Appeal of $150,000 maiden claimer mainly to 2-year-old buyers

This winter, I mentioned 2011's $150,000 maiden claimer for 2-year-old fillies at the spa. That post got a hit with this year's rendition being run on Monday. What stood out to me about the race this time was six of the eight fillies having sold as 2-year-olds (not surprisingly, all for under $150,000). The prices were probably fresh in the buyers' minds, while people who have a horse that's been in their hands since the horse was a yearling become removed from the horse's true value. The yearling buyer has more room to dream. Two-year-old buyers are practical people.

One could argue that the market's rating of yearlings is almost obsolete by the time the horses are 2-year-olds, train, and approach running That's a reasonable point of view. But certainly, many yearling buys are now worth less than $150,000. Yet, with the exception of a filly named Fierce, where were they in the specialty maiden claimer?

Why am I not surprised that the architect behind the lone yearling buy to $150,000 maiden claiming race transition was Wesley Ward? He has to be one of the more practical guys in racing. None the less because he was running Put It Back's half sib in the maiden claiming race and so flaunting the prestigious pedigree before anyone tempted.