2006 Secretariat Stakes winner
Showing Up was a brilliant turf colt who lit up the summer of 2006 for one of racing's most beloved ownership groups. He was foaled in 2003 and was bred by Nellie M. Cox at her Rose Retreat Farm in Virginia. He raced for Roy and Gretchen Jackson's Lael Stables, the same operation that campaigned the great Barbaro, and he was trained by Hall of Fame trainer Barclay Tagg, the patient horseman who had won the Kentucky Derby and Preakness with Funny Cide a few years earlier. Cornelio Velasquez rode him in his finest moments.
Showing Up never raced as a two year old, but he came back in 2006 with a vengeance. He swept his first three starts in dazzling style, including his first try on the grass in the rich Colonial Turf Cup Stakes at Colonial Downs in Virginia. Coming from off the pace, he ran down a strong field and beat the talented Kip Deville by three and a quarter lengths. The performance announced him as a major player on the American turf scene, and his connections quickly pointed him toward the next big target.
That target was the Secretariat Stakes at Arlington Park, the most prestigious grass race in the country for three year olds. Showing Up delivered the performance of his life on that summer afternoon. He rolled home a clear winner with a 107 Beyer Speed Figure, putting up the second fastest time in the long history of that historic Grade 1 race. The win pushed his career earnings past the million dollar mark in just six lifetime starts, and he was suddenly one of the most exciting young grass horses in America.
Showing Up finished second in voting for the 2006 Eclipse Award for Champion Male Turf Horse, with Miesque's Approval edging him out for the title. Lael Stables still shared the Owner Eclipse Award with Darley Stable that year, a wonderful honor for the Jacksons during a season made bittersweet by Barbaro's breakdown in the Preakness Stakes. Showing Up is remembered as a stylish closer on the turf, and as a horse who gave Barclay Tagg and the Jacksons some of the brighter days of a difficult year.
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