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Trained by Michael Matz, as was Barbaro, Visionaire began his career in the mid-Atlantic, much like the 2006 Derby winner. Visioniare beat the highly regarded Elysium Fields in his maiden win. After an easy allowance win at Gulfstream Park in early January, he ran a respectable third behind Pyro in the Risen Star (gr. III) at Fair Grounds. Making his fifth start in as many tracks in the March 8 Gotham, he closed from last to just get up in time for the win. Visionaire had his final Derby prep in the Toyota Blue Grass (gr. I) April 12 at Keeneland. Breaking from post 11, he was far back early, caught behind a slow pace. He was one of the few horses to make up ground in the late stages, which could be a big benefit come the first Saturday in May.

Auction History

Year	Sale	Price
2006	Fasig-Tipton August Yearling Sale	$300,000
2007	Fasig-Tipton Florida February Two-Year-Old Sale	$90,000
2007	Ocala Breeders' June Two-Year-Old Sale	$220,000

Racing History

Date	Race Name	Distance	Finish	Earnings
04/12/08	Blue Grass Stakes (gr. I)	9f	5	$22,500
03/08/08	Gotham (gr. III)	8.5 f	1	$150,000
02/09/08	Risen Star (gr. III)	8.5 f	3	$30,000
01/04/08	ALW	8 f	1	$24,300
10/23/07	MDN	8 f	1	$15,960
10/07/07	MDN	6 f	2	$8,000
Record: 6 Starts, 3-1-1 | Total Earnings: $250,760
Race Records provided by equineline.com

By Steve Haskin

It didn’t take long after Visionaire’s 5 1/2-length victory in a one-mile allowance race at Gulfstream Jan. 4 for the phones to start ringing at the homes of John and Jill Stephens and Brandon and Diannah Perry, who operate the Vision Racing partnership, which owns the colt.

Following several offers, Vision Racing had themselves a 51% partner in Barry Irwin and his partnership of Team Valor International. Together, they and trainer Michael Matz set forth on the Kentucky Derby trail.

Visionaire had two straight wins under his belt, both after explosive moves from far back, in which he blew by his opponents and opened a lead before reaching the eighth pole. It was that kind of move that one looks for in a Derby horse.

In his first start for his new partnership, the Risen Star (gr. III), Visionaire broke from post 2 and was much closer to the pace than usual, especially with the dawdling fractions they were running up front. Racing in third for most of the way, he lacked his usual punch, but hung tough in the stretch to finish third, 2 3/4 lengths behind the victorious Pyro.

It was decided to look for easier pickings, where Visionaire could revert to his old running style. The race chosen was the Gotham Stakes (gr. III). Despite a sloppy track and thick fog, Visionaire was able to split horses from way back and close relentlessly in the stretch to nail Texas Wildcatter by a nose, earning a solid 98 Beyer speed figure.

Now it is on to the Toyota Blue Grass Stakes (gr. I) and a rematch with Pyro. Visionaire has proved himself to be an exciting Derby contender with a quick-fire acceleration and the ability to beat you in midstretch or in the closing yards. If he can utilize those attributes at 1 1/4 miles, then Team Valor may very well have made the deal of the year.

By Avalyn Hunter

After their promising Visionaire ran third to Pyro in the Risen Star Stakes (gr. III) Feb. 9, Team Valor International and Vision Racing elected to send the colt to New York for the Gotham Stakes (gr. III) rather than trying a second tilt with Pyro in the Louisiana Derby (gr. II). It proved a sound choice, as Visionaire got a graded win and a shot of confidence with a gritty, come-from-behind victory.

Visionaire is by Grand Slam, who proved both talented and unlucky during his racing career. After winning the 1997 Moet Champagne Stakes (gr. I), Grand Slam lost all chance in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile (gr. I) when he suffered a severe cut to a hind tendon.

Amazingly, he came back at 3 to win the Peter Pan Stakes (gr. II) and finish second in the Breeders’ Cup Sprint (gr. I). Grand Slam is by Gone West out of Bright Candles, by 1984 General Accident Two Thousand Guineas (Eng-I) and Joe McGrath Irish Sweeps Derby (Ire-I) winner and champion El Gran Senor and from the immediate family of the top runner and sire Alydar. To date, Grand Slam has sired 43 stakes winners from 875 named foals (including 127 2-year-olds). So far, none of his North American graded stakes winners have shown any taste for distances beyond nine furlongs, but his Japanese-raced son Cafe Olympus won the 2004 Japan Dirt Derby (Jpn-I) over 10 furlongs.

Visionaire is the second foal of stakes-placed Scarlet Tango, by 1995 Jerome Handicap (gr. II) winner French Deputy, a very fast miler. The dam of Scarlet Tango, Silver Tango, was a 10-time stakes winner over sprint distances. Overall, Visionaire’s immediate pedigree seems tilted more toward speed than stamina, but his late-running style may be an asset in helping him use that speed where it counts: at the finish. His performance in his next race, the Toyota Blue Grass Stakes (gr. I), will probably tell the tale as to whether he is a viable candidate for the Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (gr. I) or a promising miler.

By Claire Novak

The fact that the newly-formed Vision Racing has managed to come up with two promising stakes contenders—one of them pointed toward the Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (gr. I)—should come as no surprise given the expertise of the syndicate’s managing partners. Brandon and Diannah Perry of Paragon Farms, along with John and Jill Stephens of Stephens Thoroughbreds, are lifelong members of the equine industry whose names can be associated with such top horses as Magical Masquerade (dam of The Green Monkey), Country Melody (a half-sister to grade I winner Bob and John), Dynever, Voodoo Dancer, Fast Decision, and Barbaro.

The relationship between the two couples began in 2000, when the Stephenses helped Diannah Perry rehab an injured gelding and bring him back to the racetrack. That runner, named Glok, was a turf contender who was grade I-placed during his 1997 campaign. He returned to win, place, and show for the Stephenses before he was retired to the Perrys’ Lexington farm. Following that success, the couples’ friendship evolved to a business arrangement.

“It’s a great relationship because we all get along so well,” Brandon Perry said. “We all believe that if you do what’s right, things will work out later in life.”

That belief certainly appears to be coming true for the partners; they’ve experienced a rarely-seen streak of good fortune with their first yearling purchase— the Grand Slam colt Visionaire, who is on the Derby trail for trainer Michael Matz. They also have the 3-year-old Keep Laughing, a Distorted Humor colt who won the Lafayette Stakes at Keeneland by a nose April 6, following a 6 1/4-length maiden victory at Gulfstream for trainer Kiaran McLaughlin.

“Actually, Vision Racing was started because of those two horses,” John Stephens said. “We both thought very highly of those two, and Brandon knew some great people who had the finances to go in on the deal, all new people to racing who have put their confidence and trust in us and allowed us to do what we thought was the right thing.”

Obtained for $300,000 at the 2006 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga yearling sale, Visionaire was one of 16 horses bought by Vision Sales during the entity’s first year of operation. Purchased by Vision Racing for $220,000 during the Ocala Breeders’ Sales Co.’s June 2-year-olds in training and horses of racing age sale, he went on to break his maiden and score a solid Gulfstream Park allowance win that attracted the interest of Barry Irwin’s Team Valor International, now a 51% owner.

Vision Racing is a by-product of the four-member team’s sales group. About 25 individuals invest in the sales syndicate, while approximately 11 make up the racing partnership.

“Visionaire was our very first horse and such a smart one at the sale,” Perry said. “You could see that he really took care of himself. We took him to the Calder sale, but he chipped an upper knee joint during his first breeze show. The vet said it would never affect him as a racehorse, but it did affect him at the sales. We took him home and took the chip out and got him ready for the next sale, but we always thought he’d been a very nice horse, so we put a number on him for our racing group, and Vision Racing bought him from Vision Sales.

“We knew a lot of people who were interested in the industry, but didn’t know exactly how to get into it,” Perry said. “It’s a lot of fun, really, because virtually everyone is new to the industry. We’ve tried to be as realistic as possible and keep our investment group realistic as well. I told everyone after Visionaire won the Gotham (gr. III), ‘These are living, breathing animals
that can provide the most enjoyment and most fun you’ve ever had, but they can also break your heart sometimes.’ ”

The duties of selecting horses are split evenly between
the Stephenses, based in Ocala, Fla., and the Perrys, based in Lexington.

“All four of us look at horses together at pretty much every sale, except Keeneland,” Perry explained. “The nice thing about it is that John and Jill train our sale (yearlings) down in Florida, so they get a good feel for the quality of the horses we have.”

This year, the Vision Sales team bought 21 horses to pinhook. They also set up another racing entity for 2008, equipped specifically to buy racehorses.

“We’re always looking for the athlete and the racehorse,”
Stephens said. “We want our horses to sell well, but at the same time, we want to sell good racehorses. Being a sales horse and being a racehorse unfortunately aren’t always the same thing. Our horses might not have as much pedigree as some of the ‘now’ horses, but we don’t have to buy big pedigree—we can buy the horses we like. We’ve done well at it so far.”

By Claire Novak

Jose Lezcano answered the questions for this interview on the telephone, through the interpretation of his agent, Jason Bidas, while laughing hysterically in the background. He was, Bidas acknowledged, “more comfortable that way,” and a “shy, laid-back kind of guy.” Still, the 22-year-old native of Panama is confident in his riding abilities, talents that have brought him titles at Tampa Bay Downs and Monmouth Park in addition to a secure place among the top riders at Gulfstream Park.

Lezcano rode in the 2006 Kentucky Derby, finishing eighth aboard Deputy Glitters. He rides Visionaire for trainer Michael Matz.

Career wins: 757

Born: 1985, Panama

Favorite food: “Hamburgers”

Favorite sport: “Soccer, I played when I was a kid and still play when Jason lets me.”

I can’t live without:“My cell phone. I’m always on the phone.”

Most hated chore: “I do everything. I do my laundry, take the garbage out, I take my nice clothes to the dry cleaner… I do it all.”

The fastest I’ve ever driven was: “140 miles per hour, driving from Tampa to Florida on this highway called ‘Alligator Alley,’ just a freeway where you can flat-out roll.”

If I could trade careers with another professional athlete, I would: “A racecar driver or Michael Jordan.”

Another rider I admire is: “John Velazquez.”

One thing I wish people knew about jockeys: “Our job has a lot of stress.”

The best part about winning the Derby this year would be: “Accomplishing what every jockey wants to do. I’m very excited about riding in it.”