In Sharper Focus: Sylven Park

While a minor stone bruise forced Sylven Park (Wildcat Heir) to scratch from an intended start at Saratoga in late July, the promising turf sprinter proved well worth the wait with a second straight impressive tally at Gulfstream Park Sunday afternoon.

A debut dead-heat second in Hallandale Mar. 26, Sylven Park tipped his hand as one to watch after covering his final eighth in :10.98 in a visually impressive come-from-behind maiden win over the Churchill lawn June 25 (video). The bay overcame a wide journey to record his second straight decision in an optional claimer this weekend, good for a career high 84 Beyer Speed Figure.

Since claiming Sylven Park's dam for a mere $5,000 out of her career finale at Mountaineer in the summer of 2010 with the purpose of breeding, co-owner and breeder Nathan McCauley has always had high hopes for Birdie Birdie (El Prado {Ire})'s first foal. Birdie Birdie, an earner of a shade over $100,000 in 15-career starts, won four times, including a maiden special weight and a first-level allowance at Del Mar. Sylven Park's second dam Dominque's Show (Theatrical {Ire}) is an unraced half-sister to European champion One Cool Cat (Storm Cat). The 10-year-old Birdie Birdie's 2-year-old colt Free Rose (Munnings) is currently in training with Cal Lynch and is nearing a debut at Parx. Birdie Birdie produced a filly by Maclean's Music in 2014 and a filly by Curlin in 2015. She was bred to Temple City this spring.

“I've always been high on him,” McCauley said of Sylven Park. “I claimed his mom for $5,000 and bred her to my favorite stallion, Wildcat Heir. There is a lot of sentimental value just to begin with. He was a really nice foal and a great yearling. I never planned to sell him; we always planned to race him. Since day one as a 2-year-old, he always flashed a lot of ability. He has a great way of going and has a great mind. He had some baby issues last year and we just gave him time.”

He continued, “It's been incredible just watching him. He's my first homebred. I've been around horses the last decade or so. It's been very satisfying. And I still don't think we've seen the best of him yet.”

While growing up in Lexington, Kentucky, the 32-year-old became interested in racing by attending the GI Kentucky Derby with his family, including his slightly younger brother and Sylven Park's co-owner and trainer Tevis McCauley. Their father Ron McCauley owns the family's McCauley Farm, which is run by their youngest brother, Alex, and is located 20 minutes away from Keeneland. The McCauleys partnered with Barry Abrams to own their first racehorse, 2008 GI Las Virgenes S. heroine Golden Doc A (Unusual Heat).

Looking for a change, Nathan McCauley moved to Nashville, Tennessee, five years ago and launched the car dealership Providence Auto Group. Introduced to the car business by his father, he has worked in the industry since graduating high school.

“We started going to the Derby and I just got the horseracing bug,” McCauley explained. “For me, I went from a casual fan to a diehard follower of the sport when Afleet Alex won the [GI] Preakness [S. in 2005]. I was just a huge fan of his and that was kind of a game changer for me. We bought our first racehorse Golden Doc A in 2007. We just had incredible luck with her and she was an amazing filly. Tevis took out his training license a couple years after that and I got into the bloodstock side of it then, too.”

There are plenty of options for McCauley's current star–named after a neighborhood in the Volunteer State–going forward. They include: an allowance race at Kentucky Downs next month; the GIII Jefferson Cup going a mile at Churchill Downs Sept. 26; or awaiting the prestigious Keeneland fall meet. The GII Nearctic S. at Woodbine Oct. 18 is also on the radar for Sylven Park moving forward as well.

But for now, McCauley and the team are just enjoying the ride.

“I gave a share away to a number of my friends from Tennessee and also my brothers so we could enjoy him together,” McCauley concluded. “We're going to take our time with him. We've had some nice horses over the years and there's a feeling around everybody that he could be up there with the best of them. We're just going to take it one step at a time and hope that he is.”