by Kimberly French, USTA Web Newsroom Senior Correspondent

Kimberly French

Louisville, KY — He certainly does not have a lot of experience as he is only a 2-year-old, but Western Conquest’s connections always had high hopes for the colt and are very much looking forward for this fifth foal of Aries Conquest, a former stakes winner that also hailed from the same barn.

“Right from the start he trained down like he would be a really nice 2-year-old,” said Erv Miller, the colt’s conditioner, who was in charge of his dam’s career and during their early campaigns, three of his siblings. “He’s a really smart colt, so that helps.”

A son of American Ideal and owned by Tanah Merah Farms, Western Conquest debuted on June 13 at Mohegan Sun at Pocono Downs with a win in a 2-year-old race. He followed that up with another victory over the same surface and in the same class a week later with Marcus Miller again at the lines.

Sean Hamrock photo

Western Conquest was a 1:56.4 winner in his Sheppard Memorial elimination at Yonkers.

His first pari-mutuel engagement was at Saratoga Casino and Raceway on June 28 in a $46,631 New York Sire Stakes contest and that Friday evening is when he broke his maiden in 1:57 as the prohibitive favorite.

Remaining in the Empire State, the colt picked up his second win on July 13 in his $25,000 Lawrence B. Sheppard Memorial elimination with Brent Holland as his pilot. He paced the mile in 1:56.4.

To date, his mark is Q1:55.2f, set in his second 2-year-old race.

The colt makes his next start in the $111,250 Sheppard final on Saturday (July 20) from post position four in the evening’s fifth race.

His main competition appears to be the other elimination victor, Stevensville, who has already won in 1:52.2f from only four starts, but that one is drawn into the eight hole.

“He’s pretty handy off the gate,” Miller said. “I’m sure we will try to establish his position somewhere early in the race and then we will see how it goes from there.”

Western Conquest is a three-quarter brother to Aries Angel (Western Ideal, p,4,1:52.3f, $152,071), a half-brother to Bakken (No Pan Intended, p,3,1:55.1h, $44,200), who just started racing this year and a full brother to White Jade (p,3,1:52s, $94,250). Their mother was also quite talented as a freshman, as she was the winner of the 2003 Orange and Blue Filly final.

“He is a big, strong colt,” Miller said. “Beyond that his best quality is that he is perfectly mannered. You can leave with him from the gate and then he is quiet. He settles right down and never gets too keyed up, which is important.”

After the Sheppard final, Western Conquest will stay in New York for the majority of the summer, competing in New York Sire Stakes events, but you might see him make appearances in the American-National, International Stallion Stakes and the Breeders Crown.

“He is eligible to a lot of races because we liked him so much early on,” Miller said. “He’ll go back into the New York Sire Stakes and we did keep him eligible to some of the bigger races. He is a pretty nice colt.”

Below is the field for the Sheppard final:

PP-Horse-Driver-Trainer
1-Disarrei-Patrick Lachance-Robert Siegelman
2-Forty Five Red-Daniel Dube-Ron Burke
3-Thereisapaceforus-Larry Stalbaum-Jimmy Takter
4-Western Conquest-Brent Holland-Erv Miller
5-Great American-Mark MacDonald-Tony Alagna
6-Goldin Parachute-Daniel Dube-Sam De Pinto
7-Gotta Laugh Again-Ray Schnittker-Ray Schnittker
8-Stevensville-Jordan Stratton-Ray Schnittker