Hangin' With Haskin

Ten Questions That Don't Need Answering

2013-05-22T22:52:00Z

You can attempt to actually answer these questions if you wish, but they’re meant to be rhetorical questions merely designed to inspire thought.

1--When was the last time each of the first three finishers of the Preakness went into the race with 10 or more career starts?

You’d probably have to go back a number of years to find the answer. The point of the question is that it’s good to see seasoned horses with a solid foundation competing in and performing well in the classics once again. Nowadays, we’re so used to seeing lightly raced horses with little or no 2-year-old experience and only two or three starts at 3, there is something satisfying about watching battle-tested horses bounce out of the Derby in great shape and run huge in the Preakness.

2—What was more surprising, Palace Malice going to the front in :45 1/5 and 1:09 4/5 in the Derby or Goldencents not going to the front in :48 3/5 and 1:13 1/5 in the Preakness?

Both completely turned the Derby and Preakness upside down. What helped Orb in the Derby hurt him in the Preakness. What hurt Oxbow in the Derby helped him in the Preakness. Making snap decisions and knowing when to take the initiative is essential in these big races, where pre-race strategy often disappears quickly, and that’s when you want a Hall of Fame rider like Gary Stevens. If you present Stevens with a gift, like the one he was given in the Preakness, be prepared for him to say “Thank you,” and then hit you over the head with it.

3—Why make a big deal about the Preakness time of 1:57 2/5 being the slowest since 1961 when the Pimlico Special was run in 1:58 3/5, the 1 1/8-mile Black-Eyed Susan in 1:52 3/5, and a 1 1/16-mile allowance race won by the stakes-placed Code West in 1:46 3/5?

The track obviously was very slow on Friday and Saturday in distance races (why?), and Oxbow’s final three-sixteenths in :19 2/5 was pretty solid. And runner-up Itsmyluckyday and third-place finisher Mylute came home faster than that, so they were running pretty good at the end. The slow time didn’t prevent Oxbow from earning a 106 Beyer.

4—Could it be that the unsung hero of the Preakness was Cee’s Song, a winner of only one of her 18 career starts who died in her sleep in 2011 at age 25?

All Cee’s Song has accomplished is having produced two-time Breeders’ Cup Classic winner and Santa Anita Handicap winner Tiznow; Breeders’ Cup Classic, Santa Anita Handicap, and Hollywood Gold Cup runner-up Budroyale, a $50,000 claim; and the dams of Preakness winner Oxbow and Haskell Invitational winner and Belmont Stakes runner-up Paynter. Here is a former $40,000 claimer who earned only $82,000 as a racehorse responsible for four horses who earned a combined $11 million. And Oxbow and Paynter aren’t through yet.

5—This is a four-part question: Should Joel Rosario have eased Orb off the rail and into the 3- or 4-path early on when there was no one even close to him? Once Will Take Charge came up on his outside passing the sixteenth pole, he was all but committed to the inside, which was said by opposing jockeys to be “extremely” deep. Part Two is, even if the track was that much slower on the rail, would it cause an odds-on favorite like Orb, who actually did ease out off the rail, to back out of it so early in the race and so quickly and let longshot Titletown Five, who was inside him, outrun him to the half-mile pole? Part Three: Is it possible that Orb simply isn’t as effective running inside horses? And Part Four: Did Orb work too fast (:47) five days before the race?

Perhaps the correct answer is none of the above. We’ll never know for sure, but it is quite possible that Orb simply had a bad day. If Orb had flattened out in the stretch, then maybe you could blame his defeat on being on the inside. But he was done too early to use that as a definitive reason. Deep rail or not, he’s too good a horse not to last a lot longer than that. If he didn’t like being inside or between horses, then why was he able to find another run late, splitting Departing and Goldencents in the final sixteenth to salvage a fourth-place finish when it looked like he was a cinch to finish sixth? The bottom line is, there is no bottom line. In Rosario’s defense, whether he should have eased out early or not, he, like Stevens, at least took the initiative and put his horse in contention after sensing the slow pace. Why the colt didn’t go on is anyone’s guess. As for his work, I’ve heard opposing views from two trainers. Itsmyluckyday turned in an almost identical work as Orb’s one day earlier and he ran a big race. Both Orb and Itsmyluckyday certainly did it easily enough, so, once again, who knows?

6—Can Palace Malice bounce back in the Belmont off his suicide mission at Churchill Downs?

Let’s throw everyone out of the Derby and pretend it was a match race between Palace Malice and Oxbow, who got a lot of credit, and deservedly so, for being anywhere near that torrid pace and still finishing a respectable sixth.

If it were a match race, Palace Malice’s past performance line would look like this: 1-1 ¾ -- 1-5 ½ -- 1-3 ½ -- 2-½ -- 2-3 – 2-3¾. If you notice, after setting the fastest fractions in Derby history over a sloppy or muddy track, and one of the fastest fractions ever even on a fast track , he wasn’t that far behind Oxbow at the finish and lost very little ground to him from the eighth pole to the wire. The only other time they faced each other, Palace Malice finished ahead of Oxbow, out-battling him in the Risen Star Stakes, despite never having been two turns in his life and coming off only one seven-furlong allowance race in nearly seven months.

Making a major equipment change in the Derby is always a risky move, especially putting blinkers on a horse in a 19-horse cavalry charge -- a horse who has shown sprinter’s speed in his early races. Now the blinkers come off and it is pretty obvious we’ll see a more relaxed horse. Failed experiments are usually short-term, whether you stick with it or not. Remember when Flower Alley ran in the Derby with blinkers on for the first time and got caught too close to an almost identical and senseless pace set by Spanish Chestnut, who should never have even been in the race. Flower Alley continued to wear them and eventually they helped, as evidenced by his Travers victory later in the year. But, like Palace Malice, they did more harm than good in the Derby.

7—Can you remember so many jockey changes on the Derby trail in one year, whether initiated by the trainer or the jockey?

Of the nine Preakness starters, only three were ridden by the same jockey who had been on them all year. And those three jockeys were Kevin Krigger, Brian Hernandez Jr., and Martin Garcia. Not exactly the riders you would expect. In the Derby, only three of the 19 starters were ridden by the same jockey who had been on them all year.

In the Preakness, Orb (Joel Rosario) was ridden by John Velazquez two races back; Oxbow (Gary Stevens) was ridden by Mike Smith three races back; Itsmyluckyday (John Velazquez) was ridden by Elvis Trujillo in his last race; Mylute (Rosie Napravnik) was ridden by Shaun Bridgmohan two races back; Will Take Charge (Mike Smith) was ridden by Jon Court in his last race; and Titletown Five (Julien Leparoux) was ridden by Gary Stevens in his last start. These six horses have been ridden by a total of 15 jockeys this year alone. I won’t even begin to list all the jockey changes of the Derby starters.

8—What do Preakness starters Oxbow, Mylute, Will Take Charge, Govenor Charlie, and Titletown Five have in common?

Here’s a hint, it’s the same thing Derby starters Revolutionary, Palace Malice, and Java’s War have in common.

They are all sired by Breeders’ Cup winners. (Three sired by a BC Classic winner, three sired by a BC Juvenile winner, and two sired by a BC Sprint winner).

9—When was the last time an owner ran three horses in the Belmont Stakes?

Mike Repole actually has four candidates this year in Overanalyze, Unlimited Budget, Midnight Taboo, and Micromanage, all of whom have strong enough pedigrees to get the distance. If he runs three, he will equal the record set by Price McGrath, who finished first, second, and fourth in 1875. The Belmont is No. 1 on Repole’s bucket list, and you can be sure he will give it his best shot.

10—When was the last time a trainer saddled at least 10 horses in the Triple Crown…and none in the Preakness?

You’re not expecting an answer are you?

Haskin's Preakness Recap: Ox Tale

2013-05-21T02:11:00Z

“Come on, Lukey! Come on, Lukey! Come on, Lukey!”

You don’t witness it very often, but one of those cheering the loudest for D. Wayne Lukas and Oxbow in the final quarter mile of the May 18 Preakness Stakes (gr. I) was one of his opponents in the race.

Once Bob Baffert realized that his colt, Govenor Charlie, was not going to overcome a slow start and would make no impact on the race, and once he realized the 3-5 favorite, Orb, was coming up empty, his attention quickly turned to the 77-year-old Lukas, his one-time idol and adversary, with whom he has bonded in recent years.

As Oxbow hit the finish line following his wire-to-wire theft of the 138th Preakness, Baffert, after rooting the colt home as if he were his own, said, “How great was that? I’m glad I came.”

It was Lukas who had called Baffert, who had been hedging about whether to run Govenor Charlie in the Preakness, and told him, “You have to come; we’ll have fun. I need some support.”

Together, they combined for a memorable weekend, with Lukas also finishing first and third in the grade II Longines Dixie Stakes with 24-1 shot Skyring and Optimizer, respectively, and Baffert winning the previous day’s Black-Eyed Susan Stakes (gr. II) with Fiftyshadesofhay, the Chick Lang Stakes Presented by Apple Ford with Zee Bros, and the final race on the Preakness card with Code West.

The two “Derby Dominators” of the mid- to late ‘90s, combined to win five consecutive Kentucky Derbys, five Preaknesses (gr. I), and four Belmonts (gr. I) from 1994-2000. During that time they were fierce competitors on and off the track, competing for the attention of high profile owners, such as Robert Lewis and The Thoroughbred Corp.

But both Hall of Fame trainers and former Quarter-Horse legends have been humbled by a decade-long Triple Crown drought, during which they managed only a single Preakness score (by Baffert with Lookin at Lucky in 2010) since 2002. The passing years have mellowed both trainers and they now have a close relationship and deep admiration for each other.

Following the Preakness, Baffert sought out Lukas, put his arm around his shoulder and simply said, “That was awesome. Alright, man, congratulations.”

“We’ve shared a lot over the years, starting with our Quarter Horse background,” Baffert said. “I’m very close to Wayne now. We’ve had to deal with a lot of the same stuff. We were both very successful and hated by many. But people forget how much Wayne has done for this sport. I was over his house, and I thought I had the most awesome trophy collection until I saw his. He roots for me and I root for him. As we get older we appreciate things more. I was so happy winning the Black-Eyed Susan.”

Said Lukas, who is the only trainer in both the Quarter Horse and Thoroughbred Hall of Fame, “For Bob to come over right after the race to congratulate me really meant a lot.”

The 2013 Preakness will be remembered as the downfall of Orb and his quest to win the Triple Crown for the old-school team of trainer Shug McGaughey and co-owners Stuart Janney III and the Phipps family. While it was a bitter blow to the traditionalists who had relished their unforgettable trip down memory lane in the Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (gr. I), the Preakness provided another great storyline, filled with historical relevance.

Lukas’s victory was his 14th in a classic event, breaking the record he held with the great “Sunny Jim” Fitzsimmons. And to have a 77-year-old trainer win a classic with a horse ridden by 50-year-old jockey who had had returned to the saddle this year after being retired for seven years, made it one of the most memorable dual comebacks ever. For Gary Stevens, who has won classics for both Lukas and Baffert, he now has three victories in the Derby, three in the Preakness, and three in the Belmont. The only other jockey with at least three wins in all three races is the legendary Eddie Arcaro.

But before the seven-year itch brought him back to the saddle, Stevens' thrills existed only through movies and television. The last great horse he rode before his return was "Seabiscuit" in 2003, and when you're aboard the winner of the "Race of the Century," it doesn't even matter that it was pretend and existed only on the big screen.

Just when Stevens and his achy 50-year-old knees were resigned to riding in contrived races, even as an aging crotchety rider on TV, HBO pulled the plug on their series "Luck" and Stevens was thrust back into the real world again, which meant sitting behind a microphone and analyzing races and watching other jockeys hop aboard good horses right in front of him. He could practically reach out and touch them.

Finally, the urge to get back in the saddle proved too great and Stevens decided to embark on the unthinkable -- a riding comeback, this time on real-life horses in real-life races. His return was an immediate success, but when he went through his first slump, he began having doubts. That is, until a tough, tenacious colt named Oxbow made it all worthwhile on a chilly, damp afternoon in Baltimore.

So, history marches on in the 2013 Triple Crown. Although Oxbow is owned by Calumet Farm, it has no other connection to the dynasty built by Warren Wright and continued by his widow Lucille Markey other than the name and property. The Wright family is gone and the famed devil’s red colors were purchased years ago by the Brazilian group Stud TNT, but the record books will still bear the name of the now eight-time Preakness-winning owner.

Just when it looked as if Thoroughbred racing had lost its historical significance and had been taken over by a younger generation of owners, trainers and jockeys, here comes names like Phipps, Janney, and Calumet Farm; McGaughey and Lukas; and Gary Stevens in the first two legs of the Triple Crown to remind everyone there are no age limits in the Sport of Kings, where passion and hard work fuel youthful exuberance.

And then we come to Oxbow, who like Orb and Preakness runner-up Itsmyluckyday, is a throwback to another era, when horses made of sinews of steel raced hard and raced often, regardless of the track, surface, and distance.

If any horse deserved to be rewarded with a classic victory it is Oxbow, a son of Awesome Again – Tizamazing, by Cees Tizzy. What makes this pedigree so remarkable is that Awesome Again won the Breeders’ Cup Classic, and Tizamazing’s dam, Cees Song also produced Tiznow, two-time winner of the Breeders’ Cup Classic; Budroyale, who raced 52 times, finishing second in the Breeders’ Cup Classic; and Tizso, dam of Paynter, the 2012 Haskell Invitational (gr. I) winner who was beaten a neck in the Belmont Stakes and later overcame tremendous odds to survive a series of ordeals that would have killed most horses. And now Cees Song has the dam of a Preakness winner. It should also be pointed out that all the aforementioned horses are full siblings by Cees Tizzy.

With his Preakness victory, Oxbow now has raced 11 times, the last 10 in a seven-month period, during which he has competed at seven different tracks in six different states from New York to California and as far south as Louisiana and Arkansas. He’s been ridden by seven different jockeys, and each time, he ran hard, often on or near the pace.

In his six races prior to the Preakness, all two-turn graded stakes, he had to overcome bad posts, wide trips, premature moves, and even being taken back to last in a 10-horse field. Four times in a five-race period he drew either post 10 or 11 and got hung wide every time, then was moved prematurely. In the Kentucky Derby he had to break from the dreaded rail. Despite making a big move to challenge for the lead along the inside through suicidal fractions of :22.57, :45.33, and 1:09.80 over a sloppy track on which he had never raced, he still managed to finish sixth in the 19-horse field and was the only horse who raced near the hot pace to finish in the top half of the field.

The only time in those six races he drew a good post and had a clean trip, he won the LeComte Stakes (gr. III) by 11 1/2 lengths, defeating eventual Kentucky Derby runner-up Golden Soul. In the Preakness, he drew perfectly in post 6, while Orb drew the rail, accompanied by a chorus of groans.

It was a frustrating winter and spring for Lukas, who kept insisting Oxbow was a special horse, despite his defeats. The colt, bred in Kentucky by Richard Santulli’s Colts Neck Stables, had been purchased at the Keeneland September yearling sale by Brad Kelley’s Bluegrass Hall, which has since morphed into Calumet Farm, for $250,000.

“That is a serious horse,” Lukas said of Oxbow back in January when Kelley still raced under the name Bluegrass Hall. “He’s maturing and getting better, and has such an efficiency of action. He enjoys it and gets in that cruising speed and just stays there.”

But after the LeComte romp came a tough half-length defeat in the Risen Star Stakes (gr. II) under Jon Court and a head defeat in the Rebel Stakes (gr. II) under Mike Smith, both times having to race very wide and making a premature move. When Gary Stevens hopped aboard for the Arkansas Derby (gr. I) and took the colt back to last and way out of his comfort zone, he felt he had learned a lot about him and looked forward to riding him back in the Kentucky Derby. But the blazing pace and being stuck down on the inside compromised his chances, and when Stevens worked him a half in :49 4/5 at Churchill Downs May 13 and saw how beautifully he relaxed, he started feeling as if the third time might be the charm. He and Oxbow were now a team who appeared for the first time to be in sync with each other.

Stevens needed a boost about now, as his once remarkable comeback had hit a snag and he began having doubts for the first time whether it was a wise move coming back.

Lukas was getting more and more confident with each passing day, but he felt Orb was an “exceptional horse” and a potential Triple Crown winner, and that tempered whatever enthusiasm he normally would have before a big race. Lukas also had a talented colt in Will Take Charge, who got stopped while moving with Orb in the Derby, and he threw his speedy colt Titletown Five into the mix for good measure.

Although both his main hopes were leading 3-year-olds, with Will Take Charge having already beaten Oxbow in the Rebel and now a threat coming off the Derby debacle, Lukas’s face always seemed to light up when he discussed Oxbow.

“If he were a basketball player, he’d be a complete gym rat,” Lukas said. “He’s a tough sonofagun, and you wouldn’t be able to get him out of there. I told Gary if you go ahead and hook anybody (in the Preakness) he’ll bring them to their knees, because there’s no quit in him. If he gets the trip he’s definitely dangerous.”

Lukas’s lady friend, Laurie Krause, who has been in the horse industry all her life in the horse show world, said she would be terrified to ride Oxbow.

“That horse just cracks me up,” she said. “He’s like a little fire-breathing dragon. He has a Napoleon complex. It’s like, ‘I may be little, but you don’t want to mess with me.’ Wayne is crazy about all his horses, but he’s really fond of this one.”

There were two other works prior to the Preakness that raised the proverbial eyebrows and both were pretty much identical. On the Sunday before the race, Itsmyluckyday worked five furlongs between races at Monmouth Park and lit up the track with a :47 1/5 half, out five furlongs in :59 3/5 to the cheers of the crowd.

Trainer Eddie Plesa had made a big move following Itsmyluckyday’s 15th-place finish in the Derby, in which the colt didn’t seem to handle the sloppy track. Plesa had a chance to get John Velazquez to ride the Holy Bull (gr. III) and Gulfstream Park Derby winner and he grabbed it, replacing regular rider Elvis Trujillo.

It was Trujillo, however, who worked Itsmyluckyday. Following the work, Plesa and Trujillo put their arms around each other, and Plesa told him, “I just want to thank you. I owe you.”

Trujillo replied, “I want to thank you for the opportunity and I wish you the best of luck.”

The following day came the much-anticipated work by Orb, who was scheduled to van down to Baltimore later than same morning. The son of Malibu Moon indicated his sharpness as well, working his half in :47 flat, out in :59 2/5.

On Wednesday morning, Lukas and his eight-horse contingent arrived at Pimlico following a 12 1/2-hour van ride from Louisville.

“The horses are doing better than I am,” said Lukas, as he set up shop in his favorite corner of the Preakness Stakes barn. “That’s a long hard trip. At my age, you wouldn’t think I’d be in that truck for that many hours.”

Later that day, Mylute, Departing, and Govenor Charlie arrived on a flight from Louisville. The Preakness would be a reunion of sorts, with Orb and Departing (owned by Claiborne Farm and Adele Dilschneider) having grown up in the same paddock at Claiborne, adding to the old-time movie theme of this year’s Triple Crown.

The following morning, Lukas jogged his three Preakness horses, and as expected, Oxbow was like a coiled spring, jogging briskly off the track as if he wanted to do a lot more.

But it was Oxbow’s gallop the next morning that raised the spirits of everyone in the Lukas camp. The pocket rocket, who was always a handful to gallop, demonstrated the kind of controlled aggression Lukas was hoping to see. Lukas and exercise rider Rudy Quevedo had been working on getting the colt to relax and this gallop told them they had succeeded.

“I’ve been on him since he was a baby,” Quevedo said. “He has a small neck and he pulls so hard he’s difficult to gallop. Some people on TV keep saying that he gallops sideways, but he doesn’t gallop sideways; he’s just so strong you have to pull on him, because he wants to go all the time.

“But, oh, man, this last gallop, I jogged him straight and then galloped him from the wire back to the seven-eighths pole. He was strong, but relaxed this time, and when he came off the track he was jumping and kicking. I told Wayne, ‘We got this race.’”

Lukas added, “I’ve been working all week on him. I’ve even done some creative training to get him to relax. I’ve changed a few things up a little bit; gave him some open gallops; went backwards a couple of days. I know one thing; we haven’t seen his best.”

The morning of the race, Lukas was confidently talking about his superfectas, if indeed he actually bet superfectas. At the other end of the barn, McGaughey appeared to be relieving some tension by first sweeping the entire area inside and outside the entrance to the barn and raking the same area for about 15 minutes. Dell Hancock and Dilschneider showed up around 5:30 to watch Departing go to the track. “I wouldn’t miss it,” Dilschneider said.

Plesa, who was thrilled with the way Itsmyluckyday was looking and galloping, said on a scale of one to 10, his colt was a 10-plus. All he was concerned about was the weather, which was calling for possible intermittent showers.

“He’s been doing so great mentally and physically, I wish the race was last week,” he said. “I wish it was yesterday. I wish it was the first race today.”

The previous morning, Mylute had entertained a group of school kids by allowing them to pet him, while he just stood there like an old pony. A few yards away, the colt’s co-owner, Paul Bulmahn, of GoldMark Farm, was happily raking up manure outside the barn and dumping it in the manure pile. Now that’s an owner you have to admire.

Except for a light drizzle that fell for a short while in mid-afternoon, the day was dry and the track was fast, much to the delight of Plesa and most of the others.

Orb was pounded at the windows, his odds plummeting to 3-5 by post time. Everyone it seemed wanted to grab a piece of history.

The running of the race was for the most part uneventful. Stevens broke well on Oxbow, getting a minor bump from Will Take Charge, and cruised up to the lead, where Goldencents awaited after pretty much crawling to the front. Stevens looked over at Kevin Krigger, way up in the saddle on Goldencents, and saw that he was not exactly interested in any confrontations. Stevens didn’t go looking to play the role of pacesetter; it was just handed to him. Not only did Krigger not want it, neither did Julien Leparoux on Titletown Five. The speedy Govenor Charlie broke a step slowly and then was pinched back a little, winding up near the back of the pack. That left Oxbow with a length lead going into the first turn, a surprising turn of events, considering Goldencents’ trainer said the morning of the race, “We’re going.”

Stevens found himself in almost the exact same position he was in the race before on Calumet’s Skyring in the Dixie, stealing away on a non-contested lead.

Orb had broken cleanly and had the inside route all to himself, but Joel Rosario didn’t seem to want any part of the rail and eased Orb out a couple of paths. But without an escape route he was forced to remain inside horses, as the others bunched up around him. Velazquez had Itsmyluckyday out in the clear on the outside in fourth as Will Take Charge and Mylute brought up the rear through an opening quarter in :23.94.

Oxbow was still lulling them asleep on the lead through a half in :48.60, as Rosario managed to pick his way through horses and into contention, moving up into fourth, then third. But just when it looked as if Orb was going take matters in his own hands he began to lose touch with the leaders and surprisingly dropped back to seventh, while seeming fairly disinterested at that point. It is very possible, however, he was struggling with the track. Rosie Napravnik, on Mylute, had originally intended on following Orb passing the stands, but when she saw how deep the inside was, she said, "I'm getitng out of here."

When Stevens hung up a 1:13.26 three-quarters, the handwriting was on the wall. A horse with Oxbow’s tactical speed, toughness, and pedigree wasn’t about to call it quits. Stevens must have felt like a bank robber hopping in the getaway car with no one even noticing that the bank had been robbed. All he kept thinking was, "Shame on everybody."

“When I saw Oxbow’s ears fluttering back and forth at the three-eighths pole, I thought of the 1988 Kentucky Derby (aboard Winning Colors) and I asked him to kick in from there and try to get some separation from the field,” he said.

It was now obvious that Orb wasn’t going to be a factor. Departing looked to be menacing along the inside, but it was Itsmyluckyday and Mylute who proved to be the strongest horses, although the latter had a lot of ground to make up off such a soft pace. Departing had no kick after turning for home and Goldencents was done.

Oxbow, meanwhile did kick into another gear through a :24.88 quarter and spurted away to a three-length lead. The Oxbow Incident was nearing its conclusion. Itsmyluckyday took up the chase, with Mylute trying to close the gap, another two lengths behind. Orb was going at an even pace, but his best hope was a fourth-place finish. Stevens went to a series of right-handed whips and Oxbow kept finding more. Itsmyluckyday continued to peck away at the lead, but had no chance at this point of catching Oxbow.

With a solid final three-sixteenths in :19.40, Oxbow hit the wire 1 3/4 lengths in front of Itsmyluckyday, with a gallant Mylute falling a half-length short of the place spot. It was another 6 3/4 lengths back to Orb in fourth. The final time of 1:57.54 for the 1 3/16 miles was the slowest Preakness since Carry Back in 1961. It must be noted, however, that the previous day’s Pimlico Special (gr. III) was run in 1:58.50, with a three-quarter fraction in 1:14.18. The 1 1/8-mile Black-Eyed Susan, also the day before, was run in a sluggish 1:52.73.

So, for Stuart Janney, his Triple Crown attempt is not going end in victory at Belmont, as the poets would script it, in the shadow of Ruffian’s grave. For McGaughey and the Phipps family, there will be no Part Two to their long-awaited Kentucky Derby dream.

For Gary Stevens, however, he has gone from playing a broken down washed up jockey on TV to reliving real-life images of Silver Charm and Point Given draped in black-eyed susans, proving that the best scripts are the ones you write yourself.

For Wayne Lukas, he no longer lives life in excess and now is content merely being content. And that means being around his 48 horses every morning, bonding with other trainers, and even riding in a van with them for 12 1/2 hours. The only similarity between Lukas today and the old Lukas is that when he gets off that van after 12 1/2 hours, there isn’t a single crease in his jeans.

He admittedly is more comfortable now in his own skin and no longer feels he has to wake up every morning proving to others he is a superior horseman. Although he says it would have been great for racing to have Orb trying for the Triple Crown, he “gets paid to spoil the dreams,” not to mention having the satisfaction of seeing his training skills turn an aggressive free spirit like Oxbow into a classic winner.

As for Lukas still going strong at 77, Laurie Krause says, “He’s dynamic, he really is.”

But like another dynamo, Oxbow, Lukas also has learned how to relax, and after 13 years of trying to recapture past glories, he, too, is a classic winner.

All photos are by Steve Haskin.

Wayne Lukas liked what he saw from Oxbow in his final gallop Friday

Not enough light to nail the focus on this, but the action was good and showed how keen Orb was before his Friday gallop

Even after his gallop, Orb still is in the bit with his mouth open

Mylute has plenty of little hands petting him at once, as he entertains a group of school kids

No one looked or trained any better than Itsmyluckyday

Shug apparently had a lot of nervous energy on Preakness morning, as he swept and then raked the area in and around his barn for some 15 minutes

Orb is still on his toes before the race

Next three shots need no explanation

Happy Hall of Famers reunited in victory

That's the Lukas victory smile we all remember

Cake cutting time

Haskin's Preakness Report: Final Observations

2013-05-17T17:00:00Z

This year’s Preakness is all about Orb. And then there are his eight opponents, most of whom are worthy adversaries, with a case to be made for any of them to step up and run a big race. Big enough to beat Orb is another matter.

You can look at the race from a selection standpoint or a betting standpoint. We really haven’t had a chance to see much serious training at Pimlico, with Orb working at Belmont Monday, walking at Pimlico Tuesday, jogging Wednesday, and galloping Thursday. Of course, his gallop was flawless as usual, and he once again is showing all the signs of a horse who hasn’t even come close to bottoming out, as indicated by his coat and the flesh he’s still carrying. And he still has that edge to him.

If his opponents want to try to find anything to inspire hope it’s that he really has never come home fast, fraction-wise, in any of his five consecutive victories. But part of that could be his tendency to relax a bit once he makes the lead. That’s not to say it makes him vulnerable. You could compare him to a fighter who has a spotless record, with most of his victories coming by decision or TKO rather than a one-punch knockout.

They can also hope the 1-hole will somehow compromise his chances, and while that is always a possibility, all indications are that Orb will drop back to last in the nine-horse field, perhaps some eight to nine lengths off the lead this time, assuming the pace is legitimate, which it should be. Once Rosario gets him settled in last, he should have the option to go around horses again when the time is right.

Pimlico does a tendency to favor strong horses who can separate themselves from the field, just as Shackleford did against Animal Kingdom. And just as Bodemeister did last year. Even though he was narrowly beaten in the final strides, he made I’ll Have Another work hard to catch him. Many Kentucky Derby winners who scored with a big late run from back failed to duplicate that winning run in the Preakness, such as Animal Kingdom, Mine That Bird, Street Sense, Giacomo, Monarchos, and Fusaichi Pegasus since 2000.

Expect to see Orb start picking up horses earlier and at a faster rate. You don’t want to give him too much to do on those turns if a horse like Goldencents or Govenor Charlie, or Itsmyluckyday or Oxbow should happen to get separation from the field.

The two intriguing horses in here are new shooters Departing, who should be making his rally fairly close to Orb, probably a couple of lengths at most in front of him, and Govenor Charlie, who has brilliance and the ability to carry his speed. But he hasn’t raced in eight weeks and has only three career starts, in which he really hasn’t beaten anything of note. We really don’t know how good these two horses are.

When anticipating position, remember, it all depends on the pace, and we know Orb has the ability to lay closer if the pace dictates that strategy.

With everything seemingly going perfectly once again, it would be very difficult to pick against him. He just has too much going for him.

But if you’re intent on trying to beat him, we’ll offer up two observations regarding the little training we’ve seen.

Goldencents bears no resemblance to the horse we saw training at Churchill Downs before the Derby. Although his gallops were strong, he never seemed fluid or as relaxed as he should be, often tossing his head around. Between his nutrition program and physical therapy, and most of all jockey Kevin Krigger getting up on him every day and teaching him to relax, a new horse has emerged, one who appears to be more professional, more relaxed, and there is no head movement at all. And he’s been motoring down the stretch at a sub-two-minute lick, while running straight as the proverbial arrow.

Now, whether that all equates to him knocking off Orb is anyone’s guess. All we’re saying is that he has made tremendous strides since the Derby.

We also have to make mention of Itsmyluckyday, whose last work at Monmouth was very similar to Orb’s last work at Belmont and every bit as impressive. Since arriving at Pimlico, his coat has blossomed and he is carrying excellent flesh, indicating the Derby did not take much out of him. Now all he has to do is return to his early season form, in which he rattled off back-to-back triple-digit Beyers and back-to-back negative Thoro-Graph numbers.

From a trip standpoint, you cannot ignore Mylute, whose Trakus figures have him running some 8 1/2 lengths better than runner-up Golden Soul and third-place finisher Revolutionary. And he was pinched at the start, causing to drop far off the pace. In the stretch, he was widest of all and running over the chewed up part of the track. Expect a big effort, with Rosie Napravnik returning home to Maryland. But he is second choice on the morning line and there probably won’t be a lot of value with Rosie aboard.

Finally, we come to the two Wayne Lukas horses, Oxbow and Will Take Charge. The latter took the worst of it when rallying stride for stride with Orb, only to run smack into a tiring Verrazano, who backed up right in his face, forcing him to steady and veer to the inside to avoid him. You simply cannot stop on a 17-hands horse like that and expect to get him started again.

As for Oxbow, he made his early move into the teeth of those suicidal fractions set by Palace Malice, wound up vying for the lead too early, as the others just stopped abruptly, and although he finished sixth, he was the only horse anywhere near the lead to finish in the top half of the field.

As for the new shooters, we’ve been impressed with Departing’s style of running and how he accelerates away from his opponents with smooth, fluid strides, and the way he wins under wraps with his ears pricked. His third-place finish in the Louisiana Derby was much better than it looks, as he had to hesitate in the stretch, just enough to break his momentum. Once he leveled off again, he was moving well in the final yards.

The best case you can make for Govenor Charlie is the series of brilliant six-furlong works he’s coming off and his brilliance and apparent natural ability. But as mentioned, there is the question of inexperience and lack of racing over the past couple of months.

So, there you have cases to be made for everyone but Titletown Five, who is an unknown factor and who is attempting to stretch way out in distance and against far better horses than he’s been facing. We expect to see him in the King’s Bishop at Saratoga.

So, based on what little observations we’ve made at this point, we would put Goldencents, Itsmyluckyday, Departing, and Myute (despite the low odds) with Orb in the exactas and trifectas. And perhaps throw Oxbow in for old time’s sake. Of course, that means you can be sure Will Take Charge will finish second.

For a win bet only at decent odds, we’ll take a shot with the two worst finishers of the Derby in this field, Goldencents and Itsmyluckyday (who basically were allowed to coast to the wire), based strictly on what we’ve observed.

But the pick, of course, has to be Orb.

Haskin's Preakness Report: First Two Days in Photos

2013-05-16T01:20:00Z

Following are images from the first two days at Pimlico. There has been little activity on the track, with only Goldencents galloping.

Orb in the traditional Derby winner's stall -- as alert as ever.

Orb knows a patsy when he sees one and Alison McGaughey loves spoiling the Derby winner, who would have gone right into Shug's office to get his mint.

Shug rarely takes his eyes off Orb.

Even when Orb gets rambunctious, he never rattles Jennifer Patterson, whom Shug credits a great deal for Orb's success.

The unmistakable blaze and left eye of Will Take Charge.

Itsmyluckyday strikes a majestic pose on his way to the track.

Orb meets a new friend, who was thrilled to pet the Derby winner. Only problem is, his new friend is Dave Kenney, co-owner of Goldencents.

Oh, Dave, here is your horse heading into the paddock...Dave, turn around...Uh, Dave...These Goldencents gents are a fun bunch who know how to have a good time. They're having a ball in Baltimore. And, yes, Dave is rooting for his horse.

Eddie Plesa arrived in Baltimore today and immediately headed to the barn to lavish some affection on Itsmyluckyday. The colt never moved a muscle.

Orb and Jenn Patterson have become the most recognizable couple on the backstretch.

Departing arrives Wednesday with the Kentucky contingent.

Another new arrival, Mylute, checks out the photographers as he heads to the Preakness barn.

Orb schools in the paddock. Cliche or not, Shug is leaving no stone unturned.

After a 12-hour trip from Kentucky Tuesday, Oxbow can't wait to get off the van. He was like a coiled spring on the track this morning.

Haskin's Preakness Report: Befits Its Namesake

2013-05-15T17:07:00Z

The name Preakness has been right at the top of the racing vernacular for years, as the second leg of the Triple Crown, yet many people have no idea what or who Preakness is.

There just might be a reason why the Preakness Stakes has been the scene of some of the most bizarre occurrences in the annals of the Triple Crown.

Sloppy tracks, muddy tracks, hard tracks, stifling heat, interference, injuries, a misjudged workout, and a suicidal pace have all had a hand in preventing Kentucky Derby and Belmont Stakes winners from sweeping the Triple Crown.

The Preakness and Preakness Day have also seen a massive power failure on race day; some guy running on the racetrack and throwing a punch at Artax in the final yards of an earlier stakes race; America’s foremost race caller Clem McCarthy calling the wrong winner on a nationwide radio broadcast in 1947; Afleet Alex clipping heels and nearly falling at the quarter pole and still winning in one of the most remarkable recoveries in racing history; Codex and Genuine Risk involved in one of the most heated and controversial incidents ever; and a teletimer malfunction that cost Secretariat a track record that finally was rectified nearly 40 years later.

And how about a horse winning the Kentucky Derby by four lengths and the Belmont by 10 lengths, only to finish second in the Preakness after being blocked at the quarter pole…by his own stablemate? That ignominious incident happened in 1931 to Greentree Stables’s Twenty Grand, who appeared to be making a winning move when his own stablemate, Surf Board, began to tire and backed up right into him, blocking his path. Twenty Grand managed to gather himself and find another run, but his closing rally fell 1 1/2 lengths short of catching the winner…a horse ironically called Mate.

In 1939, Belair Stud’s Johnstown also destroyed his opponents in the Derby, winning by eighth lengths, and the Belmont, winning by five lengths. On Preakness day, a hard steady rain turned the track very muddy, and Johnstown just couldn’t get hold of it, tiring to finish fifth.

So, how ironic was it that Twenty Grand was “wiped out” by a horse named Surf Board, and Johnstown was defeated in a “flood?”

In 1972, Riva Ridge suffered the same fate as Johnstown, easily winning the Derby and Preakness, but floundered over a sloppy track in the Preakness.

There are many ways to lose the Preakness and the Triple Crown, but Chateaugay came up with a new one in 1963. The Darby Dan colt won the Derby and Belmont impressively, but five days prior to the Preakness, trainer Jimmy Conway decided to work him a mile. Conway gave a leg up to his main exercise rider, Carlos Martinez, and told him to go a nice easy mile, between 1:41 and 1:42. But Chateauguay had other ideas and wound up working in 1:37 3/5, which equaled Pimlico’s track record for the mile set back in 1923. A disheartened Conway said after the work, “This was much too fast. I never knew the boy to miss by that much.”

But this was the Preakness, where the unexplainable has become commonplace.

In the race, Chateuagay was three lengths back in 1:37, which means he ran the mile in the exact same time he did in his work. It was enough to result in a second-place finish to Candy Spots, a colt he defeated in both the Derby and Belmont.

If ever a horse looked as if the Preakness would suit his style more than the Derby and Belmont it was Bold Forbes. But the speedster managed to win the Derby and Belmont, only to lose the Preakness when he wilted badly in the 90-degree temperature and high humidity while setting blazing fractions. In addition, he returned bleeding from his left heel, the result of several nasty cuts suffered during the running of the race.

So, why have so many unusual occurrences plagued the Preakness? Perhaps it traces back to the horse for which the race was named.

In 1868, a group of sportsmen got together at a dinner engagement in Saratoga and decided to form a new stakes race. Maryland governor Oden Bowie, who was in attendance, persuaded the others to stage the event in Baltimore. The governor must haven been extremely persuasive, considering there was no racetrack in Baltimore. He promised, however, that one would be built in time for the race, which was scheduled to debut in 1870. Bowie had put the cart before the race and it worked.

Two years later, the inaugural Dinner Party Stakes was held on schedule. The race was so named because the winning owner was to host the losers at a dinner party following the race.

The new Baltimore track was named Pimlico after…well, who knows? Most of the records of the Maryland Jockey Club were destroyed in the Great Baltimore Fire of 1904. Some say it was named for “Old Ben Pimlico’s Nut Brown Ale,” a favorite in England. Others believe it was named after an island called Pimlyco. Old Baltimore land records of 1699 show that a tract of land known as Pemblicoe was laid out in the same district where the racetrack is located.

The inaugural running of the Dinner Party Stakes was won by a big, coarse-looking colt named Preakness, who was named after a small town in New Jersey.

Years later, after being sent to England to compete in the long-distance Cup races, Preakness was purchased by the Duke of Hamilton for stud purposes.

Unfortunately for Preakness, he developed a bad temper that was matched only by that of his owner’s. One day, the two clashed in Preakness’s stall, with the Duke coming out on the short end. In a fit of anger, he went into his house, grabbed his shotgun, and killed the horse.

The incident enraged English sportsmen around the country, and the furor that resulted in Europe and all the way to America triggered a wave of reform, prompting laws and restrictions for the protection of animals. That law is enforced with such diligence today the Duke’s act surely would have resulted in a jail term and heavy fine.

Through all the crazy misfortunes, the Preakness has remained one of the most popular and enjoyable racing experiences in America. If Orb can get by this race without anything bizarre occurring he will return home the conquering hero and overwhelming favorite to become the first Triple Crown winner in 35 years.

This also is the 40th anniversary of Secretariat’s Triple Crown sweep, and what could be more appropriate than having Orb join this elite club, considering Secretariat’s owner, Penny Chenery (then Penny Tweedy) only got to own Big Red because she lost a coin flip with the late Ogden Phipps, who’s son Ogden Mills (Dinny) co-owns Orb with his cousin Stuart Janney III.

If that isn’t a fitting Preakness storyline, what is?

Haskin's Preakness Report: Family Plot

2013-05-12T21:53:00Z

History, it is said, repeats itself, and it will do just that in the 138th Preakness Stakes. It was 25 years ago that Claiborne Farm’s Forty Niner defeated Ogden Phipps’ Seeking the Gold by a nose in a gut-wrenching stretch duel in the Haskell Invitational Handicap, run in near-100-degree temperature. Finishing fourth in the five-horse field was Private Terms, owned by Stuart Janney Jr.’s Locust Hill Farm, who missed third by only a half-length. Forty Niner was the 4-5 favorite, and Seeking the Gold and Private Terms both were 5-2 co-second choices.

Of course, we all are aware that these three powerhouse stables, which have been strongly linked for more than five generations as both partners and adversaries, are the dominant figures in the upcoming Preakness Stakes.

Many feel if Kentucky Derby winner Orb, owned in partnership by the Phipps family and Stuart Janney III, is going to be beaten at Pimlico, it will be Departing, owned by Claiborne Farm and Adele Dilschneider, that will perpetrate the dastardly deed.

We also are aware that Claiborne Farm has been the birthplace of the Phipps and Janney horses for many generations, and all the great Phipps family champions are buried there.

Just as Orb and Departing grew up together at Claiborne Farm, so did Forty Niner , Seeking the Gold (both sons of Mr. Prospector), and Private Terms.

As a side note regarding that 1988 Haskell, the fourth-place finisher who prevented a Claiborne-Phipps-Janney sweep was Primal, who was owned and bred by Tartan Stable, the breeder of Orb’s broodmare sire Unbridled.

Also, Private Terms is by the Phipps stallion Private Account (by Damascus), out of Laughter (a three-quarter sister to Ruffian), making him a three-quarter brother to Orb’s third dam, Steel Maiden. And finally, Seeking the Gold’s broodmare sire, Buckpasser, can be found in both Orb’s male and female families.

Now, it is just a question of whether history will repeat itself in regard to the finish of the Preakness. But instead of Claiborne defeating Phipps and Janney horses, it will attempt to defeat a single horse owned by both.

As you can see, this year’s Preakness represents the history of Thoroughbred racing and the great equine and human families that built its foundation so many years ago. What we’re seeing this year is a rare glimpse into the past. The fabric of the sport has changed dramatically as all the founding families have died out and are now nothing more than mere names from a bygone era. But through it all, the Phipps dynasty lives on, and it was only a matter of time before a throwback like Orb came along to remind a new generation of horsemen and racing fans what was so special about this sport back in the so-called golden age of racing.

So, whether it is Phipps and Janney who continue on their Triple Crown quest or whether it is Claiborne Farm that ends it in Baltimore, racing will be all the better for it. After all, even if we don’t have a Triple Crown attempt this year, which would disappoint a lot of people, a rubber match between Orb and Departing and their legendary connections in the “Test of the Champion” is not such a bad alternative.

The Doll and her Hat

Speaking of paddock mates, in an unrelated item, one of the highlights of this year’s Derby experience was driving the 45 or so miles to Fred and Buff Bradley’s Indian Ridge Farm near Frankfort, Ky. to visit racing’s most beloved Odd Couple, 5-year-old Eclipse Award winner Groupie Doll and her paddock buddy, the 12-year-old gelding Brass Hat.

The latter, a grade I winner of over $2.1 million, despite suffering two fractures in his career, not only has become close friends and constant companion to Groupie Doll while last year’s Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Sprint winner and champion Filly and Mare Sprinter gets her annual winter and spring freshening on the farm, he also serves as babysitter for the weanlings and yearlings, sharing their paddock, playing with them, and making sure they don’t get into any trouble.

After putting together a brilliant five-race winning streak in 2012, during which she captured three grade I stakes and two grade 2 stakes by an average margin of five lengths, Groupie Doll was beaten a nose by 2011 Travers winner Stay Thirsty in the grade I Cigar Mile, a defeat that cost her any consideration for Horse of the Year.

While Buff heads to at Churchill Downs every morning to train the horses, his wife Kim runs the farm. Kim said she knew Brass Hat would make a good companion and baby sitter by the way he gets along so well with the farm’s miniature pony Buddy.

On this particular day, Groupie Doll and Brass Hat had just finished taking turns rolling in the paddock, but Kim decided not to have them cleaned off, feeling they looked like “horses” covered in dirt. I couldn’t have agreed more.

As you can see from the photos that follow, Brass Hat and Groupie Doll are as close as two horses can be.

All photos are by Steve Haskin, please ask before taking.

Groupie Doll (left) seems in total bliss, enjoying Brass Hat's affections

You scratch my back, I'll scratch yours

Friends forever

Groupie Doll and Brass Hat enjoy attention

Grazing side by side

Buddy interacting with one of the foals

Kim Bradley also likes to interact with the foals

Who knows what Groupie Doll and Brass Hat talk about?

Haskin's Preakness Report: Oxbow and Stevens Try Again

2013-05-10T00:29:00Z

Up until the five-sixteenths pole of the Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (gr. I), Gary Stevens was envisioning a fairy tale victory aboard the D. Wayne Lukas-trained Oxbow only five months after returning to the saddle following a seven-year retirement.

But that image lasted only about three or four seconds. Oxbow had expended too much energy moving up into a suicidal pace set by the newly blinkered Palace Malice. After turning into the stretch, all Stevens could do was sit back and watch Orb storm past everyone en route to a popular two-length victory.

If Stevens had any immediate thoughts of turning the tables on Orb in the Preakness Stakes (gr. I), he quickly got a reality check when he saw firsthand how the Derby winner pulled up after the race.

“Orb was still a fresh horse after the race, and the reason I know that is, he wasn’t looking to pull up,” Stevens said. “When the outrider came up next to him to pull him up, Orb was like a 2-year-old going, ‘What are you doing?’ He propped under Joel (Rosario) and I was right behind him and almost ran over the top of him.

“I don’t know what I’m going to do to turn the tables on him. All I can hope for is that Orb doesn’t show up the same horse that showed up in the Derby and has some traffic problems. I like Oxbow’s style of running; he’s going to be close to the pace and won’t have traffic to negotiate. But I’m going to be honest with you; we’re all up against it. I liked what I saw from the winner and I think we’re seeing a colt with untapped resources right now who is still improving, and that’s a scary thought. I’m going to have to figure things out after I see the post positions and then devise a strategy. But I do know I’ll be close to the pace or on the lead.”

Stevens certainly is not conceding the second leg of the Triple Crown to Orb and is looking forward to taking him on again at Pimlico with a colt he is learning more about with each race. So far, it’s been trial and error with Oxbow, a horse with a powerful engine who can get very aggressive when pumped up. But after the Arkansas Derby (gr. I) and Kentucky Derby, Stevens should have a good handle on him, and if the two can get on the same page for the Preakness, expect a huge performance.

Stevens thought on a couple of occasions that was going to happen in the Derby, not only at the five-sixteenths pole when he disposed of Palace Malice, but before the race as well.

“It wasn’t just getting to the Kentucky Derby and being a participant that got me excited, it was being out in the post parade and seeing how Oxbow was handling everything,” Stevens said. “From the time in the paddock to being out on the racetrack and hearing My Old Kentucky Home to walking up to the starting gate I had a smile on my face. I told the pony girl next me I loved the way this horse was warming up; he was giving me all the right signals. I walked in the gate just full of confidence, and he stood in there like a perfect gentleman. He was loaded first and stuck his nose in the “V” of the starting gate and was looking down the racetrack. He was really focused, and that gave me a great feeling.”

But being aboard Oxbow before and after a race is not quite the same as being on Oxbow during a race, as the son of Awesome Again has had to overcome horrible posts, moving too soon on several occasions, and being taken back to last, which is not where you want to have a horse with his natural speed.

If you want to know what bad posts are all about, just look at Oxbow’s past performances. In his last six starts, all around two turns, he has had to break from post 10 three times and post 11 once, losing a ton of ground each time. Those would have been great posts in the Kentucky Derby, but he went the other way and drew post 2, winding up on the dreaded rail following the scratch of Black Onyx. In addition to his bad posts and getting hung very wide on the first turn, he moved too soon in the Risen Star (gr. II) and Rebel (gr. II), and then with Stevens aboard for the first time in the Arkansas Derby, he wound up last from the 10-post in the 10-horse field, which is a complete deviation from his normal style of running.

“The Arkansas Derby didn’t go well,” Stevens said. “I knew what I had done wrong immediately when it happened early in the race. I’m a guy who lives and dies by the sword and if I make a mistake I call it out and try to correct the problem. I believe it’s alright to make a mistake; just don’t make the same mistake twice. I learned in the Arkansas Derby you can’t just reach up and take a big hold him; you have to make him happy. He’s a cool horse to be around and he’s very competitive once those doors open up or when you’re working him. When he realizes he’s going to have a workout he becomes very aggressive.”

Stevens was impressed with Oxbow’s sixth-place finish, considering the fact that on that sloppy sealed track, he ran testing fractions of :22 4/5, :46, and 1:10 4/5 and was the only one of the early pace factors to finish in the top half of the field. The others – Palace Malice, Verrazano, Itsmyluckyday, Goldencents, and Falling Sky – finished 12th, 14th, 15th, 17th, and 19th, respectively. As a result of the brutal pace (:22 2/5, :45 1/5, and 1:09 4/5) the first five finishers – Orb, Golden Soul, Revolutionary, Normandy Invasion, and Mylute -- came from as far back as 17th, 15th, 18th, 12th, and 18th at one point in the race.

“I was real proud of Oxbow,” Stevens said. “He has a huge tank, and what was great about him is he had every right to just chuck it in, as the rest of the pace horses did, and he battled on to the finish line.

“The Arkansas Derby had been the only time I’d been on his back in the afternoon. I was fortunate enough to get to work him twice prior to the Kentucky Derby, and I was really impressed with his demeanor. Wayne would have me get on his back about 20 minutes prior to the work and walk him around the barn area a couple of laps and then go to the gap, so he could be the first one on the track. He handled he crowd and all the photographers with so much class.”

We know what Oxbow is capable of and how dangerous he can be when things go right for him. After all, the only time he drew a good post and had a good trip was in the LeComte Stakes (gr. III) and all he did was win by 11 1/2 lengths, demolishing eventual Kentucky Derby runner-up Golden Soul. We know what Lukas and Stevens are capable of in the Preakness, having won the second leg of the Triple Crown seven times between them, with Lukas winning five of them. Heck, even the name Calumet Farm, despite the owner and colors change, is a part of Preakness history, with seven victories. So, that’s a total of 14 Preakness wins for the owner, trainer, and jockey.

If Oxbow can escape the post position draw unscathed for a change and gets a typical Gary Stevens classic ride, who knows what this horse is capable of?

Derby Leftovers: Oxbow and Orb - All Photos by Steve Haskin

Oxbow about to break off in his work with Gary Stevens aboard.

Lukas' pair of Oxbow (left) and Will Take Charge will try Orb again in Preakness.

Oxbow can be a bundle of energy in the morning.

Orb displays the radiant smile of a Kentucky Derby winner.

To all those who doubted Orb

Finally playing it straight

Haskin's Preakness Report: Classic Reunion

2013-05-08T14:16:00Z

When the field goes to the post for the 138th Preakness Stakes (gr. I), don’t be surprised if two of the participants, who could go off as the two top choices, begin gaping at each other, as two childhood playmates might do meeting years later.

With horses at Pimlico sharing the same grazing area, the two could very well cross paths prior to race day, just as they did every day grazing together as babies at Claiborne Farm.

Kentucky Derby winner Orb and one of his main threats in the Preakness, Departing, grew up together in the same paddock, along with seven other colts. For nine months they interacted on a daily basis without a care in the world. Now they are finely tuned athletes about to confront each other in one of racing’s most competitive arenas.

“They were together from Sept,. 2010 until June, 2011,” said Claiborne farm manager Bradley Purcell. “We had nine colts in that paddock and they were two of them. How neat is that? We liked both of them quite a lot. They were both very strong, classy individuals and easy to handle and had very good heads on their shoulders. We couldn’t have asked for anything better out of them. Now, everyone wants to know if they used to race each other and who won? It was great to see Blame grow up go on and win the Breeders’ Cup Classic, and now the excitement is starting all over again.”

Orb, like all the Phipps--Janney horses, was sent to Niall Brennan’s farm to be broken, while Departing, like all the Claiborne and Adele Dilschneider horses, was sent to Jane Dunn’s Holly Hill Training Center in South Carolina.

Said Purcell, “We just kind of oversaw them to make sure they stayed healthy and strong, and Mother Nature did the rest.”

Did she ever. What is ironic is that one of the horses who could now stand in Orb’s way in his quest for the Triple Crown not only was his old childhood buddy, he comes into the Preakness off an impressive victory in the Illinois Derby, the race that was snubbed by Churchill Downs and prevented from remaining a viable Kentucky Derby prep. With zero qualifying points, Hawthorne was forced to move the race up two weeks and make it a prep for the Preakness.

While Orb continued to exude class and professionalism at Niall Brennan’s and later at the racetrack, Departing began taking after his mother, Leave, who was considered a bad actor and whose two previous foals had to be gelded. It didn’t take long for Departing to start exhibiting those same characteristics and he soon would join the ranks of the gelded.

“I was the one who gelded him,” Dunn recalled. “The mare could be exceedingly difficult and her foals are inclined to be that way. As Dell Hancock would like to say, ‘His mother was coming out in him.’ They have no control over their behavior; it’s the hormones that kick in. You don’t normally see it on the farm. It isn’t until they get to a training center that somebody asks them to start focusing on one thing. When they’re babies they do what they want when they want other than getting led in and out. Nobody on the farm tells you to look down the racetrack and pay attention to yourself, not the horses next to you or the birds or any other distractions. It’s sort of like taking a kid who’s always done what he wanted and putting him in boot camp and telling him what to do.

“He was a late-developing colt, and I don’t believe he’d be the horse he is today if I hadn’t gelded him. Seth Hancock has always been very good whenever I’ve called and said we need to geld a horse. I’ve never had him tell me no. Mentally, it took him a while to come around. I always liked him once he started behaving. He just had attention deficit disorder, worrying about everything other than what he was supposed to be doing. Once I gelded him he was a different horse; very focused and professional. And he’s always been a beautiful moving horse. Even before we gelded him he was very talented, but he could never connect it together for any particularly long sequence. After he was gelded he didn’t have all these other distractions going on in his brain.”

And so the Phipps-Janney-Claiborne connection keeps growing, evoking images of years past when champions such as Buckpasser, Easy Goer, and Ruffian, just to name a few, came off Claiborne Farm to carve their place in the history books.

Will Orb continue on his path to immortality, bringing Shug McGaughey and the Phippses to the threshold of where they thought they would be in 1989 with Easy Goer, or will Orb’s former paddock mate end the dream, just as Claiborne’s dream ended in the 1984 Preakness when their Kentucky Derby winner Swale finished seventh as the 4-5 favorite before winning the Belmont Stakes?

And remember, after Bull Hancock’s death in 1972, it was the three-man advisory committee, which included Ogden Phipps, who played a major role in Seth Hancock taking over Claiborne Farm instead of his older brother Arthur, who was devastated by the committee’s recommendation of Seth. Arthur then built up the neighboring Stone Farm into a major breeding establishment, and it was his colt, Sunday Silence, who upset the Phipps’ Easy Goer in the Kentucky Derby and Preakness, and later in the Breeders’ Cup Classic to nail down Horse of the Year honors. And it was Easy Goer who thwarted Sunday Silence’s Triple Crown attempt in the Belmont Stakes.

Whatever happens, this is racing at its finest and classiest, filled with drama and compelling storylines. The link between the Phippses and Claiborne Farm has been one of the sport’s most enduring relationships. The great Phipps and Wheatley Stable horses were born at Claiborne, stood at stud at Claiborne, gave birth to future stars at Claiborne, and are buried at Claiborne. You can’t get more enduring than that.

Derby Launched Into Orb-it

2013-05-07T00:19:00Z

The day finally had arrived. Everything had gone perfectly for Orb and trainer Shug McGaughey. So perfectly in fact that one couldn’t help but feel there were forces guiding the colt every step of the way, from the early days this winter at Payson Park to his breakout performances in the Fountain of Youth Stakes (gr. II) and Florida Derby (gr. I).

With every breeze, every gallop, and every race, the son of Malibu Moon – Lady Liberty, by Unbridled became stronger, constantly moving forward both mentally and physically. As each obstacle was cleared, such as the colt’s final work and the dreaded post position draw, McGaughey grew more outwardly confident and excited, which in some ways seemed out of character for the usually taciturn trainer, who keeps his emotions in check and lets his horses do all the talking. Well, Orb was doing a lot of shouting and the Kentucky-born McGaughey couldn’t help but feel his life-long dream of grabbing the coveted roses was about to come true.

While all the Derby starters remained in their respective barns on a damp overcast Derby morning, with steady rains approaching quickly, two lone figures made their way in the darkness toward the track at 5:45. Orb stood calmly with exercise rider Jen Patterson aboard, as McGaughey leaned against the rail and took one final look at the colt before having him jog once around.

“I’m excited,” McGaughey said. “And I’m excited about this afternoon.”

Some 12 hours later, Orb, with Joel Rosario up, came charging through the slop from 17th in the 19-horse field to win the $2,174,800 Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (gr. I) by 2 1/2 lengths as the $5.40-1 favorite.

The Derby gods had indeed worked their magic. Despite the deep, talented field that had assembled for the 139th Derby, this was the year when McGaughey and the Janney and Phipps families were destined to restore the Sport of Kings to the way it was and the way it was meant to be, when true sportsmen and their private stables and homebred Thoroughbreds ruled the Turf.

Turn the clocks back to 1988. As the field swept around the far turn of the Gotham Stakes (gr. II), two horses came charging up to the leaders eyeball to eyeball, moving as a team. In the red and white silks of Stuart Janney Jr. was the 10-1 Maryland invader Private Terms, trained by Charlie Hadry. Right alongside him, matching stride for stride, was the 3-5 favorite Seeking the Gold, trained by Shug McGaughey, in the familiar black silks and cherry red cap of Ogden Phipps.

The undefeated Private Terms began separating himself from Seeking the Gold, opening a two-length lead at the eighth pole. But the Phipps colt came back at him, falling three-quarters of a length short. Both colts would meet again two weeks later in the Wood Memorial, with Private Terms again defeating Seeking the Gold, this time by 1 1/2 lengths in stakes-record time.

Their rivalry would continue in the Kentucky Derby, won by Winning Colors, and come to a conclusion in the Haskell Invitational (gr. I), with Seeking the Gold getting beat a nose by Claiborne Farm’s Forty Niner in an epic stretch duel, as Private Terms narrowly missed third by a half-length.

In September of that year, Stuart Janney Jr., who had been married to Ogden Phipps’ sister, Barbara Phipps Janney before her death the previous year, was killed in an automobile accident at age 81, suffering a heart attack while driving to his home at Locust Hill Farm in Glyndon, Md. The Janney stable, which had reached its apex in 1975 with the legendary ill-fated Ruffian, eventually was taken over by Janney’s son, Stuart Janney III. In 2002, Ogden Phipps died, with his son Ogden Mills, better known as Dinny, becoming patriarch of the longtime racing dynasty.

It has been 25 years since the two families clashed in those memorable 1-2 finishes in the Gotham and Wood Memorial. Still looking for their first Kentucky Derby victory after so few attempts over the years, the Janneys and Phippses joined forces, racing as partners in a well-bred Malibu Moon colt named Orb, who they also bred in partnership, although Dinny now kids how he didn’t like Orb’s dam, Lady Liberty, and tried to persuade his cousin to sell her. “But he outsmarted me and bred her to Malibu Moon and here I am,” Dinny said.

The fourth dam of Orb, is Laughter, who is by the Phipps family’s great racehorse and stallion Bold Ruler, out of Ruffian’s dam, Shenanigans, so this racing and breeding partnership goes back five generations. To come up with a horse like Orb, they reached into the pedigrees and descendants of racing titans Damascus and Dr. Fager, who were involved in the epic 1967 Woodward Stakes showdown with Ogden Phipps’ mighty Buckpasser.

It seemed as if the Derby gods or whatever other-worldly entity you care to attribute it to had finally found the perfect year to reward not only two long-established families, but the Sport of Kings itself. This was Thoroughbred racing at its purest, with the blood of champions being regenerated through the decades to give the sport a sense of continuity, while serving as a reminder of where it came from. The Phipps family in particular is the last of a dying breed of sportsmen who built a foundation strong enough to withstand the passage of time and an ever-changing world, where tradition and sportsmanship have been eroding with each passing year.

McGaughey, the Phippses, and Janney are the last remaining pillars of strength, and as long as their familiar silks continue to adorn horses like Orb, those pillars will never crumble.

Ogden Phipps must have felt a Kentucky Derby victory was imminent after his 30-1 shot Dapper Dan’s powerful stretch run in 1965 fell a neck short of catching the fully extended winner Lucky Debonair.

“I was here that day and I bet on Dapper Dan,” said Dinny, now 72, as he was being wheeled from the track following the winner’s circle presentation. “And I’ll bet you I didn’t make 10 bets before that or 10 bets after. I just had a feeling that he would run well. That was a long time ago.”

But Ogden Phipps would have only two more Derby starters over the next 37 years – Seeking the Gold in 1988 and Easy Goer in 1989. Dinny would run only one – Awe Inspiring in 1989; and his daughter, Cynthia, racing in her grandmother’s Wheatley Stable colors, would have only one – Saarland in 2002. Wheatley Stable, owned by Mrs. Henry Carnegie Phipps, had attempted the Derby seven times from 1928 to 1967, but never even finished in the money, despite being represented by champions Bold Ruler, Bold Lad, and Successor.

The Phippses have always been known for their longevity in keeping trainers and not interfering in racing decisions, which is another aspect of the sport that has changed dramatically. McGaughey has been their trainer for 27 years through both prosperous and lean years. The old school operation goes beyond McGaughey and the well-bred horses right down to the help, most of whom have been with McGaughey for 25 to 30 years.

McGaughey and his main assistant, Buzzy Tenney, have known each other since elementary school and were in the Cub Scouts together in the same den. When McGaughey took over as trainer for the Phipps family in 1985 he asked his old friend, who had been working for trainer Steve Penrod in Aiken, S.C. to come work for him.

“Our stable is one of the last of its kind,” Tenney said. “Shug has maintained the excellence of the old school. He always takes time with the horses and has them spending a lot of time outside their stall. The Phippses and Stuart Janney are patient people and let you get through the lean times and give a horse the time he or she needs. The horses are sound and happy, and it’s pretty much a hay, oats, and water operation.”

In 1989, it looked as if the Phipps family and McGaughey had found the ultimate racehorse they had been seeking for so many years. If any horse was going to give them their first Kentucky Derby victory it was Easy Goer, a chestnut Adonis that appeared to have everything – pedigree, looks, speed, class, and stamina. Following his championship 2-year-old season, Easy Goer had jaws dropping at Aqueduct when he cantered home in the Gotham Stakes, winning by 13 lengths and missing Dr. Fager’s sacred world-record mile of 1:32 1/5 by a fifth of a second.

Easy Goer’s defeat in the Kentucky Derby to Sunday Silence was a bitter disappointment to McGaughey, who doubted he would ever bring a horse to the Derby with the God-given talent of the son of Alydar.

In 1997, Ogden Phipps and McGaughey looked to have another big shot at their first Derby with the late-running Accelerator, who had finished a fast-closing second behind Derby favorite Captain Bodgit in the Wood Memorial. But one week before the Derby, Accelerator pulled up lame during a workout at Churchill Downs, suffering a cannon bone fracture. It was another crushing blow and neither Ogden nor Dinny would be back until this year.

The Janneys have maintained that same philosophy of not running in the Derby unless they had a good chance and if it was in the best interest of the horse. In a move you would rarely, if ever, see today, Stuart Janney III and McGaughey teamed up in 1998 to win the Wood Memorial (gr. I) with Coronado’s Quest, who came within a fifth of a second of Private Terms’ record. But win or lose, the Derby was not under consideration, due to the colt’s immaturity and wild and crazy antics at Gulfstream Park that winter, which seemed to disappear once surgery was performed to free an entrapped epiglottis. By showing patience and giving him extra time, they were rewarded with victories in the Dwyer, Haskell, and Travers.

So, one could easily see why the Derby gods would be inclined to smile down on Janney, the Phippses, and McGaughey this year, just as they did with Frances Genter, Paul Mellon and Mack Miller, William T. Young, W. Cal Partee, Charlie Whittingham, Robert and Beverly Lewis, Jerry and Ann Moss, James Tafel, and other owners and trainers who had demonstrated the class and sportsmanship that have always exemplified the spirit of Thoroughbred racing.

As for Orb, he was broken and received his early training at Niall Brennan’s farm in Ocala, Fla. Among the other 2-year-olds there at the time were Revolutionary and Palace Malice, both of whom would also compete in the Kentucky Derby.

“Orb was always a nice big strong colt,” Brennan recalled. “The Malibu Moon colts tend to lack focus like teenagers who want to get in trouble. But Orb was very good for a Malibu Moon colt. He was playful, but he was forward enough, and being such a big strong colt, you knew he was only going to get better and better, especially in Shug’s program, where they get a chance to develop. He was a good mover, with a big stride and a good tough attitude.”

For most of the winter, the Derby trail was all about the powerhouse arsenals of Todd Pletcher in the East and Bob Baffert in the West. Baffert’s big horses kept falling off the trail until he was left with not a single round of ammunition by Derby Day. Pletcher, on the other hand, lost his two Derby favorites, Shanghai Bobby and Violence, but still managed to get five horses there – Wood Memorial (gr. I) and Tampa Bay Derby (gr. II) winner Verrazano, Louisiana Derby (gr. II) winner Revolutionary, Arkansas Derby (gr. I) winner Overanalyze, and Palace Malice and Charming Kitten, the two-three finishers of the Toyota Blue Grass Stakes (gr. I).

Last year’s Derby-winning trainer Doug O’Neill was back with Santa Anita Derby (gr. I) winner Goldencents, and four-time Derby winner D. Wayne Lukas had stakes winners Oxbow and Will Take Charge. Other contenders included Wood Memorial runner-up Normandy Invasion, Blue Grass winner Java’s War, and Louisiana Derby runner-up Mylute.

When McGaughey shipped Orb to Churchill Downs, he loved what he saw right from the start. In his second morning there, the colt was feeling so good, McGaughey asked Patterson if he was playing or if there was something wrong with him, She assured him he was only playing. Each day he became more settled and his gallops got stronger.

“This horse is a bit of a throwback to more of an old-time horse,” McGaughey said outside his familiar Barn 43, where he always stables. “There’s nothing in his family that’s ever been a sales horse where they tried to make them bulky and speedy-looking in order to do well at the sales. I was amazed how this horse changed mentally and physically between the Fountain of Youth and Florida Derby.

“I’ve spent a lot of time at Churchill Downs right here in this barn. I’ve been in this barn before I had the Phipps horses. Where else would you want to be on Derby Week than right here. If we can get the next 10 days behind us I’ll think he’ll be a presence. He appreciates the colder weather coming from Florida, and this morning he was fresh and feeling good. When I went into the winter I never thought I’d be standing here now talking about Orb, but he gave us some pretty exciting days and has really come around quickly. I thought he’d be running at Aqueduct right now. After he broke his maiden there, I said, ‘His style won’t suit Gulfstream.’ But we got a pleasant surprise and here we are.”

McGaughey said that he was happy to see Janney and Phipps enjoying the ride, and looked forward to bring them their long-awaited Derby.

“Dinny and Stuart are very close and they’re having fun,” he said. “They’ve obviously been close working together at Bessemer (Trust), but I think this horse is one of the things that have brought them closer, because they’re enjoying him together. This was a merger with old Mr. Phipps and Stuart, and Stuart had a great affection for Mr. Phipps. They enjoy the game and they enjoy their horses, but they do a lot to try to help the game.”

The universal feeling around the backstretch was the rooting interest for McGaughey, who is one of the most respected trainers in the game, and whose methods are applauded by racetrackers everywhere.

“I’m rooting so hard for Shug,” said trainer David Carroll, who worked for McGaughey from 1985-90 and was the regular exercise rider of Easy Goer. “Shug was a tremendous influence on me. I came from Europe where the background is to be patient. My father and brother were jockeys and I worked for John Oxx for six years. In Ireland it’s all about patience and doing right by the horse, and that was they way Shug trained; the way he takes care of the horse and develops them. And look how long everybody’s been working for him; they’ve all been there forever. When you get to Shug’s barn it’s home. It would be fantastic for racing and breeding to have Shug win it for the Phippses and the Janneys. Everybody on the backside is rooting for him. I’m even nervous for him. I was having dinner last night and was saying I won’t relax until after the draw.”

But first there was the colt’s final work to get through. McGaughey still has vivid memories of Accelerator’s final work, in which he was pulled up on the turn, missing the Derby.

All Orb did in his work was increase McGaughey’s confidence level, breezing a half in company in :47 4/5 and doing it with smooth, effortless strides, pulling well clear of his workmate. McGaughey was thrilled.

“I know we’ve still got the draw, but I’m going in with the attitude that as of April 29, we’ve done everything we can do to make things happen right, and so far they have all happened right. My people have done an absolutely wonderful job of handling the situation and being as all-in as I am.”

As Dinny Phipps’ daughter, Daisy, said, “We haven’t taken this horse here, he’s taken us here. Having our two families own the horse together, it’s sort of the perfect package.”

Derby Week, however, always provides plenty of anxiety, and there was enough to go around for McGaughey and his wife Alison, as they sat at the post position draw and watched most of the desirable posts get taken, while posts 1, 2, and 3, where they did not want to wind up, were still open.

Finally came the pill pull for No. 16 followed by the name Orb. Allison broke out in a smile, while a relieved McGaughey just nodded his head in approval.

That was it; the final obstacle had been cleared. All that was left now was the waiting. Not even the ominous weather forecast seemed to dampen McGaughey’s spirits. It was time for the dream to become reality.

“I know come Thursday the nerves are going to set in, but we came here with the idea that we’re going to have fun with it,” McGaughey said. “Every year when we get a bunch of 2-year-olds, I’m hoping one of them will be the horse that gives us the opportunity to get here. All we want is the opportunity. I feel when race day comes, what will be will be. I know we’ve got to get the trip, but if it doesn’t go our way, hopefully we’ll get a chance again.”

Another set of events that had been playing out was on the jockey front, which saw Orb’s rider John Velazquez choose to ride Verrazano in the Derby. McGaughey understood that Velazquez had an allegiance to Pletcher, but he needed a rider, and that is where another important piece of the puzzle came together perfectly.

Rosario’s agent, Ron Anderson recalled, “When I first went over my list of horses I ride for Shug, I pointed out Orb and Shug said, ‘You know what, I don’t care to run him here again; I’m not sure he likes these turns at Gulfstream that much.’ He said there was an open allowance race at the end of the month that will probably be easier than the Fountain of Youth and that he’d probably consider that race or ship him out of town.”

Because McGaughey was so hesitant about running, he freed Anderson to get another mount for the Fountain of Youth, so he signed on to ride Speak Logistics. McGaughey then decided at the last minute to run in the Fountain of Youth, and the colt surprised him by winning impressively with Velazquez aboard, and then kept progressing, winning the Florida Derby. By losing the mount on Orb, Rosario was free to ride Animal Kingdom in the $10 million Dubai World Cup (UAE-I) the same day as the Florida Derby, which he won easily. When Velazquez jumped off Orb to ride Verrazano in the Kentucky Derby, Rosario was given the mount back. But instead of winning $1.4 million purses in the Fountain of Youth and Florida Derby, he won $10 million in purses in Dubai and wound up right back on Orb for the Kentucky Derby.

The projected rain on Derby Day came as expected, turning the track sloppy. In a surprise move, Palace Malice, equipped with blinkers, outran all the expected speed horses and opened a three-length lead, while setting blazing fractions of :22.57 and :45.33. Goldencents, Falling Sky, and Verrazano took up the chase, but in the end, the blistering pace would cook all four horses, who would retreat quickly to finish at the back of the pack.

Rosario, meanwhile, took Orb well off the pace and had only two horses beat down the backstretch, while trailing by nearly 20 lengths. Back there with him were Golden Soul, Revolutionary, and Mylute, all of whom would take advantage of the suicidal pace and finish strongly down the stretch.

As they continued down the backstretch, Oxbow made a strong run along the rail to move into second. Around the far turn after three-quarters in a gut-wrenching 1:09.30, Palace Malice began shortening stride after setting the fastest fractions in Derby history on a wet track. Verrazano and Falling Sky called it quits as Normandy Invasion, under Javier Castellano, made a big move on the outside and surged to the front nearing the quarter pole in an attempt to run everyone off their feet and get the jump on the closers.

For a brief instant, it looked as if Normandy Invasion was home free until Orb came flying around horses without a straw in his path out near the middle of the track to reach contention. Golden Soul was on the move behind him, and Calvin Borel, as usual, was hugging the rail with Revolutionary, who was picking off horses as well, occasionally having to idle briefly waiting for an opening.

But down the stretch, it was obvious Normandy Invasion wasn’t sustaining his move and Orb was the strong horse, as he collared Normandy Invasion at the eighth pole and began to draw clear. Rosario had merely been hand-riding the colt, throwing a couple of crosses. But Orb has shown a tendency to start relaxing a little once he gets the lead, so Rosario roused him with a couple of left-handed whips. He was never in any danger of getting caught, but behind him there was a furious battle for second.

Golden Soul kept on relentlessly to get second, a length ahead of Revolutionary, who was a head in front of Normandy Invasion, who in turn finished head in front of a fast-closing Mylute. There was gap of six lengths back to sixth-place finisher Oxbow, who was the only horse in the first five early to finish in the first half of the field. The final time for the 1 1/4 miles was 2:02.89.

“I don’t even know where I’m at,” an emotional Alison McGaughey said. “It’s crazy. When we get home and sit down and realize what just happened I’m sure we’ll be bawling our eyes out. Right now I’m just so caught up in the moment I don’t know what to say. I just can’t wait to go back and see Orb; he’s waiting for his candy. For him to win for Stuart and Dinny together, you can’t make it up. On April 24, I celebrated my 50th birthday. Shug was already here and I was in Florida. I said, ‘Look, I’ll be 50 all year, if you win the Derby that’ll be my present.”

Stuart Dillender, who has worked on and off for McGaughey as foreman for 30 years, has been waiting for this moment a long time.

“I’ve wanted to win this for Shug for 30 years,” he said. “He deserves everything he’s gotten. This is very special, just because this is the one race that he hasn’t won and deserved to win. It’s a blessing. I’ll do anything for the man. There are no organizations like this around anymore. They’ve all been around and have gone away, but this one never has. We try to make it a team effort; you can’t win without a team. From Dinny to Daisy and Stuart, you can’t find a better family. They care about us and they care about the horses and they care about the breed.”

Back at the barn that night, McGaughey arrived and hugged Patterson, who has devoted so much of her time to Orb. “You’ll never know how much we appreciate all you’ve done for us.” said McGaughey, who paid tribute to all his help.

Kentucky Derby 139 will be remembered as the race in which the old timers rejoiced in the memory of how the sport used to be in simpler times, while the younger generation got a rare opportunity to enter a portal of time to witness something they may never see again.

Longtime veterinarian Mark Cheney, who has done work for McGaughey for 30 years and has been close to Orb all year, was flushed with pride and excitement, and there was only one remedy for that, and that was a good stiff drink with an old friend.

“This is the thrill of my life,” he said. “I’m about to have a heart attack. I know another fellow who’s up there watching this and having a big shot of bourbon right now and that’s Mr. Phipps. I think he made it happen. I wish I was up there with him because I’m about ready to die for a bourbon and water.”

Derby Weekend photos, all photos by Steve Haskin. Please do not take without asking.

Orb and Jen Patterson heading out for one of their final gallops.

Shug McGaughey checks out Orb one last time on Derby morning.

WWII Normandy veterans meet Normandy Invasion -- an unforgettable experience listening to their stories

Hal and Molly Harsh of Kansas City got married outside Itsmyluckyday's barn on Derby morning

Orb (left) and Revolutionary lead the walkover. They would finish 1.3.

Normandy Invasion in the post parade

Orb is ready for action.

Orb is taken to the back of the pack by Joel Rosario.

Alison McGaughey plants a kiss on Orb following the Derby.

Haskin's Derby Report: Time for the Pick Sicks

2013-05-03T18:41:00Z

The time finally has come to make something resembling selections. Getting past the mass state of confusion is the first step, and then trying to figure out a sloppy track is step No, 2. Just remember, there are no experts when it comes to the Kentucky Derby.

First off, I am proud to say, in my first Derby Dozen on Jan. 29. seven of the my top 12 horses have made it to the Derby, and all have a legitimate shot to win. They are: Itsmyluckyday (2), Normandy Invasion (4), Revolutionary (5), Oxbow (6), Goldencents (7), Overanalyze (11), and Palace Malice (12). My number 1, 3 and 8 horses, Violence, Shanghai Bobby, and Flashback, all dropped off the trail due to injuries.

There is no doubt Orb is the ‘now’ horse and has done everything so perfectly and has created so much buzz, he has replaced Verrazano as the Derby favorite.

Since Violence got hurt, the only two horses I have had number one are Itsmyluckyday and Revolutionary and I have seen nothing to make me change my mind. Itsmyluckydayday, in particular, has looked magnificent in his gallops and could not be doing any better. From the second he stepped off the van and immediately started grazing he has seemed right at home in his new surroundings. There is still a question about stamina, but he is doing as well as a horse can do, especially one who did not have a work over the track.

Revolutionary’s energy level has been high, his coat is shimmering, and I love the way he jogs briskly off the track every morning. He currently is my No. 1 ranked horse and I will stick with him,

WORKS -- Before we get down to the nitty gritty, let’s break all this down in categories. From a works standpoint, Orb and Revolutionary had the best works visually, with the latter extremely impressive in his gallop-out. I also loved the way Overanalyze and Palace Malice worked in company, with Overanalyze going a bit smoother of the two. Normandy Invasion, normally a stone closer, has been asked for more speed early by trainer Chad Brown, and he indicated how sharp he is when he ran off about three-eighths in his gallop Thursday. Brown decided to just jog him on Friday. No one has galloped stronger than the son of Tapit, who has been tearing around there each morning well out in the middle of the track.

The one sneaky-good work was by longshot Frac Daddy, who got the best of Java’s War when they worked in company. This work got lost among the parade of works we saw that day, but I loved the way the rider of Frac Daddy was doing everything possible to let Java’s War catch up to him, practically standing up and looking back for him, but Frac Daddy simply was too strong. And he has continued to gallop strongly. He’s 50-1 in the morning line, but his two best performances of his career have come at Churchill Downs and he is just now rounding back into form after several physical issues. He has a tough task, but based on works and gallops, he could surprise a lot of people and at least pick up a piece of it.

GALLOPS – I mentioned Normandy Invasion, Itsmyluckday, and Orb as standouts, and the last two had strong gallops on Friday. But the galloper that made the best impression Friday was Overanalyze, who glided over the surface with smooth, efficient strides, and was full of energy coming back. One horse who has gone virtually unnoticed because he comes out at 5:45 every morning is Mylute, who is the consummate professional and moves very well over the track. He is very light on his feet and changes leads on cue. Goldencents, like I’ll Have Another last year (well, not quite that strong) has been aggressive in his gallops and at times can get a bit headstrong. But all in all he’s been very relaxed.

THORO-GRAPH – It’s difficult to tell what it’s going to take to win this year’s Derby. I’m thinking anywhere from a zero to a negative 1. The only three horses to run a negative 2 or better this year have been Orb (-2) in the Florida Derby, Itsmyluckyday (-2) in the Holy Bull, and Verrazano (-2 1/4) in an allowance race three starts back. What was most impressive about Itsmyluckyday is that his negative 2 came the next race back after running a career-best negative 1 1/2. It takes a special horse to not “bounce” off a career-best figure like that, and an even more special horse to actually run faster off it. After a two-month layoff and running a “1” in the Florida Derby, while not fully cranked, he should be ready to return to a huge number.

I love the pattern of Overanalyze, who ran the fastest 2-year-old number in the field, a “1/2” in the Remsen. He came back off a layoff with a dull return in the Gotham on the Aqueduct inner track, in which he had a wide trip, but still ran a decent “3 3/4.” He then improved to a “1 1/2” in winning the Arkansas Derby easily. With that big 2-year-old number behind him, he should now move forward again and run a big number in the Derby. Normandy Invasion is another on a similar pattern who should be sitting on a career-best number.

SLOP – I dealt with this several days ago, and just quickly repeating, the longshot I would expect to improve the most on a sloppy track is Mylute, mainly due to his inbreeding to In Reality, especially through Valid Appeal, and his sire line, which traces to Fappiano and Dr. Fager. I also like the fact that Mylute is on an upward spiral and definitely is sitting on a career-best figure.

While the majority of the leading contenders should not be hampered by an off track, it is best to look for a live longshot who could improve dramatically over it. In addition to Mylute, the Irish-trained Lines of Battle has a very strong slop pedigree, especially through his tail-female line, which is all Darby Dan Farm and includes His Majesty. Also, horses with strong turf pedigrees should move up on it, and one in particular, Charming Kitten, is related to such top-class grass horses as Theatrical, Paradise Creek, and Arc de Triomphe winner Prince Royal. On his sire’s side, you will find European stars Sadler’s Wells (through El Prado, who has sired some top mudders), Roberto, and Sir Ivor, not to mention his inbreeding top and bottom to Hail to Reason. These are mega longshots, but they should improve on an off track. To what degree we obviously have no idea. But watch out for Mylute, especially.

PEDIGREE -- There are a number of horses who have excellent pedigrees for a mile and a quarter, including Orb, but assuming we're going to get an off track, it would be ideal to have a horse with speed who can stalk early and not get mud kicked in his face who can get the distance with no problem. Of all the speed and stalking horses, Oxbow fits that bill. He has the speed and the post position (2) to set the pace or get a good position early. And you know he will keep going. He's by stamina influence Awesome Again, out of Tizamazing, who is a full-sister to two-time Breeders' Cup Classic winner Tiznow, BC Classic runner-up Budroyale, and the dam of Paynter, who won the Haskell and was second, beaten a neck, in the Belmont Stakes. So, from a handicapping aspect, Oxbow would be the pick on pedigree.

SUMMATION – As I mentioned earlier, I have no reason whatsoever to abandon Revolutionary or Itsmyluckyday and will include both. But I am constantly looking for live overlays, which has often led to my downfall in the face of the obvious.

My two main live overlays are Overanalyze and Palace Malice. The former will be ignored because of the slow time of the Arkansas Derby, but that was only his second start of the year, the track was very deep, he was wide the entire way, his Thoro-Graph numbers point to a big effort, and he has looked great on the track. He also has enough slop influences to think an off track won’t hamper him that much. I also like the fact that he was precocious enough to win first time out at 2 at Saratoga going five furlongs, turned in a powerful stretch run to win the Futurity at six furlongs, and turned in one of the gutsiest performances of the year winning the Remsen. Whether he’s good enough against this group, who knows?

Palace Malice is intriguing because we really don’t know how good this horse is. He just hasn’t been given the opportunity to show his best. In his first stakes appearance, the Risen Star, he was the only horse in the field of 14 who did not have a two-turn race and was coming off one seven-furlong allowance sprint in almost seven months. He then had an absolutely disastrous trip in the Louisiana and had two potential winning moves stopped cold in the stretch. In order to get points for the Derby, he was wheeled right back in two weeks in the Blue Grass Stakes in his first ever start on a synthetic surface. After tracking the pace, he wound up doing the dirty work by being the first horse to go after a loose-on-the-lead Rydilluc. He put him away, and then got to goofing off, looking at tire tracks and switching back to his left lead. He still was beaten only a neck when Java’s War came flying from dead-last to nail him right on the wire.

He, too, has excellent slop breeding, and has already finished a strong second on a sloppy sealed track. The only slight concern is the addition of blinkers. Although he probably does need them, you really don’t want to start experimenting with equipment changes in the Derby. On the other hand, who knows how much it will move him up?

So, for live overlays, these are my two key horses. I also will have savers on Oxbow and Mylute at a big price. The former has been one of the unluckiest horses you’ll ever see when it comes to post positions and questionable rides. The only time he had a good post and a clean trip he won the LeComte by 11 1/2 lengths. Gary Stevens knows him now and you can bet he’ll give him a better ride than he did in the Arkansas Derby.

With mini-superfectas and trifectas, I would be looking to box longshots Overanalyze, Palace Malice, Oxbow, and Mylute with Orb in one bet, with Itsmyluckyday in another, with Normandy Invasion, and with Revolutionary for a total of four bets, just looking for some monster payoffs.

If I can afford it, I will also make a six-horse $1 trifecta box of Overanalyze, Palace Malice, Revolutionary, Itsmyluckyday, Orb, and Normandy Invasion in the trifectas. The horse I'm struggling with is Verrazano. He has been forgotten as the one-time potential superstar, as many feel distance is a question mark, but he is capable of breaking this race wide open if he puts it all together. Use him if you believe in him. I will decide what to do after I see his odds, which right now are a generous 11-1.

But all the exotics aside, If it comes up sloppy, which it looks like at the moment, I will be playing Mylute.

As for my actual overlay picks who I will focusing on at a price, they are Overanalyze and Palace Malice. both of whom I will be betting to win regardless of the track condition.

P.S. After meeting the four WWII veterans this morning, who are the guests of Rick Porter, and listening to their riveting and emotional stories of the D-Day invasion and other stories, it is going to be extremely difficult for the Derby gods not to work their magic on Normandy Invasion.

Haskin's Derby Report: And They're Off!

2013-05-02T20:37:00Z

So, the post position draw finally is out of the way and none of the major contenders got burned. The Todd Pletcher quintet all drew toward the outside with the exception of Revolutionary, who should be in good shape in post 3 under Calvin Borel, who will take him back and will not have far to go to get him to the rail. This way he won’t have to dart across the entire trip to get to his favorite path.

Overanalyze (post 9), Palace Malice (10), Verrazano (14), and Charming Kitten (15) could not have drawn any better, so Pletcher dodged a bullet big-time.

As for the pace scenario, poor Oxbow once again drew poorly, but instead of being stuck on the far outside at Oaklawn, he is down in post 2 and will have to come out running. This can be a bad post, but it can also be a good post if he gets a sharp break and a clean trip. Right now, all it means is that he likely will get involved in the pace early. Goldencents, breaking from post 8, no doubt will be tracking him, with Falling Sky (13) and Verrazano coming over from the outside. These four should dictate the pace and it will be interesting to see how long their jockeys play cat and mouse before one of them decides to make the running. Vyjack, in post 20, actually could be in decent shape, outrunning all those immediately to his inside – Java’s War, Frac Daddy, Will Take Charge, Orb, and Charming Kitten, and tracking Verrazano into the first turn.

Expect to see Itsmyluckyday, Palace Malice, Overanalyze, Lines of Battle, Mylute, Frac Daddy, and Oxbow in the next flight, with Orb and Normandy Invasion somewhere in mid-pack.

Borel likely will try to save ground on Revolutionary and then power home along the rail. Black Onyx’s best bet from the rail is to take back to avoid some horse coming in on him and pushing him into the rail,

Java’s War, Charming Kitten, and Golden Soul likely will bring up the rear, but don’t be surprised to see Normandy Invasion and Orb fairly far back, despite their sharpness in the morning.

There was a good deal of talk and published reports Thursday morning about Normandy Invasion running off with his rider for about three furlongs. If this was any race other than the Kentucky Derby, no one would care in the slightest. The feeling here is that running off, whether spooked by something or whatever, will have no bearing at all on how he runs on Saturday. Even if he was timed three-eighths in :38 and change during his run-off, so what? Blowing out three furlongs the day before a race, never mind two days before, used to be a common practice, and those blowouts usually were around :36 to :37 or faster.

Some observations from this morning: Itsmyluckyday, once again, had a terrific gallop and could not be doing any better. I liked Revolutionary’s gallop and the way he jogged briskly back, suggesting his energy level is high and he’s feeling good. Overanalyze also had a strong gallop and seems to be coming into the race in top shape.

One of the most laid back and professional horses is Mylute, who goes out every morning at 5:45. This morning, he went along smoothly, switching leads right on cue.

Tomorrow it is time once again to make some semblance of selections. They will be based in part on observations, pedigree (especially with slop), speed figures, general handicapping, and any intangibles, such as, ahem, the Derby gods. All that combined should confuse you even more.

Mylute is the first one out every morning at 5:45.

Revolutionary strikes a handsome pose Thursday morning.

Itsmyluckyday had another strong gallop.

Goldencents drew well and will break from the 8 post.

Those grand geldings

It was great seeing Kentucky Derby-winning geldings Mine That Bird and Funny Cide together at the Kentucky Derby Museum this morning. Mine That Bird, who has temporarily taken up residence at the Museum for several months, has made friends with a miniature pony named Winston, but today, he shared his two-stall barn with Funny Cide, who was visiting from the Kentucky Horse Park.

With Funny Cide’s managing partner Jack Knowlton (who couldn’t believe 10 years have passed) and jockey Jose Santos in attendance, along with Mine That Bird’s trainer Chip Woolley, visitors to the museum lined up around 10:30 to visit the two Derby winners and take photos. Both horses then were brought to the paddock before the fifth race, where they received a warm welcome from the scores of fans.

Mine That Bird has become a fixture at the Derby Museum.

Mine That Bird tries to get Funny Cide's attention.

Jack Knowlton and Jose Santos with Funny Cide.

Funny Cide did not stop eating from the minute he arrived.

Mine That Bird and Funny Cide in the paddock.

Haskin's Derby Report: Normandy Invasion Revisited

2013-05-01T20:20:00Z

For William A. Wilch, Ray Woods, J.J. Witmeyer, and Alan Reeves, this year’s Kentucky Derby will have great significance, evoking images that have remained indelible for seven decades. The four unknowingly helped inspire the name of Kentucky Derby contender Normandy Invasion, along with the other thousands of brave soldiers who participated in the historic events of June 6, 1944.

Normandy Invasion’s owner, Rick Porter, was so moved during his visit to Normandy and the D-Day beaches, especially the American cemetery that overlooks Omaha Beach, he wanted to pay tribute to the men and the invasion that eventually led to the surrender of Germany.

Not only did he name his colt by Tapit – Boston Lady, by Boston Harbor Normandy Invasion, after first trying for the name Arromanches (after the French town where the artificial harbor was built), he arranged through Richard Duchossois, who operates Arlington Park (which is owned by Churchill Downs), to bring four D-Day veterans to the Kentucky Derby as his guests.

After flying into Lexington, they will be at trainer Chad Brown’s barn Friday, where they will greet the media. They will then van to Churchill Downs Saturday morning.

Porter actually got the idea from a phone call he received from Alan Reeves. He told Porter his story and expressed a desire to be at the Derby and root on Normandy Invasion.

Porter thought it would be a great idea to have Reeves and others join him at Churchill Downs. He felt this was a perfect way of thanking them and hopefully providing them with a trip they will remember.

He began spreading the word about his idea, first talking to ESPN’s Jeannine Edwards, whose sister works for a veterans group and wrote up a story saying Porter was looking for Normandy veterans to invite. A number of e-mails and phone calls ensued and several people came forth to help out.

Wilch, 89, of Ohio, served with the 29th Infantry Division that landed on the Fox Green Sector of Omaha Beach. Wilch and another Pfc, Burton E. Burfeind, were assigned to take 12 captured German artillery officers to company headquarters, along with maps showing enemy artillery positions. Both Wilch and Burfeind were awarded the Bronze Star in their role in delivering the German officers, thwarting a German attack while vastly outnumbered.

On June 22nd, Wilch was wounded in action by an enemy hand grenade. After recovering in England he returned to France in early July 1944 in time to fight in the battle of Vire in what would be the early stages of the Battle of the Falise Gap. On August 15th 1944 he was severely wounded by an artillery round bursting in the tree tops. He then returned to rehabilitation in England through the early months of 1945.

After his recovery, Wilch’s assignments were limited to guarding German prisoners of war. He thwarted one escape attempt, recapturing the prisoners as they were evading capture. In the fall 1945 with the war now over, Wilch was assigned to guard U.S facilities at an abandoned U.S. Air base near Belfast, North Ireland.

On Thanksgiving Day 1945, Wilch returned home on the captured German liner Breman. Renamed by the U.S. Navy as the Europa, as the ship entered New York Harbor, it nearly capsized as all the troops aboard rushed to one side of the ship to view the Statue of Liberty. A quick thinking crew averted disaster. As the ship sailed ahead under even keel, a yacht carrying The Andrews Sisters pulled alongside the Europa. Again, all the soldiers ran to the railing to see them, nearly capsizing the ship a second time only a few minutes later. This time the crewmen used clubs to spread the troops evenly to prevent a post war disaster. Even today, Wilch remembers the event vividly, thinking to himself how awful it would been to die in New York harbor after surviving Omaha Beach.

Woods, also from Ohio, served as a Radarman on the USS O’Brien, which led 45 LCIs to Utah Beach, after which it headed to Omaha Beach and was the first Destroyer to go to the water’s edge to take out German gun emplacements. These Destroyers played a major role in the success of the D-Day invasion.

Witmeyer, of New Orleans, won the French Legion of Merit, which is equivalent to the Medal of Honor. He was part of the Utah Beach invasion and was awarded two Purple Hearts. At age 92, he is still an active docent at the National World War II Museum.

All told, Witmeyer has been awarded two Purple Hearts, four Bronze Stars, two Presidential Unit citations, a European Campaign medal, a Combat Infantryman's badge and scores of other military decorations to his name.

He was one of 75 recipients of the Legion of Merit, France's highest award, which was presented to him in Paris on June 5, 2009, the day before the 65th anniversary of the D-Day landings in Normandy.

He was congratulated by Sen. Bob Dole and actor Tom Hanks, and the following day joined President Barack Obama, Prince Charles of Britain, French President Nicolas Sarkozy and British Prime Minister Gordon Brown in Normandy for the D-Day commemoration.

Reeves, 91, from San Diego, worked as a French translator and was assigned to the Supreme Command under General Eisenhower, where he worked on a number of special assignments. He helped lead an invasion in Southern France, taking over a building in Marseille that had been used by the Gestapo.

He attended school in France and one of his classmates was Prince Philip.

As for the equine Normandy Invasion, he had another of his typical spirited gallops this morning and schooled beautifully before the third race, never breaking out in a sweat, despite the hot temperatures. He stood perfectly in his stall and never turned a hair walking around the ring.

Other schoolers today were Orb and trainer Todd Pletcher’s five Derby candidates, and all did well considering the heat. Revolutionary’s coat looked great and it was reassuring to see him back galloping this morning and feeling good.

The post position draw, or I should say the dread post position draw, is an hour away as this is being written, after which we’ll have a much better idea where we stand.

Wednesday Schooling Photos
All photos by Steve Haskin.

Normandy Invasion

Verrazano

Revolutionary

Orb

Palace Malice

Overanalyze

Haskin's Derby Report: Oh, Happy Day

2013-04-30T19:18:00Z

Each year, there is at least one horse you take an instant liking to; one that is easily accessible and has great presence and character. This year, that horse is Itsmyluckyday, who arrived at Churchill Downs as if he’d been there his entire life.

You always like to find that happy horse that stands out, and Itsmyluckyday is indeed a happy horse, thanks to the TLC he receives constantly from trainer Eddie Plesa Jr.; his wife Laurie, who is part-owner of the colt; and longtime assistant Frankie Perez and exercise rider Peter Shelton.

After three days, the son of Lawyer Ron has jogged once and galloped twice and has looked better each time, moving over the track with authority and showing all the signs of a horse ready for a peak performance. Whether that is good enough to beat these horses going a mile and a quarter is anyone’s guess, but there is no doubt he will give 100 percent. And we have already seen what his 100 percent is capable of in the Gulfstream Park Derby and Holy Bull Stakes.

What makes him stand out from a numbers standpoint is the fact that he ran a negative 1 1/2 on Thoro-Graph in the Gulfstream Derby, and instead of “bouncing” off that, as one would expect, he actually came back with a better number, running a negative 2 in the Holy Bull. Given two months off to freshen up and recharge the batteries, he was expected to be a bit short for the Florida Derby, and even though Orb ran right by him he still wound up running a “1” in the race, and it wouldn’t come as a surprise if the Derby isn’t run much faster than that. All he has to do is improve slightly off the Florida Derby and he’s right there.

It’s just a question whether he moves forward going 1 1/4 miles and whether you feel that not being wound fully tight for the Florida Derby accounted for his inability to withstand the closing surge of Orb.

What Itsmyluckyday has going for him is his toughness and competitiveness, and that is exactly what co-breeder Rob Whiteley had in mind when he bred the colt’s dam, Viva La Slew, to Lawyer Ron. Viva La Slew’s dam, Viva La Viva, who Whiteley also bred, is by Crafty Prospector, and Whiteley wanted to cross the tough Crafty Prospector with Lawyer Ron, who was as tough and competitive as any horse in memory. In Itsmyluckyday, he got exactly what he was hoping for.

Inside his stall, Itsmyluckyday is an easy-going, personable horse who is extremely approachable. But once he gets outside the stall and on the racetrack he is a tiger, who loves to train and compete.

If there is one thing that is fairly certain, Itsmyluckyday will be overlooked in the betting, and Plesa is fine with that. He says he’s more interested in having the media stop by after the race than before.

Itsmyluckyday heads to the track.

Itsmyluckyday generating good power in his gallop

Itsmyluckyday -- all class

Itsmyluckyday

As for today’s activity, Todd Pletcher sent his five Derby horses to the track and all galloped with the exception of Revolutionary, who just had a short jog and quickly exited well before the others. Overanalyze and Palace Malice, my two overlay specials, both galloped strongly. As mentioned earlier, Itsmyluckyday had another strong gallop and looked as good as anyone out there. Normandy Invasion continues his brisk gallops, and I have to mention one horse who has made great strides in the past week, and that is Black Onyx, who has been here some three weeks and appears to be thriving. He is looking stronger physically and galloping with more purpose, and in this crazy era of grass and synthetic horses running big in the Derby, who knows?

Overanalyze

Verrazano

Palace Malice

Black Onyx is flourishing at Churchill

Golden Soul cuts it close, but is in the Derby

Haskin's Derby Report: A Mud-dled Derby?

2013-04-29T19:29:00Z

If this year’s Derby has you confused now, you’ll really be tested if the projected forecast for rain on Saturday holds true. With the rain will come a dramatic drop in temperatures, which would make for a pretty miserable afternoon. The only bright spot would be cashing a ticket on the Derby, and a wet track often produces some hefty prices if you know where to look for them.

The reason I’m writing a slop column this early in the week is to assure it will not rain and this column will prove to be a waste of time. Considering it never rains whenever I bring an umbrella somewhere, I’m figuring maybe this will work as well.

But just in case my clever ploy to fool Mother Nature fails, here is an early look at who should move up on an off track.

At the top of the list is MYLUTE, and you can be assured I will be playing this colt if it comes up wet. Of the more recent stallions, we’re all aware that Mr. Prospector is one of the top off-track influences, but even more powerful and more consistent is the influence of In Reality, especially through his sons Valid Appeal and Relaunch. Mylute is inbred to In Reality, through Valid Appeal and his son Valid Expectations on the dam side and through his son Believe It and continuing through Real Quiet and Midnight Lute on the sire’s side. You can bet Midnight Lute’s spectacular romp in the 2007 Breeders’ Cup Sprint over a very sloppy track is mostly attributed to the influence of In Reality. Remember, too, that Real Quiet traces to Dr. Fager, another of the great slop influences from the crop of 1964, which included In Reality and another major slop influence Damascus. Mylute’s tail-female line traces to grass influences The Axe and Hawaii, which also bodes well for his slop form.

Speaking of In Reality and his son Relaunch, you will find that potent combination in the pedigree of PALACE MALICE, whose dam, Palace Rumor traces to Relaunch in her tail-female family. Relaunch is the sire of Waquoit, who won the Jockey Club Gold Cup by 15 lengths in the slop. In addition, Palace Malice is by Curlin, who romped in the slop in the Breeders’ Cup Classic at Monmouth, and he has a number of grass influences in his pedigree, such as Royal Anthem, Theatrical, and Roberto.

Next we come to ORB, who had as impressive a work on Monday as we’ve seen so far at Churchill Downs. As mentioned earlier, the big names of the late ‘60s – Damascus, Dr. Fager, In Reality, and also Buckpasser all were dominant in the slop and passed that on to their offspring. It would be extremely rare to see a horse with any of these names fairly close up in their pedigree that didn’t love the slop. Well, Orb has all four of them in his female family, and Buckpasser as well in his sire’s family. And on top of that, he is inbred to Mr. Prospector.

If you’re looking for any reason at all to bet the Irish invader LINES OF BATTLE, it would be on a sloppy track. With Dr. Fager on top, through Fappiano and a slop-loving Darby Dan family on the bottom, he would move up considerably on a wet track. There has never been a Darby Dan horse that I am aware of that didn’t like the slop, and here you have one of Darby Dan’s most successful families, as well as their huge slop influence His Majesty. He definitely deserves at least a second look at a monster price if the track comes up wet.

A sloppy track also should not hurt the chances of REVOLUTIONARY, OVERANALYZE, VERRAZANO, OXBOW, and BLACK ONYX.

Verrazano’s tail-female line traces to Dr. Fager through a stout King Ranch family. Overanalyze is inbred 4x4 to Mr. Prospector, and his broodmare sire, Unaccounted For, finished a strong second, beaten a length, to Cigar in the Jockey Club Gold Cup on an off track. Unaccounted For is by Private Account, a son of Damascus, so there is plenty of slop breeding right there. Oxbow traces to In Reality through Relaunch and Cee’s Tizzy, and Black Onyx is inbred to Mr, Prospector top and bottom, and also has Damascus and Buckpasser in his pedigree on the dam side.

Here are a few images from this morning’s activity. As mentioned earlier. Orb could not have worked better and was sheer poetry gliding by his workmate with smooth, effortless strides before opening up by some 10 lengths on the turn in the gallop-out.. He completed the half-mile in :47 4/5, out five panels in 1:00 4/5. This work was as close to perfection as you’ll get, and you could hear the enthusiasm and optimism in trainer Shug McGaughey’s voice talking about it.

I thought Oxbow was very strong, and was moving with such conviction nearing the quarter pole, jockey Gary Stevens appeared to let him take the turn for home wide, so not to slow down his momentum. He leveled off beautifully in the stretch and finished up strongly all on his own to complete the five furlongs in :59 4/5.

I also loved what I saw from Itsmyluckyday in his first gallop over the track. As I said yesterday, it’s like this is his home track, he moves over it so well.

Oxbow, with Gary Stevens aboard, is starting to get the juices flowing as he gallops up to the pole before his work.

Orb calmly gallops to the pole behind stablemate Overwhelming.

Now it is time for action as Orb starts to get competitive and is ready for action.

Will Take Charge begins his five-furlong work in 1:01.

Goldencents heading for his first gallop over the track.

Haskin's Derby Report: Orb Catches the Eye

2013-04-28T18:18:00Z

It didn’t take the eagle eye of Bob Baffert long to zero in on Orb, who has flourished since arriving at Churchill Downs, and there is no doubt the son of Malibu Moon is moving in the right direction. He has been alert and feeling good, yet seems settled and content, thanks in part to the constant TLC he’s been receiving by the Shug McGaughey team.

“Man, he gets over the ground,” Baffert said. “I love the way he moves; what a beautiful moving horse. He just scoots over it. He really caught my eye today.”

From past experience at the Derby, when Baffert takes notice of a horse the way he did of Orb it is wise to pay attention.

Not only did Orb have an exceptionally smooth gallop this morning, he demonstrated how good he feels by buck jumping coming down the stretch. One second he was moving along in perfect stride, and then out of nowhere, he leaped forward with his front legs while kicking back with his hind legs, and then calmly went about his business once again, galloping along smoothly.

Each morning after entering the track, he stands at the rail for several minutes and just soaks it all up, while enjoying the affection lavished on him by Maureen Fisher on the pony and exercise rider Jennifer Patterson. He occasionally will close his eyes as if in total bliss.

This column actually is a day early, as Orb is scheduled to work on Monday, but you can call this more of a lead-in to the work, which will be the headline grabber tomorrow. With so little activity today, it is a good time to focus on the Florida Derby and Fountain of Youth winner, and briefly discuss a horse who is showing all the signs you look for in a horse preparing for the Kentucky Derby.

(All photos by Steve Haskin):

Orb makes for a beautiful portrait -- alert and content

Maureen Fisher does a little forelock straightening

A little scratching under the chin has to feel good

Now that is what you call total contentment

Maureen Fisher and Jennifer Patterson assure a happy horse

Just a tender moment

Drinking water off his leg while being hosed down

As for Baffert’s own Derby horses, he will have one, two or none. He worked Code West in company with Midnight Lucky this morning, and although the gray tigress once again got the better of her male workmate, this time by only a half-length, Baffert was happy with the way the colt went, and is willing to excuse his uncharacteristically dull effort in the Louisiana Derby. A decision will be made tomorrow after talking with owner Gary West and racing manager Ben Glass. The alternative would be to wait for the Preakness or the Peter Pan and then the Belmont. It would seem the Peter Pan would be the most likely, but it is up in the air right now. The son of Lemon Drop Kid, like his sire, is a grinder who goes along at one pace and just keeps going. He would seem like an ideal Belmont horse.

In today’s work, Code West went five furlongs in 1:00 2/5, out six panels in a brisk 1:12 3/5. He came home his final eighth in a sharp :11 3/5. He can thank Midnight Lucky to some degree for contributing to the time of the work. She carries you along pretty good and you had better motor along if you want to keep up with her.

Baffert’s other Derby possibility, Govenor Charlie, is scheduled to work tomorrow and a decision will be made following the work. The son of Midnight Lute did have a brief physical setback and was sent to Rood & Riddle for a complete bone scan, which came up negative. Although his issues are behind him, Baffert is a bit concerned about the training the colt lost. He’s only had three lifetime starts, and only one horse, Big Brown, has won the Derby with so few starts in the past 98 years. If Govenor Charlie doesn’t run in the Derby, there is a good possibility he’ll go in the Preakness instead.

Govenor’s Charlie’s gallop today actually was the best he’s had, at least of the ones we’ve seen. He was moving with more authority and had better extension to his stride. He had not been showing much extension at all in his previous gallops.

Two new arrivals who took to the track for the first time today were Goldencents and Itsmyluckyday, and both looked great great. Goldencents is an eye catcher and once again was accompanied by a full Team O’Neill entourage that included assistant Leandro Mora and jockey Kevin Krigger, along with Krigger’s father, and his agent, Tom Knust. There is a great deal of confidence being exuded by everyone associated with the son of Into Mischief.

Itsmyluckyday just jogged around the track, but looked as if he owned the place and had been there his whole life. He strutted along with his neck slightly arched in regal splendor and just made a terrific appearance. For a horse who has accomplished as much as he has, expect him to be a mouth-watering price on Derby Day.

In addition to Orb and Govenor Charlie, tomorrow’s workers will include the Wayne Lukas pair of Oxbow and Will Take Charge, and the Todd Pletcher-trained Winning Cause, winner of the Lexington Stakes, whose Derby status will be determined by the work.

It looks as if Tiz a Minister will be headed to Kentucky following his third-place finish, beaten 4 1/2 lengths, in the Snow Chief Stakes at Hollywood Park. The big horse on the grounds still waiting to secure a berth in the Derby is the Dallas Stewart-trained Golden Soul, a fast-closing fourth in the Louisiana Derby.

Haskin's Derby Report: Pletcher on Parade

2013-04-27T18:36:00Z

You want Derby works, boy do we have Derby works. A total of eight Derby horses had their final drills Saturday morning, many of them moved back a day due to the impending rain expected later today and tomorrow.

Heading the day’s activity was the Todd Squad, which is made up of Verrazano, Revolutionary, Palace Malice, Overanalyze, and Charming Kitten, who collectively have won or place in 15 stakes.

Of the Fab Five, Verrazano was the first to work, going five furlongs in company with Authenticity. The big, handsome son of More Than Ready broke smoothly and laid just off his workmate through fractions of :11 4/5, :23 1/5, :35, and :47. With no urging at all, he came home his final eighths in :12 4/5 to complete the five panels in :59 4/5, while finishing 1 1/2 lengths ahead his workmate. He then galloped out three-quarters in 1:13. This was a very good work for him, and as is often the case at Churchill Downs, he looked better than he did in his first work over the track and just seemed to be going smoother over it this time.

One of the top works of the day belonged to Revolutionary, who went off noticeably slower, going in :24 4/5 and :36 3/5 inside stablemate Charming Kitten. Turning for home, Calvin Borel, as is his custom, steered the colt closer to the rail and proceeded to hug the fence. Once he got Revolutionary to settle into stride, he cruised clear of Charming Kitten, who was unable to keep up. Revolutionary, as usual, switched over to his left lead inside the eighth pole, then quickly back to right lead, and finally back to his left lead crossing the wire. The son of War Pass has been doing this his whole life, and despite the lead changes, he flew home his final eighth in :11 3/5 and then dusted Charming Kitten in the gallop-out, pulling some six or seven lengths clear, while galloping out five panels in 1:00 3/5, which means he went :12 2/5 in the gallop-out. Back at the barn while getting his bath he was not blowing in the slightest. What I like most about this colt is how he always wants to do more before and after the wire, as if he’s just getting started.

Following Revolutionary came the tandem of Overanalyze and Palace Malice, who locked horns at the quarter pole, with Palace Malice, wearing blinkers again, on the inside. With Gary Stevens on Overanalyze and Mike Smith on Palace Malice, the two colts matched strides every step of the way. Overanalyze looked to be going a bit smoother than Palace Malice, but both colts were striding out beautifully, coming home their final eighth in :11 4/5 to complete the half-mile in :47 1/5 (clockers actually got Overanalyze, who broke off a bit behind) in :47 and Palace Malice in :47 1/5. Both colts then galloped out an additional eighth in :12 3/5, in what amounted to a good sharpener for each one. Pletcher said afterward that Palace Malice would wear blinkers for the first time in the Derby.

As for the other works, Normandy Invasion was the first one out on the track at 5:45, and he was sharp right from the beginning, breaking off quickly and zipping his opening eighth in :11 4/5 and three-eighths in :34 2/5. After a half in :46 3/5, he came home his final eighth in :12 2/5 to complete the five furlongs in :59 flat., out six panels in 1:11 4/5. This colt has been showing a lot of early lick and likely will show more speed than most people would anticipate. He needs to return to his running style in the Remsen and make his big move earlier, which he appears ready to do. What I liked most about the work was how smoothly he did it, with his ears up.

Right after Normandy Invasion came Mylute, and trainer Tom Amoss said beforehand not to expect anything flashy, just a nice easy maintenance half-mile, and that is precisely what he got. With Rosie Napravnik aboard, he pretty much cruised around there, getting his half in :50 3/5. He is not much of a gallop-out horse, and shuts it down after the wire, which accounted for the 1:05 4/5 gallop-out.

Black Onyx came out between 7 and 7:30 and worked a half in company with jockey Joe Bravo aboard. The son of Rock Hard Ten spotted his workmate a couple of lengths coming into the stretch and methodically wore him down, pulling away at the end, with the reins fully extended as if he wanted to do more. He galloped out five furlongs in 1:02 2/5.

The final pair to work were the Kenny McPeek duo of Frac Daddy and Java’s War, with Frac Daddy on the inside. After fractions of :24 4/5, :37, and :49 3/5, Frac Daddy took a length lead into the final sixteenth, and even with the exercise rider looking back for Java’s War, he still finished ahead of his stablemate, while under wraps, completing the five panels in 1:02, with a final eighth in :12 2/5. I liked the way Frac Daddy moved over the track, and this looked to be a sneaky good work.

Itsmyluckyday arrived from Calder this morning just past 11 o’clock, while Goldencents got in a little after 1 p.m., along with Kentucky Oaks contender Beholder.

Haskin's Derby Report: The Players Up Close

2013-04-26T18:01:00Z

What better way to kick off live Kentucky Derby coverage than with a photo gallery of some of the major players and some early observations.

Thursday and Friday have been sort of the calm before the storm, literally, as beautiful crisp weather is expected to turn a bit nasty over the weekend when the majority of final works are scheduled, especially on Sunday, which promises to be a hectic 15 minutes from 8:30 and 8:45.

There actually were three works Friday – Vyjack, who went five furlongs in 1:00 2/5, with a final quarter in :24 2/5, out six furlongs in 1:14; Falling Sky, who drilled six furlongs in 1:13 in company with two workmates, out seven panels in 1:28; and Golden Soul, who went five furlongs in 1:00 4/5, taking a little while before changing leads.

From a physical standpoint, Verrazano is a standout; a big handsome powerhouse of a colt, whose coat is resplendent. He appears to be an easy-going horse who goes about his business like a pro.

Verrazano has been galloping smoothly, and like most of the Pletcher horses, not being asked for anything too strenuous, especially with the final work coming up in a couple of days.

Unlike the hulking Verrazano, Revolutionary is more light-framed and refined, and is built like a true stayer. He seems very intelligent and does whatever he’s asked to. From all appearances he looks like the kind of horse you’d love to train.

Revolutionary has been putting in steady gallops each day.

Nothing flashy about Palace Malice. He just looks like one those blue-collar horses who is just now coming around to peak form. We have no idea how good this colt really is, because he hasn’t been given the opportunity to show his best. The well might be deeper than many people think.

Orb has one of the most attractive, alert heads and is very interested in the goings on around him. He seems to be feeling good and the way he briefly shied from the pony this morning, he would appear to be the type of colt trainer Shug McGaughey will school in the paddock several times.

A powerfully built horse, Vyjack definitely is the aggressive type, at the barn or on the track, and can be a bit ornery. In his work this morning, he had his ears pinned from the start and even while galloping out, and had to be being strongly encouraged by trainer Rudy Rodriguez down the stretch, according to veteran observers. If ever a horse would seem to have benefited from a little down time at Fair Hill and several visits to the hyperbaric chamber it is Vyack. It’s obvious he came to Churchill Downs looking for action. Fortunately, he’s been more professional in his races, and he better be on Derby Day.

Overanalyze is just one of the crowd among the Pletcher brigade, who is not going to make you sit up and take notice, but those are the types that often make the most noise. Many people are dismissing him because of the slow time of the Arkansas Derby, but that could prove to be a costly mistake. This colt should never be taken lightly, as he has accomplished too much in his career, from winning at five furlongs in his career debut to winning grade II stakes at 1 1/8 miles at 2 and 3.

If you’re looking for a high energy horse, you won’t find one more high energy than the compact Oxbow, who is pretty much a coiled spring, as evidenced by the photo above. If any horse is due for some good luck at the draw and the start, and the entire running for that matter, it is him. You can bet Gary Stevens will be much more familiar with him this time.

Oxbow and Will Take Charge return from their gallops escorted by trainer Wayne Lukas. They may be stablemates, but that’s where any similarities end. They are totally different both physically and mentally. Lukas has always been touting Oxbow as something special, but he welcomes the challenge of getting Will Take Charge to the Derby in top shape off an unprecedented seven-week layoff. He feels he’d rather have the big, long-striding colt, who is still maturing, go into the Derby fresh.

No one has been galloping stronger than Normandy Invasion, who seems to be coming into the Derby in peak form. Each morning, he rolls around there at a good clip while galloping out near the middle of the track. It wouldn’t be a surprise to see him closer to the pace than most people think. He has already shown he can close off a fast pace or a slow pace, and it is important that he make his move on the far turn, as he did in the Remsen, and not wait until the final sixteenth to give that big burst.

Tom Amoss proudly shows off Mylute, who goes out very early each morning. He is an extremely well-balanced colt, who looks like his sire Midnight Lute, although not quite as imposing. He is a solid longshot play who definitely is on an upward spiral.

Java's War has to be the smallest horse in the race, standing no more than 15.1 or 15.2 hands and weighing no more 950 pounds. He’s been skipping over the ground smoothly each morning and will have his final work in company with fellow Derby starter Frac Daddy. The question with him is getting through that 20-horse field. But it won’t take a large hole for him to slip through.

Haskin's Derby Trail: Fate Brought Palace Malice to Derby

2013-04-20T01:16:00Z

In the movie, “Back to the Future,” Michael J. Fox goes back in time and encounters his parents as strangers when they were in high school. He must do everything in his power to make sure they meet and fall in love in order for him to be born.

Although a light comedy, the movie still is thought-provoking, as it demonstrates the intricate network of events that dictate the course we take in life, even to the extent of being born.

In the case of Palace Malice, it was a simple, but fateful, decision by Burl McBride, the trainer of the colt’s dam, Palace Rumor, that has led the son of Curlin to Churchill Downs and the Kentucky Derby.

On Nov. 5, 2005, McBride shipped his 2-year-old filly Palace Rumor from his barn at Ellis Park to Churchill Downs to compete in a 1 1/16-mile allowance race on the grass, sending her to the barn of his friend Hal Wiggins. McBride had seven other horses at Ellis Park because he was unable to get stalls at Churchill.

Palace Rumor had been purchased as a weanling at the Keeneland November mixed sale for $8,000, then was pinhooked the following year to the Keeneland September yearling sale, where she sold as Hip 4602 for a meager $5,000 to McBride, representing Corbet Bryant and Tim Gavin.

Making the fifth start of her career in the Churchill allowance race, Palace Rumor, who had broken her maiden by 5 1/2 lengths at Kentucky Downs, rallied from 11th to finish fifth. McBride was about to van her back to Ellis Park after the race, but had second thoughts and decided to keep her at Churchill overnight.

“I ran her that day and she had a real tiring race, so I said, ‘You know what, I’m just gonna let her rest and spend the night at Churchill and I’ll take her back in the morning,’” McBride said. “I had borrowed a stall from Hal Wiggins to run her out of and I just kept her there that night.”

At around 2 a.m., McBride received a phone call and was told his barn was gone. A tornado had ripped through the backstretch at Ellis Park, destroying six barns. Most of the trainers had shipped out, either to Churchill or other tracks, but McBride was one of the few who still had horses there.

Of McBride’s seven horses, three were dead and four were so badly injured, none of them ever raced again. For a trainer with a small stable, it was a devastating blow. In a heartbeat, McBride was wiped out, except for his one 2-year-old filly who had the good fortune of having raced at Churchill Downs that afternoon and the even better fortune of remaining in Louisville overnight.

Of his injured horses, one had a broken neck, one had his “shoulder ripped off,” and the other two had broken legs.

“That tornado took half the grandstand, too,” McBride said. “Just like that, I only had one horse left. If I had hauled her home that night, she’d probably be dead with the rest of them.”

For McBride, the horror was unbearable. “Bob Jackson, from Ellis Park, called me at 4 o’clock that morning to tell me my very favorite horse who was a real nice colt, had a two by four through him and they caught him running down the road with his guts hanging out, and they were gonna have to put him down. Bob also told me he had heard a cat crying in the rubble and he shined a light in there, but the walls had fallen down on these horses and all he could see were three sets of eyeballs in the dark. When they went to uncover everything, there were two horses in one stall. The wind had actually picked one horse up and put him down in the other stall and then blew the walls down on top of them. And in there with them, layin’ right next to them was my cat, Brave Heart (whose cries helped locate the stricken horses). The cat and the two horses survived, but neither horse ever ran again, they were so badly injured.

“I called Hal at about 5 o’clock and said, “I’m sorry, Hal, but I have to leave that mare there.’ He said, ‘You just leave her here as long as you have to.’ He was very kind about it. He fed her and trained her while I was away trying to save the other horses. He would call me and ask what I wanted to do with her. I was ready to quit, and Hal told me, ‘You need to come get this mare.’ I told him, ‘I was training her for a race down at Louisiana Downs; you go ahead and run her and put her in your name.’ He refused to do it, and I realized afterward he was just doing that to make me come back. That was the year they ran the Fair Grounds meet at Louisiana Downs because of Katrina.”

The following year, Palace Rumor won three consecutive races, culminating with a victory in the Audubon Oaks at Ellis Park. Later that year, she was beaten 4 3/4 lengths in the Marie DeBartolo Oaks and 5 1/2 lengths in the Remington Park Breeders’ Cup Oaks. Her next and final victory came in 2007 in a mile allowance race on grass at Lone Star Park

In 2008, Palace Rumor was put in the Keeneland January mixed sale, where she was purchased by William S. Farish for $140,000.

“We bought her for $5,000, made $111,000 on the track with her, and then sold her at Keeneland for $140,000 as a broodmare,” McBride said. “Will Farish bought her and bred her to Curlin, and guess what they came up with?

“And here’s another kicker. I got a buddy who owns a winery named Mike Post. Mike said to me, ‘Let’s go buy her baby. He was a May foal -- people don’t realize Palace Malice wont turn 3 until two days before the Derby. He wasn’t the prettiest horse in the sale, and we so we bid on him, but we couldn’t get him. The people that bought him (for $25,000) wheeled him back the following year in the Keeneland April 2-year-olds in training sale and Cot Campbell bought him for $200,000.”

The story doesn’t end there. It was McBride, a former jockey, who took a fellow New Mexican named Mike Smith under his wing.

“I put Mike Smith on horses before he started winning races,” McBride said. “He’s from Roswell, N.M. and I’m from Alamagordo. I quit riding in 1980 and that’s when Mike came around. My agent brought him out when he was bug boy. He rode some nice winners for me. I was there when he won the Derby with Giacomo and I was there when he won the Breeders’ Cup with Royal Delta. He’s a good friend of mine. I always called him an illegal alien because he was born in Roswell.”

So, of course, who will be riding Palace Malice in the Kentucky Derby? This is why racing is such a magnificent and compelling sport.

For McBride, who had been training at the recently concluded Oaklawn meet, he is getting a bad case of Derby fever, and rightly so. Every time he sees Palace Malice run, he thinks back to that fateful decision and the filly that would save his career and provide him with so many thrills.

“I was proud of her when I had her and I’m proud of her now,” he said.

There is only thing that would give this fairy tale a proper ending.

“Something drastic is gonna have to happen for me not to be at the Derby this year,” McBride said. “I know Todd’s dad, J.J., and I just hope Todd or Mr. Campbell let me in the paddock…or better still, the winner’s circle. If you could put in a good word for me to get me in the winner’s circle if this colt wins I’ll love you forever.”

Haskin's Derby Report: Give Verrazano a Break

2013-04-09T20:12:00Z

Never before have I seen an undefeated Kentucky Derby favorite so maligned after having won a race. Following Verrazano’s three-quarters of a length victory in the Wood Memorial over proven stakes horses Normandy Invasion and previously unbeaten Vyjack, many on the colt’s bandwagon began jumping off, and many who wanted to wait for the Wood before hopping on, said, “No thanks.”

I’ve heard about deserting a sinking ship, but never deserting a ship still afloat and on time toward its destination.

I’m not saying Verrazano is going to win the Kentucky Derby, and I’m not about to dissect his performance in the Wood other than to say he did show a new dimension regarding the ability to settle off the pace, and he did come home in splits of :23 4/5, :24, and :12 3/5, which not only are strong, but are fractions you see from late closers.

When you look at him next to other horses, he looks like Hercules next to mere mortals.

What I find surprising about all the criticism is that the majority of them are based on the narrow margin of victory and slow time (slow pace makes for slow time), and the overall conclusion that the colt’s so-called superstar status was exposed.

My reply to that is, so what? Since when does it take a superstar or a spectacular effort in the final prep to win the Kentucky Derby? What good did it do Bellamy Road and his 17 1/2-length victory and 120 Beyer figure in the Wood Memorial?

If there is one thing history has taught us, it’s that Sigmund Freud’s comment, “Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar,” can also apply to the Kentucky Derby trail. Sometimes a prep is just a prep.

Just as a reminder to those who have now dismissed Verrazano as a potential Kentucky Derby winner, take note of past Derbys.

In 2006, Barbaro was undefeated and the 8-5 favorite in the Florida Derby. However, he hooked up in a stretch duel with the 6-1 Sharp Humor and was all out to win by a mere half length. He came back and romped by 6 1/2 lengths in the Kentucky Derby, with Sharp Humor struggling home in 19th.

In 2010, Super Saver was the 8-5 favorite in the Arkansas Derby, but was beaten a neck by 17-1 longshot Line of David. Super Saver went on to win the Kentucky Derby by 2 1/2 lengths, while Line of David finished 18th, beaten more than 60 lengths.

In 2007, Street Sense was even-money in the Blue Grass Stakes, but was beaten a nose by 8-1 Dominican. Street Sense captured the Kentucky Derby by 2 1/4 lengths, while Dominican finished 11th, beaten nearly 18 lengths.

In 1996, Grindstone was 8-5 in the Arkansas Derby, but was beaten a neck by 11-1 Zarb’s Magic. Grindstone came back to win the Kentucky Derby with a furious late rush, while Zarb’s Magic finished 13th, beaten 17 lengths.

In 2001, Monarchos was 4-5 in the Wood Memorial, but was beaten nearly three lengths by the lightly raced Congaree. Monarchos went on to win the Kentucky Derby 4 3/4-lengths, running the second-fastest time in Derby history.

In 1992, Lil E. Tee was 2-1 in the Arkansas Derby, but was beaten a neck by Pine Bluff, Lil E. Tee won the Kentucky Derby by a length, with Pine Bluff finishing fifth, beaten 7 1/4 lengths.

In 1995, Thunder Gulch finished a dull fourth in the Blue Grass Stakes at 6-5, but came back to win the Kentucky Derby by 2 1/4 lengths at odds of 24-1. Wild Syn, who won the Blue Grass by 2 1/2 lengths, finished last of 19 in the Kentucky Derby, beaten 45 lengths.

In 2005, Giacomo finished fourth at 7-2 in the Santa Anita Derby behind 30-1 Buzzard’s Bay, but bounced back to win the Kentucky Derby by a half-length at 50-1, while Buzzard’s Bay finished fifth, beaten 6 1/4 lengths.

In 1994, Go For Gin was 4-5 in the Wood Memorial, but was beaten 1 1/2 lengths by Irgun. Go For Gin came back to win the Kentucky Derby by two lengths, while Irgun was forced to withdraw with a foot injury.

Going back to 1975, Foolish Pleasure was 1-2 in the Wood Memorial, but was all out defeat 12-1 shot Bombay Duck by a head. Foolish Pleasure came back to win the Kentucky by 1 3/4 lengths, while Bombay Duck finished last of 15.

There are a number of instances in which horses turned the tables on the horse who defeated them in the final prep. Unbridled turned the tables on Summer Squall, who defeated him decisively in the Blue Grass. Funny Cide turned the tables on Empire Maker, who defeated him in the Wood Memorial. Ferdinand turned the tables on Snow Chief, who easily defeated him in the Santa Anita Derby. Genuine Risk turned the tables on Plugged Nickle, who defeated her in the Wood Memorial.

So, the point I’m making is, don’t dismiss a proven top-class horse in the Kentucky Derby just because he was beaten in or narrowly won his final prep, regardless of how unimpressive you think he looked. Remember, the vast majority of the horses mentioned above were heavy favorites in their final prep and were defeated or nearly defeated by horses far inferior to the horses Verrazano defeated in the Wood.

David Nunn and Formal Gold

2013-04-08T23:13:00Z

You never know who is going to show up in this sport to stir the memories. Last Saturday, lost on the big Wood Memorial card, which included the Carter, Bay Shore, and Gazelle, was the little-known Withgreatpleasure’s upset victory at 14-1 in the Ruffian Handicap early in the day.

Withgreatpleasure, who is based at the Overbrook Training Center in Colts Neck, N.J., is trained by the little-known David Nunn, who in his five years of training had never won a stakes until Withgreatpleasure’s victory in the Stonewall Farm Ocala Unbridled Belle Stakes at Delaware Park last August. Now, he is the winner of the grade II Ruffian in New York.

What made it even more special was that he had originally planned to run Withgreatpleasure at Charles Town April 20, but was so impressed with her three-furlong blowout several days earlier, he made the decision to go to Aqueduct.

When I saw the name David Nunn, I couldn’t help but think back 16 years to the 1997 Breeders’ Cup at Hollywood Park and to one of the most gut-wrenching experiences I’ve ever had on the racetrack. David was the assistant trainer and exercise rider for Bill Perry, one of the most talented and vastly underrated trainers I’ve ever seen. I can’t recall the amiable, soft-spoken Perry ever saddling a horse that wasn’t live, regardless of the class of the race.

Perry had sent David to Hollywood Park with Formal Gold, who was one of the favorites, if not the favorite for the Breeders’ Cup Classic. The 4-year-old son of Black Tie Affair mirrored his trainer in regard to being underrated. He was part of an intense and continuing three-horse rivalry with Skip Away and Will’s Way, in which they kept pounding heads and beating each over the course of two years, while reaching new heights when it came to Beyer Speed figures.

In 1997, Formal Gold began the year as a boy and by late summer had grown into a man. He began the year with trips to Gulfstream (where he defeated Skip Away in the Donn Handicap in 1:47 2/5), Santa Anita, and Dubai. After getting beat a head by Skip Away in the Mass Cap, run in a near-track-record 1:47 4/5, earning both horses a 122 Beyer, Formal Gold crushed his field by almost five lengths in the Brooklyn Handicap, blazing the 1 1/8 miles in 1:46 1/5 in the mud. Then came a third behind Skip Away and Will’s Way in the Suburban Handicap and a nose defeat to Will’s Way in the Whitney, earning both horses a spectacular 126 Beyer.

Formal Gold, however, was getting bigger and stronger with each race. When he took on Skip Away again in the 1 1/16-mile Philip H. Iselin Handicap, he demonstrated just how far he had come. He charged to the front right out of the gate, outrunning the speedy Skip Away, while setting hot fractions of :45 2/5 and 1:09 flat. Skip Away and the classy Distorted Humor couldn’t make a dent in his lead and he rolled to 5 1/4-length victory. His time of 1:40 1/5 shattered Skipper Bill’s 41-year-old track record and earned Formal Gold a 124 Beyer.

Next came another showdown with Skip Away and Will’s Way in the 1 1/8-mile Woodward Stakes. Formal Gold and Skip Away played cat and mouse through an opening half-mile in a leisurely :47 1/5, with each rider waiting to see who made the first move. Then, in a flash, Kent Desormeaux sprung a surprise attack aboard Formal Gold, quickly bounding away to a clear lead. Skip Away tried to close in on the far turn, but Formal Gold was gone. He continued to draw off in the final furlong, winning by 5 1/2 lengths, stopping the teletimer in 1:47 2/5, earning a 125 Beyer.

Just think how rare it is these days for a horse to get a 120 Beyer, and here was
Formal Gold heading to the Breeders’ Cup having earned Beyers of 122, 126, 124, and 125.

Formal Gold arrived at Hollywood Park nearly three weeks before the Breeders’ Cup and immediately made his presence felt with his spectacular physical presence and powerful gallops. I had also arrived early, covering the Classic for the Daily Racing Form. Each morning at 7:30, all eyes would turn to this big, black locomotive barreling around the Hollywood oval. The green saddlecloth and four yellow polo bandages offered no clue to the horse’s identity. Local exercise riders and trainers could only gawk at the stranger and admire his power and long, fluid strides.

When Bill Mott found out the horse with the yellow bandages he’d been watching every morning was Formal Gold, he said, “I saw a good-looking horse, but I didn’t know that was him. I was going to ask who it was because he didn’t look like any ordinary horse.”

Mott’s assistant, Simon Bray, added, “He’s fantastic.. He’s been chewing up the track every day.”

By the Saturday before the Breeders’ Cup, David was getting antsy, wanting the race to be run already.

“We’re just counting the days,” he said after returning from a gallop. “I wish the race was now. When you get horses peaking like this, you have to keep them that way. If there’s anyone who can it’s the boss. I’ve worked for Hall of Fame trainers Leroy Jolley and Mack Miller, but there’s no better horseman than Mr. Perry. I don’t know if anyone else could have kept this horse peaking this long, especially racing all over the United States and Canada and Dubai.”

Said Perry by phone, “He’s really filled out and is much stronger than when he came out earlier for the Santa Anita Handicap. That time, we went a couple of days before the race and he had a pretty rough trip. He had to change planes and they put him in a box and forklifted him to the other plane. Those forklifts bounce around pretty good, especially with all that weight. When he arrived in California he wasn’t himself. I’m really glad we came early this time.”

The next morning, after arriving at the track, I headed over to Barn 53, where Formal Gold was stabled. What happened next can best be described as surreal. Standing outside Formal Gold’s was a man I’d never seen before. I walked over, but it was obvious he didn’t want me getting too close. I kept my distance, but was able to look into the colt’s stall, and there he was, standing in the middle of the stall with a cast almost up to his knee. My heart sunk. The man standing there was the veterinarian, but he wouldn’t give me much information.

When I saw David, he said Formal Gold had galloped strongly and was sound walking back to the barn. But following his bath, he walked back to his stall and was dead lame. X-rays were taken and they revealed a condylar fracture of the right hind leg. The horse was scheduled to undergo surgery in the next day or two.

I called Bill at Aqueduct, and all he could say was “I’m blown away. This is the most bitter pill I’ve ever had to swallow. I’m still numb. I’m not sure I’ll even be able to watch the race on TV.”

But for David, the most difficult part was still to come. Formal Gold’s owners, John and Theresa Murphy, had been traveling to California and were scheduled to come to the barn that morning. David had no idea if they even knew about the injury. The Murphys were deeply religious. Theresa would bring back Lourdes water from a sacred spring in France that was believed to have healing powers, and John (or Jack as he was known) would always sprinkle some of it on his horses’ legs while they were being saddled.

The Murphys’ great joy in life was Formal Gold and feeding their horses carrots and peppermints. All Jack Murphy wanted was for Formal Gold to have the opportunity to show the world what a great horse he was.

At 9 a.m., the Murphys arrived, but had gone to the opposite end of the barn and were talking to Chris McCarron. David could only hope McCarron was aware of the injury and was telling them about, saving him the anguish.

After a brief conversation, the Murphys headed toward us. When David saw they were all smiles and had a bag of carrots, he braced for what was to come.

“Oh, my God, they don’t know,” he said. “I don’t know what to say. How do you tell a man his dream just died?”

Jack spotted his colt’s head over the webbing and his face lit up. “There’s the big guy with his head out there,” John bellowed with enthusiasm.

As they went over to the horse, the Murphys’ joy turned to shock when they heard the words every owner dreads.

“I’ve got bad news,” David said.

When he told them what had happened, Theresa broke into tears and kissed her husband. She then went over to her horse and stroked his forehead.

“You’re still a champ,” she told him, as tears streamed down her cheek. “You have so much heart. You’ll be back.”

Jack, visibly shaken, tried hard to hold back his tears. He then reached into his bag of carrots and began feeding them to Formal Gold.

“God, I could cry,” he said. “All I wanted was this one day for the horse.”

Formal Gold underwent successful surgery the following day at the Equine Medical Center in Cypress. Dr. Wayne McIlwraith inserted two screws in the colt’s leg. David stayed with the horse all night. Normally, it takes a horse about 30 to 40 minutes to get up after surgery, but Formal Gold was up in 15 minutes.

“He was a little shaky at first, but he started looking for his peppermints, apples, and carrots from Mr. Murphy,” David said after bringing the horse back to Hollywood Park.

Formal Gold never raced again. He stood at stud at Rancho San Miguel in San Miguel, Cal., siring several graded stakes winners, such as grade II winner Adore the Gold. In 2010, he was relocated to Pierre Esquirol’s Esquirol Farms in Alberta, Canada for a fee of $2,500 Canadian dollars.

Bill Perry and David would return to the Breeders’ Cup three years later with the hard-knocking North East Bound in the Mile. Breaking from the disadvantageous post 14, North East Bound shot to the lead and set the pace at odds of 42-1. He turned back the challenge of Affirmed Success in the stretch and kept digging in as three horses came charging at him in the final yards. In a four-horse photo, it was the late-closing War Chant under Gary Stevens who just got up to win by neck over North East Bound, who finished a nose in front of the Andre Fabre-trained Dansili, who in turn had a nose on Affirmed Success.

“The post position beat us,” David recalled. “Having to use him to get over from the outside post beat us. I really believe he was the best horse.”
David, whose parents and siblings all trained horses, remained with Perry until his retirement about five years ago due to the effects of Parkinson’s Disease. David opened a public stable and currently trains 14 horses, which is a bit more than he would like.

He is grateful to be able to train a horse as honest and consistent as Withgreatpleasure.

“She has taken me to places I have never been,” he said. “I cannot say enough about her. What an honor to win a race named after Ruffian, the greatest filly of all time in my opinion.

“I got congratulations from Bill, who’s still out there playing golf. What a great guy. The best horseman in the world; I don’t care what anybody says.”
Looking back at that day at Hollywood Park, David recalled how Formal Gold’s injury nearly drove him out of the sport.

“What a tragedy that was,” he said. “That was the low point of my life. I almost gave up horses in general. If it wasn’t for Bill I probably would have left the game at that point in my career. I was never so devastated. But Bill, being the kind of man he was, kept telling me, ‘We have to go on.’
“I truly believe Formal Gold was the best horse in the world. People may not agree with me, but that track record he set at Monmouth will never be broken, and those Beyer numbers still are unheard of.”

The memory of Formal Gold and his epic rivalry with Skip Away and Will’s Way and that ill-fated morning at Hollywood Park had remained dormant for 16 years until a little-known trainer showed up at Aqueduct one April afternoon to win a major stakes with his 5-year-old mare, who had been hopping all over the Mid-Atlantic.

On Monday morning, David was still experiencing the aftermath of his victory. “I was on the Steve Byk show this morning,” he said. “They called me and put me on the show. They had Nick Zito on. Here I am on Steve Byk’s show. You have no idea how often my phone has been ringing. I feel like a celebrity.
“It’s just like back in the Formal Gold days when people used to come to the barn and interview me and take pictures of him galloping. I feel like I’m back in those days. And it’s a wonderful feeling.”

As for me, I’m thankful to David for rekindling these memories of a very special horse and his adoring owners and dedicated trainer, and for serving as a reminder of just how precious every joyful moment is in a sport that can strip away that joy in a heartbeat.

Bon Voyage, Animal Kingdom

2013-04-04T00:46:00Z

The perception of greatness has changed with the times. Years ago, defeats did not diminish a horse’s greatness if the victories were plentiful enough and impressive enough to keep the defeats veiled in the background. On rare occasions, defeats actually helped define a horse’s greatness (for example Seattle Slew and Zenyatta). Horses back then earned their greatness through their number of major victories, weight carrying ability, competition, and in most cases their longevity. Defeats were regarded as steppingstones to the next victory.

For every Man o’War, Native Dancer, Secretariat, Seattle Slew, Ruffian, and Spectacular Bid, horses with near-perfect records, there was a Seabiscuit, Forego, Kelso, Gallorette, Equipoise, and John Henry – horses who became a part of the fabric of racing, despite numerous defeats. Instead of the hit-and-run careers we see now that are used mainly as marketing tools to promote stallions, we had horses who were bred to race, and race they did, often becoming household names.

After 45 years in racing, I would like to think I can identify greatness in one form or another, as subjective as that may be. History does not record every great horse in its most hallowed pages, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t horses with greatness in them. Sometimes, injuries curtail a horse’s career and prevent him or her from entering racing’s pantheon of greats.

No one is going to mention the name Animal Kingdom with horses like those mentioned above, but who can deny the greatness he has exhibited? Because of his untimely injuries and long layoffs, one can only ask the proverbial “what if?”

Owned and bred by Team Valor and trained brilliantly by Graham Motion, Animal Kingdom is the only horse ever to win the Kentucky Derby having never run on dirt. He became only the second horse in 93 years to win the Derby with as few as four career starts. His final half-mile in :47 1/5 in the Derby was the second-fastest in the history of the race; only Secretariat came home faster. He was the only horse in 55 years to win the Derby off a six-week layoff. And now he is the only American-trained horse to win the Dubai World Cup on Meydan’s Tapeta surface, and in fact is the only one to even finish in the money. He accomplished it this year, dominating his opponents, despite every other American horse on the card finishing far up the track.

He even provided jockey John Velazquez with arguably the greatest pick-up mount in the history of the Kentucky Derby. There have been other notable ones, but no jockey had ever won the Derby after picking up the mount literally the night before the race.

Even Animal Kingdom’s breeding broke new barriers on an international scale. His sire, Leroidesanimaux, became the first Brazilian-bred horse to sire a U.S. classic winner. His dam, Dalicia, became the first German-bred mare to produce a U.S. classic winner. And his broodmare sire, Acatenango, became the first German-bred broodmare sire of a U.S. classic winner.

He also turned in one of the greatest losing efforts in Breeders’ Cup history, finishing second to eventual Horse of the Year Wise Dan in the Breeders’ Cup Mile, despite encountering as much trouble as any Breeders’ Cup starter in memory. His late closing burst after finally getting clear was a sight to behold.

In his second-place finishes in the Preakness, Breeders’ Cup Mile, and Gulfstream Park Turf Handicap, he either had bad rides or bad trips, but excuses aside, he was beaten by horses with career earnings of $3.09 million, $3.5 million, and $1.8 million, respectively. In the Dubai World Cup, he defeated 11 opponents who had earned a combined $19.7 million.

Dirt, grass, Polytrack, Tapeta, it doesn’t matter. He has excelled on all of them.

I’ll never forget talking to Graham Motion outside his barn the morning of the Kentucky Derby, and the obvious concerns he had running in the Derby with so many question marks and not knowing what to expect. Motion, who was crushed over having just lost his big Derby horse, Wood Memorial winner Toby’s Corner, to injury was well aware that no horse had ever won the Derby making his dirt debut.

“I just don’t know,” he said. “The statistics are all against him, I feel good about running the horse, but it’s such an unknown. I love the horse, I love the way he worked over the dirt, and I love his attitude. He’s got everything going for him. It’s just that unknown.”

But as Jim Morrison said, “There are things known, and there are things unknown. And in between are the doors.”

Later that evening, Animal Kingdom burst through one of those doors, and awaiting him on the other side was Kentucky Derby immortality. By powering down the Churchill Downs stretch to a 2 ¾-length victory in front of a record crowd of 164,658, the unknown had become known. Racing had a new star and a legitimate Triple Crown threat.

I also recall speaking to Velazquez on the backstretch the day before the Derby. He had just lost his Derby mount following the scratch of 2-year-old champion Uncle Mo due to a then undiagnosed ailment. Two years earlier, Velazquez had seen his Derby favorite Quality Road withdrawn a week before the race because of a quarter crack, and then one year later, his heavy Derby favorite Eskendereya was withdrawn several days before the Derby with a career-ending injury.

Although disappointed and frustrated having lost three potential Derby favorites in three years, Velazquez understood that this sport can rip your heart out at any time and you have to learn to come to terms with it. He then uttered some of the most prophetic words I’ve ever heard on the racetrack.

“What can you do; it’s part of racing,” he said in the quiet of the backstretch. “One year we’ll win it when we least expect it.”

Never could he have imagined that that year would be the following day.

Robby Albarado, who was named to ride Animal Kingdom in the Derby, had suffered a broken nose after being kicked by a horse and felt he was unable to ride the day before the Derby. Motion and Irwin, uneasy about using a jockey who had not ridden for a while and had taken off his mounts the day before on Oaks Day, decided not to take any chances and they replaced Albarado with Velazquez.

“That call to Robby was a tough one to make,” Motion said. “But when he took off his mounts on Friday that was a concern, and when Johnny became available, we decided to go with him.”

The Derby gods had made an uncharacteristic 11th hour appearance on the scene. Destiny had somehow brought together Motion and Velazquez, whose families have been close friends for years.

Fate also played a major part in Animal Kingdom even being in the Derby. The plan was to run another Team Valor colt, Crimson China, who was more advanced than Animal Kingdom, in the Spiral Stakes on Polytrack at Turfway Park and run Animal Kingdom on the same card in the listed Rushaway Stakes. But when the Spiral field oversubscribed, it came down earnings to determine who would make the starting field. Animal Kingdom had earnings of $41,900, which qualified him, while Crimson China had only $28,838, which did not. So Irwin and Motion made a last-minute switch and ran Animal Kingdom in the Spiral and Crimson China in the Rushaway. While the latter could no better than second, Animal Kingdom made a spectacular run from 11th to win going away by almost three lengths. So, because of a difference in $13,062 in earnings, Animal Kingdom was now in the Kentucky Derby.

“In life, everything has to fit together,” Irwin said. “It’s nice to have the goods; it’s nice to be intelligent, but unless things go your way and you’re lucky, it’s not going to happen.”

Animal Kingdom had originally been trained by Wayne Catalano, but after the colt’s second start Irwin decided to use only one trainer and turned all his horses over to Motion, taking over a private barn at the Fair Hill Training Center where Motion already had a barn. Catalano took great interest in watching Animal Kingdom train at Churchill in the days leading up to the Derby, recalling the “big, green, backward” colt who needed a lot of time to get his act together.

When Animal Kingdom turned in a strong six-furlong work at Churchill Downs, handling the dirt beautifully, confidence began to build in the Team Valor camp.

The colt did not escape the eagle eye of Bob Baffert, who had watched the work. Standing by the gap several days later, he saw Animal Kingdom gallop by with those long powerful strides, and said three simple, but emphatic, words: “That’s the horse.”

As history records, Animal Kingdom powered down the stretch, despite racing greenly, to win by 2 ¾ lengths at odds of 20-1. A stunned, but ecstatic Velazquez could not believe the incredible turn of events and the new overnight star he had latched on to. All this green, inexperienced horse, who had never run on dirt, managed to do was come home his last two quarters in a spectacular :23 2/5 and :23 4/5.

In the Preakness, Animal Kingdom broke a bit slowly and found himself back in 13th, 18 lengths off the pace; much too far back over a track like Pimlico. Veleazquez asked for his run on the far turn, and Animal Kingdom began picking off horses, but simply had too much ground to make up on the brilliant and classy Shackleford. After being forced to go six-wide at the top of the stretch, he began cutting into Shackleford’s lead, but came up a half-length short. His final three-sixteenths in :18 1/5 was either the fastest or one of the fastest in the history of the race.

“It wasn’t meant to be this time,” Motion said. “He came pretty darn close, though. He got a lot of dirt kicked in his face today, which was different from the Derby. This is a remarkable horse. What he accomplished in such a short period of time is extraordinary.”

The fates were even crueler in the Belmont Stakes. First off, the track came up sloppy. At the start, Mucho Macho Man was crowded by longshot Isn’t He Perfcect and shied away from him. When he did, he smacked into Animal Kingdom, who then clipped heels and stumbled badly, nearly unseating Velazquez, who lost his left iron. By the time he recovered and got Animal Kingdom back in stride, he was last in the field of 12, about 15 lengths off the pace. Going wide into the far turn at Belmont and getting hung wide on that big turn normally spells disaster. Getting hung wide on a sloppy track and blowing by horses in and unheard of :23 2/5 makes it virtually impossible to sustain a move like that.

Animal Kingdom, finally feeling the effects of his disastrous trip, began spinning his wheels in the stretch, eventually finishing sixth. Soon after, it was discovered he had suffered a hairline fracture of his hind leg, which likely occurred when he was roughed up at the start. Follow-up X-rays revealed a slab fracture in the same leg. The colt underwent surgery, in which two screws were inserted, and he didn’t return to the races for another eight months.

During that time, he made several visits to the Fair Hill Equine Therapy Center just up the road, where he spent time in the hyperbaric chamber. As he neared his return, he continued his rehab using the facility’s AquaPacer and cold saltwater spa.

“He’s such a classy horse,” said Bruce Jackson, who founded and runs the Therapy Center. “He always had an air about him and knew he was something special. Despite his setbacks, he’s a very tough, sturdy horse. He is some animal, he really is. You always felt he was allowing you to be around him rather than the other way around.”

Animal Kingdom returned with a stunning victory in an allowance race on the grass as a prep for the Dubai World Cup. But his comeback was brief, as he came out of the race with a stress fracture in the same hind leg that would sideline him for another 8 1/2 months.

It came as a surprise when Motion announced that Animal Kingdom would return in the Breeders’ Cup Mile against some of the world’s best milers, including eventual Horse of the Year Wise Dan and top-class Europeans Excelebration and the French filly Moonlight Cloud. To attempt this without a prep race was a bold move, but Motion had confidence in the horse and his own ability to get him ready off such a long layoff.

Several weeks before the Breeders’ Cup, I ran into Motion outside his Fair Hill barn and he discussed his reason for bringing Animal Kingdom back in the Breeders’ Cup off a 259-day layoff and only one allowance race in 17 months. He said he was inclined not to rush to get a prep race in him, feeling the colt had the ability to run a big race first time back and he didn’t want to risk having him regress off that effort in the Breeders’ Cup.

That he was even able to make it back after two fractures and two long layoffs was amazing enough. Although he finished second behind Wise Dan in course-record time, it was his performance that provided the single most memorable moment of the entire Breeders’ Cup for me.

Animal Kingdom’s spectacular burst of speed after seeming hopelessly beaten left me in awe of this horse’s ability and fortitude and the training job turned in by Motion. As the field came to the head of the stretch, I had already resigned myself to the fact that Animal Kingdom was going to get nothing and would be extremely lucky to finish fourth or even fifth.

His troubles started after turning down the backstretch when Moonlight Cloud made an early run on his outside, trapping him down on the rail behind Willcox Inn. He tried to move with the French filly, but had nowhere to go and nearly ran up on Willcox Inn’s heels, steadying sharply and dropping about two lengths farther back and some eight lengths behind the pacesetting Obviously, who was being tracked by Suggestive Boy. Wise Dan, racing in third, was getting the perfect trip in the clear about two lengths off the lead.

Rafael Bejarano, who was not exactly having his best day, rushed him up right behind a wall of horses, some four lengths behind the leader. With Bejarano unable to ride him because of the traffic in front of him, Animal Kingdom had his momentum stopped again just as the first three kicked in for their final run. Animal Kingdom now found himself six lengths off the lead and down on the inside again as they approached the head of the stretch.

Turning for home, Animal Kingdom was pinned down on the rail with nowhere to go and only one horse behind him. Wise Dan had dead aim on Obviously and charged to the lead, with Animal Kingdom still trapped down on the inside behind Mr. Commons and his outside path sealed off by Excelebration. Animal Kingdom now had his head cocked to the outside as if he were looking for a way out. All Bejarano could do at this point was just sit on him and wait.

Winning was out of the question, as Wise Dan was beginning to draw clear of the field. At the eighth pole, Animal Kingdom was still back in sixth with nowhere to go. Finally, a hole opened between Mr. Commons and a rallying Excelebration and Animal Kingdom showed a burst of speed unlike anything I’ve seen in a long time. He exploded past Excelebration and then Obviously and hit the wire 1 1/2 lengths behind Wise Dan, who was had broken the Santa Anita course record for a mile.

All Animal Kingdom did was run a mile in 1:31 4/5 off nearly a nine-month layoff, coming home his final eighth in a breathtaking :10 4/5 and final quarter in :22 1/5, despite not being able to run from the head of the stretch to inside the sixteenth pole.

It was heartwarming to hear the round of applause he was given as he returned following the race.

Several weeks after the Breeders’ Cup, Team Valor sold majority interest in Animal Kingdom’s breeding rights to the Australia-based Arrowfield Stud, where he will begin his stud career in September. Part of the agreement was that Team Valor continued to call the shots regarding the horse’s next three races – one race in Florida, the Dubai World Cup, and likely the Queen Anne Stakes at Royal Ascot, although John Messara of Arrowfield has veto power regarding the Ascot race. Irwin wanted to assure the possibility of running at Ascot, but did not want to tie Arrowfield's hands if they were uncomfortable with it, so he left the final decision up to them.

After being given three months off, Animal Kingdom returned in the Gulfstream Park Turf Handicap as a prep for the Dubai World Cup, a race Irwin had been trying to win for several years. This time, he ran up against Point of Entry, winner of the Man o’ War, Sword Dancer, and Joe Hirsch Turf Classic and a fast-closing second in the Breeders’ Cup Turf. With Joel Rosario riding him for the first time, he was rushed up prematurely and wound up battling for the lead way too early. He tried to fight off Point of Entry in the stretch, but had to settle for second, beaten 1 1/4 lengths. Although Rosario’s ride was counter-productive to the horse’s best running style, he did learn a lot about him and the early move and stiff test were just what the horse needed to set him up for the World Cup.

The event started out disastrously for the Americans and continued to get worse, with no one even coming close in the earlier races. Since the switch to Tapeta in 2010, not s single American horse was able to finish in the money in the World Cup.

Animal Kingdom would change all that. At Fair Hill, which has a Tapeta track, Bruce Jackson brought a large TV in the office and the majority of Motion’s crew came over to watch the race.

Although fellow Americans Royal Delta and Dullahan would finish in the rear of the field, Animal Kingdom would make history yet again. Breaking from post 12, Rosario was able to keep him in the clear, and while he did go about four-wide into the first turn, Animal Kingdom was running smoothly and settled in fourth, within striking distance of the pace-setting Royal Delta. Down the backstretch, he moved up into second and looked to be in total control. When Rosario asked him nearing the head of the stretch, he powered past Royal Delta and quickly opened a clear lead, changing leads right on cue. He was moving with such authority, it was obvious early in the stretch that no one was going to catch him.

Red Cadeaux made a big run along the inside, but Animal Kingdom was never in any danger of being caught, winning by two lengths. It was another 4 3/4 lengths back to Planteur in third. Royal Delta and Dullahan finished 10th and 11th, respectively.

A week later, Darley purchased 29% of Animal Kingdom, with their Kentucky farm to serve as the horse's Northern Hemisphere home. So, America has not seen the last of Animal Kingdom after all.

But for now it is time to temporarily bid farewell to one of the most gifted and mentally tough Thoroughbreds I’ve ever been around. Animal Kingdom likely will make his next start in the Queen Anne Stakes over a testing mile at Royal Ascot. Just another of the many challenges he has had to face.

Whatever he accomplishes from this point on, in England or in a final race in Australia, the name Animal Kingdom will always stir memories of a special horse who kept persevering and looking for new worlds to conquer.

Animal Kingdom at Fair Hill - All photos by Steve Haskin

Haskin's Derby Trail: E Train Rolling Toward Louisville

2013-04-01T22:10:00Z

While many of the leading 3-year-olds were competing in the warm, sunny climes of Florida and Louisiana, a silent assassin was laying low up in the chilly confines of Belmont Park. His name has barely been mentioned in the past few weeks, but he appears to be well armed to do some damage in the Wood Memorial, and if he gets lucky, even more damage on the first Saturday in May. In addition to showing vast improvement with each start, running a super race in his stakes debut, he has an impeccable pedigree, tracing to one of the potent female families of the past century.

In case you haven’t figured it out yet, the horse in question is ELNAAWI. This is not to imply that he is going to knock off Verrazano and Vyjack, or even Normandy Invasion, but let’s just say nothing would come as a surprise with this colt, who is improving dramatically with each start. It would, however, be a surprise if he doesn’t run a huge race.

Owned by Shadwell Stable and trained by Kiaran McLaughlin, Elnaawi broke his maiden in his second career start going a mile in the mud, while breaking from post 9 and going four-wide into the first turn. Despite stiff early fractions of :23 and :46 3/5, he made a very early move on the backstretch and quickly opened a clear lead. In the stretch, he turned back a serious challenge from Revocation and was drawing away at the wire to win by four lengths. Finishing a well-beaten third was stablemate Incognito, who would come back to break his maiden impressively by 3 1/4 lengths.

McLaughlin entered Elnaawi a month later in an allowance race, but the card was canceled due to bad weather, so the colt had to go into the Gotham off only two career starts instead of three and a two-month layoff instead of a one-month layoff.

Soon after the start of the Gotham, West Hills Giant, wearing blinkers for the first time, angled sharply to the inside, putting Elnaawi in a tight squeeze, causing him steady. He was swung to the outside by Channing Hill, getting caught four-wide going into the first turn. He continued four-wide around the turn and six-wide down the backstretch. He put in a good run on the far turn, but was fanned six-wide turning for home.

He closed steadily through the stretch, but when Vyjack came charging up alongside, he began drifting in, and once clear, continued to drift across Elnaawi’s path, causing him to again swing to the outside, where he put in another good run to finish third, galloping out very strong. A foul claim against the rider of West Hills Giant was not allowed, although he definitely put Elnaawi in tight quarters and forced him to steadily briefly.

What made this performance even more impressive, in addition to having only two starts and missing a race, is the fact that Elnaawi is a May 15 foal, so he wasn’t even close to actually turning 3.

He now has this race under him; he’s learned to deal with adversity; he returns to Aqueduct’s main track, where he should appreciate the bigger turns; and he gets Eddie Castro, who replaces Hill.

And now for this colt’s pedigree. He is by Kentucky Derby winner Street Sense, who has also sired Unlimited Budget this year. His dam, Pilfer, is a half-sister to Cotillion winner India, and Pilfer’s broodmare sire is Miswaki, sire of Horse of the Year and Breeders’ Cup Classic winner Black Tie Affair, as well as Arc de Triomphe winner Urban Sea, who is the dam of European Horses of the Year Galileo and Sea the Stars.

But it is Elnaawi’s tail-female family that is a knockout. His third dam, Java Moon, is by Graustark, out of Golden Trail, which represents a good portion of the foundation of Darby Dan Farm. Golden Trail was purchased from Mrs. Isabel Dodge Sloane’s famed Brookmeade Stable.

Golden Trail’s record as a broodmare was nothing short of sensational. She produced GLEAMING LIGHT, winner of the Dwyer Stakes; JAVA MOON, winner of the Comely Stakes; KELLEY’S DAY, third in the Gazelle and the dam of Brian’s Time, who won the Florida Derby, Pegasus, and Jim Dandy and placed in the Preakness, Belmont, and Travers and who would become a top sire in Japan, his best son being Triple Crown winner Narita Brian; ON THE TRAIL, the dam of Saratoga seven-furlong track-record holder (1:20 1/5) Darby Creek Road, winner of the Sword Dancer, Hill Prince, and Saratoga Special and placed in the Belmont Stakes (behind Affirmed and Alydar), Wood Memorial, Champagne, Dwyer, Peter Pan, and Cowdin; and Andover way, who won the grade I Top Flight and four other stakes and is the dam of stakes winner and leading sire Dynaformer (sire of Barbaro) and Black Speck, the dam of this year’s UAE Derby winner Lines of Battle; SYLVAN PLACE, who was second in the Florida Derby and Ohio Derby; and OUTWARD SUNSHINE, the dam of Sunshine Forever, winner of the D.C. International, Turf Classic, Man o’War Stakes and placed in the Breeders’ Cup Turf and Arlington Million. On the Trail also produced the stakes-winning Regal Road, who is the granddam of Kentucky Derby winner Monarchos.

On top of all that, Elnaawi is a half-brother to To Honor and Serve, winner of the Cigar Mile, Woodwatrd, Pennsylvania Derby, and Remsen.

Elnaawi has His Majesty in his sire’s family as great-grandsire of Street Sense. and Graustark in his female family, which gives him 5x6 inbreeding to Ribot. His third dam, Our Tina Marie, a daughter of Java Moon, is by Nijinsky II, giving Elnaawi three doses of Northern Dancer through Nijinsky, Vice Regent, and Dixieland Band.

As for McLaughlin’s other 3-year-olds, Incognito will run next in the Illinois Derby, which he could use as a prep for the either the Preakness or Belmont, and Transparent will run in an allowance at Aqueduct. He, too, could be a Belmont Stakes horse.

Battle lines are drawn

Another traveling on the Golden Trail to Louisville is UAE Derby winner Lines of Battle, who, like Elnaawi, traces to Golden Trail, only one generation closer. Lines of Battle is by War Front, out of Black Speck, who is by Arch, out of Andover Way, making his dam a half-sister to Dynaformer.

Although his time in the UAE Derby was extremely slow for 1 3/16 miles, he should get a great deal of fitness and bottom from the race, and I loved the way he found another gear late and was drawing clear of the runner-up after being challenged from the inside. Of all the horses O’Brien has sent to Churchill, this colt looks to have the best shot of making his presence felt.

As mentioned, his female family is dynamite and is it loaded with dirt influences. Don’t overlook this colt. He made a handsome presence in Dubai and carries himself like a good horse.

Haskin's Derby Trail: A Legacy to John Nerud

2013-03-25T19:03:00Z

If you’ve been following this year’s Kentucky Derby trail, you no doubt will recognize the names Verrazano, Orb, Flashback, Will Take Charge, Govenor Charlie, Lines of Battle, Normandy Invasion, Mr. Palmer, Super Ninety Nine, He’s Had Enough, Shakin It Up, Capo Bastone, and My Lute.

What they have in common is they all carry the John Nerud influence in their pedigree, mainly through the descendents of Fappiano and Dr. Fager and continuing through Unbridled and Quiet American. It is the last two on which we will concentrate, as they both reflect the true genius of Nerud, who celebrated his 100th birthday this year. What is ironic is that Nerud never believed in the Derby and ran only one horse in the race – Gallant Man in 1957.

One of only two horses to win the Kentucky Derby and Breeders’ Cup Classic in the same year, Unbridled is s product of Nerud’s amazing insight and foresight and grasp of all aspects of the racing and breeding industry. It is safe to say Unbridled is one of the most brilliantly conceived Thoroughbreds of modern times.

There would be nothing more appropriate than to have Nerud play an integral part in the breeding of a Kentucky Derby winner the same year as his 100th birthday. What a great tribute that would to a living legend. And if that should be Orb, it would fitting for Nerud to be part of Shug McGaughey’s and the Janney and Phipps families’ first Derby winner, for there is no one who respects tradition and old school breeding and training more than Nerud.

Unbridled’s story began when Nerud, while in the process of building the Tartan Farm empire, purchased the filly Cequillo, who became one of two Tartan foundation mares, along with Aspidistra. Cequillo produced Man o’War Stakes winner Ruffled Feathers; stakes winners Hot Dust (winner of the Hialeah Turf Cup and second in the Travers and Widener) and Tequillo; Quiet Charm, who produced Demure, the dam of top-class racehorse and sire Quiet American; and Grand Splendor, who produced Gonfalon, the dam of the brilliant Ogygian. Grand Splendor also is the third dam of Met Mile winner Honour and Glory.

But Nerud’s major coup came when he bred Grand Splendor to Dr. Fager and got Killaloe, who produced Jedina, the dam of Clabber Girl, who won or placed in 15 stakes, nine of them grade Is, including the Breeders’ Cup Distaff, Ruffian, Top Flight, and Santa Margarita. Jedina also produced Fineza, the dam of Kentucky Oaks winner Keeper Hill.

Killaloe’s crowning achievement, however, was her Mr. Prospector colt Fappiano, who won the Met Mile and Forego Handicaps in Nerud’s colors, and became one of the most influential sires of the last 30 years, despite dying at age 13 of laminitis. Who knows the extent of his influence on the breed had he lived a full life.

Nerud had been looking for the right stallion to breed Killaloe to and took a liking to a young Florida stallion owned by Butch Savin named Mr. Prospector, who was standing for $7,500.

Nerud liked the fact that Mr. Prospector was extremely fast, blazing six furlongs in a track-record 1:07 4/5 at Gulfstream, and had withstood Jimmy Croll’s hard training. He decided he was the perfect match for Killaloe, but she had a late foal that year and it was already June. Savin did not want Mr. Prospector having any May foals and turned Nerud down. But in typical Nerud fashion, he told Savin, “Butch, you’re so rich you don’t want to take my money? Look out the window and tell me what the hell Mr. Prospector is doing now.” Savin told him, ‘Nothing,’ to which Nerud replied, “Well, neither is my mare. Let me worry about having a May foal.” Savin finally agreed, and Nerud bred Killaloe to Mr. Prospector.

The resulting foal was Fappiano. To this day, Nerud feels he made a mistake by not buying half-interest in Mr. Prospector and keeping him in Florida.

Nerud stood Fappiano at Tartan Farm until 1987, syndicating him for $300,000 a share. Fappiano made Nerud millions and enabled him to buy his current estate on Long Island.

Now, let’s go back to 1969. Nerud had bred Aspidistra (dam of Hall of Famers Dr. Fager and Ta Wee) to Buckpasser, giving him inbreeding to two of his favorite lines, Man o’War through War Admiral and La Troienne, perhaps the greatest Blue Hen producer of the century and one of the main founders of the Phipps dynasty.

The resulting foal was named Magic, who Nerud bred to In Reality, a colt by his stallion Intentionally. Nerud raised In Reality at Tartan in the same fields with Dr. Fager and always admired the tough, pocket-sized colt as a racehorse and sire. He also loved the fact that In Reality, who was owned by his longtime client Mrs. Frances Genter, was inbred to Man o’War’s son War Relic, and by breeding him to Magic, he was able to get four crosses of Man o’ War, as well as three crosses of Bull Dog, a son of Teddy, whose line was another of Nerud’s favorites. Bull Dog also sired Bull Lea, who almost single-handedly founded the Calumet Farm dynasty. And it was Calumet trainer Ben Jones who was one of Nerud’s mentors. So, Nerud had bred his perfect horse, infused with the blood of his favorite pedigree lines.

The In Reality – Magic foal was named Charedi, who wasn’t a top-class racehorse, but did have plenty of speed. So when it was time to breed Charedi, Nerud sought out the most stamina-oriented stallion he could find, and that was the great French-bred sire Le Fabuleux. The resulting foal was named Gana Facil, who raced in a couple of stakes at Calder for Frank Gomez, ending her career racing mostly at around a mile and 1 1/16 miles. Because she didn’t have much speed and was by a staying sire, but was from royal blood, Nerud bred her to the best, and that was Fappiano, who could sire top horses at any distance, especially those will brilliance.

The speed in Gana Facil’s pedigree through Charedi and Aspidistra and the stamina of Le Fabuleux and Buckpasser combined perfectly with Fappiano’s blend of speed and stamina and the inbreeding to Aspidistra to produce Unbridled, who was sold to Nerud’s longtime client and friend, Bentley Smith, representing Mrs. Genter, at the Tartan Farm dispersal as a weanling for $70,000.

Nerud had created the perfect storm of breeding, with everything he planned moving forward with each generation and ultimately producing Unbridled, who would continue the Nerud influence by becoming one of the great sires of his time. Among his sons was Unbridled’s Song, who has been one of the most dominant sires of the last 15 years.

“It took me 10 years to get Unbridled, and I should have kept him,” Nerud said. “But I had given my word I was going to sell all the babies and all the horses in training, and I had to keep my word.”

Unbridled not only won the Kentucky Derby, he also sired Derby winner Grindstone and Belmont Stakes winner Empire Maker.

Unbridled was bred to Mesabi Maiden, a Janney III and Phipps bred-mare, whose granddam, Laughter, was a half-sister to the great Ruffian, and the resulting foal was Lady Liberty, the dam of Orb.

Unbridled also is the broodmare sire of Tapit, the sire of leading 3-year-olds Flashback and Normandy Invasion, as well as last year’s Breeders’ Cup Juvenile runner-up He’s Had Enough, who is off to Dubai for the UAE Derby.

Unbridled’s Song, in addition to siring Will Take Charge, is the broodmare sire of Southwest Stakes winner Super Ninety Nine.

Nerud’s influence on this year’s Derby trail also can be felt through Quiet American, with whom Nerud rewrote the book on inbreeding.

We already know the story about his sire Fappiano, but for the dam’s story, we once again go back to Cequillo. In 1970, Nerud bred Cequillo to Northern Dancer’s sire Nearctic and got Quiet Charm, who won only one of six starts before being retired to Tartan. Nerud bred Quiet Charm to Dr. Fager and she produced a filly named Demure, who was even worse than her dam, winning only two of 20 starts.

Nerud decided to infuse the blood of Dr. Fager extremely close up by breeding Demure to Fappiano. That meant the resulting foal was inbred 2x3 to Dr. Fager. Like Unbridled, the colt was consigned to the Tartan dispersal, held by Fasig-Tipton Kentucky, and brought $300,000 by Sheikh Maktoum al Maktoum, who named the colt Quiet American. He would go on to win the NYRA Mile and other stakes before being retired to the Sheikh’s Gainsborough Farm, where he would stand until 2006 before being moved to Jonabell Farm when Darley took over the farm and began building a major stallion operation.

Quiet American made a huge impact on the classics and the sport in general, siring Kentucky Derby and Preakness winner Real Quiet, who came within a nose of sweeping the Triple Crown in 1998. Quiet American also is the broodmare sire of 3-year-old champion Bernardini, winner of the Preakness, Travers, and Jockey Club Gold Cup, and Saint Liam, Horse of the Year and Breeders’ Cup Classic winner in 2005.

Quiet American’s influence also is being felt through Real Quiet’s son Midnight Lute, a two-time Breeders’ Cup Sprint winner who has made an immediate impact on the Derby and Oaks trail with promising 3-year-olds Govenor Charlie, Shakin It Up, Mylute, Where’s Dominic, and the brilliant filly Midnight Lucky. This past weekend, Govenor Charlie and Midnight Lucky not only romped in the Sunland Derby and Sunland Oaks, respectively, they both broke the track record.

Quiet American, who was retired from stud duty this year at age 27, also is the broodmare sire of Private Terms Stakes winner Mr. Palmer, who runs next in the Wood Memorial, and the promising Abstraction, who recently romped by 9 ¾ lengths in a maiden race at Fair Grounds. And you can also find Nerud’s influence in the pedigree of Rebel Stakes winner Will Take Charge, who is inbred 3x4 to Fappiano. And if you go back in Verrazano’s tail-female family you will find fourth dam Remedia, who is a daughter of Dr. Fager.

Also, the multiple grade I-placed Capo Bastone is by Street Boss, who is out of an Ogygian mare.

Whatever happens over the course of the 2013 Derby trail, John Nerud’s impact on this year’s 3-year-old crop already has served as a fitting legacy to one of the true geniuses the sport has ever known.

The Amazing Broad Brush Leaves Mark on the Derby Trail

2013-03-20T21:13:00Z

Looking over the past performances of Derby hopefuls, I couldn’t help but make a connection between Louisiana Derby hopeful Ground Transport’s name and the colt’s broodmare sire, Broad Brush. That connection will become apparent as you read on. Just seeing the name Broad Brush brought back a flood of memories, evoking images of one of the toughest racehorses I’ve ever been around, and in many ways the most remarkable. It is safe to say there has never been a horse quite like Broad Brush, and it was a sad day when he was euthanized in 2009 at age 26.

With his grandson one race away from making it into the Kentucky Derby field, as tough a task as that is going to be, I thought this would be a good time to rekindle some of those memories, not only to share with readers, but just to make me feel good. That’s the kind of horse Broad Brush was. So, let’s begin in the early morning hours of Oct. 19, 1986, and when I say early, that can be interpreted as very early or very late.

It was around 1 a.m., about an hour and a half after Broad Brush's resounding victory over older horses in the $500,000 Meadowlands Cup. It was the colt’s 14th start of the year, all stakes, at 11 different racetracks. Included among his seven stakes victories were the Jim Beam Stakes (now the Spiral), Wood Memorial, Ohio Derby, Pennsylvania Derby (one of the wildest, craziest victories you’ll ever see), and Meadowlands Cup. He also placed in the Kentucky Derby and Preakness, and finished second in the Travers, beaten a head, only to be disqualified to fourth.

In Barn 4E, trainer Richard Small had just finished fixing the colt an early breakfast (or late dinner) of oats and bran before chauffeuring him back home to Pimlico, as he always did. Small brought the feed bucket over to Broad Brush's stall and said to me, “Put your hand in this feed tub; I bet you can’t touch it.” The feed was so hot, I could barely hold my hand over it, never mind touch it.

“Watch this; you're not going to believe it,” Small said. As soon as he walked into Broad Brush’s stall, the colt came charging at the tub and buried his head in it before Small could hang it on the wall. He then proceeded to devour the scalding mixture without even flinching.

“He’s incredible,” Small said. “Half the horses in this race wouldn’t eat anything right after a race, but he doesn’t even wait for it to cool off. He’s so tough and durable. He’s made of the right stuff. I’ve never been around a horse like this.”

It was funny listening to Small describe a horse as being tough and durable and made of the right stuff. This is someone who used to go out on suicide missions in Vietnam while serving with the Green Berets.

One of the reasons Broad Brush was always so willing and enthusiastic was his relationship with Charles Turner, who was the colt’s security guard and traveling companion. Turner had been on the racetrack for 50 of his 57 years, and was a groom, licensed trainer, licensed owner, entrepreneur, hustler, and mentor. He helped teach a 14-year-old kid named Bill Hartack the tricks of the trade, along with other riders at Charles Town.

“I’m so proud of this horse,” Turner said, as he began making preparations for the van ride home. “I just think the world of him. He’s young, playful, and feeling good, and around the barn he’s a perfect gentleman. He has his own personality, his own character, and we just accept him. I’d never been to the Kentucky Derby before, never been to Saratoga before, but thanks to Broad Brush, now I have. He’s made my 57 years complete.”

Broad Brush, as mentioned earlier, was unlike any horse I have ever been around. When it came to sheer toughness, he was in a class by himself. He thrived on work and could not get enough of it. Small said the horse knew exactly when the track opened in the morning, and if he wasn't the first one out there “you couldn't deal with him.” The day after the 1987 Preakness, the Pimlico track was closed for clean-up and Small had to van the 4-year-old Broad Brush to Laurel just to gallop. In the winter of 1986, prior to the General George Stakes at Pimlico, all the Maryland tracks were frozen on the day Broad Brush was scheduled to work. Small put the colt on a van and drove him to his father's farm, where he worked him up a snow-covered hill. Three days later, Broad Brush won the General George.

The horse had such incredible recuperative powers, no ailment ever kept him out of training. He ran down badly in the '86 Travers , but two days later, to the amazement of Small, the injury was completely healed. He loved riding in vans and Small would often just take him for rides around the Maryland countryside to alleviate any boredom. In his 14 starts at 3, he raced at Pimlico, Laurel, Latonia, Aqueduct, Churchill Downs, Thistledown, Canterbury Downs, Monmouth, Saratoga, Philadelphia Park, and Meadowlands, and vanned to every race but one, logging 5,000 miles on the road. How appropriate to have his daughter produce a foal named Ground Transport.

The only problem Broad Brush caused Small in the mornings was his unwillingness to gallop or work long distances by himself. He thrived on competition and loved running alongside other horses. If Small sent him out by himself he would get bored and start playing around. Unfortunately, Small had no colts who could gallop with Broad Brush without getting knocked out for a week. Small said he just “overpowered and intimidated them. It was like they went through the wringer.”

Fortunately, Small had a claiming filly named Flow and Flux who had no speed, but was so tough and had so much stamina, she could gallop with Broad Brush and stand up to the pressure. Small had gone through a number of horses until he lucked out finding her. She became Broad Brush's galloping companion and traveled with him everywhere, including California in 1987, when he made three separate trips there, culminating with a heart-pounding nose victory over Ferdinand in the Santa Anita Handicap. Flow and Flux became so valuable to Small he couldn't even run her for fear of losing her. This is a filly who won one of 14 starts, a $14,000 maiden claiming race at Philadelphia Park. Of those 14 starts, she was out of the money in nine of them.

“She’s worth a fortune to me,” Small said in 1987. “There is no way we could have gotten Broad Brush to this level without her. I put her in a couple of allowance races this year, but I don’t dare run her at her own level because I can’t afford to lose her.”

In addition to his Santa Anita Handicap victory, Broad Brush at 4 won the Suburban, John B. Campbell, and Trenton Handicaps. He was third, beaten three-quarters of a length, in the Met Mile, conceding 18 pounds to the 3-year-old Gulch; was second by a nose to Waquoit in the Mass Cap, giving the big gray nine pounds; and was third in the Whitney, giving 14 pounds to Java Gold and 10 pounds to Gulch. In his Suburban victory, he was conceding 14 pounds to runner-up Set Style.

The day before the ’87 Preakness, Broad Brush went out for his 6 a.m. gallop, as usual accompanied by Flow and Flux. As important as Broad Brush’s works were, his gallops were even more important, which was the reason Flow and Flux was so valuable. As Small explained, the works were for wind exercise and the gallops were for muscle exercise.

Small leaned over the rail and again said, “Watch this, you’re not going to believe it.” In a few minutes, two figures came bounding out of the turn, so close together they seemed to be joined at the hip. Technically, they were in a gallop, but it was so vigorous it gave the illusion they were going much faster. Here was this big, dark bay colt on the inside, striding out powerfully, trying to keep up with the smaller light bay filly alongside him.

“She’s actually above him in the pecking order,” Small said as they charged past us. “She sets the pace of the gallop. He’ll slow down or go faster depending on what she does. Sometimes, she’ll just say to him, ‘What’s the matter, can’t you keep up?’”

Moments later, the pair came rolling by once again, still at a strong gallop and still eyeball to eyeball. Any other horse in Small’s barn would take several days to recover from such a gallop, but Flow and Flux did it every day for a year and a half.

“She’s got so much guts and heart, damned if I know where she gets it,” Small said. “She has one lick but she can carry it five miles. They’ve become real buddies. It’s like a human runner who likes to have a friend along to talk to.”

Several days before this gallop, “Brush” and “Flow” were out for a similar gallop, going at a two-minute lick. Shortly after, Kentucky Derby winner Alysheba went out for his two-minute lick, but covered only half the distance. And that was considered Broad Brush’s day off. Small even brought Flow and Flux to California with Broad Brush and worked them a mile together.

Broad Brush’s exercise rider, Frank Gerkin, said, “On the track he doesn’t pay any attention that she’s a filly, but once in a while walking to the track, he’ll give a little nicker.”

Small said he hoped that when Broad Brush was retired, owner Robert Meyerhoff, who owned both horses, would breed them just to see what happens.

After Broad Brush retired, Flow and Flux became a jumper, and in 1988 set a course record at Grand National for two miles. As Small had hoped, Meyerhoff did breed her to Broad Brush, and in 1993, she produced a filly named Cobber, who sold for $20,000 at the OBS Fall Mixed sale. Cobber ran 30 times, with three wins, three seconds, and three thirds. He finished first in another race, but was disqualified.

And finally we come to Broad Brush's most infamous moment -- his you-had-to-see-it-to-believe-it victory in the Pennsylvania Derby, in which he not only bolted all the way to the outside fence nearing the quarter pole over a very sloppy track, he headed directly toward it at full speed, looking as if he were going to either crash into it or jump over it. It was only the frantic waving by the track veterinarian standing at the rail that prevented Broad Brush from winding up in the picnic area and jockey Angel Cordero from bailing out. Broad Brush quickly straightened himself out, angled back in, and miraculously came charging down the middle of the track to win the race.

Yes, this horse was one of a kind. After a stud career that saw him sire 86 stakes winners and top the leading sire list by progeny earnings in 1994, Broad Brush retired to a well-deserved life of leisure in 2004. When I visited Kentucky shortly after, I was driving down Old Frankfort Pike when it dawned on me. If I see a van with a dark bay horse peering out the window, I better give a friendly wave just in case Broad Brush was starting to get bored again.

Dry In the Desert

2013-03-19T13:22:00Z

(Originally published in the March 16, 2013 issue, page 34, of The Blood-Horse magazine.)

“I’m mad as hell and I’m not going to take it anymore.” Those were the classic words spewed forth by newscaster Howard Beale in the 1976 movie “Network.” But they could very well have been uttered by international trainers who for years were forced to watch U.S.-trained horses ship halfway around the world to Dubai and walk off with the multi-million-dollar purse of the Dubai World Cup (UAE-I) almost annually.

Despite the influx of top horses from all over the globe, American invaders captured eight of the first 14 runnings of the World Cup, then run on a conventional dirt track. Five were won by horses stabled in Dubai and owned by the Maktoum family, either under the banner of Godolphin or Shadwell, and the other represented Great Britain but was owned by Sheikh Mohammed. So, it was all USA and the Maktoums, with the rest of the world merely supporting players to fill the remainder of the field.

Following the inaugural running of the World Cup, with a mere $4 million purse back in 1996, Michael Hills, the rider of the English-trained fourth-place finisher Pentire, expressed his frustration after finishing behind American horses Cigar, Soul of the Matter, and L’Carriere. Hills stood at the podium at the post-race interviews and vented about the advantage the Americans had on a dirt track.

That frustration would escalate over the years, reaching a breaking point when American-trained horses Invasor, Curlin, and Well Armed rattled off three consecutive victories from 2007 to 2009, giving the U.S. five wins in six years. As if to pile on the indignities, Curlin won by 73⁄4 lengths and Well Armed romped by 14 lengths. The Dubai World Cup, which by then had had its purse raised to a record $6 million, was becoming nothing more than a playground for American horses looking to bring home untold riches from the Middle East.

Plans, however, were already in the works in 2009 to build a brand new state-of-the-art glitter palace—Meydan—and boost the purse of the World Cup to an ostentatious $10 million. Sheikh Mohammed decided to strip the World Cup to the bone and restructure his premier race and all other dirt races by installing a Tapeta synthetic surface, which was owned and designed by former trainer Michael Dickinson and was being used by two racetracks in the United States.

From Europe to the Far East, horsemen rejoiced. Finally, those big dollar signs were right in front of them for the taking. They no longer were mad as hell at the farce the Dubai World Cup had become. They now had the same chance as the Americans to land the race’s mammoth prize, probably even more, considering how well grass horses had been performing over the various synthetic surfaces throughout the U.S.

On March 27, 2010, the new era of the Dubai World Cup began. American horses found themselves reduced to also-rans as Gio Ponti, a champion on grass and runner-up in the Breeders’ Cup Classic (gr. I) over Santa Anita’s then Pro-Ride synthetic track (the track changed back to dirt in 2010), finished fourth; synthetic lover Richard’s Kid, a terror over Del Mar’s Polytrack, finished seventh; and Furthest Land, winner of the 2009 Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile (gr. I) at Santa Anita, brought up the rear in 14th.

The only bright spot for America was the victory of Kinsale King in the about six-furlong Dubai Golden Shaheen Sponsored by Gulf News (UAE-I). Kinsale King would become the only American-trained horse to win over the Tapeta surface for the next three years.

So, why was Kinsale King able to win on the Tapeta, while Game On Dude, Royal Delta, The Factor, Fly Down, Richard’s Kid, and Gio Ponti all failed to finish in the money?

What set the son of Yankee Victor apart from the other American participants was that he had trained over the Tapeta surface at Golden Gate Fields with the specific intention of preparing for the Golden Shaheen.

“I had never run a horse on that surface, so when I saw that they had installed Tapeta, I asked the owner if he would mind if I took the horse up to Golden Gate for three weeks to train over that track,” said trainer Carl O’Callaghan, who was a former assistant and exercise rider for Todd Pletcher. “If he liked it, we’d try (the Golden Shaheen) and if I felt he didn’t get over the track, we wouldn’t go.

“I worked him twice over it, including once between races and he worked amazing over it. If I were to ever go back again, I definitely would train at Golden Gate. Tapeta is a demanding surface, and I really believe training over it helped him.”

If training for a sprint race helped Kinsale King, what about the American horses who have to run 11⁄4 miles over it? To show how dramatically the nature of the World Cup changed following the installment of Tapeta, the first two finishers in 2010 were the French-trained international traveler Gloria De Campeao and the South African horse Lizard’s Desire, who were separated by a nose at the wire.

One trainer who believes it is imperative to train over the Tapeta and actually have a prep race over it is Mike de Kock, the great South African trainer who, with the exception of the home team Godolphin stable, has had more success in Dubai than any other trainer. He has won the UAE Derby (UAE-II) five times and the UAE Two Thousand Guineas (UAE-III) five times, and swept the UAE Triple Crown with Asiatic Boy. He also trained Lizard’s Desire, who would turn the tables on Gloria De Campeao two months after the World Cup in the Singapore Airlines International Cup (Sin-I).

“I think it would be a very good idea to come here early, just from a physiological point of view,” de Kock said. “If you think of the changes a horse’s skeletal system will go through, you’d realize that if you get here and run right away, you’re looking for problems. I believe you have to come here, get them going, and get them used to the surface, and then start to introduce the speed works slowly but surely. I really do feel like the horses go through boney, skeletal changes when they run over this track. We work at home (in South Africa) on heavy dirt, and when we bring them here, they fly across the track, so it does take time.

“Because they do go through physical changes, it’s a gradual process getting them ready. What I’ve observed with the Tapeta as opposed to the dirt is that they do work a little quicker on the Tapeta, almost too fast. You really need to try and hold them back a little. Because they tend to work fast, they’re never really as fit as you think they are when they first come out because they get across it so well. It’s almost too easy on them, so they tend to take a lot more work. I work horses fast quite often and do a lot of speed work, but it’s controlled speed. I’d rather put in an extra day and go short than go longer and faster. I’ve watched a few blokes go longer and they work quite quickly and in the last 400 yards they’re being pushed with the sticks out, and that’s the one thing you need to avoid.

“You have to be very careful not to go too fast. With fatigue they start to get too loose and that’s when you’re going to get your soft tissue injuries—the tendons and ligaments. When they’re getting fatigued, their legs start getting heavy and that’s when you have problems. If anyone is serious about the World Cup, I would think about coming here six weeks or more in advance and participating in the Carnival, so the horse’s skeletal structure can get used to the difference in the surface. That in turn will help get them fitter.”

De Kock wouldn’t say for sure why the American horses have performed so poorly in the World Cup recently, but he had a couple of theories. In addition to the acclimatization factor, he believes the nature of the race has changed with the Tapeta surface.

“American horses are used to going fast early and slower late, while on the Tapeta it’s just the opposite,” de Kock said. “Another reason the Americans haven’t fared as well on the Tapeta is that they’re now running against champions from the different countries, and most of the horses they’ve sent haven’t been champions.”

One person who agrees with that last premise is Barry Irwin, president of Team Valor International, which has competed twice in the World Cup in the past three years with Gitano Hernando, the 2009 Goodwood Stakes (gr. I) winner who finished sixth both times. This year it will be represented by Animal Kingdom, who has proved to be a top-class horse on dirt, synthetic, and grass.

“I think that representatives from the United States in recent years have not been our very best stock,” Irwin said. “Racing on Tapeta is different than racing on most tracks that our horses are used to. Recently, Japan has sent better-quality horses to Dubai than the United States has. Godolphin has dedicated considerable resources to winning its premier race, and they had huge success last season.

“South Africa has done well. England has not really sent its best horses, but they have the best horses in the world, so their second tier horses can compete with the best in Dubai.

“Aside from that, there are other issues to deal with. There has been considerable debate about when is the best time to send a horse to Dubai. Some feel that showing up as close to the race is ideal. Others feel that horses need to be in the desert as early as late November or early December. Nobody really knows the answer to these questions, which makes it all the more perplexing.”

We should have a better idea after we see how American invaders Dullahan and Little Mike fare on World Cup night following their disappointing performances in their respective prep races on Super Saturday March 9. Little Mike could return to the turf after tiring in the stretch over the Tapeta, while Dullahan should improve after breaking slowly and being rushed into contention along the inside before fading. That is, assuming it was not the surface that did him in.

There is no keener student of racing in Dubai than Pat Cummings, founder and editor of Dubairacenight.com. Cummings doesn’t believe that the surface at Meydan requires any different fitness level than normal and thinks the Tapeta at Meydan plays true to pace. In other words, if they go fast early, horses will back up, and if they go slow, they’ll stay.

“Gio Ponti was a total of three lengths away from being a two-time winner of the World Cup, and I really think he could have won it in 2011,” Cummings said. “The track does often produce slower times as the temperature rises, which is typically the case in late March, but that hasn’t seemed to impact performance. Two of the three World Cups at Meydan have been run with much slower tempos than U.S.-based jockeys are used to, and the pace likely feels similar to long turf races.

“Gloria De Campeao backed it down in 2010. In 2011, jockey Mirco Demuro (on Japan’s Victoire Pisa) sensed it was so slow and went from last to first down the backstretch, seized the initiative, and he and the early pacesetter, Transcend, completed a Japanese exacta. Look at how close Gio Ponti was to the lead in 2011—he was being strangled back, which was never really an issue with him in the past, but it was expected, given the slow pace. Meanwhile, the winner moved around him while Gio Ponti got yanked off the pace and the race was over. Last year’s race was a much more moderate tempo and the result reflected it.”

Last year’s World Cup was a crushing blow to the United States, as Game On Dude and Royal Delta, both Horse of the Year candidates, were well-beaten, but Cummings feels there was a reason that both horses underperformed.

“Overall, 2012 wasn’t a true representation of U.S. performance,” he said. “The wide draw and stutter step at the start doomed Game On Dude, and Royal Delta was tossed about in a troubled trip and was lucky to emerge with nothing more than a bruise to her ego. Right now, I feel she’s a deserving future book favorite for this year’s running.”

Royal Delta’s trainer, Bill Mott, who captured the inaugural World Cup with Cigar, said he is not planning on making any adjustments this year, especially considering the fact Royal Delta has already won over a synthetic surface, scoring in an allowance race over Keeneland’s Polytrack in 2011.

“She’s also trained on it when she was in Dubai last year,” Mott said. “I feel she gets over it very well and can compete as well on it as she does the dirt. I don’t do anything different in her training. They have some very nice horses over there with some of the best pedigrees in the world, and they shouldn’t be underestimated. Having the races on the Tapeta now, it probably puts them more on a level playing field than when it was on dirt and our horses had more of an edge.

“Last year I attributed her performance to the troubled trip. I rarely like making excuses, but she did have a bad trip, and that’s why we’re going back. If I thought she had a good trip and just didn’t like it and was completely outrun, then we wouldn’t be going back. But I don’t think that’s the case. We still feel we have a good horse who will handle the going, and like any race, you need some racing luck, which she didn’t have last year.”

If on World Cup day, Royal Delta and Animal Kingdom mirror the poor performances by Dullahan, a three-time grade I winner on Polytrack, and Little Mike in their prep races at Meydan, then it is the Americans who will be mad as hell. But one thing we can be sure of, for $10 million, they’ll keep taking it.