One Start Behind Him, Olympiad's Son Outclasses a Seasoned Keeneland Field

Merlin Monroan, a son of Olympiad, came into a Keeneland allowance with less racing behind him than anyone else in the gate, and he left it unbeaten. He had run only once before, a maiden victory he took by a length. Allowance company is a step up from that, and the horses around him had more races on their records. The extra mileage didn't help them. Two starts in, Merlin Monroan has won both, and he has shown he can handle older hands as well as fellow first-timers. At Keeneland, where a young horse's second outing is watched as closely as its first, keeping a perfect record is the kind of result that horsemen remember.

With reporting from Thoroughbred Daily News.