Tom Durant, the breeder and owner of the remarkably swift three-year-old horse Deecord, is optimistic that recent dramatic developments will bring him good luck. Durant eagerly anticipates the outcome as the 2004 sprint champion and son of Speightstown aims for his first consecutive win in Saturday\u2019s 1 1\/16-mile Southwest Stakes at Oaklawn Park. Since Deecord\u2019s impressive debut on December 14th, Durant\u2019s excitement has been soaring.<\/p>\n
Deecord set a record as the fastest 2-year-old at the Hot Springs Racecourse in Arkansas, completing six furlongs in 1:09.57 with minimal effort from jockey Cristian Torres. \u201cThis is the horse you\u2019ve been searching for all along,\u201d said the 76-year-old Durant. \u201cOur goal is to hold onto him and keep progressing.\u201d<\/p>\n
Originally, Deecord was listed in the Fasig-Tipton Two-Year-Old Training Sale with a nearly $1 million reserve, reflecting his exceptional reputation. It\u2019s believed that if he had showcased his speed prior to the sale, he would have commanded a seven-figure price. However, the Breeze Show was canceled following a tragic accident involving a young mare on a flooded track. Durant, a seasoned industry veteran with 30 years\u2019 experience, repurchased Deecord for $775,000 and is overjoyed. \u201cI\u2019ve had fast horses before, but never one who ran like that in their first race,\u201d Durant said, adding, \u201cIt\u2019s exciting to dream.\u201d<\/p>\n
Cristian Torres initially guided Deecord, who had led against Twirling Candy\u2019s mare Dosvinos. Last season, Dosvinos earned a Beyer Speed Figure of 99, the second-best for a 2-year-old, while another Baffert trainee, Brandt, impressed with a 101 Beyer during his debut at Del Mar. For the $1 million Southwest Stakes (G3), Deecord will be ridden by the more experienced Luis Saez, starting from post 2 in a 12-horse field that features contenders like Los Alamitos Futurity winner Litmus Test, also trained by Baffert.<\/p>\n
The Southwest Stakes awards Derby qualifying points to the top five finishers on a 20-10-6-4-2 scale. Trainer H. Ray Ashford Jr. acknowledged the early excitement surrounding Deecord, stating, \u201cWhy become a trainer if you don\u2019t dream of the Derby? That\u2019s always on your mind.\u201d Ashford, who has maintained his hopes since opening his stable in 1990, is curious about how far Deecord can extend his remarkable speed. \u201cBy pedigree, he might not be expected to run long distances, but his morning workouts suggest otherwise,\u201d Ashford noted. \u201cHe trains hard, recovers well, and seems capable of going the distance.\u201d<\/p>\n
Former jockey Bethany Taylor, who has firsthand experience with Derby competitors like Cole Battle, was impressed by Deecord but noted there\u2019s more development ahead. \u201cI hope he fulfills everyone\u2019s expectations,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Ashford views the Southwest Stakes as a crucial test. \u201cIf Deecord can\u2019t handle the distance, we won\u2019t push him too far. I\u2019d be happy if he\u2019s just a great sprinter. There\u2019s definitely some Derby excitement, but if it\u2019s not meant to be, that\u2019s okay.\u201d<\/p>\n
Everyone involved in Deecord\u2019s early career is confident about his potential. Colby Marks, former farm manager at Stonehaven Stud in Kentucky, was taken by Deecord\u2019s balance, size, and temperament from the start, calling him an ideal horse. Marks even advised Jack Bruner, who manages Durant\u2019s Texas farm, that Deecord should never be sold.<\/p>\n
Despite this, Durant, a prominent Texas car dealer, briefly tested the market. Now, he hopes Deecord turns out to be his best investment yet.<\/p>\n
This story was originally published by Paulick Report on January 27, 2026.<\/em><\/p>\n Fan Take:<\/strong> This update on Deecord is thrilling for horse racing fans as it highlights the arrival of a potentially game-changing sprinter with hopes of competing at the highest level. If Deecord fulfills his promise, it could inject fresh excitement into the racing scene and inspire renewed interest in upcoming Derby contenders.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Tom Durant, the breeder and owner of the remarkably swift three-year-old horse Deecord, is optimistic that recent dramatic developments will bring him good luck. Durant eagerly anticipates the outcome as the 2004 sprint champion and son of Speightstown aims for his first consecutive win in Saturday\u2019s 1 1\/16-mile Southwest Stakes at Oaklawn Park. Since Deecord\u2019s […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":39444,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2443],"tags":[2955],"class_list":{"0":"post-39443","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-fighting","8":"tag-horse-racing"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/39443","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=39443"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/39443\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/39444"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=39443"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=39443"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=39443"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
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