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Two 3-year-olds who look like they’ll be serious players on the Triple Crown trail made their first start of the year this weekend, with one being of the jaw-dropping variety.

I refer, of course, to Pyro, winner of the Risen Star Stakes (G3) at the Fair Grounds on Saturday.

The Steve Asmussen-trained colt, who when last seen was runner up to War Pass in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile on Oct. 27, made his 2008 debut a race to remember by storming from last to first in the stretch of the 1 1/16^th mile race to win by two lengths, despite never feeling Shaun Bridgmohan’s whip.

Asmussen was among those amazed by the explosive move.

"I couldn't believe what I saw," he told the New Orleans Times-Picayune’s Bob Fortus. "I had to see the replay."

To fully appreciate the burst of speed the son of Pulpit showed in the stretch, take a look at the table below comparing Pyro’s race to the previous five runnings of the Risen Star. It shows splits and final fractions (5/16ths of a mile in this case), with the latter expressed both as raw time and, in parenthesis, graded on the final fraction rating scale developed by pace handicapping guru Dr. Howard Sartin:

Year         Horse           Fractions            Final time    
Final fraction

2008  Pyro                   :24.52    : 49.50  1:14 3/5  1:44.68    
Final fraction: :28 1/5    (104)

2007 Notional                :23         :46 4/5 1:11 4/5 1:44 1/5  
FF:  :31 4/5   (88)

2006 (at LaD) Lawyer Ron :23 3/5  :47 1/5 1:11 3/5  1:43        
FF: :31 3/5    (89)

2005  Scipion                 :23 2/5   :46 3/5  1:11 3/5  1:44 2/5   
FF: :30 3/5    (94)

2004   Gradepoint           :24 2/5   :48 1/5  1:13 2/5  1:45 1/5  
FF: :30          (96)    

2003   Badge of Silver      :23 3/5   :47 2/5   1:12      1:42 4/5    
FF: :30 4/5    (93)

The pace on Saturday was far and away the slowest of the races, which helps explain why Pyro had so much energy left for his stretch run. But it doesn’t account for the fact that he ran the final fraction nearly 2 second faster than the next fastest closing fraction, recorded by Gradepoint in 2004.

The scintillating move propelled Pyro from 11-1 in Pool 1 of the Kentucky Derby future bet to 5-1 at the close, but only time will tell if the early bettors got themselves a bargain.

I have two concerns that kept me from grabbing a piece of that action: The colt’s late-running style, which can lead to traffic problems in a crowded race like the Derby, and the fact that Asmussen said before the race that he wanted Pyro to establish a base on which to improve.

"He doesn't need to impress anybody," Asmussen told Fortus. "He just needs to get better. For a 3-year-old, you want it ahead of him. A steady progression lasts longer."

So the question is: Did Pyro do too much too soon? We may find out in his next start, expected to be the Louisiana Derby (G2) on March 8.

Georgie Boy's workmanlike return
Georgie Boy’s victory in Sunday’s 7-furlong San Vicente Stakes (G2) at Santa Anita was impressive in a more workmanlike way.

The gelded son of Tribal Rule, trained by Kathy Walsh, returned from a five-month vacation to post a very professional 3 ¼-length victory in a four-horse field. He was patiently ridden by Rafael Bejarano in the early stages of the race, then stormed past dueling pace-setters Into Mischief and Massive Drama to draw off to a 3 1/4-length victory.

The running time of 1:20.01 looked solid on a synthetic racing surface that isn’t as fast as it was before last week’s renovation, and while Georgie Boy has yet to race beyond 7 furlongs, his long stride looks like it will carry him quite a bit farther.

Meantime, it’s probably too soon to give up on Into Mischief, winner of the Cash Call Futurity (G1) at Hollywood Park in December. Seven furlongs is a bit short for him and trainer Richard Mandella said afterward that his horse wasn’t completely cranked up after the recent training interruptions caused by the track’s drainage problems and some minor foot issues.

He said the son of Harlan’s Holiday would likely run next in the 1 1/16-mile San Felipe Stakes at Santa Anita on March 15.

War Pass revved up
Finally, many racing fans are eagerly awaiting the return of 2-year-old champ War Pass. The good news is they shouldn’t have to wait much longer.

Trainer Nick Zito told the Daily Racing Form’s Mike Welsch over the weekend that War Pass is just one work away from his debut, which is slated to occur in a $60,000 allowance race carded at a mile at Gulfstream Park on Feb. 23, with the Tampa Bay Derby and Wood Memorial penciled in as his final two preps before the Kentucky Derby.

"He's right where I want him to be at the moment," Zito told the DRF. "He'll have one more work and be ready to go."

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