DANEHILL): 2012 17.0-hand Irish-bred gelding
This is one impressive-looking and uniquely-marked horse with the bloodlines to match his regal presence. Neutronstar was imported to the U.S. and has made 35 starts since 2015 with moderate success, but he’s not earning enough for his owner/trainer to keep him racing. His owner thinks this solidly built guy would be a good fit for eventing and we can certainly envision him in a start box one day! Though he’s a very friendly horse who was well-mannered for his FLF photoshoot, he’ll need an experienced owner to teach him the ropes of a second career due to his size.
View Neutronstar on Finger Lakes Finest Thoroughbreds Inc.
Art Vandaley. Photo via CANTER Illinois.
Art Vandaley (DISTORTED HUMOR – FUNNY MOON, BY MALIBU MOON): 2014 15.3-hand Kentucky-bred gelding
Here’s a stately youngster with a lovely structure who’s looking for his next job. “Art” has a great racing pedigree and sold at Keeneland for $200,000 as a yearling, but hasn’t been able to live up to that price on the track. In 15 career starts, he made a respectable $25,000, but that’s not enough to keep him in training. Since he’s been out of training, you can see in his jog videos that he has a little pent-up energy and sass, however, he was sweet and happy in his stall. We can see this gelding loving cross country and Seinfeld fans will love hearing his name over the loudspeaker!
View Art Vandaley on CANTER Illinois.
Brasstown Sheriff. Photo via Finger Lakes Finest Thoroughbreds Inc.
Brasstown Sheriff (POSSE – GLANCE AGAIN, BY REGAL CLASSIC): 2008 16.0-hand Kentucky-bred gelding
This 10-year-old is a true war horse, having amassed 89 starts and winning upwards of $75,000 over his seven-year career. Still placing in the money during last season, he’s a true competitor and has proven to be durable and sound. At the track, Brasstown Sheriff was a late-bloomer and was actually nicknamed “Peppy” as in “Pepe Le Pew” because his attitude towards racing was so sour at first. Peppy certainly warmed up to it though and got more competitive as he matured, but at this point, his connections would rather see him retire soundly and have a good chance at succeeding in a second career. If you’re looking for a solid been-there-done-that horse, then this on could be for you!
View Brasstown Sheriff on Finger Lakes Finest Thoroughbreds Inc.
