He possessed tremendous speed when racing in the 2010s. He produced times that were not just eye-catching, but recordbreaking. He simply went out and ran fast when the bell rang.

That gift played a vital role in him becoming a graded stakes winner. And though he was not a need-the-lead type of horse, he loved going to the front.

When it came to races, he was always a better sprinter than router. Versatile going short, he became a well known name to Southern California fans at distances under a mile.

It did not take long for The Factor to get in the win column, either. He did it in his second start, which came on Opening Day of Santa Anita's winter/spring meet in 2010. He did so in grand fashion, too. Going six furlongs on the main track, the War Front colt took the lead early and never gave it back as he opened up in the stretch and left his rivals far back as he set a new record for the distance with an electrfying time of 1:06.98. As of the start of the 2021 Santa Anita winter/spring meet, that clocking still stands.

As with many other Bob Baffert trainees, The Factor was sent along the Kentucky Derby trail at three years of age. He got it started with a nice win in the Grade II San Vicente at seven-eighths of a mile (with a speedy time of 1:20.34), and that preceded a trip to Oaklawn Park in Arkansas. Long a bastion for Baffert's Kentucky Derby hopefuls, The Factor was able to carry his speed a mile and one-sixteenth in the Grade II Rebel, but came up with his second finish out of the money (following his career debut) in the Grade I Arkansas Derby at nine furlongs. Despite the loss, The Factor was destined to do more. And he did so later that year.

Back to sprinting in his first start off the layoff, The Factor took down his first Grade I score in the Pat O'Brien Stakes at Del Mar. He could not sustain his speed in the Grade I Ancient Title at Santa Anita's autumn meet or the Grade I Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile at Churchill Downs, but The Factor closed out the year on a winning note when he won the Grade I Malibu Stakes in 1:19.89, the second fastest in the race's history.

When it came to distance, The Factor always thrived going seven furlongs. Following the Malibu, he tried that same amount of ground in the Grade II San Carlos, which again produced another first place. Sent to Dubai for the Golden Shaheen, The Factor finished off the board, but he came back to California later that season to take runner-up in both the Grade I Triple Bend at Hollywood Park and Grade I Bing Crosby at Del Mar.

The 2012 campaign was The Factor's last at the races, and he retired with six wins and a pair of seconds in thirteen starts. That success has carried over into the breeding shed for the gray/roan horse, for he has sired Grade II winners Bound for Nowhere, Charmaine's Mia and Factor This. He is also the father of Grade I winner Cistron (who gave The Factor a win in the Bing Crosby in 2019).

And in true fashion for The Factor, his progeny has done well sprinting. But he has also seen his children find success in routing as well. And they have won on both dirt and turf, too.

With those early results, The Factor looks to have a splendid stallion career ahead of him. And looking back at his racehorse days, he definitely was a superb sprinter.