The year was 2014 and Captaintreacherous was returning for his 4-year-old campaign after two dominating seasons at the top of his class. Sweet Lou had followed up two brilliant years as a freshman and sophomore in 2011-12 with a 4-year-old campaign that saw him lose 19 races in 23 starts. Yet despite the poor showing, the stage was set for what looked to be an epic battle of champions from different generations. What inevitably happened though was quite different as Sweet Lou's 5-year-old campaign saw him dominate rivals. While at peak performance he had a 10-race win streak that included the William Haughton, U.S. Pacing Championship, Ben Franklin and Dan Patch. Conversely, Captaintreacherous was never able to find his footing among older rivals in an abbreviated season that saw him race just seven times. When the two met on the racetrack it was virtually a no-contest as Sweet Lou was four-for-four in head-to-head competition, with Captaintreacherous only coming within two lengths of Sweet Lou on one occasion, an overnight race at The Meadowlands. Now, nine years removed from their last encounter on the racetrack, the two have embarked on different careers and the results have reversed dramatically for Captaintreacherous. With five crops to the races Captaintreacherous has been the dominating force, with no fewer than nine millionaires to his credit of which five are male. On the other side of the fence sits Sweet Lou with just one seven-figure performer, that being the champion filly/mare Warrawee Ubeaut. There are never 'apples to apples' comparisons when putting stallions on the same page as Captaintreacherous. The son of Somebeachsomewhere had the edge from the start in the breeding shed with a full book of more attractive mares than Sweet Lou would find. Sweet Lou, a son of Yankee Cruiser, would try to defy the hardship that had befallen a stallion line that goes back to Artsplace, a champion of his generation that was never able to find traction as a stallion or a maker of stallions. Nevertheless, anyone that's followed this sport for a long time knows there are no hard and fast rules that eliminate a quality racehorse from becoming a top stallion. The competition between the two appears to have reached a peak in 2023 as the results of just last Saturday's races at The Meadowlands put Sweet Lou in a different light. There were five winners sired by Sweet Lou on the program and it called into question just whether the tables are starting to turn. Regardless of success in overnight races, most people in the breeding business aren't interested in how 5- and 6-year-olds will do in overnight races but how they will stack up when facing the best freshman and sophomore competition. That's the mindset of those who pay dearly at auction, and to date it's an area where Captaintreacherous has led the way and Sweet Lou has followed more than two lengths behind for the first four years. In 2022 there was a time that it appeared that one horse could be a game changer for Sweet Lou. The Brian Brown-trained Confederate looked the part from day one. "He did everything right from the start," said Brown on Monday from his Spring Garden Ranch stable. "We were pointing him towards the Breeders Crown, that's why we skipped the Red Mile Grand Circuit." ► Sign up for our FREE DRF Harness Digest Newsletter That decision gave Confederate the opportunity to peak when Crown trials were held at Woodbine Mohawk Park in late October. That he crushed his competition in the Crown elimination set the stage for what seemed a coronation a week later. Sent off as the 1-2 favorite, Confederate was raced from off the pace, something he'd mastered while winning the Kentucky Championship earlier in the season. On this occasion it would be to his demise as a slow early pace led to a vicious final half and made the distance required for Confederate to travel an obstacle too difficult to overcome. The result was longshot Ammo -- another son of Sweet Lou -- capturing the Crown and Confederate's fans left with a lot of 'what ifs'. Confederate could have regained some stature had he raced in the Governor's Cup at year's end at The Meadowlands, but when he briefly got sick those plans were scrapped and the season came to an end. Confederate's solid season was good enough to put him in the top 10 of Sweet Lou's progeny in earnings and likely give him a springboard to seven-figure success should 2023 pan out just a little better than 2022. "I can't say that there's one type of Sweet Lou," said Brown. "I've had big ones and small ones with ability. Confederate is on the smaller size but he's perfect." As a racehorse size is something you need to make it through the grueling trials the stakes season puts upon a horse. "He can race on the front or off the pace and do it as well," Brown said, continuing his praise of his star pupil. While the coming sophomore season is important for trainer Brown, it's likely a make-or-break year for Sweet Lou in the sense that he needs a top-class stakes performer that one can call a champion. With due respect to Ammo, the Breeders Crown winner, he will need to elevate his game with some consistency to move into that class. Confederate showed 25-second last quarter talent from his first overnight race and despite losing the Breeders Crown came overland with a 53 final half that would have been good enough to win most races. "He just came back into the barn," said Brown, who was reunited with Confederate. "We'll be pointing him for the North America Cup, and I'd like to get a couple of qualifiers into him before then and maybe a race." While Confederate could garner the most attention for Brown in the coming season, the trainer has a soft spot for his former champion Downbytheseaside. "I think you're going to see his next few crops are even better," said Brown. "I've got a colt I really like named Ukraine." A $65,000 yearling purchased at the Ohio Select Sale in 2022, Ukraine is the third foal from the Rocknroll Hanover-sired mare Mama's Little Angel.