Rivalry between Rainbow Room and Come See The Show has classic implications

by Kim French, USTA Internet News Editor

Columbus, OH — They share the same world champion sire and their dams are two of the most prolific pacing females in recent memory, so naturally Rainbow Room and Come See The Show had high expectations placed upon them before ever appearing in their pari-mutuel debuts. Both young ladies have already demonstrated they are not only fully equipped to carry on the legacies their mothers established, but poised to create a competition that could be legendary.

In fact, these two talented fillies will face one another for the second of what could possibly be many occasions on Monday (Sept. 4) in the $252,000 Pennsylvania Sire Stakes final for their age, sex and gait at The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono as the morning-line favorites.

Kim French

“I think they could be very exciting for the sport and very fun to watch for years to come,” said Richard Young, Come See The Show’s co-owner and breeder.

The two fillies will leave side-by-side for their rematch as Come See The Show (5-2), with regular pilot Tim Tetrick, has post six in the eight-horse field while Rainbow Room (3-1) and David Miller will start from post seven.

Conditioned by Joe Holloway and owned by Crawford Farms Racing, Val D’Or Farms and Ted Gewertz, Rainbow Room is a daughter of Somebeachsomewhere and 2012 Hall of Fame inductee Rainbow Blue. The filly, a 100,000 Lexington Selected Yearling Sale purchase, is a full sister to world champion Somwherovrarainbow and immediately attracted attention after two impressive performances at the Meadowlands in qualifiers.

Rainbow Room captured her career bow over that same surface on June 23 in 1:52.4 prior to being defeated by a head in her next trip to the post in a Pennsylvania All-Stars division on July 3. In her next three performances, all in Pennsylvania Sire Stakes company, she was unbeaten.

The filly also leads the budding rivalry between herself and Come See The Show, as she was victorious in their initial meeting by a diminishing neck on Aug. 24 in a lifetime-best 1:51.2 at Harrah’s Philadelphia.

Chris Tully photo

Rainbow Room paced her last quarter-mile in :26.4 in her second qualifier at the Meadowlands on June 17.

Come See The Show, trained by Linda Toscano, enters this contest with her own impressive credentials. The second foal out of world champion Put On A Show, who broke Miss Easy’s record of $1.77 million in combined earnings as a freshman and sophomore, Come See The Show served notice of her talent with a powerful win in a qualifier at the Meadowlands on July 1 with a :25.4 final quarter mile into a strong head wind.

Like Rainbow Room, Come See The Show, collected her first victory in her first attempt when she mowed down the opposition in 1:52.3, the swiftest mile by a 2-year-old filly on a five-eighths mile track at that juncture of the season, at The Meadows on July 18. The filly has since improved her resume to 4-2-2-0 and earned $72,498.

“We have been racing her to come off the pace, just like her mother did,” Toscano said. “I did not train her mother but was told she could be tough in her stall and had her own mind about her. Her groom tells me this filly has her own quirks, but is just a sweetheart to be around. Also, I don’t think she is a one-dimensional horse, but will be able to do her job from anywhere. It will be up to Timmy (Tetrick) to decide what positions she will need to be in when the time is right.”

Co-owned by Joanne Young, Come See The Show, like Rainbow Room, was also sent through last year’s Lexington Selected Yearling Sale ring. She was ultimately re-purchased by the Youngs to dissolve a partnership and fetched a whopping $550,000 when the bidding was complete.

Chris Gooden photo

Come See The Show captured her debut in 1:52.3, which was the fastest mile of any 2-year-old filly on a five-eighths track at that point in the season.

“We had her older sister (Beach Show Off, by Somebeachsomewhere, $6,170) who unfortunately had some health issues,” Toscano said. “I did not get to see this filly (Come See The Show) until the sale as she grew up in Kentucky. I had heard about her though and when they brought her out I was asked, ‘What do you think?’ And I just said, ‘Oh boy.’”

Although Rainbow Room is certainly a fine physical specimen in her own right, Come See The Show, as pointed out by track announcer Roger Huston in the post parade prior to her first start, towers over her colleagues and could easily be mistaken for a colt.

“I haven’t put a stick to her in a while and I probably should, but she is definitely over 17 hands,” Toscano said. “She is also still growing. She is tall and lanky, but is starting to fill out with muscle to match the rest of her body. By the time next year rolls around she is going to be one big girl.

“The only time she has given us a little trouble was training her down in the spring. She could not get it together unless she was going fast and when we got her down to (2):25 that is when it started happening for her. It was like her owner said, if she has the speed and the ability the rest (of learning how to race) will come.”

Despite Rainbow Room and Come See The Show not realizing they may just very well be the biggest rivals in a division that appears to have many talented fillies — such as Cuts Like A Knife (9-2, post position one, Brett Miller, Bruce Saunders) and Double A Mint (4-1, post position three, Yannick Gingras, Ron Burke), who are also in this field — their connections are beginning to comprehend these two fillies may very well provide many scintillating finishes.

“I knew Rainbow Room could be a very good filly late this winter/early spring,” Young said. “Joe (Holloway) was excited about her and Joe used to train for me. That is another thing about these two racing against each other. We both wish the best for one another and it was great of Joe to take the time to call me to wish me luck with Come See The Show. Everything about these two fillies is just so good for racing and illustrates what it is all about. Hopefully, we will continue to talk about their participation in many future stakes races.”

To view the full fields, with odds, post positions and connections for the Monday card at The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono, please click here.

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