Each spring, for as long as I can remember, I've paid close attention to returning 3-year-olds of both sexes and gaits, hoping to find horses that might meet the characteristics of stakes-worthy talent. Unraced 2-year-olds have a difficult time generally reaching that level, perhaps having ability but lacking in experience. Sometimes horses that raced just a few times as freshmen for varied reasons return the following year and take on an entirely new identity and jump from obscurity to the national spotlight. In these days of exceedingly fast miles put up by horses in the non-winners of one class at racetracks throughout North America, time is a factor that's equally hard to read. Knowledgeable horsemen understand that time is not a safe barometer, and the real measure of a horse's talent only comes when put in with horses of similar or theoretically greater ability. So, it's a challenge to scope out horses that can not only beat non-winners of one race but elevate their game to the stakes level. That said, it's a lot of fun watching young horses make their first starts and to see how they progress. One such horse elevated herself to the category of potential star this Monday (April 28) at Pocono Downs at Mohegan Pennsylvania. Tie The Knot, a 3-year-old from the Robert Cleary stable, followed up an extraordinary debut victory a few weeks earlier with an even more eye-catching effort in just her second career start. With Tyler Buter in the bike, the homebred filly by Sweet Lou floated over the Wilkes Barre, Pennsylvania, five-eighths-mile oval with incredible ease, stopping the timer in 1:50 4/5. Track announcer Jim Beviglia suggested correctly that the time was more reflective of a stakes races rather than a non-winners of one. To put both of Tie The Knot's performances under the microscope, there is a key element that sticks out in her ability and high-level potential. The filly doesn't just have speed, she has an incredible quick burst to her. It's the kind of quick twitch that springs athletes free from their defenders, and it's the kind of ability that can render a horse on the front- end powerless to withstand. In her April 7 debut at Pocono, Buter was able to relax Tie The Knot comfortably in fourth through a soft 57 3/5 opening half. When asked for speed on the backstretch, Tie The Knot overwhelmed the leader so quickly that she quickly lost contact with the field on her way to a seven length triumph in 1:53 4/5 on a cold and damp afternoon. As explosive as the effort was, it didn't come as a surprise given the filly had won a qualifier a week earlier at the Meadowlands in 1:52 2/5, a performance that obviously led to her 1-5 status in her career debut. As sharp as Tie The Knot looked in her first race, there didn't appear to be any horses with reasonable ability in the race. In her second start Tie The Knot did meet up with a few fillies that had seen some form of stakes action as freshmen, and though the race was technically the same class as the group she demolished three weeks earlier, it was definitely a step up and a more advanced test. ► Sign up for our FREE DRF Harness Digest Newsletter With the weather warmer and the sun in view, Tie The Knot was a bit more assertive the second time around as Buter put her on the lead with a quick burst after the first quarter and let her glide to the half in 55 1/5. Without the threat of competition, Buter seemed to have the filly relaxed while the pace remained strong. A 27 3/5 third quarter with no one in sight begged the question of whether Tie The Knot was going too fast and would ultimately slow down in the stretch. The answer came quickly when horses started approaching on the outer tier. Buter showed Tie The Knot the whip, she instantly opened up lengths on the field and cruised home in 28 seconds with apparent speed to spare. "She's a sweetheart," Cleary said in describing the filly that he became a partner in late last year. Asked why we didn't see Tie The Knot race as a 2-year-old, Cleary said, "She was just immature, that's all." In a racing canvas that over time has become less patient with young horses and is seeing them pushed forward even when all the pieces didn't seem to fit, Cleary's approach here may be about to pay off in a big way. "She's still learning but has a great attitude," said Cleary of Tie The Knot, a homebred sent to Cleary last year by breeder and co-owner Eric Cherry. Cleary relayed that Tie The Knot has been staked predominantly in Pennsylvania to the Sire Stakes, as well as the Lynch and a few other races, but wasn't exactly ready to commit to where Tie The Knot might show up next. "We'll let her tell us," Cleary said, perhaps with tongue-in-cheek given the clarity of her stakes-like performance in her overnight race. If there is a second side to predicting whether a brilliant effort on the track will translate into success at the highest level, it may just be in the pedigree a horse is born with. In the case of Tie The Knot, I was quite fortunate to see some of the great horses that run through her maternal line. Perhaps of most prominence is the connection of her fifth dam Merman Hanover, full sister to Maryellen Hanover, the dam of the great champion Silk Stockings. Merman Hanover's daughter Noisy Cheers, a successful New York Sire Stakes filly during her career, is a full sister in blood to Silk Stockings. The family found solid footing over the last few generations with Tie The Knot's dam Love Canal, a $607K earner and the 10th richest horse sired by Badlands Hanover. Her second dam A Votre Pante was a Breeders Crown elimination winner as a 3-year-old in 1999 and banked $448K during her three years on the track. Tie The Knot is the seventh foal from Love Canal. Her full sister Heartbreak Hotel captured the Pennsylvania Stallion series final in 2022 as a sophomore. Tie The Knot seems destined for greater things this year, but Cleary was mum when asked. "I think it's better if I let my horses do the talking," said Cleary about a horse that may give a lot of racing fans something to talk about this year.