Ruffian - maybe the greatest debut of all-time

[The Indomitable DrugS]

Here are my projected figures for Ruffian's four 3-year-old stakes races.

Comely: 117
Acorn: 106
Mother Goose: 112
Coaching Club Oaks: 108

Kind of head scratching the 11 point difference between the Comely and Acorn - but both days you had several other races to work with. In the Comely, she went 17 points faster than Hatchet Man did in victory at the same 7f distance in a 4X Alw race for older males that day. I gave Aunt Jin a 100 for running 2nd in the Comely. She was a Grade 1 winning 2yo and won a Grade 1 a few races later. Future champion Proud Delta was 4th by 12.

The Acorn was only 8-to-10 points faster than a trio of other unimportant races that day - and 25 points faster than a MSW. The 2nd place finisher in the Acorn was also an N1X horse.

Because the Comely was at 7fs - I don't think you can consider Ruffian the greatest 3yo filly of all-time. She had just 3 complete races at a mile and beyond - and with all unpressured leads was in the 106-to-112 range.

I think she is the greatest 2yo filly sprinter of all-time and probably the greatest 2yo sprinter of any gender.

Formal Gold's 112 Debut Beyer is the highest published - and amazingly, I think she ran faster as a 2yo in May.

Ruffian won her debut by 15 lengths. The 2nd place finisher was bet to 3/2 odds off of a 34 and change work - she was five lengths clear of the rest. The horse who finished 7th by 25 in the field of 10 - was second in a Grade 1 later in the year and 3rd in the Ky Oaks the following year.

Ruffian ran 25 points faster than a N3X alw race for older females on the same card. The winner of that N3X (Big Puddles) won a Grade 3 stake a few starts later.

I projected a 114 for her debut.

In Ruffian's 2nd career start - she made a mockery of the undefeated Copernica in the Fashion Stakes. It was 19.75 lengths back to 3rd place in the field of six. Copernica came back and ran a couple of good 2nds in Grade 1's.



Ruffian won the Astoria by 9 over Laughing Bridge (LB won back to back Grade 2's in her next two starts) 3rd place was beaten 21 lengths.

Ruffian won the Grade 1 Sorority next out over Hot N Nasty (3-time Graded Stakes winning 2yo and Test winner at age 3) - it was 24.25 lengths back to 3rd place.

Ruffian finished her great 2yo season with a 12.75 length Grade 1 win in the Spinaway over Laughing Bridge.

All of her 2yo races came at 6fs or less.