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Haskin's Preakness Report: A 'Walk' Through History

Blood-Horse Staff — Wed, 16 May 2012 16:34:00 GMT

Then and now.

Along the drive through historic Sagamore Farm, with its idyllic pastures, gently rolling hills, and spectacular vistas, you pass a small unobtrusive barn that at first doesn’t look like a barn at all, due mainly to its garage doors that were installed years ago to replace the old existing traditional barn doors. Inside, there is little of significance, other than the remnants of five or six stalls. But this barn once was hallowed ground. The second stall from the end was the home of the legendary Native Dancer, who founded a dynasty right here in this very barn. This barn also was the home of the Discovery, one of the greatest weight carriers in the history of the sport.

Sagamore farm house and trainer's stand - Photo by Steve Haskin

Native Dancer’s stall bears little memory of the “Gray Ghost,” other than a wooden plank across the door, deformed by years of gnawing and still bearing The Dancer’s teeth marks. On the floor outside the stall is an old tack box, tarnished by the years, but still bearing farm owner Alfred G. Vanderbilt’s faded cerise and white colors, adorned with his familiar three-diamond logo and initials “AGV.”

Native Dancer's stall then - Sagamore photo

Native Dancer's stall now - Photo by Steve Haskin

Native Dancer - Sagamore Photo

This was the then. Veering off to the left, behind the old barn, is the former yearling barn that now houses owner Kevin Plank’s horses in training. Out in the large paddock, with its lush grass and carpet of clover, trainer Ignacio Correas grazes the handsome dark bay Tiger Walk, who is just days away from vanning down to Pimlico for his engagement in Saturday’s Preakness Stakes (gr. I).

Tiger Walk and Ignacio Correas - Photo by Steve Haskin

Plank, founder of the sports apparel company Under Armour, has invested a great deal of money and effort in restoring this historic farm, located only about 20 minutes north of Pimlico. But there is still a lot of work to be done, such as renovating the large training barn adjacent to the six-furlong training track, composed mainly of Tapeta, along with pieces of colorful fabric from Under Armour shirts.

Overlooking the farm, on a hill across the road, aptly named Belmont Avenue, is the “farm” house, a sprawling estate decorated with photos and other memorabilia, mainly of Native Dancer. The house is used for guests, parties, and barbecues for the staff.

But history and restoration aside, the talk is of now and the Preakness Stakes, and the high hopes for Tiger Walk, who has to be one of unluckiest draw horses ever. In seven career starts, the son of Tale of the Cat has faced a total of 65 opponents and has drawn inside of only four of them. He has drawn either the outside post or one from the outside in every start, including post 13 of 13 in the Gotham Stakes (gr. III) and 12 of 12 and 11 of 12 in maiden races. He also was drawn in post 7 of 8 in the Wood Memorial (gr. I). Despite the bad posts and being forced wide into the first turn in almost every start, he still has managed to finish third in the Withers (gr. III) and fourth in the Gotham and Wood Memorial.

Equipped with cheater blinkers in his most recent work, he blazed a half-mile in :47 1/5 in company, and will race with the blinkers in the Preakness.

Correas, a native of Argentina and a fourth generation horseman, is no stranger to the Triple Crown trail, having accompanied Stormello to Florida on two occasions, for the Fountain of Youth Stakes (gr. II) and Florida Derby (gr. I), as assistant to Bill Currin, and then to Churchill for the Kentucky Derby.

If Tiger Walk, whose female family is a Who’s Who top-class Darby Dan breeding, can make an impact on the Preakness, with a little help from the draw this time, it will be a historic moment for Maryland and racing in general.

A Fair Hill morning

No drive down to Baltimore is complete without a stop at idyllic Fair Hill. Unlike last year and 2006, there is no Kentucky Derby winner to visit. But that doesn’t mean there are no major attractions there or even the Preakness winner.

As periods of heavy rain fell, Graham Motion was debating whether to van Went the Day Well, a troubled fourth in the Kentucky Derby, down to Pimlico later that morning or wait until the following day. He eventually decided on the latter.

At around 7 o’clock, as Went the Day Well, who had more than his share of trouble in the Derby, was being saddled, trainer Graham Motion was discussing the bizarre incident that had just transpired on the racetrack. “Thank God I didn’t see it,” he said.

Went the Day Well's walk in the rain - Photo by Steve Haskin

Two of Motion’s 2-year-olds were galloping alongside each other when one of them reached over a savaged the other, grabbing him by the neck. The startled victim of the attack proceeded to dump his rider, as did the transgressor. With the two exercise riders standing on the tack, both colts then reared up on their hind legs and attacked each other, striking at one another with their front legs.

Thank goodness, the scene at the Team Valor barn was more tranquil. Went the Day Well looked fantastic, and it was obvious he has had no ill-effects from the Derby. His coat looked great and he was carrying excellent flesh. He went to the track in the pouring rain and galloped a strong mile and a half. This definitely is a horse to watch on Saturday.

Went the Day Well's walk in the rain. Photo by Steve Haskin

At the opposite end of the Fair Hill training center, trainer Michael Matz was applying ointment to the leg of Union Rags, who probably had the worst trip of all in the Derby, getting eliminated right at the start and returning with cuts that still required attention 10 days after the race. Matz still was visibly upset talking about Union Rags’ trip from hell after all the work they had put in getting the colt ready for a peak performance on the first Saturday in May. The fairy tale story of Phyllis Wyeth now will have to wait until the Belmont Stakes.

But Matz still will represented in the Preakness with Jose Singer’s Teeth of the Dog, a fast-closing third in the Resorts World Casino New York City Wood Memorial (gr. I). This improving son of Bluegrass Cat made an attractive appearance in his stall, as Matz went in and fed him mints. He is a well balanced colt, and also sports a bright healthy coat. And you couldn’t ask for a colt with a kinder, more easy-going temperament.

Matz said he likely will van him down on Friday, and is just hoping for a good effort to propel him forward, possibly in the Belmont Stakes.

I’ll Have Another monster gallop

Churchill Downs or Pimlico, it doesn’t matter to Kentucky Derby winner I’ll Have Another, who tore around the track this morning with the same high-powered energy he did in Kentucky.

I'll Have Another - Photo by Steve Haskin

Like Went the Day Well, he has bounced out of the Derby in great shape and has maintained his weight in excellent fashion.

At Churchill, he hugged the rail in his two-minute licks and open gallops, whereas at Pimlico, he took the turn a bit wider, but corned brilliantly and immediately headed back to the rail once straightened out in the stretch.

This evening’s draw should be very interesting, as we’ll see where Bodemeister breaks from and how easily he’ll get the lead. As the only apparent speed in the race, it will be up to I’ll Have Another’s rider Mario Gutierrez to decide how much slack to give him before putting the pressure on.

Doug O'Neill and friend - Photo by Steve Haskin

Special Return - by Evan Hammonds

aspradling — Tue, 15 May 2012 14:53:00 GMT

(Originally published in the May 19, 2012 issue of The Blood-Horse magazine. Feel free to share your own thoughts and opinions at the bottom of the column.)

By Evan Hammonds

An off-again, on-again love affair between the Maryland Jockey Club and its signature race for the handicap division, the Pimlico Special, has played out just north of Baltimore’s Inner Harbor for a half century now. The latest rebirth of the 13⁄16-mile Special will take place in living color May 18, the day before the Preakness Stakes (gr. I), racing’s second leg of the Triple Crown.

The Special, once a $500,000 top-tiered event, was last contested in 2008—the day before Big Brown wore the blanket of Black-Eyed Susans—so it has lost its grade I status for this year’s trip aboard the merry-go-round. With a broad stroke of equal parts brilliance and marketing savvy, the MJC has repackaged the former William Donald Schaefer Handicap (gr. III) as the Pimlico Special and kick-started the purse from $100,000 to $300,000.

The race returns to its rightful slot on the racing calendar for the handicap division, falling after Santa Anita’s Big ’Cap (gr. I) and the Oaklawn Handicap (gr. II) and before Churchill Downs’ Stephen Foster Handicap (gr. I) and the New York Racing Association’s summer heavy-hitters.

The Pimlico Special was special in racing’s golden era when horses such as Seabiscuit, Challedon, Whirlaway, and Citation stomped on the terra at Old Hilltop. The grainy newsreel footage of yesteryear continues to fade, as does the black-and-white contrasted images hanging on the wall. Its storied run came to an end after Vertex’ score in 1958, and for 30 years the starting gates remained closed on the Special.

Those days, like duotone images that first turn yellow, then light brown, are gone forever. Time has been allowed to get loose on the lead, but the race has seen some good times after it returned more than a generation ago.

The race made a glorious comeback in 1988, bringing together four from the great 3-year-old crop of 1987 to fill out the superfecta in Bet Twice, Lost Code, Cryptoclearance, and Alysheba, with local hero Little Bold John running fifth. From then to its one-year vacancy in 2002, the Special served as a May springboard to three Horse of the Year titles with wins by Criminal Type (1990), Cigar (’95), Skip Away (’98), and an additional older male Eclipse Award won by Blushing John (’89).

Include took the Special in 2001 before the race took a break. The importance of the victory wasn’t lost on Brereton Jones, who would later buy the horse to stand at his Airdrie Stud near Midway, Ky.

“Anytime you win a grade I around two turns and do it impressively, it’s helpful for a stallion’s career,” he said. “His win was important to me as to Include’s potential.”

While contested five times in a six-year span (2003-08), the race has proved to be a star machine and a Central Kentucky stallion-maker.
William Farish’s homebred Mineshaft was a 4-year-old on the upswing when he earned the first grade I victory of his career in the slop at Pimlico in the 2003 Special. Three other grade I wins would follow, as would an Eclipse Award as Horse of the Year and a career at stud at Farish’s Lane’s End Farm.

Two years later Pete Willmott’s Eddington would snag his lone grade I victory in the Special, securing a slot on the stallion roster at Claiborne Farm.

“It is a great race with a lot of history,” Willmott said. “It was terribly important to win that race. He had won on the grass and won some nice races, but that was a big step for him.”

In 2006 a horse from Argentina, via Uruguay, via Dubai that went by the name Invasor, was a 6-1 chance in a five-horse field. His 11⁄4-length win over 4-5 Wanderin Boy was the start of an unbeaten run to the Horse of the Year title culminating with a victory over Bernardini in the Breeders’ Cup Classic – Powered by Dodge (gr. I). He now stands at Shadwell Farm.

“It’s an important race, and it was important for Invasor,” said his trainer Kiaran McLaughlin. “It’s good timing for horses to go two turns instead of the one-turn Met Mile (gr. I). It went quiet for a while, but maybe it’s time for it to come on again. It’s nice to see the Pimlico Special back up and running.”

In its last incarnation, Ro Parra’s Student Council bounded away in the 2008 Maryland Lottery Pimlico Special and into the stud barn at Parra’s Millennium Farm.

Here’s to the start of a new run.

Hard Way Back - by John Gilmore

aspradling — Tue, 15 May 2012 14:27:00 GMT

(Originally published in the May 19, 2012 issue of The Blood-Horse magazine. Feel free to share your own thoughts and opinions at the bottom of the column.)

by John Gilmore

As the horses galloped up the finishing straight in the 2,400-meter (11⁄2-mile) Prix de la Lomagne Handicap at Saint-Cloud on a gloomy, rain-sodden evening May 5, Hard Way cruised to the front, eventually winning as he pleased. Racegoers enthusiastically cheered his every stride to the wire and beyond.

The victory, with Christophe Lemaire aboard, provided a sharp contrast to some 20 months ago in August 2010, when the then 5-year-old gelding’s racing career looked in shreds. A scan by Deauville veterinarian Xavier d’Ablon had revealed a crushed Atlas vertebra, which is the vertebra connecting the skull to the spine. The fragments were not touching the spinal cord but could very well do so.

“Dr. d’Ablon thought the compression caused by the fracture led to the sub-par performances of Hard Way’s last two races at Saint-Cloud and Clairefontaine in June and August 2010, when he had nothing to give at the end of the races, which was not like him,” said American Gina Rarick, who trains Hard Way and obtained her professional French training license in September 2008.

To this day nobody is any the wiser how the injury occurred, appearing more consistent with a steeplechase horse having fallen on its head.
“The vets had not seen a horse survive such an injury, so the scans quickly made their way to vet schools around the world—including University of California-Davis,” Rarick said. “The advice given was to treat the injury like a fracture and wait and see how it healed. I sent him to Madame Francoise Guibert’s home for retired and breeding horses in Normandy, where the vet gave him a dose of Tildren—a bone-building drug—and he was turned out for three months.”

After the three months an MRI scan showed the fracture had remarkably healed into a boney mass and the fragments had stabilized. D’Ablon gave Hard Way the green light to come back into training, according to Rarick.

“Not wanting to take any risks, I sent Hard Way into pre-training to see how he would handle it, but after three weeks he got a stiff neck and I decided to throw in the towel and retire him with Madame Guibert,” the trainer said.

Rarick checked on Hard Way at Guibert’s retirement center last October and thought he looked miserable standing out in a field. She then decided to bring him back to Maisons-Laffitte, with the idea of being the stable pony.

“Within a month it was clear Hard Way had other ideas: He was walking better than ever, and I didn’t hurry him back to the track—spending all winter hacking in the forest at Maisons-Laffitte near my rented boutique yard,” Rarick said.

Hard Way eventually had two minor races in April 2012 at Lisieux, coming back sound, before a first serious race back on his favored soft ground and distance at Saint-Cloud.

“Everybody was just thrilled to pieces,” said Rarick, who has had a soft spot in her heart for Hard Way since his first day in her barn. Hard Way’s dam, Nicosia, was the first racehorse she owned, and after the mare injured a suspensory tendon a trainer friend, Jean-Paul Gallorini, put her in touch with Denis Grandin, who had a stallion—the aptly named Ultimately Lucky.

“Grandin offered to take Nicosia as a broodmare against the first foal, if I wanted to go that way, but it turned out badly,” Rarick said. “The dam was put down a few days after Hard Way’s birth, developing septicemia. I almost quit racing and everything to do with it when I learned of Nicosia’s death, but my husband, Tim, and Gallorini convinced me to stay in the game.”

As a foal, Hard Way went to Guibert’s farm, where Rarick keeps a broodmare and sends her horses for  freshening.

“He was in a field with two other weanling colts and one of them kept picking on him relentlessly. Instead of fighting back he always just ran away,” said Rarick. “This experience has left its mark. Hard Way gets too worked up and stressed with other racehorses and only goes on the gallops when we do fast work. The rest of the time I hack him alone. At the track we bring him into the presentation ring last, onto the track last, and into the gate last, though once the gates open, he just wants to beat them all.”

Rarick still owns Hard Way but leases him to the French-based American owner Mark Tronco and American Kay Minton. Tronco, however, said he considers the gelding “everybody’s horse.”

“We all love him,” he said. “We were over the moon when he won, and he could certainly go on to win more this year.”

Haskin's Preakness Report: Cozzetti Keeps Sire's Spark Alive

aspradling — Mon, 14 May 2012 23:46:00 GMT

John Nerud has a lot on his mind these days. He is studying all the Triple Crown participants and funneling in as much information about the contenders as he can from whatever sources available. He is preparing a candid (what else?) and blunt article on the Lasix situation, NYRA, and other pertinent matters concerning racing. He’s been consulting with Breeders’ Cup officials on how to improve the event that he and John Gaines started in 1984. And of course he’s overseeing the few horses he has up at Sugar Maple Farm in upstate New York.

After all, what else is there to do when you’re 99 years old and the passion of Thoroughbred racing still burns within as it did back in the heyday of Dr. Fager, Gallant Man, Ta Wee, and the numerous other great champions Nerud owned, bred, or trained, whether by himself or for William McKnight’s Tartan Stable?

Nerud not only was responsible for some of the most successful racehorses ever, he also was a maker of stallions. Gallant Man became a strong influence at stud; Dr. Fager was the leading sire in America, and Nerud’s two crowning achievements at stud, Fappiano and Cozzene, both of whom he owned and bred, paid for his estate in Old Brookville, N.Y.

Cozzene, the last of the great Nerud influences, passed away in 2008 at the age of 28 from melanoma, which he had lived with for several years. While most stallions have been pensioned by age 28, many well before that, Cozzene continued breeding until pretty much the day he died. Shortly before his death, he was bred to the Lemon Drop Kid mare Lemon Drop Cello. The following year, Lemon Drop Cello gave birth to a gray/roan colt later to be named Cozzetti, who will be running in Saturday’s Preakness Stakes (gr. I) for trainer Dale Romans and owner Albaugh Family Stables.

It’s not every day you see a horse conceived by a 28-year-old stallion. But this was a John Nerud-bred stallion, and anything produced by Nerud had to be tough. He wouldn’t have it any other way. Cozzene was bred to 38 mares the year he died and got 26 of them in foal.

To Nerud, it’s no big deal to have a stallion still serving active duty at an old age.

“An older stallion will get a good foal as much as a young stallion will,” Nerud said. “Many people say when a horse turns 20 they don’t want to breed to him anymore. “But as long as he’s got the sperm and can fertilize that egg he’s as good as he was at 4.”

As for Cozzene having a horse in the Preakness, Nerud said, “To even be in there is a big deal.”

How tough was Cozzene? He raced his entire career with a chipped sesamoid behind, something he had all his life. Among his many stakes victories was an impressive score in the Breeders’ Cup Mile (gr. I) in 1985. As a stallion, he had the unique distinction at the time of siring Breeders’ Cup Classic (gr. I) winner Alphabet Soup and Breeders’ Cup Turf (gr. IT) winner Tikkanen.

Before Cozzene won the Breeders’ Cup Mile, Nerud sold 10 shares in him at $40,000 a share. After the Breeders’ Cup, he sold 20 shares at $60,000 a share, while keeping a quarter-interest for himself. Nerud made millions from Cozzene alone. Add Fappiano, and let’s just say that Nerud has been comfortable ever since.

When Tartan Stable disbanded, Nerud continued to breed about 10 or 11 mares, and to get three grade I winners (Cozzene, Fappiano, and Clabber Girl) from those 10 or 11 mares was pretty remarkable.

Now, here is Cozzene represented by a Preakness starter, who has rallied to finish third in the Tampa Bay Derby (gr. II) and fourth in the Arkansas Derby (gr. I), in which he was beaten a head and a neck for second.

Cozzetti showed his readiness for the task ahead by working five furlongs in a sizzling :58 4/5 Monday, boosting Romans’ confidence that the colt is going to “run huge.”

So, if you’re ever feeling old and way past your prime, and feel you have nothing more to contribute, just keep an eye on Cozzetti in the final eighth of a mile of the Preakness, and keep reminding yourself that his sire was the equivalent of an 80-year-old person when he conceived him and his sire’s owner was 95. And at the time of conception, Cozzene was 23 years older than the mare.

Cozzene and Nerud had something else in common that can best be described by Oscar Wilde, who wrote, “The tragedy of old age is not that one is old, but that one is young.”

Pinhookers Enjoy Bigger Return on Select Juveniles

macawwoman — Mon, 14 May 2012 19:20:00 GMT

The rate of return for pinhookers on select juveniles rose in 2012....(read more)

Preakness 137: My Final Act

Jason Shandler — Mon, 14 May 2012 01:09:00 GMT

Saturday's Preakness will be bittersweet, since it will be my last......(read more)

Bridge Jumper was Too Prohibiting

Blood-Horse Staff — Sun, 13 May 2012 23:30:00 GMT

Prohibiting debuted as the first runner for Midnight Lute, but Bridge Jumper stole the show....(read more)

Haskin's Preakness Report: Jack of All Trades

aspradling — Sun, 13 May 2012 23:23:00 GMT

Jack Sisterson looked out the plane window as he approached Louisville Airport in 2002 and saw his life unfold right before him. The native of Durham, England, who grew up with horses, as a jockey and show jump rider, had been offered a soccer scholarship by the University of Louisville and was looking forward to fulfilling his dream of moving to America and getting a free education, playing soccer, and working with horses.

“I looked down and there was Churchill Downs, and there was the university, and it was a no brainer," Sisterson said. "I didn’t have to see what the campus looked like. All I knew was that it was close to Churchill Downs and that was it.”

Now here he was 10 years later, seeing Churchill Downs from a different perspective – standing in the winner’s circle of the Kentucky Derby.

Sisterson, assistant trainer for Doug O’Neill, had been at Churchill for two weeks, preparing Barn 3 for the arrival of Santa Anita Derby (gr. I) and Robert B. Lewis (gr. II) winner I’ll Have Another. He was thrilled just to have a horse in the Kentucky Derby with a legitimate shot.

When I’ll Have Another crossed the finish line 1 ½ lengths ahead of Bodemeister, Sisterson, watching from the tunnel to the paddock, rushed to the rail where he waited anxiously to charge onto the track.

“Words were coming out of my mouth and I had no idea what I saying,” he said the morning after the Derby. “It was absolutely crazy. I don’t think there are any words that can describe the feeling. All I kept thinking was, ‘Wow, is this real?’ I actually got a little teary eyed. After the race I had 93 text messages in 30 seconds. I had my phone on vibrator and it was just one continuous vibration.”

Among those who texted him were his parents, who have supported him in all his endeavors. They had gone to Ladbrokes to get a fixed price on the horse.

“They said, ‘We’re so proud of you, Jack. Well done. Just savor the moment,’” Sisterson said. “Without my parents I wouldn’t be in this position. I owe a lot to them. To have this happen is a dream come true.”

"Coming to the barn this morning, it really hasn’t sunk in yet. How many foals are born each year and how many of them point specifically for this race? You have people who spend hundreds of millions of dollars to try to get a Kentucky Derby winner, and Dennis (O’Neill’s brother) finds this horse for $35,000. He has a remarkable way of finding young talent.

“Doug has done a fantastic job with this horse. When he won the Lewis and it was decided to give him the two months to the Santa Anita Derby, Doug knew he would have him peaking at the right time. And he’s only going to improve off the Derby.”

Sisterson originally had hoped to be a jockey, but got too big and eventually turned to show jumping and exercising horses.

“I’d sit on the arm of my couch and pretend to be riding races,” he said. “Horses were in my blood, and if I couldn’t be a jockey I wanted to eventually become a trainer; as long as I was hands-on with the horses. I played soccer for a professional club in England, but got released. I had a few schools interested in me to play soccer and then was offered the scholarship by the University of Louisville. I played soccer there and also kicked for the football team.”

After graduating, he began to steadily work his way into racing, doing summer work for Todd Pletcher and some work for a bloodstock company before getting a job with trainer Eddie Kenneally. While with Kenneally, he went to the Breeders’ Cup at Santa Anita in 2009 with BC Juvenile starter Aspire and fell in love with Southern California.

“I thought California was brilliant and I’ve been there ever since,” Sisterson said. “I was at Hollywood Park when I took notice of (owner and entrepreneur) Mark Verge’s bright red silks, with the logo “For Rent” on them. I thought, ‘I’ve got to look this man up.’ I went on the internet and saw that he owned hotels and restaurants and Westside Rentals (the largest apartment and home finding service in L.A. and Orange County), which is where the words on his silks came from. I sent him an e-mail and asked if I could possibly meet him, because I knew he was involved with horses. The next morning, I received a reply at 5 o’clock in the morning telling me to call him. I wound up going to his office and having coffee with him and kept going back, always asking him questions. How many people in his position are going to take in a perfect stranger who asks to meet him?

“He introduced me to Doug and here I am now. Doug has been so great at accommodating the public to come to the barn and see how we do things. It’s an open door policy at the barn. I’ve learned so much from Mark and Doug, not only about racing, but about life. Doug believes in keeping spirits high, because he’s convinced it rubs off on the horses. We get our job done, but we like to have fun. That’s what the game is all about.”

Verge went on to be named CEO of Santa Anita this past March, and was at O’Neill’s barn before the Derby, joining in the walkover, and afterward celebrating the victory of I’ll Have Another, which also was a victory for Santa Anita and Southern California.

As for I’ll Have Another, Sisterson said he’s “very straightforward and easy going. At Churchill, he got over the ground so beautifully it looked like he’d been stabled there the whole time. That’s something you want to see in a horse, how he gets over the ground. If he doesn’t get over it well it’s game over. He’d go out there and come back bucking and squealing. We thought at that point, maybe he really does have a chance. And he continued to train that way. Then his gallop on Friday morning sent shivers down the spine. We were in the temporary bleachers when he went by and we just looked at each other and there was no need for any words to come out. We knew without saying anything how good he was going into the race.”

So, now Sisterson’s unlikely journey continues on to Baltimore. If I’ll Have Another runs the way he did in Kentucky, Sisterson once again will be feeling those good vibrations.

Prohibiting the First Lute

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Prohibiting is scheduled to run at Hastings Park on Sunday, May 13, the first runner for Midnight Lute....(read more)

Caught Lion with No Finesse on Rutherford Rd

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Haskin's Preakness Report: Five Weeks in Spring

Blood-Horse Staff — Fri, 11 May 2012 22:28:00 GMT

We recently wrote about the possibility of I’ll Have Another sweeping the Triple Crown. So what if we’re getting ahead of ourselves. After 34 years (and we’ve been there through all of them) we’re entitled to think or dream ahead.

So, does the son of Flower Alley have the ideal preparation and foundation for such a daunting task? Not if you go by history. But racing over the past several years has said the heck with history on numerous occasions. We have always maintained that the next Triple Crown winner will be a classy 2-year-old with a good foundation, preferably a horse who ran big in the Champagne Stakes (gr. I), the only juvenile stakes to test a horse’s speed, stamina, and class. There is a reason why the last three Triple Crown winners all finished first or second in the Champagne.

Well, as it turned out, Champagne winner Union Rags lost all chance in the Derby and missed his opportunity to take the first leg of the Triple Crown, through no fault of his own.

So, with the Champagne angle gone, does I’ll Have Another have enough foundation under him to emerge victorious from the Derby and Preakness and still have enough in reserve to add the grueling Belmont Stakes, all in the span of five weeks? One thing every Triple Crown winner had in common was that they all had a series of races close together at some point in their career to prepare them for what they will have to encounter in the Triple Crown.

Noted racing author and historian Richard Sowers, with whom we’ve exchanged ideas with on numerous occasions over the years, supplied his usual comprehensive data on the subject of the Triple Crown.

Said Sowers, who has just completed the ultimate factual book on racing:

“Although Sir Barton won the Derby off an eight-month layoff and had only six starts before then, he ran four times in August of his 2-year-old campaign and again on September 14. And he ran in the Withers 10 days after the Preakness and 18 days before the Belmont.

“Although Gallant Fox ran only eight times before the Triple Crown, seven of those races were at 2, and his first four races were in a span of 34 days, and his next three races were in a span of 19 days.

“The last seven of Omaha's nine starts at 2 came in a span of 57 days. After a seven-month layoff, he ran only twice before the Derby. His first start back was 12 days before the Derby, and his second was five days later. And, with the Belmont four weeks after the Preakness, he also ran in the Withers, which was halfway between the Preakness and Belmont.

“While War Admiral didn't even run twice in the same month in his six races at 2, his first start at 3 was 24 days before the Derby, his second 10 days later, and the Preakness was a week after the Derby.

“Whirlaway ran 16 times as a 2-year-old. Nine races, his second through 10th starts, came in a span of 68 days. He then got 24 days off before he ran six more times in a span of 52 days. Whirlaway then ran twice in February, twice in March and three times in April before the Derby, then ran in an allowance at Belmont 10 days after the Preakness and 18 days before the Belmont.

“Count Fleet made his first six starts in a span of 52 days. He then got 20 days off before running twice in five days. He then got a month off before racing seven times in the next 57 days. He then took six months off, made his first start as a 3-year-old 18 days before the Derby and his second and final start before the Derby four days later.

“The first six starts of Assault's career came in a span of 64 days. After a month off, he ran twice in eight days. Assault then took six months off and made three starts at 3 before the Derby. His first start at 3 was 25 days before the Derby, his second was 11 days later and his third 10 days after that---and just four days before the Derby.

“Citation's schedule wasn't as compact as some, but he ran three times in 24 days in his fourth through sixth starts at a juvenile. After running nine times at 2, Citation got only three months off, then made his first four starts at 3 in a span of 27 days. He then got a little more than seven weeks off before making three starts in 16 days, with the last of those coming four days before the Derby.

“Secretariat's first three starts came in a span of 28 days. After running nine times at 2, he got four months off, then made his second start at 3 three weeks after his first, his next start two weeks later and his fourth start (Derby) two weeks after that.

“Seattle Slew ran only three times at 2, but those three starts were in a span of 27 days.

“Affirmed's nine starts at 2 were relatively spaced out, but he did race three times in a span of 24 days. After about four and a half months off, Affirmed made four starts in 40 days, then took 20 days off before the Derby.”

So, every Triple Crown winner was more than equipped to handle the three races in five weeks. They’d all done it before.

“Prior to Citation, the lack of winter racing forced a lot of the trainers who won the Triple Crown to run compacted schedules,” Sowers said. “But even since, they've all run some sort of compacted, busy schedule BEFORE the classics. I'm just convinced that, until SOME horse has the kind of foundation that enables him to get used to racing essentially an average of once a week for five or six weeks, obviously with layoffs, that there won't be another Triple Crown winner. We've seen 11 straight that won the Derby and Preakness fail in the Belmont, and I think insisting that horses be ‘fresh’ for the Derby makes sense for the Derby, but not for the Triple Crown. Without the foundation of running so often at least once before the classics, they're just not going to win a 1 1/4-mile race after a layoff, then come back two weeks later to win at 1 3/16 miles, then three weeks later at 1 1/2 miles.”

In regard to I’ll Have Another, he certainly was fresh going into the Derby and, like many Derby winners, has a good chance of continuing that roll, or adrenalin high, in the Preakness. But what about coming back in three weeks and going a mile and a half?

Unlike previous Triple Crown winners, top-class horses nowadays simply do not run with their races spaced that close together. So, the next Triple Crown winner likely will have to break new ground. I’ll Have Another did make his first three career starts within a two-month period, which doesn’t compare to the aforementioned horses, but still provided him with at least some kind of experience racing steadily at 2, as abbreviated as it was. At 3, by not running for two months following his first start back, he will have to undergo a dramatic change in his 3-year-old routine.

If you want to convince yourself he’s capable of doing it, then you have to think Smarty Jones, who nearly pulled it off with his speed and class. And that was with a pedigree not nearly as strong as I’ll Have Another’s, and the inability to settle in the Belmont with three jockeys out to get him beat. But what helped Smarty get as close as he did to winning the Belmont anyway was a four-race foundation at 3, all of them stakes wins, to go along with his tremendous talent. He also was tons the best 3-year-old that year, having demolished his opponents in the Preakness.

I’ll Have Another obviously still has to get by the Preakness, but if he does, at least one can get an idea how he stacks up with past Triple Crown winners. As we mentioned yesterday, he has the speed, the class, and the stamina, and he settles well, which will all help greatly.

Racing has changed dramatically in the way horses are trained and raced, and it’s going to take an exceptional horse to sweep the Triple Crown without having that group of races bunched together somewhere in his career. If I’ll Have Another can win the Preakness, save something in the tank, and then use his speed, class, and stamina to reach deep within himself and pull out that final eighth of the Belmont Stakes, just maybe he can actually pull it off.

Secretariat - Photo by Steve Haskin

Seattle Slew - Photo by Steve Haskin

Affirmed - Photo by Steve Haskin

Fanacious was Too Fierce

Blood-Horse Staff — Fri, 11 May 2012 01:42:00 GMT

Two-year-olds are running across the country on Friday. I'll preview 2 races, one at Churchill Downs, and one at Arlington Park. ...(read more)

Haskin's Preakness Report: I'll Have Another Triple Crown

Blood-Horse Staff — Thu, 10 May 2012 21:27:00 GMT

Each year, we go through the same routine, analyzing the winner of the Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (gr. I) in an attempt to convince ourselves that he is the next Triple Crown winner.

We compile all his attributes, enhance his strong points, and usually deduce that he can indeed accomplish racing’s most elusive feat. We start to get excited, counting down the days to the Preakness (gr, I) and ultimately the Belmont Stakes (gr. I). But then comes the rude awakening, whether it be at Pimlico or Belmont Park. We painfully discover that we overlooked something; those seemingly insignificant weaknesses that caused him to run into that proverbial brick wall. And that brick wall can manifest itself in several ways. The Preakness was too short; the Belmont was too long. The track was too hard; the track was too soft. The pace was too fast; the pace was too slow. The turns were too tight; the turns were too wide. Or perhaps some new shooter shows up who is fresh and sharp and primed to spoil the celebration. And so it continues – 10 years, 20 years, 30 years and climbing.

Well, this year is different. This year we’re going to go about it the opposite way. Forget about I’ll Have Another’s strengths. We’ve already discussed those on the Derby trail each week and have concluded that he has all the attributes to win not only the Derby, but the Preakness and Belmont as well. So that leaves his weaknesses. What can prevent him from finally ending the Triple Crown drought?

This is going to sound sacrilegious and presumptuous, but the answer is nothing. At least nothing that he can control. Frankly, this colt has the sharp tactical speed to shorten up in the Preakness and the pedigree to relish the mile and a half of the Belmont. His fate could very well be out of his hands and that the only thing that can stop him is one of the Derby starters who were prevented from running their best race jumping up and running the race of their life at Pimlico or Belmont. And if I’ll Have Another should get by the Preakness, there will be a fresh Union Rags waiting for him at Belmont.

But all of that just may be moot. I’ll Have Another could simply be the best 3-year-old in the country at any distance, and as of now there doesn’t appear to be any reason why he isn’t. But we’re getting way ahead of ourselves. His toughest task is coming up. If, however, he should get past the Preakness, we think they should at least start polishing off the Triple Crown trophy, because this colt appears to have all the credentials to finally crash through those seemingly impenetrable gates of racing’s pantheon.

Trainer Doug O’Neill sure thinks he has what it takes.

“He’s three for three this year and he’s shown an amazing amount of will to win as we keep stretching him,” he said. “He travels beautifully, I know he’s got the stamina, and I know he’s got the heart. We just need some luck maintaining what we’ve got now. There will be Derby horses coming back who will be tough and others who are fresh and talented who passed the Derby. But I don’t see any reason why he can’t repeat his current form. He knows how to conserve his energy. Paul (owner Reddam) is a hockey fan, and he always says, ‘It’s only the first period; we still have two more periods to go.’”

O’Neill has left no stone unturned. When he gave I’ll Have Another two months off between the Robert B. Lewis (gr. II) and the Santa Anita Derby (gr. I), he worked him long and relatively quick, much like his one-time idol Charlie Whittingham would have done. When the colt had a little stiffness in his back following a work, he used vet-regulated shock wave therapy to help stimulate blood flow to the area. After the Santa Anita Derby, he kept the horse at Hollywood Park without giving him a work over the Churchill Downs track. When I’ll Have Another stepped off the van a week before the Derby, his coat was resplendent and he was full of life.

Once in Kentucky, he gave him long stiff gallops, making him the star attraction every morning, as he tore around there with great energy.

O’Neill continues to do things his way, shipping the colt to Pimlico two days after the Derby, just like in the old days, instead of keeping him at Churchill until the Wednesday before the Preakness, which has become standard practice the past 20 years. He also has decided not to keep him in the traditional Derby winner’s stall in the stakes barn and instead has him in a different barn away from most of the hoopla. And he said he will not work I’ll Have Another at Pimlico, and will continue to give him open gallops.

Another unconventional practice has been Reddam renting a house in Louisville and Baltimore for all the crew in order to keep everyone together and in good spirits and keep camaraderie at a high level. They had barbecues every night in Louisville, and as O’Neill said, “Everyone’s had a lot of fun. In Baltimore, Paul has rented a townhouse with a view of the water and the whole crew is staying there. It’s a great way of keeping everyone happy and pumped up.”

“(I’ll Have Another) has given us so much pleasure,” O’Neill said. “He has a beautiful mind and a beautiful stride, and has the ‘it’ factor of wanting to be the first one to the wire. So far, it’s been an amazing journey."

And there’s a good chance it’s going to get even more amazing.

Another Derby Shot for Flower Alley

Alan Porter — Thu, 10 May 2012 14:45:00 GMT

Seven years after his unlucky Kentucky Derby run, Flower Alley is the sire of Derby winner I'll Have Another....(read more)

Omnitap is Born to Jazz to My Daughter's Song

Blood-Horse Staff — Thu, 10 May 2012 01:30:00 GMT

For Thursday, a 4.5 furlong race for 2-year-old fillies at Churchill Downs....(read more)

Haskin's Derby Postscript: Zayat Marches On

Blood-Horse Staff — Thu, 10 May 2012 00:52:00 GMT

Tradition!

As Tevye said in Fiddler on the Roof when his daughter went against tradition and asked to marry a lowly tailor, “Unheard of, absurd…unthinkable.”

For owner Ahmed Zayat, his Bodemeister went against tradition by blazing a half in a near-record :45 1/5 in the Kentucky Derby and still finished second, beaten 1 ½ lengths…unheard of, absurd.

Zayat’s Paynter went against tradition by running in the Santa Anita Derby off only one 5 ½-furlong maiden race in his life and still was beaten a mere 3 ¾ lengths, despite stumbling at the start…unthinkable.

Even Zayat himself has done the unthinkable and unheard of by thwarting a possible bank takeover of his vast racing stable and then promptly turning his stable into a bigger success than it had been before.

If Bodemeister and Paynter are freaky, as many believe, then perhaps what they’ve accomplished isn’t all that freaky…at least to them. Perhaps they haven’t even come close to tapping into their true talents. Now that’s a scary thought.

Zayat and trainer Bob Baffert have been contemplating what do with both horses, especially considering how lightly raced they still are. At this point, no decisions have been made, but it looks very unlikely Paynter will run in the Preakness. As for Bodemeister, they want to give him a little more time before making a final decision. According to Zayat, he’s carrying good flesh and his energy level is high, but it’s still too early to commit to the race.

Once the Kentucky Derby is over, the Derby gods relinquish their power to the Triple Crown gods or racing gods, or whatever ethereal force you believe controls one’s racing fate. As far as we know there are no Preakness or Belmont gods that conspire with the Derby gods, which is good news for Zayat, who has been tested in Kentucky the past four years. Maybe it wasn’t quite as stiff a test as Moses having to roam the desert for 40 years, but historians have concluded that four years in the Kentucky Derby is equivalent to 40 biblical years.

So, after three second-place finishes in the Derby, each one more agonizing than the one before, and a heartbreaking injury suffered by potential superstar Eskendereya on the eve of the Derby, Zayat may now turn his attention to the black-eyed susans, hoping they smell sweeter than the roses. At least they don’t have thorns.

Just imagine, in Zayat’s three seconds, he was beaten by arguably the freakiest winner and in the freakiest manner in Derby history; was beaten by a horse who had never even run on the dirt before; and was beaten by a horse who broke from post 19, one of only two post positions that had never produced a Kentucky Derby winner. The prices of the horses who beat him: $103.20, $43.80, and $32.60. The odds on his horses: 8-1, 6-1, and 4-1. In each defeat, his horse had the lead at some point in the stretch. And in the year he lost Eskendereya (who would have been an overwhelming favorite) to injury, his trainer wound up winning the race with his second stringer, which twisted the dagger in even deeper.

Zayat is an emotional person, but after seeing the anguish on the faces of his son Justin and Baffert’s son Bode following the Derby, he had to keep his own emotions in check. His feelings of disappointment and frustration soon were replaced by feelings of pride in his horse and what he accomplished.

Bodemeister, like Pioneerof the Nile and Nehro, had found a way to lose the Derby, but to Zayat, none of them had failed.

Thomas Edison once said, “I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.”

Zayat has maintained that same philosophy. One of these years he’s going to get the light bulb to shine on the first Saturday in May, and everything will feel right.

Bodemeister - Photo by Steve Haskin

California Dreamin’

Most everyone knows by now that I’ll Have Another became the first horse to win the Kentucky Derby and Santa Anita Derby since Sunday Silence in 1989. What most everyone might not know is that this year’s Derby also was the first since 1989 in which the one-two-three finishers all were coming off grade I victories -- I’ll Have Another (Santa Anita Derby), Bodemeister (Arkansas Derby), and Dullahan (Blue Grass Stakes). In 1989, we had Sunday Silence (Santa Anita Derby), Easy Goer (Wood Memorial), and Awe Inspiring (Flamingo Stakes).

Sunday Silence was trained by the legendary Charlie Whittingham. I’ll Have Another is trained by Doug O’Neill, who remembers being in awe of Whittingham when he first started training.

Some things just have a way of coming full circle.

I'll Have Another and Doug O'Neill Day One - Photo by Steve Haskin

Mid-Atlantic Circuit: Possible ... or Laughable?

JerseyTom — Wed, 09 May 2012 16:41:00 GMT

Cooperation and concessions could do wonders in the Mid-Atlantic region, which badly needs a circuit strategy....(read more)

There is Money in Return for a Song of Aspen with a Bern Identity

Blood-Horse Staff — Wed, 09 May 2012 05:40:00 GMT

Now that the Kentucky Derby is over, let's get back to the 2-year-olds, with a 5 furlong race at Belmont Park. ...(read more)

Post Derby 138 Thoughts

Jason Shandler — Tue, 08 May 2012 16:06:00 GMT

The top four finishers all ran winning type races......(read more)

The Shackled Zombie

aspradling — Tue, 08 May 2012 15:24:00 GMT

A story of how two horses told me I needed to not skip the Kentucky Derby this year. ...(read more)

Camelot Pays Tribute to Late Sire Montjeu

Alan Porter — Tue, 08 May 2012 14:30:00 GMT

Camelot, who seems certain to appreciate the longer classics, is a rare Montjeu to win a major event at a distance as short as a mile....(read more)

Winners & Placers by Eric Mitchell

aspradling — Tue, 08 May 2012 12:50:00 GMT

(Originally published in the May 12, 2012 issue of The Blood-Horse magazine. Feel free to share your own thoughts and opinions at the bottom of the column.)

By Eric Mitchell - @EJMitchellKy on Twitter

In Thoroughbred racing not only do we laud the winner, we also recognize and give credit to those finishing second and third. The Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands and the Kentucky Oaks (both gr. I) gave us a rich slate of firsts, seconds, and thirds to ponder.

At the top of the list of firsts is jockey Mario Gutierrez’ winning ride on I’ll Have Another. The 25-year-old native of Mexico was making his first start in the Kentucky Derby and rode away with the roses. Only a month ago Gutierrez had won his first grade I stakes in the Santa Anita Derby and now owns a title that most riders spend a lifetime chasing. Gutierrez takes nothing for granted, fully appreciating and respecting the weight of the accomplishment and the moment.

“I had pretty good confidence because everyone was with me,” Gutierrez said after the race, referring to the many calls, e-mails, and Facebook posts he’d gotten from friends and family in Veracruz and in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, where he established himself as a professional rider. “I prepared myself 100%; I just didn’t want to disappoint anyone.”

Mission accomplished.

Other firsts belong to California owner J. Paul Reddam and trainer Doug O’Neill, who have both competed in the Kentucky Derby before but now have a golden cup to call their own. Reddam’s best Kentucky Derby performer prior to May 5 was Wilko, winner of the 2004 Bessemer Trust Breeders’ Cup Juvenile (gr. I) who wound up sixth in the Derby. Reddam’s first Derby starter, owned in partnership, was Ten Most Wanted, who finished ninth in 2003. After Wilko, he and O’Neill were back in the 2007 Kentucky Derby with Great Hunter (13th) and Liquidity (14th).

For Reddam the Derby victory is a splendid mix of good fortune and good chemistry.

“The whole group tries to remember that racing is supposed to be fun first,” Reddam said. “I never dreamed that I would be in a position to own racehorses, but I got very lucky in my life and it happened. I guess I’m still pretty lucky.”

O’Neill’s only previous Derby starters were Great Hunter and Liquidity. He and his brother Dennis have been part of the Southern California racing scene since the mid-1980s. Doug took out his trainer’s license in 1994 and has been conditioning a steady stream of diamonds in the rough that Dennis finds at auction, such as I’ll Have Another, who Dennis bought for $35,000 at the Ocala Breeders’ Sales Co.’s April 2-year-olds in training sale.

“Dennis has been there with me through the ups and downs, and there’s been a lot of downs,” said Doug O’Neill. “Paul, he’s a big owner, but he’s also a big fan. Winning this; it’s an incredible feeling.”

Adding to the lists of firsts, I’ll Have Another became the first horse in the Derby’s 138-year history to win coming out of post 19. Post 17 now remains the only winless position.

Rosie Napravnik contributed to the first-ever list May 4 by becoming the first female jockey to win the Kentucky Oaks.
Among the placers, a couple of owners deserve recognition.

Ahmed Zayat had his most tantalizingly close finish yet in this year’s Derby with Bodemeister finishing 11⁄2 lengths back in second. Among the five starters he’s had in the Derby, he’s now finished second three times. The others were in 2009 with Pioneerof the Nile and in 2011 with Nehro. The Egyptian-born international businessman owns Bodemeister with Mike and Tiffany Moreno. An impressive winner of the Arkansas Derby (gr. I), Bodemeister is sure to have many good wins ahead of him—maybe in the Preakness Stakes (gr. I). It is still worth noting, incidentally, that the colt is by Empire Maker, who finished second in the 2003 Kentucky Derby to Funny Cide.

Jerry Crawford, owner of the Donegal Racing partnership stable, has had his own collection of mixed blessings in the Derby, having finished third twice in his only two starts. Donegal finished third in 2010 with Paddy O’Prado, who came into the race off a second in the Toyota Blue Grass Stakes (gr. I), and again on May 5 with Dullahan, who had won this year’s Blue Grass Stakes. Paddy O’Prado went on after the Derby to win the grade I Secretariat Stakes and three other graded stakes. Like Bodemeister, Dullahan has good races ahead of him.

As for Zayat and Crawford and their Derby records, their patience will be rewarded. Consistently good form will eventually deliver and wrap them in their own blanket of roses.

Super Man: Raymond 'Butch' Lehr - by Lenny Shulman

aspradling — Tue, 08 May 2012 12:39:00 GMT

(Originally published in the May 12, 2012 issue of The Blood-Horse magazine. Feel free to share your own thoughts and opinions at the bottom of the column.)

It’s a pretty good indication that a job is special when only three people have held it over the past 100 years. Raymond “Butch” Lehr, the third track superintendent in the history of Churchill Downs, will retire at the end of the current meeting July 1, taking 45 years of experience and memories with him.

“It’s been an honor,” said Lehr, standing outside in front of his office near Gate 5 of the famed Louisville racetrack. Lehr brought some pedigree with him, his uncle Charlie Voneye having lived in a house near Barn 3 while serving as assistant track super. Lehr began on the maintenance crew at Churchill right out of high school and returned after two years in the military to work on the track crew before being tapped to assist Thurman Pangburn, his predecessor. Lehr succeeded Pangburn in 1982 and has held the top job ever since, something in which he justifiably takes a lot of pride.

“There’s not a vice president here that can say they started out here at $57.83 a week like I did,” said the personable Lehr with a smile.
Lehr has bridged a time period that increasingly has seen technology and shared information play greater roles in racetrack maintenance and safety, and he has been a willing participant in gathering as much knowledge as possible.

  “Since the beginning I’ve traveled to other racetracks to see what they do and have gone to seminars, and I’ve tried to bring in new things I’ve learned,” he stated. “There is still no book that you can open up and say, ‘This is the way a racetrack should be built.’ I’ve compiled as much information on injuries and patterns that develop; I’ve been a stickler on keeping that info. And then it finally happened here where we had the high-profile breakdown of Eight Belles. It’s a side of the business no one wants to see, but I’ve been working closely with the Safety and Integrity Alliance gathering scientific data. We’re all working toward a standard, but until we’re able to put a roof over these tracks, we’re not likely to see it because weather plays such a big part in maintaining the track and what we do. People don’t always understand that. Even all-weather tracks are all-weather only until it’s too hot or too cold.”

Working at Churchill Downs means you’re associated with the Kentucky Derby (gr. I) more than anything else, and Lehr, 63, is no exception. He noted his greatest Derby memory came when he was working on the maintenance crew in 1973 when Secretariat shattered the Derby record.

“He was a phenomenon,” Lehr stated. “That certainly was a memorable one. As a caretaker of the track, I’ve seen a lot of race records broken, but Secretariat’s is still standing here. Zenyatta running in the Breeders’ Cup was another great day; it kind of took the place of Personal Ensign beating Winning Colors in the Breeders’ Cup in 1988. I was pulling for the Derby winner and she just about got there, but hats off to Personal Ensign. That was before we had lights here, but we had night racing that day,” Lehr said, referring to the Classic (gr. I) being run in the throes of dusk.

For a pure test of his crew’s skills, though, Lehr points to Smarty Jones’ Kentucky Derby of 2004, when a monsoon hit on race day and four inches of rain fell.

“That was no doubt our biggest nightmare,” Lehr said. “The grandstand was under construction at the time, and they lost two truckloads of concrete, which is why water came flooding out of the grandstand like it was whitewater rafting coming across the track. It took out some of the surface and we had to go in manually and put it back. People thought we were going to have to cancel the Derby. That was one where you think about going to your car and heading off into the sunset, but we stuck with it.”

Nature’s storms are bad enough, but Lehr has also had to deal annually with human eruptions as well, particularly from trainers and owners who seek to blame the track for their horses’ less-than-optimal performances in the sport’s biggest race. It is an annual rite that complaints are heard that the racing surface is ‘souped up’ on Derby Day; harder; cuppier; different than the way it’s been for training sessions leading up to the big day. Lehr has heard it all.

“That’s why I’m on four different kinds of heart-pressure medication,” he said. “I’ve never rolled up a track and put another one down overnight. But I’ve been accused of everything. It’s just part of the job that you’re gonna be criticized. The best horses in the world are here that day; it’s all stakes races and they’re gonna run faster. Plus, the weather plays a big part. When it gets hot and humid, I’ve seen this track play a full second faster just because of the humidity.”

Lehr plans to make good winter use of a home he’s purchased in Florida and also spend more time with his three grandchildren while keeping his hand in as a consultant.

“Because of my schedule I wasn’t around so much with my kids, but I’ll be around to spoil the grandkids,” he said.

Haskin's Derby Recap: Cookie Monster

aspradling — Tue, 08 May 2012 01:35:00 GMT

Paul Reddam stood outside Barn 3 shortly before the announcement to bring the horses to the paddock for the 138th Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (gr. I). Dressed in a white shirt and purple tie, the colors of his silks, Reddam appeared relaxed and confident, believing his colt, I’ll Have another, was ready to prove to the world what he already knew; that this was an exceptional colt.

Everything had gone perfectly since the day the son of Flower Alley – Arch’s Gal Edith, by Arch returned to training this winter after being sidelined with sore shins. Trainer Doug O’Neill had done a masterful job getting the colt this far, with victories in the Robert B. Lewis Stakes (gr. II) and Santa Anita Derby (gr. I), and Reddam felt there was enough karma behind the story of unknown jockey Mario Gutierrez to appease the Derby gods. Not even drawing post 19, which had never produced a Derby winner, could temper his confidence.

O’Neill was his usual fun-loving self, not showing any signs that he was about to run in the most important race of his life. Even O’Neill’s brother, Dennis, who is more low-keyed and intense, was feeling good about their chances.

Team O’Neill, as they like to be called, was ready. I’ll Have Another, who had been tearing around the Churchill Downs track every morning for the past three days, was ready. And Gutierrez, who had been riding at tiny Hastings Park in British Columbia until this year and who barely knew what the Kentucky Derby was when he came to this country from Mexico in 2006, was ready. This was his time to prove to those who were convinced he would have a meltdown in the Derby that he was able to compete at the highest level on racing’s biggest stage.

“The great thing about this kid is that they’re going to play ‘My Old Kentucky Home,’ and everyone else is going to be shaking, and he won’t even care; he’s never even heard of it.” Reddam said with that familiar grin and twinkle in his eye. “Today is Cinco de Mayo, and he’s more familiar with mariachi bands.”

As for his own nerves, he said, “I am not nervous in the slightest. I’ve been nervous before; what good does that do? I was nervous before the Santa Anita Derby, because, although I thought he was a good horse, you wonder if the Lewis was some kind of weird fluke. I felt it was legitimate, but I had to see him do it again. After he won, I knew he was the real deal, and now I really believe he’s going to run the race of his life.”

And that’s just what he did. Before a record crowd of 165,307, and facing one of the deepest and most talented fields in Kentucky Derby history, I’ll Have Another, at odds of 15-1, ran down a courageous Bodemeister, who had set blistering fractions over the souped up track to win by 1 ½ lengths.

As Reddam was about to partake in the walk over to the paddock with his wife Zillah he couldn’t help but be grateful that he was back again at the Downs after the failures of Wilko in 2005 and Liquidity and Great Hunter in 2007.

This time, the journey getting here was rewarding in that, despite being unorthodox, every piece of the puzzle had fallen into place. O’Neill and Reddam had come up with a plan early in the year to get to the Derby and stuck to it, even though very little about it was conventional.

You don’t run a 3-year-old first time out off a five-month layoff and then give him another two months off before his final Derby prep. They did.

You don’t put an unknown rider from a small-time track in British Columbia on a potential Derby horse who has no experience in big races. They did.

You don’t work a young 3-year-old between races and have him go in 1:10 flat, and then follow that up with stiff works at a mile, two at seven furlongs, and one at six furlongs. They did.

You don’t run in the Derby without having at least one work over the Churchill Downs track, as 18 of the last 20 Derby winners had done. They did.

What they also did was take home the coveted garland of roses.

There was no way Reddam could imagine that the road to those roses would actually begin when he was sitting at home one night watching TV. He asked Zillah to bring him some cookies, and after eating one, he said to her, as he usually did, “I’ll have another.” On this occasion, however, the comment stuck and he decided it would be a fun name for a horse.

The colt who would bear that name was a 2-year-old that Dennis picked out at the Ocala Breeders Sales Company April sale for $35,000. He felt if he can pay $35,000 and the horse can win for $45,000 or $50,000 he’s done a good job. Bred in Kentucky by Harvey Clarke, the chestnut colt, born on April Fools Day, actually had been consigned as a yearling at the Keeneland September sale as Hip no. 3660.

Enter Victor Davila, who would play a major role in the I’ll Have Another story. Davila is an exercise rider for Barry Eisaman of Eisaman Equine, having worked there for 10 years. Several years ago, Davila saved up $5,000 and asked Eisaman’s wife, Shari, if she could buy him a yearling at Keeneland. She spent the $5,000 on a Stormin Fever colt, whom he would sell as a 2-year-old for $105,000. The following year he gave her $7,000 and she bought him another colt whom he would sell for $35,000; still a good return on his money. With two hefty profits, Davila decided to go to Keeneland himself two years ago and it was there he purchased I’ll Have Another for $11,000. He just liked the colt’s walk and the ground he covered. He broke him and turned him over him to Eisaman to prepare for the 2-year-old sale. Eisaman gave him about seven weeks of gate training and consigned him to the sale.

“I envisioned him as a nice useful horse,” said Eisaman, who watched the race from the Atlanta airport while changing planes heading to the Timonium sale. Davila watched the race at home with his family, and on Sunday was on the road driving to Timonium.

“I was so excited watching the race,” Davila said. “I can’t describe the feeling.”

Said Eisaman, “He’s overwhelmed by all the attention he’s getting. He’s gone from obscurity to someone people in the industry will recognize.”

At the sale, the colt caught the astute eye of Dennis O’Neill, who felt he’d sell for much higher.

“He breezed in :10 2/5 and they usually have to breeze in :09 4/5 or :10 flat to be expensive,” Dennis said. “But he had a beautiful way of going, and definitely looked like he wanted to go long. He was weak behind and a little straight up, and you could pick on some things, but I know by now what Doug can put up with and what he can’t. I thought he’d go for $60,000 to $80,000 and was surprised we got him for $35,000.”

Dennis has been in remission for several years after battling cancer. "I've been through a lot," he said. "Going through what I went through makes me appreciate this a little more and appreciate your family. You can say anything you like about Doug, but he's the nicest, most caring person I know in the world. I never would have made what I've been through without him. It's great to celebrate this with him."

Doug, who is five years younger than Dennis, named his son after another brother, Danny, who died of melanoma at age 37. One of Doug's most memorable moments at Churchill Downs was putting an 11-year-old girl known only as Hope aboard Lava Man and letting her sit atop the great horse, now a stable pony. Hope was brought to Churchill through the Make a Wish Foundation. Suffering from a terminal illness, her wish was to go to the Kentucky Derby and Kentucky Oaks. After Doug lifted her from her wheelchair and put her on Lava Man, he asked her, "Have you ever sat on five million dollars before?" At the post-Derby press conference, Hope was brought up to join Doug, Dennis, Reddam, and Gutierrez and received a warm round of applause.

One of the reasons why Reddam and ONeill have formed such a close and successful relationship is that they pick each other’s brain and offer suggestions and indulge in friendly debates as to what is best for a horse.

When I’ll Have Another was nearing his 3-year-old debut, having fully recovered from his shin problems suffered in the Hopeful Stakes (gr. I), O’Neill came up with the “brain surgeon idea” of sprinting him in an allowance race on the Santa Anita downhill turf course. He told Reddam of his idea while having dinner with him and Zillah, and Reddam promptly asked him if he had been drinking.

“You guys have been telling me how good this horse is, why wouldn’t you think about the Bob Lewis?” Reddam asked.

With the Lewis now the target, there was the question of who to get to ride. They knew they’d never get Joel Rosario, who was Creative Cause’s rider, or Rafael Bejarano, who was riding Bob Baffert’s best 3-year-olds. Reddam just happened to be watching a particular race won by this unknown rider named Mario Gutierrez and liked what he saw.

“This kid looks good on a horse,” Reddam told O’Neill. “Let’s try some new blood and give him a shot.”

Gutierrez, a native of Vera Cruz, had come to Del Mar from Hastings Park three years ago to see if he could get some mounts. He had no agent when he arrived and didn’t get a single mount, so he went back home to British Columbia. But he was determined to try to make it and returned, hiring 85-year-old Ivan Puhich as his agent.

“He’s a real Cinderella story, to come to Santa Anita from Hastings Park with no agent,” Reddam said. “I watched him ride and I liked the way he sat on a horse. That’s when I mentioned to Doug about riding him in the Lewis. Doug had never met the kid, and he suggested we have him work I’ll Have Another, and this way he could meet him and see how he gets along with the horse.”

After working him, Gutierrez left the barn feeling both exhilaration and disappointment. He turned to Puhich and said, “That is a real good horse. There’s no way they’re going to let me ride him.”

But he didn’t know Reddam, who has never been afraid to step out of the box and do something different. And so it was that Gutierrez became the rider of I’ll Have Another. He gave the colt a flawless ride in the Lewis, springing a 43-1 upset.

Many felt that was a fluke race, with the CashCall Futurity (gr. I) winner, Liaison, clipping heels and throwing his rider after already appearing to be beaten, and CashCall runner-up Rousing Sermon finishing a lackluster fourth. Ironically, the CashCall Futurity is sponsored by Reddam’s lending company.

Because I’ll Have Another received such a fast speed figure in the Lewis, O’Neill decided to pass up the San Felipe (gr. II) and train him up to the Santa Anita Derby off an eight-week layoff. In between he worked him long and fast, in much the same manner as Charlie Whittingham, of whom he was in awe when he first started training. Ironically, O’Neill would become the first trainer to win the Santa Anita Derby and Kentucky Derby since Whittingham did it with Sunday Silence in 1989.

Leading up to the Santa Anita Derby, Reddam was having trouble sleeping. Did he have a Kentucky Derby horse or didn’t he?

What really impressed him and boosted his confidence was that the day before the race, Gutierrez watched the tapes of all nine starters on his own, without anyone telling him to do it. Unlike the Lewis, I’ll Have Another was tested by the 2011 Norfolk (gr. I) winner Creative Cause and outgamed him to win by nose in front of six busloads of Reddam’s employees and friends. Reddam had designated one of the busses as the drunken bus, but by the time they arrived at the track, they were pretty much all drunken busses, with everyone chanting “Cash Call!” The winner’s circle was so packed they could barely get the horse in.

“With all the yelling and screaming, he didn’t turn a hair,” Reddam said. “I don’t know what the race took out of him, but a dogfight like this was a good experience for him.”

Having survived a dogfight and a rambunctious crowd, I’ll Have Another was officially ready for the Kentucky Derby.

Shortly before leaving for Kentucky, he made the headlines by being placed on the vet’s list in California after undergoing extracorporeal shock wave therapy (ESWT) on his back, which tightened up after his latest work.

"It's just a pulse that brings blood to an area," Reddam said at the time. "The horse has absolutely nothing wrong with him. Doug just did it because he could do it, and his owner will pay for it. He's just leaving no stone unturned. In California, you can't use it within 10 days of an upcoming race, so you have to report it and go on the vet’s list.”

When I’ll Have Another arrived at Churchill Downs, he looked fantastic coming off the van; his coat in resplendent condition. On the Wednesday before the race, Reddam and Zillah were late getting to the draw, and were in the Churchill Downs parking lot when I’ll Have Another drew the 19-post. They learned of their fate from O’Neill’s text.

“It is what it is,” Reddam said. “But we have two stone closers inside of us and one outside, so we should be able to save some ground.”

It became apparent the colt loved the track, motoring around there every morning in what looked to be a two-minute lick. The morning before the race he came barreling around the turn, close to the rail, in a gallop that was awfully close to a work.

Most of the talk at Churchill Downs surrounded Union Rags and his owner Phyllis Wyeth and trainer Michael Matz, and also Arkansas Derby (gr. I) winner Bodemeister, named by owner Ahmed Zayat after Bob Baffert’s son Bode. Five weeks earlier, Baffert suffered a heart attack in Dubai and had to have three stents inserted to unblock an artery. Also, there was Toyota Blue Grass (gr. I) winner Dullahan, trained by the popular Dale Romans, who grew up just about a mile from Churchill and now trains out of the same barn he once worked in for his father, who maintained a claiming stable for many years.

“This one isn’t about the money,” Romans said. “This one is emotional. If we win you’re probably going to see some tears.”

A good deal of focus was on the flamboyant Dr. Kendall Hansen, majority owner of last year’s champion 2-year-old Hansen, who like Union Rags, Creative Cause, and Dullahan, was one of eight starters from the Grey Goose Breeders’ Cup Juvenile (gr. I) to run in the Derby. Dr. Hansen had a bevy of beauties, wearing blue costumes with a blue tail, accompanying him all day giving out Hansen dolls. There also was the return of last year’s winning team of Team Valor, trainer Graham Motion, and jockey John Velazquez, who had the improving Spiral (gr. II) winner Went the Day Well.

One of the main attractions at Churchill since Tuesday was the presence of the great Lava Man, who is now a pony for O’Neill and who accompanied I’ll Have Another to the track. Each day after training, they would remove his bridle and Lava Man would walk on his own over to the feed bags in the shedrow, decide which ones he wanted, and proceed to have his breakfast. At home at Hollywood Park, he eats out of the feed bins, and if they’re closed he opens them with his nose. If he doesn’t care for one he’ll move on to the next one.”

Derby morning brought the tail end of heavy rains, accompanied by thunder and lightning, which would dissipate by 6 a.m. Matz was in the recreation room getting coffee and was befuddled by the ninth-place finish by And Why Not in the Kentucky Oaks (gr. I). He was hoping that was not a sign of things to come. Baffert arrived early to check out the track, but didn’t realize it had been closed for training due to the weather. “If I had known that I wouldn’t have gotten up so early,” he said.

Blacksmith Steve Norman was a busy man, making some last-minute adjustments to Creative Cause’s glue-on shoes and putting new shoes on Gemologist and El Padrino.

As post time for the Derby neared, spirits were high at Barn 3. Reddam talked about I’ll Have Another’s aggressive gallops.

“Doug wanted to take the horse out this morning and gallop him,” Reddam said. “He galloped him the day of the Santa Anita Derby. I told him, ‘You know, Doug, why don’t you leave a little in the tank? You’ve been whipping him around there, practically breezing the horse every day.’ He said, ‘No, I don’t want to interrupt his routine.’ I told him, ‘Well, you’re the trainer, but if you just walk him this morning that really wouldn’t bother me.’ And then it started raining and I’m going ‘Yes!’”

Dennis O’Neill also brought out his dry humor, saying he was confident in the horse, but “I don’t think an O’Neill can win the Derby. O’Neills are not supposed to win the Kentucky Derby.”

Finally, it was post time, with Bodemeister getting a lot of late action to go off as the 4-1 favorite, with Union Rags second choice at 5-1. The only other horse in single digits was Gemologist at 8-1. I’ll Have Another was a generous 15-1, considering he was unbeaten this year and winner of the Santa Anita Derby. But he did have the 19-post. “I also think part of that is riding a no-name jockey,” Reddam said.

At the start, Union Rags was bumped and squeezed back by Kent Desormeaux on Dullahan on his outside and Calvin Borel on Take Charge Indy on his inside, reminiscent of Lookin at Lucky in 2010. After an eighth of a mile he was already back in 18th and pretty much out of it.

Meanwhile, Bodemeister, the inside speed, outran Trinniberg and Hansen, who was in traffic between Daddy Long Legs and Gemologist. I’ll Have Another, just as Reddam had hoped, cleared the two closers, Sabercat and Done Talking, and as others peeled off, he found himself only three wide and right behind Gemologist. As they headed into the first turn, the opening quarter in a rapid :22.32, I’ll Have Another remarkably was all by himself, with only Take Charge Indy several paths inside him on the rail.

Down the backstretch, Bodemeister established a clear lead, dogged by Trinniberg, with Hansen now in the clear in third. They hit the half in a blistering :45.39, which in fifths of a second was tied for the second fastest in Derby history. I’ll Have Another was a length behind Hansen and still in excellent position, with Gemologist well clear of him on his outside and Take Charge Indy well clear of him on his inside.

As they headed toward the far turn, Trinniberg pulled up to Bodemeister’s flank, but he soon began his retreat, leaving Bodemeister with a clear lead through a torrid three-quarters in 1:09.80, fourth fastest in Derby history. As he began to open up on the field, it looked as if he was going to pull off a Spend a Buck-like victory and forever put Apollo's ghost to rest after 130 years. A horse finally was about to win the Derby without having raced as a 2-year-old.

Creative Cause was the first of the mid-pack horses to emerge on the scene, but was six-wide around the turn, losing way too much ground. Desormeaux moved Dullahan up into contention and then swung colt way to the outside of Creative Cause in no man’s land. Although it probably seemed liked the right move to make under the circumstances, had he stayed where he was he would have had a clear path right behind the winner. To make matters worse, I’ll Have Another blew the turn into the stretch, carrying Creative Cause well out to the middle of the track, which in turn carried Dullahan some 10-wide. The only thing out that far other than Dullahan were the puddles of water still on the track, which had been labeled fast all day.

Into the stretch, after a mile in 1:35.19, Bodemeister looked to be home free, opening up a three-length lead. But as he began to shorten stride, I’ll Have Another, who had straightened himself out and was now back down in the four-path, was closing in fast, charging past Hansen. Dullahan also was rallying, but had conceded way too much ground and was closer to the photographers on the outside rail than he was to Bodemeister. Creative Cause had a clear run at the leader, despite being carried wide, but didn’t have enough punch in the final furlong.

Gutierrez went to several right-handed whips and finally was able to get the better of a game Bodemeister with about 70 yards to go, and then quickly drew clear. Dullahan continued to close, but just missed catching Bodemeister by a neck for second. Went the Day Well rallied late, nailing Creative Cause for fourth. The first five finishers were separated by only three lengths, with a four-length gap between fifth and Liaison in sixth. Union Rags, despite the bad start and encountering traffic on the far turn, finished a respectable seventh and returned as if he hadn’t run at all. The final time for the 1 ¼ miles was 2:01.83.

O’Neill proceeded to give bear hugs to just about anyone who came up to congratulate him. Reddam’s grin and twinkle had grown larger as he attempted to soak in what had just happened.

“This is unbelievable,” he said. “I know everyone says that, but it is unbelievable. We stayed quiet and took the heat off us. Mario is so cool. He doesn’t even know what just happened, I can guarantee you. He was joking around before he got on the horse.”

As for O’Neill’s training job, Reddam said. “That was a training legend you saw today. Doug showed a lot of guts the way he trained him.”

The race was a was a tough defeat for Bodemeister, who ran an incredible race coming back in only three weeks after his brilliant victory in the Arkansas Derby, but Baffert was extremely proud of him and said it was the only time he’s finished second where he’s been happy, because the colt ran his race. It was also another tough Derby experience for Zayat, who has now finished second in three of the last four Kentucky Derbys, and in the other year, he lost the overwhelming favorite, Eskendereya, to injury shortly before the race.

Although Zayat was hurting inside, he kept his feelings in check when he saw how the defeat affected his son Justin, who has become his right-hand man, and 7-year-old Bode Baffert, for whom Bodemeister was named. Zayat took great satisfaction in knowing that Bodemeister had turned in a herculean effort and has a sensational career ahead of him.

Romans said Dullahan’s terrible trip and ultimate defeat was “a tough pill to swallow,” but he, like Baffert and Zayat, did not place any blame on the jockey. Romans felt that Dullahan was the best horse in the race, considering his ground loss and explosive finish.

British born Jack Sisterson, assistant trainer to O’Neill, said there were words coming out of his mouth after the race, but he had no idea what he was saying. His cell phone vibrated with so many text messages, it was a constant vibration, registering 93 messages in a 30-second span. The most special one was from his parents back in England, saying, “We’re so proud you. Savor the moment.”

Saturday night, as a rare “super moon” shone down on Louisville, I’ll Have Another calmly posed for pictures with dozens of people wanting to get close up to a Derby winner. After his photo session, the colt buried his head in his feed tub.

Doug and Dennis returned from the party at the Kentucky Derby Museum to a chorus of cheers and then Doug joined in a group photo outside the barn, with everyone chanting “I’ll Have Another!”

Dennis walked up to the colt’s stall and simply said, “You won the Derby, buddy.” Doug said was afraid he was going to wake up the following morning to discover that he had actually won a $10,000 claimer, proving once again that the Kentucky Derby treads a fine line between fantasy and reality.

Reddam believed all along this was all about karma, especially the decision to put Gutierrez up on the horse.

“I felt this was just going to happen,” he said. “And, poof, it happened.”

Derby Contender Advice Up for Adoption

Esther Marr — Sat, 05 May 2012 14:30:00 GMT

From Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (gr. I) contender to low level claimer, Advice has been given a second chance to find a new calling in life through New Vocations Racehorse Adoption Program. And, once he’s finished his rehabilitation at the organization, Advice will be looking for a forever home. What better way than a blog on Derby Day to highlight this gelding and the generous band of supporters that helped him achieve a well-deserved retirement. I caught up with Anna Ford, executive...(read more)