Almost athletic and agile started at an early age

Athleticism and agility are key factors for success in any athlete, regardless of sport, but some who are considered among the greatest athletes of all time have earned that title by competing professionally in multiple sports.

Names like Bo Jackson, Deion Sanders and Jim Thorpe earned legendary status for their top performances in multiple sports. Even NBA great Michael Jordan briefly played minor league baseball. Maybe that next big two-sport star will come in the form of Almost .

The son of Not this time may not get the chance to show off his skills in another sport after proving himself to be one of the best racehorses in his class with a dominant victory in the Holy Bull Stakes (G3) at Gulfstream Park. Yet he was a real football star in his youth at Wind Hill Farm near Morriston, Florida.

Breeder Kris Gibbons, who owns the farm with her husband Howard, gave the young colt a big ball to play with. Soon he was running around kicking him all over the field.

“He taught himself to play football in the field and just maneuvered this ball around and kicked it with his feet and his nose, twisting and turning,” Gibbons said. “Then he would throw it over the fence so we could throw it back because he just loved interacting with people. He taught himself to be so agile and so athletic.”

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As it turns out, that early soccer career was not only fun and playful, but it also taught the colt how to use his body in ways that would benefit him on the track. During a January 2 Gulfstream Park During the allowance race, Nearly was beaten by an inside rival coming out of the gate and was nearly sent to his knees. He then collected himself, shrugged his shoulders and rallied for a five-length triumph. That win was exactly what Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher needed to point him to the Kentucky Derby (G1) course in his next start.

“I attribute some of that to the fact that he’s so agile,” Gibbons said.

The Holy Bull was no easy task either, as Almost set a fast, early pace from the favourite Gunner . Still, he was unfazed and was ready to answer the call of Hall of Fame jockey John Velazquez, kicking clear to win by 5 3/4 lengths.

Gibbons cheered from the stands next to the Centennial Farms ownership group, who had taken the train to see the colt she bred put his talent on full display.

“When he turned around for home and started walking away, I just knew he had it,” Gibbons said. “Velazquez, they just have an affinity for each other. He just does whatever Velazquez asks him to do. It was just a blessing to have those two together.

Gibbons is no stranger to good horses. The first mare she ever bought in 1996, To the Hunt, produced two multiple Grade 1-winning millionaires: Starrer and Stellar Jayne. Wind Hill Farm also bred 1998 Spinaway Stakes (G1) winner Things Change, 2002 Canadian champion 2-year-old filly Brusque and 2012 Louisiana Derby (G2) winner Hero of Order.

That success is thanks to a small breeding company that currently only has seven members, which gives Gibbons the opportunity to take a more hands-on approach.

“We probably breed four to seven mares a year,” Gibbons said. “I do the work on the weekends and there’s only so much I can handle. Just keep it manageable and then I can look at it a little more.”

That is one of those seven mares Ib Prospecting Nearly’s mother. The daughter of Mineshaft caught Gibbons’ attention when she read a list of recent first-time winners in an edition of BloodHorse Daily. She noticed that Ib Prospecting was out of a mare named Stormy Frolic, which she correctly assumed was from the same family as one of her broodmares, Frolic’s Appeal. Stormy Frolic and Frolic’s Appeal came from half-sisters who shared the mother Cherokee Frolic.

From Frolic’s call, Wind Hill Farm had bred Dessman, runner-up in the 2019 San Vicente Stakes (G2), leaving Gibbons looking to acquire another mare from the family.

With the help of trainer Patrick Gallagher, Gibbons twice tried to claim Ib Prospecting in Southern California, but lost the shake both times. She then tried to buy the mare privately, but her offer was rejected. They were finally able to successfully claim her for $25,000 in August 2018, before retiring her and taking her to Florida.

Gibbons sold the first foal, Golden Tooth for $180,000 as a weanling at the 2020 Keeneland November Breeding Stock Sale. Almost is only her second foal and the first to win.

She had tried to cover Ib Prospecting in 2021 with Not This Time as the young stallion on the rise at Taylor Made, but the mare did not last. However, Gibbons’ analysis showed that the now-superstar sire – who was starting to reach the top end of his budget with a stud fee of $45,000 to start in 2022 – was deeply flawed – and determined to breed back.

“It was such a good name and I loved that stallion because he was on the rise,” Gibbons said. “(Not this time) was so beautiful.”

Almost was also beautiful from its first day on the ground. His playful attitude made him a handful during sales preparation for the 2024 Keeneland September Yearling Sale. Consigned by Denali Stud, nearly sold to Centennial Farms for $350,000.

“We knew he was such a nice colt, so our fingers were crossed,” Gibbons said. “We had no idea he could run like he can.”

The colt can certainly run after finishing in sixth place on his debut Aqueduct racecourse in October to win his next three starts by a total of 20 lengths while putting himself in first place on the Kentucky Derby points standings as of February 1.

“This colt seems so much more exciting,” Gibbons said of Nearly compared to the other top horses she has bred. “Maybe because it’s been a while. It’s just amazing.”

As a Florida-bred stallion, Nearly stepped onto the stage at a pivotal point in the state’s equine history. Legislation has been introduced to decouple thoroughbred racing from gaming, which would likely lead to the closure of Gulfstream Park and remove the additional money from gaming in racing purses.

Almost also comes from the last crop of Gibbons bred in Florida since he moved there from Kentucky about a decade ago. Kentucky-bred animals have become even more profitable in recent years as incentives from the Kentucky Thoroughbred Development Fund have increased. That has created a more challenging market to try to sell Florida-bred animals at the major Kentucky auctions.

However, Gibbons is hopeful that if Nearly, if he moves on to the Triple Crown races and performs well, he will shine a light on the breeding industry in Florida, which with six has the most Kentucky Derby winners of any state except Kentucky.

“I hope this helps boost the breeding program in Florida,” Gibbons said. “You have to give credit to these farms here that continue to bring in new stallions and try to make Florida a little more competitive.”

Although she is wary of getting too far ahead, Gibbons fully recognizes the path before her football star-turned-brilliant racehorse leads toward May 2. Churchill Downs.

“It would really be the dream of a lifetime,” she said.