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Acts Like a King won the Hoover Stakes by 8 1/2 lengths.
By VANCE HANSON
CINCINNATI - An old saw in Ohio is that if a horse is an Ohio-bred he should probably stay there, and with over
$1.9 million in stakes purses set aside for statebreds at Ohio's three Thoroughbred tracks, there is plenty of economic
incentive to do just that.
From time to time, however, there have been diamonds in the rough, Ohio-breds simply too good
to keep home. Among the more noteworthy were Air Forbes Won and Harlan's Holiday, Grade 1 winners who went favored in
the Kentucky Derby. Another was Kingpost, who won the Grade 2 Jim Beam Stakes before finishing second in the 1988 Belmont
Stakes.
Acts Like a King has a ways to go before reaching such lofty heights, but there is a buzz around River
Downs that he could be the next Ohio-bred to receive national recognition. Acts Like a King, who is unbeaten in two starts,
is being pointed toward the meet's signature event, the $200,000 Cradle Stakes for 2-year-olds on Sept. 5, a race won
last year by eventual Kentucky Derby favorite Bellamy Road.
The story behind Acts Like a King is truly a family
affair. He is owned by Fred "Butch" Nemann, trained by Nemann's wife, Kris, and is ridden by Kris Nemann's
son, Nathan Solomon. Acts Like a King was produced from a mating of Part the Waters and Kara's Rockin Role, stakes winners
campaigned by the Nemanns in the late 1990's.
Foaled at the Nemanns' Rocky Valley Farm in New Richmond,
Ohio, Acts Like a King has stood out from the beginning.
"From the time he was born, he had the look in his
eye like, 'I can do whatever I want to do,' " said Butch Nemann.
That attitude has stayed with Acts
Like a King, perhaps because, even though he is only 2, he is a horse who already fills the eye, and is mature beyond his
years. "In his maiden race, a competitor walked up to him and said to me, 'You've got something illegal in this
race. They don't allow 4-year-olds in this race,' " Nemann said. "He's a big, strong colt. He's
very smart, and he loves to train."
Acts Like a King also likes to run. In his debut July 4 at River, he circled
horses late to finish second despite losing two hind shoes at the break. Two weeks later, in the $40,000 Hoover Stakes at
5 1/2 furlongs, Acts Like a King left little doubt who was the leading statebred 2-year-old, drawing off to win by 8 1/2 lengths
in muddy going, earning a 79 Beyer Speed Figure.
"I've been in this business my whole life, and I haven't
seen too much that can run with this colt that we have," said Nathan Solomon, who also rode Acts Like a King's sire
and dam. "He could be the real deal."
Indeed, anything can happen to a young racehorse. The Nemann family
has been lucky with Acts Like a King, whose only setback was a spike in temperature two weeks ago. Training time was lost
from that setback, though, which may preclude Acts Like a King from starting in the Cradle Prep, a $25,000 overnight allowance
here Saturday. Nemann said that if they skip the prep, Acts Like a King will train up to the Cradle.
A win or strong
showing by Acts Like a King in the 1 1/16-mile Cradle will lead to a start in the Best of Ohio Juvenile at Beulah Park. "If
we treat him right, I think he has a chance to do better than [statebred races]," Nemann said.
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