Pedigree

Lexington S. (G2) winner Behindatthebar has a decent mixture of speed and stamina in his pedigree, perhaps enough to think he can step up to run effectively at 1 1/4 miles, and his closing style also hints of a potential fondness for more distance. A more serious concern, arguably, is whether he will run to his best on dirt. He has never been worse than second in four starts on a synthetic surface, but ran fifth in his only start on dirt in the El Camino Real Derby (G3).

Behindatthebar is by Forest Wildcat, a pure sprinter who won four stakes in his last year of competition including two Grade 3 events. Forest Wildcat has sired his share of successful sprinters, including Grade/Group 1 winners Var, D'Wildcat and Wildcat Heir, but when bred to mares by stamina influences, his offspring have stretched out successfully. Grade 1 winner Forest Secrets and Grade 2 winners Snow Dance and D'Wildcat Speed all won graded stakes at nine furlongs or beyond.

Behindatthebar is the first foal out of the mare Rhiana, who won only three of 27 starts, all at a mile. She did, however, run third in the Santa Maria H. (G1) and second in the Hawthorne H. (G3), both at 1 1/16 miles. Rhiana is by Runaway Groom, a versatile stallion who has gotten champion sprinter Cherokee Run; Wekiva Springs, a multiple Grade 1 winner at 1 1/4 miles; and the Grade 1-winning turf runner Down the Aisle. Runaway Groom himself was a noted distance specialist, winning the 1 1/2-mile Prince of Wales S., the 1 1/2-mile Breeders S. and the 1 1/4-mile Travers S. (G1) in 1982, the year he was named the champion three-year-old colt in Canada. Runaway Groom's upset win in the Travers came at the expense of the three winners of the American Triple Crown races that year: Kentucky Derby (G1) winner Gato del Sol; Preakness S. (G1) winner Aloma's Ruler; and Belmont S. (G1) winner and eventual Horse of the Year Conquistador Cielo.

In general, Runaway Groom's daughters have tended to produce runners who are more accomplished on turf. Among these are Grade 3 winners Lady Dora (Lord At War [Arg]) and Air Rocket (El Prado [Ire]), which might help explain Behindatthebar's preference thus far for more forgiving surfaces.