Hangin' With Haskin : Bodemeister

Power Up Paynter

aspradling — Tue, 31 Jul 2012 00:41:00 GMT

Once upon a time there were two horses named MC’s Dream and Bradleberry. Both were potential stars, showing great promise from the time they were mere tots. You will find no record of either horse, but be assured they are here as big as life, with a stranglehold on the 3-year-old division.

MC’s Dream and Bradleberry have morphed into Paynter and Bodemeister, with their new names holding great significance to their trainer Bob Baffert, who, thanks to owner Ahmed Zayat, gets to train one horse named after his son, Bode, and another after the contractor who built the house in which Bode will grow up.

What is remarkable about this story is that when the year began, no one outside of Baffert’s barn and the Zayat household had heard of MC’s Dream or Bradleberry or Paynter or Bodemeister or whatever their names were at the time.

On Feb. 11, Bodemeister burst on the scene with a vengeance, not only demolishing a field of maidens, but surprising even Baffert and Zayat with his 9 1/4-length romp in a blazing 1:34 2/5 for the mile. Behind him was another highly touted Baffert colt named Stirred Up, who actually went off as the favorite.

Several days later, Zayat, still surprised, but delighted over Bodemeister’s brilliant performance, alerted yours truly that he had a better one in the barn named MC’s Dream. Yeah, sure, we’ve heard that one before. There’s always a better one in the barn. Not even a week had passed when MC’s Dream, now Paynter, showed up in a 5 1/2-furlong maiden race and blew his opponents away by 4 1/2 lengths in a blistering 1:02.98. So highly touted was he that he was sent off as the 2-5 favorite. Maybe he did have a better one in the barn.

It was obvious Zayat had two brilliant colts on his hands, but there was no way either one could be ready for the Kentucky Derby or likely any of the other Triple Crown races. Here it was now a couple of weeks into March and neither colt had done anything but break their maidens, with Paynter having only that one 5 1/2-furlong race.

But what most people didn’t realize was just how special and extraordinary both these colts were. Everyone who had ever been around them surely knew.

Bloodstock agent David Ingordo knew when he bought them for Zayat at the Keeneland September yearling sale, paying $325,000 for Paynter and $260,000 for Bodemeister.

Although he loved Bodemeister, Paynter was the first horse on his short list for Zayat.

“He was a very good sized, strong colt for an Awesome Again and he had the physical look of a two-turn, dirt horse, with the pedigree to go with it,” Ingordo said. “And he was out of a full-sister to Tiznow. I remember how strong he was and how much I liked his shoulder, head, and neck. I was pretty pumped up when we were able to buy him.”

Not a bad recommendation from the man who picked out Zenyatta and scores of other top-class horses.

After purchasing both colts, Zayat sent them and his other young horses to J.B. McKathan in Florida. McKathan has been breaking and training good horses since he had Silver Charm and other major stars for Baffert.

McKathan thought so highly of Paynter he took his picture to send to Zayat's son Justin and used it as his screen saver on his phone. He hasn’t changed it since.

“Paynter was more of a big strapping colt than Bodemeister,” he recalled. “He was just a really gorgeous classy colt. When you get to be around good horses you know one when you see him. He never had a bad day. He was really solid and sound and just a great horse to be around; really classy.

“He was fast, but he never broke the stopwatch or anything like that. When you have these really talented horses, we’re just trying to slow them down the whole time. They’ll work fast sometimes, but not because we want them to. We just want to keep them under control and let them ease on down there. He was never rank and wanting to run off. He had a really good mind and that always helps.”

McKathan never worked Paynter and Bodemeister together. The last thing you want to do with young talented horses is have two express trains going full throttle together.

McKathan provided ample preparation for one’s first close-up encounter with Paynter.

“Wait until you see him; he is gorgeous,” he said. “He is a really really good-looking dude. You stand next to him and you’re going to be impressed. Believe me when I say a horse is good looking he is good looking.”

Although you have high-profile names, such as Bob Baffert and Ahmed Zayat, closely associated with the Paynter – Bodemeister story, the central figure could very well be Justin, Zayat’s oldest son who is 20 years old and attends New York University (NYU), and has been deeply involved in the Zayat Thoroughbred operation since he was 13 when his father started the stable.

Each year, Zayat has his main trainers come to the farm to look at the babies and choose which ones they’d like to train. The Zayat team then decides which horses to send to which trainers. Last year, Baffert was unable to go and asked Justin to choose the horses for him. He chose Paynter and Bodemeister.

“My dad loves Awesome Again and I know Bob loves him,” Justin said. “Whenever we get an Awesome Again my first thought is to give him to Bob. Paynter’s dam (Tizso, by Cee’s Tizzy) is a full-sister to Tiznow and his pedigree screams classic distance. I knew he was Bob’s horse from day one. I saw him on the farm and I wanted to know if he was progressing, so I asked J.B. to send me a picture of him every few weeks. And he just kept looking better and better. I felt this was a Bob Baffert horse and I went with my gut."

As for Bodemeister, Justin said, "I know Bob likes a certain type of horse, with classic pedigrees, and Bodemeister is by Empire Maker, and Bob trainer Pioneerof the Nile for us and he's by Empire Maker. It was a pretty easy decision for me.

“When we allocate our horses, before we send them to their respective trainers we have a contest. We each pick the ones we think are going to be the stars, the allowance horses, and the less talented ones. We have this competition every year. We try to give each trainer at least one “A” colt and one “A” filly, and one colt we feel can get them to the Derby. You could say Bob got lucky last year.”

The year before, they gave Steve Asmussen Nehro, the year before that they gave Pletcher Eskendereya, and the year before that they gave Bill Mott Pioneerof the Nile, who they eventually transferred to Baffert. In 2008, they gave Mott Z Humor and Asmussen Z Fortune, both of whom were major players on the Derby trail.

Nehro and Pioneerof the Nile both finished second in the Kentucky Derby and Eskendereya, who would have been a prohibitive favorite in the Run for the Roses, was injured and retired shortly before the race.

Although the Zayats had to be thrilled to be such a major force on the Derby scene, those were tough breaks. But Zayat and Justin remained upbeat and optimistic, and kept persevering, knowing their time would come to hold up the Derby trophy or the Woodlawn Vase or the Belmont Stakes trophy.

But never could they have imagined what was in store with Paynter and Bodemeister in 2012. The Zayats would be thrilled, teased, and in the end frustrated and disappointed by a series of gut-wrenching defeats in all three Triple Crown races.

Bodemeister, despite his inexperience looked like the horse that could defy history and become the first horse to win the Derby without having started at 2 since Apollo in 1882.

Following a gutsy second to grade I winner Creative Cause in the San Felipe, the son of Empire Maker romped by 9 1/2 lengths in the Arkansas Derby for his third consecutive triple-digit Beyer speed figure. All of a sudden, the Zayats had one of the favorites for the Kentucky Derby.

Meanwhile, with Paynter, Baffert and Zayat did something so bold and so completely out of character, it was thought by many that they were rushing the colt and jeopardizing his career. They had decided to go straight from the 5 1/2-furlong maiden race to the Santa Anita Derby. Despite bobbling at the start and dropping back to sixth, Paynter still finished fourth, beaten only 3 ¾ lengths by I’ll Have Another. Baffert actually thought he should have won with a better trip.

A week before the Derby, Paynter was back in the Derby Trial Stakes, but the track came up a sloppy mess and he wound up going head and head with two other horses through a brutal half in :45 1/5. He put those two horse away, but was caught in the final furlong by Hierro, the mile run in a snappy 1:35 1/5.

A week later, Bodemeister wound up a slight favorite in the Kentucky Derby, but cooked himself with ridiculous fractions of :45 1/5 and 1:09 4/5. Every horse near him cracked, but he amazingly kept going, opening up a three-length lead at the eighth pole and seemingly home free.

The Baffert and Zayat families watched on the big screen in the paddock, but their jubilation quickly turned to heartbreak, as I’ll Have Another came charging late to beat Bode by 1 1/2 lengths. A good deal of the talk after the race was about the remarkable race Bodemeister ran in defeat. But the bottom line is that the Zayats had suffered their third second-place finish in the Derby in four years.

Zayat is an emotional person who wears his heart on his sleeve, but after seeing the anguish on the face of Justin and the tears shed by Bode Baffert, he felt he had to keep his own emotions in check. The feelings of disappointment and frustration he kept contained soon were replaced by a feeling of pride in his horse and what he accomplished. And more importantly, the Preakness was in two weeks and provided a new beginning.

It was decided to bring both Bodemeister and Paynter to Pimlico, with Paynter running in a 1 1/16-mile allowance raceon Preakness to get him back on the winning track and give Zayat an idea just how the track was playing.

If the Zayats thought the Derby defeat was agonizing, they had to be devastated in the Preakness watching Bodemeister again set all the pace and getting nailed right on the wire by I’ll Have Another.

Bodemeister had done enough and it was time to turn their attention to Paynter for the Belmont Stakes. Optimism ran high, despite Paynter having had only four lifetime starts and having to stretch out from 1 1/16 miles to 1 1/2 miles.

The morning of the Belmont, Zayat and his family and several friends gathered in their mobile home, which they rent and park on the backstretch overnight in order to observe the Jewish Sabbath. Following their morning prayers, they indulged in a feast of bagels and lox and whitefish and other culinary delights, including a cake inscribed with the words, “Power Up Paynter,” before preparing to head to the races. When TVG showed the stretch runs of the Derby and Preakness, Zayat let out one word: “Torture!”

Little did he know he would be in for more torture.

Earlier on the Belmont card, Justin Phillip was nailed in the final stride in the True North Stakes.

In the Belmont, once again, it was Zayat’s silks on the lead every step of the way. Paynter turned back the challenge of Atigun at the head of the stretch and set sail for home, but Mike Smith came off the rail in the furlong allowing Union Rags to sneak through and win by a neck.

The three Triple Crown races comprise a total of approximately 3.8 miles. Zayat’s two horses led for all but about 10 feet of those 3.8 miles and didn’t win any of the three races. But Zayat never complained and complimented the winners and expressed his pride in his own horses for their toughness and courage.

“Racing owes me nothing,” Zayat said. “I love this sport and each race is a new beginning.”

His new beginning was now the Haskell Invitational, which would kick off racing’s second season.

Bodemeister was ticketed to return in Monmouth’s premier event, but a fever kept him out of the race, and it was quickly decided to substitute Paynter. Baffert felt he was unable to attend, and Zayat, who was spending the summer in Del Mar, also couldn’t attend because his youngest daughter, Emma, had a temperature of 102, and as Zayat says, “Family always comes first.”

So it was up to Justin to represent the family and hopefully accept the trophy following the race. That would be the fulfillment of a dream, as Justin was born in Teaneck, N.J., which is located close to Hackensack, where Zayat has his office. To not only attend his first big victory in person, but represent the entire family would be a moment he would treasure for the rest of his life.

It took less than a minute and 49 seconds for his dream to become a reality, as Paynter finally showed the greatness everyone saw in him.

Most everyone expected him to go to the lead, but it was Gemologist who rushed to the front after Paynter broke a bit slowly. Paynter, headstrong early, finally settled in second through a quarter in :23 4/5 and a half in :48 flat. He engaged Gemologist on the far turn through three-quarters in 1:11 1/5 and it was apparent that Paynter was in total control. Gemologist was already under heavy pressure and was hit once left-handed with the whip by Javier Castellano, while Rafael Bejarano, who had replaced Mike Smith, was still motionless on Paynter.

Turning for home, Gemologist was done, but Nonios, who had been tracking the pace from the inside, swung to the outside and seemed ready to pounce on Paynter. But when Bejarano set him down, Paynter found another gear and spurted clear to win going away by 3 ¾ lengths in a solid 1:48 4/5 for the 1 1/8 miles.

Justin immediately received a call from his father. “He was the happiest guy in the world,” he said. “He was yelling and screaming, ‘Oh My God , Oh my God.’ This horse has run so hard in all his races, and we gave him such a grueling campaign; from a maiden to the Santa Anita Derby. Finally, this was the breakout race we’d been hoping for. He’s always kind of lived in Bode’s shadow, but he made his mark today. The Belmont was such a tough loss after all we asked of him. Turning for home when Nonios made that run at him, I was going, ‘Please don’t do this to me again.’”

Said Zayat: “You could hear me screaming from California to New Jersey. Never in my life have I screamed that much. This was so gratifying and validated all of Bob’s hype. I’ve never seen him so confident before. I would have loved to be there, but I couldn’t leave my daughter.”

If Zayat could have seen Justin leading in Paynter with his sister Ashley and sitting at the winner’s podium answering questions from the media he would have burst with pride.

“This has been a dream my whole life,” Justin said. “I’ve been waiting to be at a big win in person. Whenever we’ve won I’ve never been there. I always had to watch it on TV. To finally be there in person after the whole Triple Crown and running second, second, and second, and then finally breaking through and to do it in New Jersey, there’s nothing better.”

So begins the second season for the Zayat family. From the early days of 2012 watching Paynter and Bodemeister develop into bonafide stars, through a Triple Crown ordeal that would have broken most owners, and finally a major victory in their home state, the Zayats have experienced racing’s gamut of emotions. As strong as they have always been as a family, the laughter, the thrills, and the tears they have experienced this year have bonded them even further. And they owe it all to the speed, class, and courage of two special 3-year-old colts. That is the true magic of horse racing.

Haskin's Preakness Recap: Purple Reign

aspradling — Mon, 21 May 2012 23:14:00 GMT

The ominous shroud that has engulfed Thoroughbred racing recently is starting to lift, at least temporarily, thanks to the heroics of a golden chestnut colt named I’ll Have Another, who has come along at the perfect time to remind people that there is so much more to the Sport of Kings than what has been portrayed in certain publications. These publications feel the need to concentrate only on the darkest aspects of the sport, often embellishing and over exaggerating them.

With the daggers of drugs, scandals, and breakdowns being hurled from different directions, overshadowing the beauty and excitement of the sport, here comes this horse and his arch rival Bodemeister to reach out to the national public and enable them once again to experience the power the Thoroughbred has held over us for centuries.

It was all there in the 137th Preakness Stakes (gr. I) May 19 – speed, class, stamina, and most of all courage, as a determined I’ll Have Another wore down a stubborn and game Bodemeister, as he did in the Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (gr. I), getting up right at the wire to win by a hard-earned neck in front of a record crowd of 121,309. The 8 3/4-length gap back to third-place finisher Creative Cause indicated just how powerful a performance this was by both colts.

Now I’ll Have Another, a son of Flower Alley – Arch’s Gal Edith, by Arch and bred in Kentucky by Harvey Clarke, heads to New York to attempt the unthinkable and unimaginable. He will try to become the first Triple Crown winner since Affirmed in 1978. Ironically, both I’ll Have Another and Affirmed won the Derby and Preakness by 1 ½ lengths and a neck, respectively, and defeated the same horse (Alydar and Bodemeister) in each race.

For the next three weeks, racing will come alive. When immortality is at stake and a new chapter in the history books is this close to completion, people all over America take notice.

Trainer Doug O’Neill and his charismatic band of brothers known as Team O’Neill, owner J. Paul Reddam and his now familiar purple and white silks, and the fairy tale story of jockey Mario Gutierrez have all become embedded in our psyche and are at the threshold of racing’s pantheon. Will those hallowed gates finally open after so many years and allow I’ll Have Another to join the likes of Secretariat, Affirmed, Seattle Slew, Citation, Whirlaway, and the other six immortals who reside there?

Whether they do or not, it is going to be a magical three weeks at Belmont Park, and to the victors go the spoils – a likely guest appearance on David Letterman, opening the New York Stock Exchange, a visit to the top of the Empire State Building, baseball games, Broadway shows. And no one will enjoy it more than the happy-go-lucky teddy bear, Doug O’Neill, and his band of merry men.

Not even the constant unearthing and recycling of past rulings, mainly overages of TCO2 (carbon dioxide), which could indicate the distasteful practice of “milkshaking,” will deter O’Neill and his team, which includes his brother Dennis, a cancer survivor who bought I’ll Have Another.

It is hoped that the American public will be informed more of all the charity work O’Neill has done and the time he spends with youth organizations and at children’s hospitals. The rest will play itself out over the course of time. For now, it should all be about I’ll Have Another and the many positive storylines that surround him.

Three days before the Preakness, Dennis O’Neil stood near the rail and tried to put the polarizing response to Doug’s Derby victory into perspective, especially after scathing articles by the New York Times and several other prominent newspapers.

“It doesn’t bother me as much as Doug,” said Dennis, who bought I’ll Have Another at the Ocala Breeders Sales company’s April 2-year-olds in training sale for a mere $35,000. “It’s been really hard on him. For me, I know who we are and know what we do, and that’s all that really matters. This guy was at the Children’s Hospital yesterday and is going to the local Boys and Girls Club today. Is he really that bad of a guy that people are attacking his character on some of the blogs? Can someone that fake do all these kinds of things? It’s just upsetting when they attack his integrity.

“As for the hearings, the facts are just crazy. The science behind it makes no sense. One of the things that can contribute to a high TCO2 level is Lasix and we’ve cut way back on Lasix. All horses generally get 5 cc’s and we give 3 to 4 cc’s. To be honest with you, I don’t even know what a milkshake is. And there was one positive where we had to Google the drug to find out what it was, because none of us had ever heard of it. Another was nothing but Tylenol. I asked Doug why he doesn't fight it and he said it cost too much money. But, finally, he said, 'That's enough,' He's now $250,000 in the hole in legal fees and had to take a second mortgage on his house. So, if he loses this, he's pretty much toast. Some people think Doug isn’t a horseman, but my brother Danny and I had a farm in Temecula for 15 years, and Doug was out there training and breaking horses, and foaling mares. He’s a tremendous horseman. He just doesn’t take credit for anything. I keep telling him he’s got to start pumping out his chest a little bit.”

For Doug and Dennis, it’s all about the team, which adds to this extraordinary journey. In addition to groom Iscencio Diaz and exercise rider Jonny Garcia, there are a number of others on the road trip of a lifetime, including assistant Jack Sisterson, racing manager Steve Rothblum, equine chiropractor Larry “Thumper” Jones, blacksmith James Jimenez, and, of course, stable pony Lava Man, all of whom have traveled with the colt every step of the way. The atmosphere at the barn is electric and the camaraderie is as strong as you’ll find anywhere on the racetrack. The crew even stay at a house, leased by Reddam, in each city.

On that Wednesday afternoon, O’Neill and several members of the crew headed for the local Boys and Girls Club just a short distance from the track. O’Neill gave out Preakness hats to all the kids and volunteers and led them in an “I’ll Have Another” chant. They participated in games of air hockey, foosball, and ping pong, and were serenaded by a girl’s singing group. O’Neill signed hats, posed for photos, and gave out his share of high-fives and fist bumps. But most important, he brought a great deal of joy to the kids and made a number of new fans.

Ken Darden, president and CEO of the Boy and Girls Club of Metropolitan Baltimore, was thrilled with the victory and flattered that O’Neill took the time to say hello to everyone there in one of his TV interviews.

“It was an awesome experience and a phenomenal race,” he said. “Doug is fantastic and it couldn’t happen to a nicer team.”

But along with the fun came hard work. There was, after all, a race to be won, As the Preakness drew nearer, most of the talk was about strategy and what would happen if Bodemeister, who ran a sensational second in the Derby after setting blazing fractions, got loose on an easy lead. By the time Bode arrived at Pimlico on the Wednesday before the race, I’ll Have Another, who had shipped to Baltimore two days after the Derby, already had a number of stiff gallops over the track. As he did at Churchill, he tore around Old Hilltop in a near two-minute lick as if he’s been there his whole life, and it was apparent he was relishing the surface. He just glided over it, running straight and true, while barely making a sound.

On Thursday, Mario Gutierrez showed up and the crew gathered on the apron to watch I’ll Have Another turn in his sharpest gallop to date. As he came charging by the group, all you could hear were two words uttered by O'Neill: “Holy Moly.”

When it had a chance to sink in, O’Neill again was brief in his comments: “Poetry, bother.” He then engaged in his usual round of fist bumping before addressing Gutierrez, giving him some brief preliminary instructions.

“I’d love for you to press on Bode, so Bode kinda starts pulling Mike (jockey Smith)” O’Neill said. “Then back off on him and take a little rest, and going into the turn, go after him and take it to him.”

Bob Baffert, trainer of Bodemeister, had a slightly different take on the pace scenario.

“If they stay with him it’s good, because it means they’re chasing him,” he said. “Mike’s just got to wait a little bit. It’s a three-horse race between the California horses.”

Mike Harrington, trainer of Creative Cause, had the media believing him when he kiddlingly told a reporter asking about his strategy, “Oh, I might just send him.”

“That’s what started all that,” Harrington said. “I don’t know if you’ve noticed it or not, but all you have to do is plant a seed in the media and it can become a major storm.”

As for his real strategy, he said, “Everybody has the same scenario. Bodemeister is going to the front and I’ll Have Another will be following him, Hopefully, I won’t be more than five lengths off of it. But in reality, the race probably isn’t going to play out the way everybody thinks it is. I don’t know what’s going to change it, but I just feel that it may not turn out that way. Somebody is going to have to go after Bodemeister. They just can’t let him gallop along on the lead.”

Barry Irwin, president of Team Valor International, owner of Went the Day Well, a troubled fourth in the Derby, felt that Gutierrez might feel more pressure going into this race than he did when he was under the radar in the Derby. Irwin was thinking he might just wind up going too fast this time, trying to put pressure on Bodemeister.

“If Bodemeister actually wins this race and runs big off that last race, he’s one of the best horses we’ve ever seen, period,” Irwin said. “And he might be.”

Race day dawned cool and clear, with no humidity. Several of the Preakness starters went out for a leisurely gallop, with new arrival Teeth of the Dog turning in a pretty stiff gallop in his first outing over the track.

After the walkover to the paddock, Reddam tried to appear calm and relaxed as he waited for I’ll Have Another to be saddled. He actually felt the slower the pace the more it would benefit his horse, as it would allow him to stay close to Bodemeister and then outkick him.

“I think we’re training better than Bodemeister is, and I may be wrong, but I feel these three hard races close together are going to get him right there,” he said, pointing to the sixteenth pole.

But even that kind of positive thinking didn’t prevent Reddam from coming down with a case of nerves.

“I was so relaxed at the Derby, but I’ve been a wreck all week,” he said.

When the subject came up what a great time Team O’Neill was having in Baltimore, Reddam said with that familiar grin, “I would trade them having a bad time for a win.”

O’Neill didn’t have much say to Gutierrez that hadn’t been discussed before. “You’re going a mile and three-sixteenths; that’s still a long way,” he said. “Just ride him with confidence.”

But Gutierrez, whom Reddam discovered as an unknown rider after he boldly came to Santa Anita from tiny Hastings Race Course without an agent, has shown in his previous races that he has a great deal of confidence in both I’ll Have Another and himself.

When O’Neill asked him, “Have you visualized you winning this race at all?” Gutierrez responded, “Oh, come on, Doug,” as if to say, “Don’t ask me such trivial questions when I’ve got a job to do.” After all, the two of them were three-for-three together.

With the post parade completed, Reddam and his wife Zillah headed back across the track to the box area. Reddam was excited, but began fidgeting nervously, wanting to get this race over with and find out once and for all if the next three weeks would bring him, Team O’Neill, and I’ll Have Another face to face with immortality.

“For a horse owner and a horse enthusiast, it doesn’t get much more exciting than this,” he said, walking on the grass course toward the ramp that crosses the racetrack. “If this doesn’t get you off, you’re in the wrong game.”

Meanwhile, Baffert and his family and friends gathered around a flat screen TV at the edge of the indoor paddock.

As the horses headed into the starting gate, he said, “OK, take it home…he’s just got to get away clean and then hang up a :24 and change quarter and :48 half.”

The break was clean, with Bodemeister, as expected, going to the lead, chased by Creative Cause, Pretension, and I’ll Have Another, who had to take the first turn three to four-wide. But Gutierrez was able to keep him in a clear and comfortable spot by outrunning Went the Day Well to his inside before the Team Valor colt had a chance to park him even farther out.

“They’re going slow; good,” Baffert said, watching the bunched up field. “Twenty three and four (:23.89); keep slowing it down, Mikey…Where’s the wire?”

Heading into the backstretch, Bodemeister maintained a 1 ½-length lead over Pretension on the inside and Creative Cause on the outside, with I’ll Have Another on the far outside, about three lengths off the pace.

Baffert was looking for a :47 half. “Forty seven and three (:47.68); that’s good,” he said. “I’ll Have Another is looking good; he’s just cruising. The California horses are right there.”

Nearing the far turn, Creative Cause tried to take up the chase and eased his way to about a length off Bodemeister. I’ll Have Another still wasn’t going anywhere rounding the far turn, as Gutierrez began to scrub on him. Creative Cause had fired off his last bullet and it was obvious he was no match for Bodemeister on this day. I’ll Have Another began to inch his way closer, but still wasn’t making up enough ground to threaten Bodemeister.

“I’m getting anxiety,” Baffert said. “Where’s my heart medication?”

The Baffert group, sensing victory, just as they did in the Derby, began shouting, “Come on, Bode.” “Come on, Mikey.” Then came a somber “Oh, no” from Baffert.

I’ll Have Another was now rolling after Gutierrez did a masterful job getting him to switch leads. He went to a right-handed whip. I’ll Have Another was now leveled off and bearing down on Bode, cutting into his three-length lead with every stride. It was the Derby all over again. The wire wasn’t coming fast enough for Baffert. This time Bodemeister wasn’t about to go down without a fight. He dug in gamely and fought back when challenged by I’ll Have Another, who was lengthening the gap between himself and Creative Cause with every stride.

Inside the sixteenth pole, everyone began to sense that Bodemeister was about to go down to defeat again. There was still too much ground left to the wire for Bode to withstand the oncoming I’ll Have Another. With Gutierrez shaking the whip at I’ll Have Another, the Derby winner finally got the better of a game Bodemeister, thrusting his neck in front a stride or two before the wire. The winner had run his final two fractions in a strong :24 3/5 and :19, stopping the teletimer at 1:55.94, which was almost two full seconds faster than it took the top-class older horse Alternation to win the grade III Pimlico Special (1:57.60) by a nose. The beaten horse in that race was Nehro, who like Bodemeister is owned by Zayat Stables (who recently sold a minority share in Bodemeister). For Zayat, the tough beats just keep coming.

To demonstrate just how dominant the top two were, third-place finisher Creative Cause was beaten nine lengths, but still finished 5 ½ lengths ahead of fourth-place finisher Zetterholm.

Baffert, although disappointed again, said only “What a race.” His wife Jill had a stunned look on her face, having just undergone the same gut-wrenching emotions she did two weeks earlier.

All hell broke loose after the race, as a sea of Team O’Neill hats flooded the winner’s circle. As usual, there was lots of hugging.

Dennis O’Neill seemed awestruck, as if trying to convince himself this really did happen. It was if he had come to realize just what an extraordinary horse and bonafide superstar he had found on that seemingly innocent April day in 2011.

“I can’t believe it,” he said. “I cannot believe what just happened. To see him do it again, God, he’s a special horse. New York here we come. This proves that anything is possible. I hope it brings more people into the game and at the sales, realizing if I can do it, anyone can do it.”

Shortly after the race, a loud ovation could be heard from the grandstand. The natural assumption was that it was for I’ll Have Another returning to the winner’s circle. But a glance up the stretch revealed that the ovation was for none other than the peerless pony himself, Lava Man, who was heading down the stretch to wait for his buddy.

One person who goes way back with O’Neill is blacksmith James Jimenez, whose father trained the major stakes winner Agitate. Jimenez hooked up with O’Neill 18 years ago when the trainer had only three horses.

“We worked hard every day, and, of course, Lava Man put us on the map,” he said following the race. “We put together smaller claims, and then larger claims, made them successful, and just kept marching on.”

Jimenez says I’ll Have Another was a “studdish little horse” when he first starting working on him, and even had to be tranquilized on occasion, but kept steadily improving as he matured into a professional racehorse.

“He realizes he’s not just a horse anymore; he’s something special,” Jimenez said. “I told Mr. Reddam today that this horse will never lose by a nose. He has too much heart and competitive spirit. He wants to beat you. Some day he’s going to lose, but it won’t be by a nose. I call him an old soul. He’s become so professional I could just put my tools down and he probably would be able to tack the shoes on himself.”

Team O’Neill racing manager Steve Rothblum said, “He goes out and trains and he loves it. He comes back, eats everything you put in front of him and sleeps. He’s like a 7-year-old in a 3-year-old’s body.”

Rothblum is particularly happy for O’Neill, and like Dennis, he feels he does not get enough credit for being a horseman.

“Doug is a great horseman and a sharp sonofagun,” he said. “He had this horse prepared to the second. And he’s such a kind-hearted guy. He’s the kind of guy they should be showcasing, not trying to tear down. When we were walking over there wasn’t a single negative comment from the crowd. It was all positive.”

While Gutierrez was sitting at the winner’s podium, he looked over and gave a thumbs up to a couple standing quietly off to the side. They had every reason to be proud. Juan Lara and his wife Patty mentored Gutierrez in Veracruz, Mexico, teaching him how to ride while helping him in his studies at school.

“He wasn’t very willing with school, but he loved working with the horses,” said Patty Lara, whose husband doesn’t speak English. “We always knew he had the talent and the confidence. He didn’t know a word of English when he went to Canada. He couldn’t even ask for water. But he was always smiling and always confident in his ability. He takes on responsibility and he embraces life. Mr. Reddam and Doug gave him a chance and he took advantage of it. I think he’s magic.”

To demonstrate the responsibility to which Patty Lara alluded, Gutierrez told Reddam after the race, “I have to make sure I get back to Hollywood Park. My agent is going to kill me if I don’t ride tomorrow.”

Reddam proceeded to change his flight from noon to 10 a.m. and get a larger private jet, so they could get him back in time for his mounts.

Reddam couldn’t wait to call his 82 year-old father after the race. He told him, “You know how you always used to get on my case for liking racing and saying it was bad. It’s not so bad now, is it?

Reddam realizes the position he and O’Neill are in now, as ambassadors of the sport. They will be attempting to make history by capturing the most sought after and elusive prize in racing. After a 34-year drought they can provide some much-needed sustenance to the sport.

“Racing needs us to win the next one to put it back on the covers of magazines and newspapers across the country,” Reddam said.

Reddam also paid tribute to Bodemeister, who ran another remarkable race, proving once again he is an exceptional racehorse who would be a worthy champion in most any other year.

“That horse laid his body down,” Reddam said of the runner-up. “He didn’t lose the Preakness; we won.”

It was Reddam’s gluttony for cookies that resulted in the naming of a horse who has become a household name. Now Reddam should have an insatiable craving for only one brand: Keebler’s “Triple” Fudge cookies. You can bet he’ll have another of those.

Anyone expecting I’ll Have Another to show any signs of fatigue following such a grueling race were in for a surprise the following morning, as the colt cleaned out his feed tub, and it took two people to get his halter on. He stood bright-eyed at his webbing watching all the activity outside his stall and attempted to bite anyone who came too close.

At one point, Mike Harrington came around the corner of the barn and asked O’Neill, whom he called a hero, “Can I’ll Have Another spare some alfalfa?” As for Creative Cause, Harrington said, “He came out of the race good. Brokenhearted, but good.”

A short while later, I’ll Have Another departed Pimlico and headed for Belmont Park, where he will attempt to break more hearts. But by doing so, he will warm thousands of others and, along with Reddam and Team O’Neill, will show the world that racing indeed has a heart. How fitting in these troubled times to bring to the American public a remarkable horse who has exhibited time and again the courage of a champion.

All photos by Steve Haskin

Team O’Neill

I’ll Have Another the day after

O’Neill shows off empty feed bin

Grabbing Dennis’ sweatshirt

Thumper finds the right spot

I’ll Have Another bright and alert

Dennis and the mini Woodlawn Vase

Creative Cause looking for company

Haskin's Preakness Report: Get Your Preak Picks On

Blood-Horse Staff — Fri, 18 May 2012 18:12:00 GMT

Here we go again. This is where we left you two weeks ago; trying to decipher a formula of countless possibilities.

In the case of the Preakness Stakes (gr. I), it’s all about pace and what impulses are going to dictate the actions of jockeys Mario Gutierrez, Joel Rosario, and any other rider who has to decide just how big they want Bodemeister’s butt to look in front of them.

Mike Smith, on the Derby runner-up, has little to occupy his brain. Break well, go to the lead, and don’t go a half in :45 1/5; that’s about it. His job is to get Bode to the eighth pole without too much huffing and puffing and having some legs left this time in the final furlong.

Gutierrez, especially, has to decide just how much slack to give Bode. At Churchill Downs, he basically had to sit back and allow the Derby gods to clear a dream path for him. Of course, the horse had to be good enough to take advantage of his good fortune. Thank goodness for Team O’Neill that the Derby gods were also occupied at the time setting up an obstacle course and bumper car ride for Union Rags, Went the Day Well , and several other less fortunate ones.

In the Preakness, the key will be how close to Bode Gutierrez decides to place I’ll Have Another, who has an ideal post that should allow Gutierrez the option of putting as much pressure on Bode as he wants. He just has to be careful not to put too much or too little.

Expect Went the Day Well to be much closer this time, assuming he breaks well and doesn’t encounter any roadblocks. The same with Creative Cause, who would have little chance with the same extremely wide trip he had in the Derby.

So, the big question remains, is Bodemeister a superstar in the making? We know what he accomplished coming back in three weeks off that monster effort in the Arkansas Derby (gr. I) If he wins or runs big in the Preakness coming back in two weeks off that effort at Churchill, with so little racing foundation under him, he could very well be. We should know at about the eighth pole. He’s either going to blow right on by it or it’s going to hit him right in the face.

And who knows if the superstar isn’t I’ll Have Another? The way he keeps winning and the way he trains, he certainly has every right to be. And racing can use a horse going for the Triple Crown again.

I'll Have Another - Photo by Steve Haskin

If Creative Cause wins or runs big, he could become racing’s next iron horse. He just never runs a bad race, regardless of distance or track. And who knows what the future holds in store for Went the Day Well, who seems to have so much room for improvement.

The new shooters have as a whole an inconsistent running style. Teeth of the Dog and Pretension have been on or close to the lead on occasion, but they’ve also come from way out of it. The same can be said of Cozzetti. Let’s just assume that of these three, Pretension is the likely one to be a pace presence, because he’s shown sprint speed. The New York-bred Zetterholm is a consistent closer and will be looking for a hot pace to set up his closing kick, which he used successfully in his last three races against state-breds. He actually is a very attractive colt, with strong quarters and a great temperament.

Owners Tony and Ann Grey and Zetterholm - Photo by Steve Haskin

We’ve procrastinated long enough in regard to selections, so here are some ideas to play with. It doesn’t take a handicapping genius to realize the top four – I’ll Have Another, Bodemeister, Went the Day Well, and Creative Cause – the 1,2,4,5 finishers in the Kentucky Derby (gr. I) – are the dominant horses in here and could very well occupy the first four placings. That is the safe play for sure.

I’ll Have Another, as we have mentioned with great enthusiasm, has been a galloping terror, tearing around there every morning, while just gliding over the surface. He looks good physically and there’s nothing to indicate he won’t run another huge race on Saturday. He was feeling so good this morning he tried to rear after coming off the track.

Bodemeister’s coat looks good, with some dapples starting to peak out on his hind quarters. He’s also held his flesh well. We just haven’t seen too much from him on the track, mainly because his gallops appear to have no bearing on how he runs and works. It seems the faster he goes the better he looks.

Went the Day has really held his flesh well, has done everything in a professional manner, and looks to be sitting on a huge race.

If there is one thing he has in common with Creative Cause it is both colts have apparently matured in recent weeks and have a great deal of upside still left. Creative Cause had a rough day schooling in the paddock at Churchill Downs, but was much better the following day. Yesterday, he schooled in the indoor paddock, which can get quite claustrophobic, and stood in the stall like an old cow, without turning a hair at any point. He was a perfect gentleman the whole time he was schooling, so you have to think that perhaps he’s finally getting his act together. He didn’t do much on the track this morning, galloping once around, and was bouncing coming off the track and all the way to the barn.

Creative Cause returns from schooling - Photo by Steve Haskin

Although we haven’t seen Tiger Walk on the track, we did see him grazing at Sagamore Farm and were impressed with his physical prowess. He’s a powerful colt, who could surprise a lot of people if he can get a good trip from the rail, especially with the addition of cheater blinkers, which he wore in his sharp half-mile work last week.

Daddy Nose Best, who we fell in love with at Churchill Downs, was a late addition to the field, and, frankly, we have no idea what to do with him this time. He still looks good and schooled beautifully as usual, but who knows? He certainly wasn’t disgraced beating half the field in the Derby.

Daddy Nose Best schooling - Photo by Steve Haskin

Cozzetti, as we mentioned yesterday, is quite an eyeful. He didn’t have much of a gallop this morning, so there are no raves in that department. But we’ve never seen him gallop before, so it’s hard to judge anything off one gallop.

Teeth of the Dog hasn’t even shipped down as of this writing, so all we can go by is seeing him in his stall at Fair Hill, and he is one handsome colt.

Optimizer looks good physically and just pretty much goes about his business without raising any eyebrows.

As anyone who frequents this space regularly should know, I’ve been high on Creative Cause all year and have had him No. 1 on Derby Dozen almost every week since January. It is therefore natural to assume that if we abandon him now, it makes him a lock. So we’re going to give him another chance, even though the Belmont Stakes looks to be the race that is meant for him. In any event, we’re going to include him all almost all exotics, and feel he is going to be the forgotten horse.

Creative Cause - Photo by Steve Haskin

Mike Harrington eyes Creative Cause - Photo by Steve Haskin

Went the Day Well is going to get a good deal of action and deservedly so, considering the horrible trip he had in the Derby and the fact that he’s just now coming into his own and turning into a real racehorse. So, these would be our two win bets at the price and be included in the exotics.

Went the Day Well - Photo by Steve Haskin

Now, if you wish to break away from the Fab Four and throw in a bomb or two to complete exotics, the feeling here is that Tiger Walk is going to show a great deal of improvement off his recent races. And we wouldn’t be shocked to see Zetterholm possibly pick up a piece of it, considering he’s been here longer than anyone other than I’ll Have Another, has a big closing kick, and looks good physically. And we keep thinking about Icabad Crane, another New York-bred, who managed to finish third behind Big Brown in the 2008 Preakness. Zetterholm’s trainer Rick Dutrow, whose decision it was to run in the Preakness, doesn’t do anything on a whim and doesn’t run horses just for show.

We wish we could have seen more of Teeth of the Dog to get a better feel for him. If he runs big it won’t be a surprise, considering how good he looked in the Wood Memorial (gr. I), but we can’t go any deeper than the six mentioned. We could, however, put him in one of the exotics instead of Zetterholm just in case.

But that aside, it would be Creative Cause and Went the Day Well for win and play them in the exotics with I’ll Have Another, Bodemeister, Tiger Walk, and Zetterholm. If you don't want to stretch it that far, Tiger Walk is our key longshot to get a piece of it. And we like Ramon Dominguez on him, especially breaking from the rail. When it comes to Teeth of the Dog and Daddy Nose Best, we have to lean toward Daddy Nose Best as a substitute exotics play, mainly because we know the horse so much better of the two. In fact, for a minimal wager, like 50 cents, you can always box the Derby starters and follow the historical path. That could actually be the smart bet, and this way you don't have to give it much thought.

All we have to do now is come up with the right combination in the trifectas. But betting strategy has never been one of our strong points, so we’ll probably mess it up as usual.

Haskin's Derby Postscript: Zayat Marches On

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

Tradition!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Bodemeister - Photo by Steve Haskin

California Dreamin’

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

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

Some things just have a way of coming full circle.

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