In horse racing, a career is relatively short and racehorses typically have to shoot out of the blocks and get early wins on the board to climb the pecking order and make an impact at the top level.
Heading into 2024, several young, promising horses – due to their pedigree – will aim to get their first win on the board, which could inspire further success in the coming years.
Here we will look at some strong picks to achieve their first win this year as well as the reasons why they should be tipped to have successful careers.
Treasure Time
There is huge excitement surrounding Treasure Time thanks to his broodmare, Penny Drops, who recorded a placed finish five times across her racing days.
Penny Drops has produced an exceptional string of foals who have all managed to win races besides Treasure Time, which suggests his time will surely arrive and it could even come in a 2024 race.
Fans can get directly involved with the horse’s exploits during his potential breakout year through RaceShare, a syndicate that offers the chance to buy a share in a racehorse.
Treasure Time is priced at £65 a share as he is one of the racing syndicates’ leading horses. However, there are plenty of other options like Golden Maverick and Shergar Cup winner Scampi for fans who wish to invest in those with wins already under their belt.
The fifth of Penny Drops’ foals would disappoint if he did not secure an early career victory of some sort. He lost out by the narrowest of margins against Ciro de Marzio at Kempton last October – a win this year is now somewhat of a necessity to improve his handicap rating and work his way into contention for the tougher races.
Duran
In May, Duran performed well in the Nottingham Novice Stakes. It was only the second time that he graced the track on race day. He finished in third place despite being predicted to finish last in the 12-horse meeting.
While his opening 2024 performance was intriguing, the biggest reason why confidence can be placed in him to win a future race comes from his prestigious sire, Invincible Spirit.
Invincible Spirit’s progeny have performed remarkably in past decades. In the flat racing scene alone his lineage has seen 1,253 horses compete in the format – 64% of them turned out as winners during their careers.
Highly recommend a visit to @IrishNatStud – great to see Invincible Spirit, lots of happy horses, the museum with Arkle’s skeleton and the beautiful Japanese Gardens. pic.twitter.com/MTKZv5UyaC
— David Clifford (@DJClifford11) July 1, 2019
The record of Duran’s stud offers a strong suggestion that a career flat race win is more likely than not. If an opening victory is to arrive then it will surely come in the imminent future.
Pedigree is ultimately paramount in horse racing especially when it comes to the flat format as genes play a huge part in the levels of raw power and speed that foals can develop on the racecourse.
Treasure Time and Duran are two horses who are strongly positioned to have lengthy, successful careers thanks to the reputation of their sire and dam. They have great chances to become first-time winners in 2024. They will generally line up against unproven talents who are also still in the development stage of their careers.