Mr Fisk
Like his sire, Arrogate, he made a total of eleven starts at the races. And also like his sire, he collected graded stakes before he was retired.
But before standing tall at racing's highest levels, Mr Fisk began in the maiden ranks like all Thoroughbreds. Starting twice in 2022, Mr Fisk did not get that first win as a rookie. But he showed promise after an off the board debut sprinting, finishing second going a mile. The added ground gave a hint of the future, as a strength in routing existed in Mr Fisk's bloodline.
The 2023 season started quite early for him. Back in a maiden special weight going a mile at Santa Anita in early January, Mr Fisk and Juan Hernandez enjoyed a ground saving path for the majority of the contest before moving to the outside of the leader and getting up just before the wire to move from maiden company. Going long clearly agreed with this Bob Baffert charge, and he would never again race in a sprint.
Following graduation, the rest of Mr Fisk's three year old campaign was a tale of two acts. Largely in stakes company after the season debut, Mr Fisk went unplaced in the Grade II San Felipe in March before finishing second in the Affirmed Stakes three months later after coming off the bench. During this time, he was taking on the likes of future Grade I Santa Anita Derby champion Practical Move, Grade I Haskell Stakes champion Geaux Rocket Ride and Grade III Dwyer Stakes champion Fort Bragg. After the Affirmed, a return to Del Mar yielded a tenth in the Oceanside Stakes. But Mr Fisk got back into the win column in the Shared Belief as the summer meet wound down. Once again going a mile, he made a big move from off the pace, passing horses on the outside. And in a moment reminisicent of his first win, Mr Fisk charged after the frontrunner down the stretch and got the bob in a photo finish.
As summer moved into fall, Mr Fisk had proven he belonged in minor stakes company. The question now was whether he could do what his sire did and make a name for himself in the graded ranks. After all, the San Felipe did not produce a good result.
Even so, Mr Fisk was destined for success in graded stakes like Arrogate. First came the Grade III Native Diver at Del Mar on Thanksgiving weekend, where Mr Fisk raced in mid-pack before giving the crowd another strong finish in the stretch to emulate his sire as a graded stakes winner to complete his sophomore season a high note.
Three starts encompassed Mr Fisk's 2024 season. A fifth place in the Grade II San Pasqual (won by multiple graded stakes winner Newgrange) was nothing more than a hiccup. Back at the tail end of April for the Grade III Calfornian, Mr Fisk went from last to first (albeit in a compact field) to get the winner's purse, and next came the biggest win of his career in the Grade II Hollywood Gold Cup. Closer than usual to the front in the backstretch, Mr Fisk gave the fans a familiar sight as he grabbed the lead in the stretch and powered home to win at a mile and a quarter like Arrogate had. It was that same race where he beat Mixto, who would take the Grade I Pacific Classic that summer, and Subsanador, winner of the inaugural Grade I California Crown later that autumn.
Mr Fisk's most prestigious victory also turned out to be his last. He sustained an injury that happened during the Gold Cup, but made a full recovery. He was later retired with a record of five wins and 2 seconds in eleven starts and is set to begin stud duty in 2025.
When comparing the careers of Mr Fisk and Arrogate, it is easy to see where the former got his class. He shined in the stretch just as his sire did in the 2010s, and he inherited his sire's ability to perform in the top ranks of equine competition. They also loved routing, and they managed to win races rich in history. For example, Arrogate finished out the 2016 season as champion of the Grade I Travers and Breeders' Cup Classic. Mr Fisk added the Californian and Hollywood Gold Gup in 2024, which have long been major races going back to the 1930s.
But the two were different in a couple of ways as well. Arrogate was a winner both in the East and the West, while Mr Fisk never raced outside California. Furthermore, Arrogate took down a few Grade I events during his racing days. Mr Fisk never had the opportunity to start in a Grade I, but did well at the Grade II and Grade III level. And while Arrogate enjoyed being up front, Mr. Fisk liked coming from behind. And their preferred running styles worked for them several times over.
Mr Fisk did not reach the same level of success that Arrogate did as a racehorse. But as a fellow multiple graded stakes winner, Mr Fisk still proved classy in his own right.