Vekoma colt in a different league in ‘TDN Rising Star’ performance

Colloquial could potentially find himself on the Kentucky Derby (G1) trail after his seven-length tour de force maiden special weight win Feb. 7 at Aqueduct.

Not only was the 3-year-old Vekoma colt named a TDN ‘Rising Star’ after the blowout victory, his 106 Beyer Speed Figure is the highest number of the year for any 3-year-old in North America.

Colloquial was making his second lifetime start, and first since last June, in Friday’s 6 ½-furlong maiden special weight affair. After bobbling slightly at the start, he was fifth, about three lengths from the front after a quarter-mile. He began passing horses while three-wide on the turn and was within a length of the lead at the top of the stretch. He blew by One Nine Hundred shortly after that and powered through the lane to stop the clock in 1:16.89 on a “good” main track.

Colloquial is owned by Starlight Racing and Harrell Ventures LLC, who purchased him for $240,000 at the 2023 Keeneland September Yearling sale. The chestnut colt was bred in Kentucky by Michael and J. B. Orem.

“I thought the horse would win,” said Jack Wolf, principal of Starlight. “His 88 Beyer from last year sort of stood out in that field. But you never know when you come back from all that time off how a horse is going to perform.”

As far as the future, Wolf, who campaigned Derby winners Justify and Authentic,  was taking a wait-and-see approach with Colloquial.

“All I can give you is that same old pat answers you always get from the trainers,” Wolf said in reference to his trainer George Weaver. “The horse came out of the race well and he ate up and we’ll let him tell us what to do. I wish I could say we have a game plan, but we don’t.”