Hangin' With Haskin : I'll Have Another

Defending America

Blood-Horse Staff — Thu, 18 Oct 2012 16:35:00 GMT

There was a column written recently about the “decline” of the American superstar and the “ascendancy” of the English superstar. According to the column, America’s “liberal use of drugs” is the culprit for the U.S. decline, while the exportation to England of young horses with Northern Dancer blood was said to be the contributing factor to the rise of the British superstar.

This is based on what, two recent superstars, Frankel and Sea the Stars? Yes, there have been several superstar fillies worldwide, such as Goldikova and Zarkova in France and Black Caviar in Australia. But they are no more superstars than Zenyatta and Rachel Alexandra, and perhaps even Rags to Riches, whose career unfortunately was cut short.

How many people have heard of the following horses – Pour Moi, New Approach, Authorized, Sir Percy, Motivator, North Light, and Kris Kin? Well, other than Sea the Stars, Workforce, and Camelot, these are the past seven winners of the English Derby. So, where is this supposed inundation of English superstars? Among the last 11 Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe winners are Solemia, Dylan Thomas, Rail Link, Hurricane Run, Bago, Dalakhani, and Marienbard. Not exactly household names, and this is the race that is supposed the determine the European champion.

The question that needs to be asked is whether it is possible, just possible, that the reason there have been several superstars in England recently is that the overall quality of their horses has actually declined, thus enabling certain horses with extraordinary talent to stand out more than they normally would. We’re not saying that is the case, and we’re taking nothing away from the amazing talents of Frankel or Sea the Stars, but in Europe there are fewer barometers to help define a horse’s greatness. Final times mean little or nothing, nor do closing fractions and speed figures. There is no gauge in Europe other than a horse’s record, number of prestigious races won, and the competition he or she faced, which is relative, considering the fewer number of group I stakes in England compared to the U.S., thus making it more difficult to assess one’s competition. Frankel did receive an all-time high Timeform Rating of 147 in the Queen Anne Stakes, but that is just what it says, a rating, and is purely subjective. And subjectivity shouldn’t determine superstars.

We have thrilled to Frankel’s victories as much as anyone, and we wrote an extensive column about him last fall. It is safe to say we will never see his like again. But does a rare freak like Frankel or Sea the Stars define the superstar status of an entire nation and denigrate the status of the American superstar?

It is well established that our recent superstar females easily stack up with the great fillies of Europe, Australia, and Japan. Unfortunately, many of our budding superstar males have fallen victim to injury. Who knows how special Smarty Jones could have been, or Afleet Alex, or even Animal Kingdom and I’ll Have Another. Who will doubt that Big Brown’s performances in the Florida Derby, Kentucky Derby, and Preakness were other worldly? He was one Breeders’ Cup Classic victory over Raven’s Pass away from true superstardom, but also fell victim to injury. Ghostzapper performed some of the most amazing feats in the history of the sport, despite his unsoundness. Perhaps it has been the effect of drugs long-term that has contributed to the unsoundness of our recent stars, but drugs certainly didn’t diminish their talent and what they did accomplish.

As far as the so-called decline of superstars after the glory days of the 1970s, America had the “misfortune” of having two superstars from the same crop in 1989. How often has that happened in England since Mill Reef and Brigadier Gerard in 1971? Just imagine if Easy Goer and Sunday Silence did not come along in the same year. Either one would have won the Triple Crown and the Breeders’ Cup Classic, and Easy Goer would have added the Whitney, Travers, Woodward, and Jockey Club Gold Cup.

We recall Giant’s Causeway and Sakhee being hailed as superstars in Europe, but both were out-gutted by Tiznow in the 2000 and 2001 BC Classic, respectively, when they tried to threaten America’s dominance on dirt. Finishing up the track in the 2001 Classic was superstar Galileo, sire of Frankel.

What if Alysheba hadn’t come along in one of the deepest and most talented 3-year-old crops in memory? As it is he still put together a Hall of Fame career worthy of superstar status. It is safe to say Personal Ensign and Lady’s Secret can be considered superstars. And we haven’t even mentioned John Henry, one of the greatest geldings of all time. Following the Kentucky Derby, Fusaichi Pegasus, one of the most magnificent-looking horses we have ever seen, was considered a potential superstar, but he, too, was plagued by unsoundness. The talent has been there, but the soundness hasn’t.

Let’s face it, the majority of our 3-year-old superstars, mainly our Triple Crown winners, came along in years where there were few if any major stars. Other than Alydar, how many major stars were there who competed against Triple Crown winners? Secretariat had one horse, Sham (Forego was an unfinished product in the Derby and nowhere near what he was to become); Seattle Slew had no one; Citation had one, his own stablemate Coaltown. Can anyone name any of the horses who finished behind Count Fleet, Whirlaway or Assault?

That has been the nature of the sport throughout history. A Triple Crown sweep and the birth of a 3-year-old superstar occur pretty much when there is one exceptional horse and little competition. All the “great” Triple Crown winners, with the exception of Count Fleet, proved their greatness after the Triple Crown. But horses were sounder back then and given the opportunity to continue their careers. Back in the Triple Crown-winning days, it was rare to have as many as 20 horses in the Derby. The fields were smaller and the number of proven stakes winners was far fewer. You had cheap claimers and inferior allowance horses competing in the Derby. Now, there are 19 or 20 horses in the Derby every year and each one of them has to qualify in graded stakes races in order to get in the race. You rarely had 12-14 horses in the Belmont, but that is the norm now, as is the increase in fresh horses, some of whom skipped the Preakness after the Derby, and some of whom simply were late-developers. All those factors make the Triple Crown much harder to sweep now than it was in the past.

We admit, we haven’t had a male counterpart to Frankel in many years, but let’s also remember that Frankel’s accomplishments can be equated to an American superstar who never competed at a mile and a quarter (the country’s classic distance), and we have had very few of those, if any.

It is important to remember that superstardom in England is often based on a single year of racing, as English Derby winners rarely race at 4. Only the Ballydoyle horses of Aidan O’Brien and the Juddmonte horses can be counted on year after year to race as older horses. So, in many cases, greatness in England is determined by perhaps a half-dozen races. Frankel is the rare exception with 14 races over a three-year-period. That’s still less than five races a year.

The bottom line is that we don’t feel it is fair to make such a broad statement regarding the ascent and decent of superstars, based on the heroics of two horses. And it is not fair to denigrate the talent of the American Thoroughbred when it is not given the opportunity to demonstrate that talent over the course of an entire career.

American blood has indeed been diluted with the inundation of speed, and perhaps we have been “breeding the bone” out of the Thoroughbred, all for the sake of the sales market and the instant gratification that is primary in so many owners. But we still have the ability to produce a superstar colt. One of these years we’ll get one that stays sound, and we, too, will be able to rejoice in the heroics of a horse like Frankel over a period of time.

Paul Reddam Guest Blog

aspradling — Mon, 09 Jul 2012 17:49:00 GMT

The following guest blog was written by I’ll Have Another’s owner Paul Reddam in response to some of the concerns of the public regarding the colt’s injury and retirement. On a personal note, Reddam has always been extremely conscientious when it comes to the public’s feelings and the passion they exhibit when it comes to horses and racing and he appreciates all the emotion that has been invested in I’ll Have Another and the fans’ support throughout the Triple Crown.

After reading the article “I Won’t Have Another,” and reading some of the reaction to it, I would like to fill in a few blanks that have only amplified some racing fans’ feelings of frustration and forlorn with the outcome of the Triple Crown and the subsequent sale of I’ll Have Another. The purpose here is not to persuade people that what was done was correct, but rather to provide more information, so that emotions may have closure. I would expect that after reading this, there will still be fans who are cynical about the connections, think that this is a bunch of lies, what have you, but hey, that’s what makes racing so fun and challenging, isn’t it? Racing fans, especially the gamblers, are very opinionated and they will look at the same information and come to very different conclusions – hence, the toteboard.

Nevertheless, I’ll put it out there and let the chips fall wherever they land.

Having to scratch IHA the day before the Belmont was a complete shock. When he came off the track on Thursday, I was walking back to the barn with Doug (O’Neill) and he was so happy with how he had trained he said to me, “He can’t lose.” I had no inkling how ironic this prediction would turn out to be. A couple of hours later we had lunch and decided that the horse was fit and sound, so there was no need to doing anything strenuous on Friday and it was decided to give him an easy day. Doug said he would track him at 5:30 on Friday to avoid the hoopla and for me to give a call after that.

On Friday morning I called him about 6:45 and he said there were a lot of people around and could I call back in a little while. There was something odd in his voice, but I put it down to the stress of the situation. I reached him at about 9 o’clock and he said that IHA had some heat in his front leg and a little bit of swelling. He speculated that he had perhaps banged it and thought/hoped it was nothing. He wasn’t sure whether he wanted to call the vet, as this would bring with it a media circus since the horse was in the same barn as the other Belmont participants. The horse demonstrated no lameness and thus it was a tough call.

Finally we decided that the vet should come and do a scan and if the results showed nothing, everything would ultimately be fine, and how could he be blamed for being extra cautious about our Triple Crown horse. Doug said he would call back in an hour. The first words in the call were, “No bueno.” My heart sank. The scan showed that IHA had a tiny tear in his tendon. Think of it like a tear in the seam of pair of pants. You could keep wearing the pants, and maybe the first time or two, the pants would hold, but eventually they would rip. Knowing this could happen, there was no choice but to scratch.

How about the decision to retire him that seemed from the outside to be made so hastily? This was very painful. I was in the lobby of the hotel when I got this news. To explain this, I have to get a little personal. When I hung up the phone I sat in a chair stunned and trying not to cry. My little brother appeared, took one look at me, and asked me if our dad had died. I told my wife that I just wanted to get on a plane and go home immediately. However, that is not how people I admire would have behaved, people like the Mosses, Bob Baffert, and Mike Smith, all of whom have conducted themselves with great dignity under the harsh light of our business.

I had been riding on the coattails of this magnificent horse, always the underdog, who was one day away from becoming the true people’s champion. It was just an accident that I ended up his owner and in truth I had very little to do with his progression from a longshot bomb in the Lewis to odds-on to win the Triple Crown. He gave me an experience that I would have never dreamed possible, this unbelievable horse with the athleticism, mind, and heart of a creature that few of us ever have touch us face to face.

Thus the decision to retire IHA was made in less than a minute, as I knew as soon as I heard the word “tear” what the right and dignified thing to do was. (The term tendonitis was a word O’Neill used, believing it covered anything to do with the tendon). Assume for the moment the other path was taken. It takes about a year for a horse to heal from a tendon lesion. I know this from having had horses who have had the same issue, including Momentum, who we scratched the week before the Breeders’ Cup Classic in 2002. In Momentum’s case he made it back to the races in May 2004. He lasted one race and tore the tendon again. The fact is that horses hardly ever recover fully from a tendon injury, and generally speaking, even if they do eventually come back, there is a weakness in the tendon.

Is this the fate that this horse, undefeated at three, winner of the biggest race in the world, provider of an experience beyond a dream, something that money can’t buy, my true hero, deserved? Of course not. The actual decision to retire him was not even noble; it was the only thing that could be done under the circumstances as presented from my perspective. The hard part was going to Belmont and announcing it; seeing IHA looking absolutely fine and him having no idea that he would never run again.

Of course in retiring IHA, we knew there was a stallion deal to be made, so after the Belmont we sat back and waited for inquiries and offers. I confess I don’t know all of the ins and outs of the commercial breeding business, but prices for stallions are generally determined by what the farm thinks the stallion can stand for at a price where the stallion will get approximately 100 mares to breed on average over the first four years, understanding that the popularity and thus the number of mares and booking fee will be highest in the first year and then dwindle down through year four when the first crop hits the track.

There might have been a lot of talk behind the scenes, but there were only two written offers from American farms, one for 3 million dollars and the other for 2.5 million for half of the rights plus 9 lifetime breeding rights, which puts his value at a little less than 5 million. By contrast the offer from Big Red in Japan was 10 million, with another farm bidding just under that. For further contrast, Bodemeister’s rights recently purportedly sold for about 13 million in America.

Still, if I loved IHA so much, how could I take the Big Red offer instead of keeping the horse in partnership with a farm in America?

Well, certainly greed has something to do with it. Being that the one offer was four times higher in cash than the best offer here meant that I couldn’t rationalize not selling him overseas. Beyond that however, it should be said that the American offer anticipated a stud fee of $17,500 to $20,000, which means that he wouldn’t get the best mares and thus wouldn’t be given the best chance to succeed as a stallion. In contrast, the Big Red offer means that he will get a much better book of mares, and thus be given a higher chance for success. I am hopeful that we can buy a few of those mares in foal and bring them back to California, so we can have some IHA Cal-breds. As far as his care goes, he will get top quality care in Japan. People are not going to spend that kind of money on a horse and then neglect him. Certainly in Japan there is heightened sensitivity to this because of the Ferdinand tragedy a few years ago. Of course, if the horse was ever to become available we would buy him back.

I am saddened and surprised by my decision to sell IHA abroad, as I had assumed up until the day of his injury that he would run in the Breeders’ Cup Classic, the Dubai World Cup, maybe even the Arc, and then after his 4 year old season, or 5 year old season if he continued to win at the top level, that he would be a big time stud in Kentucky. So I have to question whether I am that shallow, as undoubtedly some folks would have kept the horse here despite the money. If the difference had been 2 million in valuation, I could have justified it, but it wasn’t, so I did what I did. I don’t believe it means that I love and admire IHA any less, but these are the facts, and everyone who cares to can make up their own mind.

I Won't Have Another

Blood-Horse Staff — Sun, 08 Jul 2012 00:15:00 GMT

Imagine if Beethoven had retired after his Fourth Symphony. There would be no Fifth; no Ninth.

Imagine if Hemingway had stopped writing after “The Sun Also Rises.” There would be no “Farewell to Arms;” no “For Whom the Bell Tolls;” no “The Old Man and the Sea.”

Who knows what great accomplishments would have awaited I’ll Have Another, who now flees to Japan, never to be seen again.

On Saturday at Betfair Hollywood Park, the Kentucky Derby and Preakness winner bid farewell to racing and America, his place in history no more than an unfinished symphony, much like Smarty Jones and Majestic Prince and Afleet Alex and Charismatic, and to a lesser extent Big Brown and Point Given – just some of the dual classic winners throughout the years who left an unfulfilled legacy behind with their premature retirements.

There is no right or wrong. The only truth we are aware of is that a brilliant, classy, handsome, courageous horse with the blood of champions coursing through every vein will race no more and will be leaving his place of birth because no one deemed him worthy to pass on his blood in America.

We have no idea what transpired during the two weeks between the Belmont Stakes and announcement that I’ll Have Another was sold to the Japanese. We have no idea how many American breeding farms were approached and made meager offers during those two weeks. We have no idea what the thought process was regarding the decision to retire him just hours after his injury was detected. All anyone knew was that, by the connections’ own admission, they could have run him even with the injury, which was diagnosed as tendonitis. Even though it would not have been a wise move to run the horse, that was not what people wanted to hear.

Those that flocked to Belmont on June 9, not only had to endure the heartbreaking news of the colt’s withdrawal from the third leg of the Triple Crown, they had to watch him walking perfectly sound around the paddock for some 20 minutes before marching into the winner’s circle; a place where most had expected to see him under far different circumstances. Of course, walking sound has no bearing on his injury, but to many in atttendance it was all about perception.

I have known Paul Reddam for a number of years and consider him a friend more than an owner, and know him only as a classy guy who has a penchant for finding top-class horses, winning top-class races, and doing only what is in the best interest of his horses. He is loyal to his trainer, Doug O’Neill, and obviously loyal to his jockey, as evidenced by his keeping the unknown Mario Gutierrez on I’ll Have Another following his 43-1 upset victory in the Robert Lewis Stakes.

All I know is that this was a gut-wrenching and emotional loss for Reddam, and it doesn’t do any good to ponder the extent of the injury or the events that led to the decisions regarding the quick retirement and sale of the horse.

The circumstances surrounding Saturday’s farewell left one with feelings of sadness and frustration, especially seeing this magnificent colt strut around the Hollywood paddock, his mane braided and wearing his familiar Sure-Win bridle as if geared for battle. With Gutierrez aboard and the crowd cheering, I’ll Have Another walked onto the track, his chestnut coat shining like burnished copper. He then was led into the winner’s circle, where he was coiled and on the muscle. The last people saw of him, he was prancing up the stretch on his toes, heading back to his barn. He looked more like a horse about to embark on new racing journeys and new conquests following an historic Triple Crown sweep. This was not the look of a retired horse about to embark on a journey to nowhere, which is where he was heading, as far as American racing fans are concerned.

There should be no animosity toward the Japanese, who are only doing what American breeders did more than half a century ago when industry titans Bull Hancock, John Galbreath, and C.V. Whitney snatched Princequillo, Nasrullah, Ribot, Mahmoud and Sea-Bird away from the Europeans to form the nucleus of today’s American Thoroughbred.

As for Saturday’s sendoff, we’ve been here before, having had to endure a similar scene in 2004 when Smarty Jones bid farewell to his fans at Philadelphia Park on an overcast, muggy afternoon. Children of all ages held up signs saying their goodbyes to the horse who had brought nearly 10,000 people to Philly Park on two occasions during the Triple Crown just to watch him gallop. As tough as it was to see him go, Smarty at least had his shot at immortality and failed, despite turning in one his most gallant performances. I’ll Have Another never got that chance.

For now, the memories of his stretch battles in the Santa Anita Derby and Preakness and his closing bursts in the Kentucky Derby and Robert Lewis will have to suffice. He left us with these indelible moments, and in racing nowadays one has to be thankful for any image of greatness that flashes before us, as fleeting as it may be.

I’ll Have Another and Smarty Jones have something else in common. Both were rejected by American breeders. Smarty was given a chance, albeit a brief one, but breeding in America is about instant gratification and marketability, and soon the top-quality mares stopped coming. Smarty had been a major tourist attraction at Three Chimneys Farm and drew large crowds on a daily basis. But when he failed to make an immediate impact the romance was over, even though he had his share of stakes horses. His owner, Pat Chapman, frustrated and disillusioned, brought Smarty back home to Pennsylvania, shuttling him to Uruguay last fall for six months. I’ll Have Another, unfortunately, was never even given the chance to fail as a stallion.

So, the last we will ever see of I’ll Have Another is the image of him walking off the track, leaving behind a morass of what might have beens. That’s what made this all the more difficult. I will repeat the words I wrote when Smarty Jones made his departure: In the end, the final glimpse of (I’ll Have Another) heading back to his barn for the last time brought with it feelings of deep gratitude and admiration, but also feelings of sadness and emptiness. After all, heroes are supposed to ride off into the sunset, not walk.

Later that afternoon, Quiet Oasis, owned by Paul Reddam and ridden by Mario Gutierrez, won the grade II Royal Heroine Mile. Life goes on.

Thanks for the Memories (Photos by Steve Haskin)

The Journey Begins

First walk around the shed

I'll Have Another and O'Neill

Roses for everyone

One happy groom

Morning after the Preakness

Basking in sun morning after Preakness

Saying goodbye to Belmont fans

Jerry Crawford, Paul Reddam, Ahmed Zayat dominated the Triple Crown

Haskin's Belmont Recap: Rag Time

aspradling — Mon, 11 Jun 2012 19:05:00 GMT

In his hauntingly melodic song, “Hallelujah,” Leonard Cohen wrote, “Baby I’ve been here before. I know this room, I’ve walked this floor.”

Many of the 85,811 on hand at Belmont Park June 9 had been here before, familiar with every hallowed nook and cranny of this historic structure. They walked its floors nervously waiting and hoping and believing, “With nothing on (their) tongue but Hallelujah.”

Just once they wanted to shout it to the heavens, but each time they fell silent. No Hallelujah. No Triple Crown winner. No history; just another Belmont Stakes and another fallen hero. But every time a horse wins the Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes they keep returning, longing to see their star “moving like a tremendous machine,” as the fans did in 1973.

This year, they experienced a new disappointment. Their hero was never even given the chance to fall, as I’ll Have Another, the horse who seemed indestructible, was withdrawn from the race the day before due to tendonitis in his left front leg, as a stunned racing world hung its head in sorrow and disbelief. They truly believed that after 34 years, this was the horse who would be allowed entrance into racing’s pantheon.

But from the ashes of yet another broken dream emerged a new hero, who many had believed back in February would be the one on the threshold of Triple Crown immortality. His name was Union Rags, the horse who seemingly had it all. He was big and beautiful and extremely talented. He was trained by Michael Matz, who had brought Barbaro into national prominence in 2006. He was owned and bred by Phyllis Wyeth of Chadds Ford Stable, whose remarkable story seemed destined to have its own chapter in the history books. He had shown his class, his speed, and his stamina by overcoming trouble to romp in the Champagne Stakes (gr. I) and just failed by a head in the Grey Goose Breeders’ Cup Juvenile (gr. I) after racing very wide every step of the way.

When he won the Fountain of Youth Stakes (gr. II) in his 3-year-old debut, the words “Triple Crown” were once again on everyone’s lips. If the drought was ever to end, this looked like the horse to do it. But the fairy tale came to an abrupt halt when the colt failed to overcome a troubled trip in the Florida Derby (gr. I) and a disastrous trip in the Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (gr. I).

After the Derby, the son of Dixie Union – Tempo, by Gone West returned to his home at the bucolic Fair Hill training center in Fair Hill, Md., while I’ll Have Another captured the hearts of racing fans all over the country with his gutsy victories over a stubborn and game foe in Bodemeister in the Kentucky Derby and Preakness (gr. I). A new hero had been born, with the stamina, courage, and toughness to conquer the elusive Triple Crown. The decades of waiting seemed to finally be at an end.

But with fame often comes fire, and the national media, as well as the racing media, went into attack mode by digging up and sensationalizing every transgression they could find on the colt’s trainer Doug O’Neill, who had been linked to a number of infractions over the years, including a recent suspension for a carbon dioxide (TC02) overage, in which he had been cleared of any wrongdoing by the California Horse Racing Board. But the media, most notably the New York Times, USA Today, Sports Illustrated and CNN, were relentless in their attempt to bring down O’Neill and besmirch the reputation of owner J. Paul Reddam.

After O’Neill’s suspension was announced, the New York State Racing and Wagering Board ordered all Belmont Stakes horses to be stabled in a designated “stakes” barn, beginning three days before the race. The turmoil surrounding the Belmont continued to mount with a threatened strike by New York Racing Association maintenance workers, I’ll Have Another being nearly run into by a loose horse one morning, the banning of I’ll Have Another’s nasal strips by NYRA, and licensing problems for the colt’s exercise rider. There was also the state takeover of the NYRA board. These unfortunate events overshadowed the feel-good, rags to riches story of jockey Mario Gutierrez, the hospital and youth club visits by O’Neil, the lighting of the Empire State building in Reddam’s colors, the overall accommodating and friendly nature of O’Neill and his team, and most of all the story that was unfolding regarding I’ll Have Another, who was turning in eye-popping “gallops” every morning and looked to be on the verge of superstardom.

While the firestorm surrounding the Belmont and O’Neill was dominating the headlines up in New York, a totally different scene was being played out at Fair Hill, with its forests and gentle rolling hills and winding horse paths, where horses frolic in sand pens and graze contentedly in paddocks. This is the home of Union Rags.

One morning, shortly after the debacle of the Kentucky Derby, Matz was applying ointment on the cuts the colt suffered on his pastern at Churchill Downs. A steady morning rain prevented Union Rags was going out in the paddock and he made his displeasure known. Matz had decided to skip the Preakness and point for the Belmont to give the colt time to recover from his ordeal.

“Everything couldn’t have gone any better except for the last two minutes,” Matz said. “And that was the only part we couldn’t control. I didn’t know what to say to Phyllis, she was so disappointed. You can’t criticize the horse if he isn‘t given a chance to run.”

It was pretty obvious at that point that Matz was seriously contemplating switching jockeys. Earlier in the year, the colt’s regular rider, Javier Castellano, elected to jump ship to ride the Todd Pletcher-trained Algorithms on the Derby trail, which prompted Matz to switch to Julien Leparoux. But that marriage wasn’t working out, and after the the defeats at Gulfstream and Churchill, it was time to change. Matz would eventually choose John Velazquez, who had ridden another “Rags” (Rags to Riches) to victory in the 2007 Belmont Stakes.

Union Rags, as most horses do, was flourishing at Fair Hill. Two weeks before the Belmont, he went out for a steady gallop following an early morning thunderstorm. His regular rider, Matz’ assistant Peter Brette, was taking his first day off in four months, and Paul Madden, an amateur rider who had competed at the Fair Hill races the day before, was given a leg up on the colt.

He walked in Union Rags’ stall, gave him a smack on the neck and said. “It’s an honor and a privilege to get on his back.”

After his gallop, Union Rags was put in the sand pen for a while before being turned out in a spacious paddock, as he is every morning. Matz was hoping to salvage one of the Triple Crown events and felt his best chance to do so was skip the Preakness and train him for the Belmont.

“I don’t know if a mile and a half is the place to accomplish that, but I feel he deserves to go in one of the last two Triple Crown races, and the Belmont looks to be his best chance,” Matz said.

Wyeth, meanwhile, had gone up to Maine with her husband, Jamie, a noted artist, to unwind from the bitter disappointment of the Derby.

“She was good right after the race, but as the week went on it started to sink in that it’s finished; that’s it, the Derby is gone,” Matz said.

Wyeth’s bloodstock agent, adviser, and dear friend Russell Jones, said, “She took it tough and rightly so. With all the attention she was getting, it put her on a level she wasn’t used to being on. She really doesn’t like all the attention. This colt has always been so special to her and to have the rug pulled out from under her was very tough. She went up to Maine and when I talked to her recently she sounded better, but she was whipped.”

The Derby wasn’t the way the fairy tale was supposed to end. The story of Wyeth and Union Rags had played out like some great saga and seemed destined to end the way all fairy tales do.

The story began on Wyeth’s historic Point Lookout Farm overlooking Pennsylvania’s Brandywine Valley, scene of the Battle of Brandywine, fought in the Revolutionary War. Wyeth’s parents, James and Alice du Pont Mills, raced under the name Hickory Tree Stable, based in Middleburg, Va., and bred and owned such top-class horses as Devil’s Bag and Gone West. Phyllis, who would hotwalk her father’s polo ponies as a young girl, said she could ride before she could walk. She worked on John F. Kennedy’s presidential campaign in 1960. In 1962, she was injured in a car accident, suffering a broken neck, which left her unable to walk. For 50 years, she has moved about in a motorized scooter.

“Phyllis is the most remarkable person I have ever met,” said her close friend Rick Porter, owner of Fox Hill Farm. “Her life was turned upside down and she’s been prevented from doing the things she was always able to do, mainly ride and jump horses. As a person, she is in a class alone from anyone I have ever met. Every day is full of roadblocks that most of us can’t even fathom. Yet, she always gets to where she wants to go, no matter how hard it is for her. She needs to have action and is always planning something. She never looks at a situation and feels defeated. She meets the challenge every time.”

Wyeth always dreamed of having that special racehorse, and she thought she had found one in a young Union Rags, who was the last foal from her favorite broodmare, Tempo, who had difficulty breeding and maintaining a pregnancy. They even thought they’d lose her on a couple of occasions. Her foal by Dixie Union was so laid back and easy-going you could sit on him while he was lying down in his stall. But he showed great promise right from the start.

That’s why Wyeth was devastated when her accountant told her she had to sell the colt in order to show a profit and run the farm as a business. This was the horse she had dreamed about her whole life and she was forced to give him up. She admitted she never had such affection for a horse.

She wound up selling the colt at the Fasig-Tipton yearling sale at Saratoga for $145,000 to IEAH Stable, who had won the 2008 Kentucky Derby and Preakness with Big Brown. But she immediately began having seller’s remorse and the thought of losing the horse brought her to tears. This was Point Lookout’s and her family’s legacy, and he was gone.

She kept having a recurring dream that she was meant to have this horse and told Jones to see if he could buy him back. Then one day about six months later, Jones called her and said the colt was in the Fasig-Tipton Florida 2-year-old sale at Palm Meadows. IEAH was having some financial issues of their own and had been pinhooking horses in order to create as much cash flow as possible.

They had sent Union Rags to Eddie Woods in Ocala to prepare for the sale. “He was such a big, beautiful mover,” Woods recalled. “He had the potential to be anything. And he was just the perfect gentleman to train.”

When Wyeth heard from Jones about her colt being in the sale, she was simple and to the point: “Get him.”

Jones told her she was going to have to pay a lot more than she sold him for, but she was determined to buy him back. Jones thought he could go as high as $400,000, and Wyeth told him to go to $390,000, and if she had to she would borrow the money from the bank. When the colt stepped into the ring, the auctioneer said, “Oh, boy, isn’t he beautiful?”

The bidding rose steadily in $10,000 increments, reaching Jones’ limit. He bid $390,000 and that was it. Down came the hammer. The auctioneer said, “Thank you and good luck,” and Wyeth had her horse back.

“It was as if it was supposed to happen,” Jones said. “She picked that number out of thin air and that’s what he sold for. You have to believe he was meant to come home.”

Wyeth turned Union Rags over to Matz and was a bit apprehensive when he entered him in a five-furlong maiden race at Delaware Park. Matz, who has never had a reputation for sending out precocious 2-year-olds, realized the colt needed experience and had been training well, so he decided to run him short. When the colt won, he and Wyeth knew they had something special on their hands. Romps in the Saratoga Special (gr. II) and Champagne followed, and then came the tough defeat to Hansen in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile.

To Matz’ surprise and indignation, Hansen not only won the Eclipse Award, but won in a landslide. “I didn’t mind losing the Eclipse Award, but I didn’t think Hansen should have gotten four times as many votes,” he said. “It was one of those instances where you look at something and say, ‘How can I be so wrong?’”

If Union Rags was going to have any shot at an Eclipse Award at 3, he would have to win the Belmont Stakes.

The colt remained cloistered at Fair Hill while I’ll Have Another and O’Neill dominated the headlines. I’ll Have Another’s arch rival, Bodemeister, owned by Zayat Stables and trained by Bob Baffert, was skipping the Belmont, replaced by another lightly raced colt from the same connections named Paynter, who at one point was regarded as the more talented of the two.

On the Sunday before the Belmont, Velazquez went down to Fair Hill to work Union Rags, who breezed five furlongs in a brisk :59 flat.

“Michael just said he wanted me to get a feel for the horse,” Velazquez said. “As soon as I got on him, the first words out of my mouth were, ‘Man, he’s pretty strong,’ Michael said, ‘Don’t worry, he’ll be good for you in the race. He’s been a unlucky horse, so just try to get a clean trip and we’ll go from there.’ He did everything so easily in the work; I was very impressed with him. Hopefully, I can give him the trip he deserves. He’s just a big, strong, gorgeous horse, and I think people are going to be surprised to see him return to the Union Rags they knew.”

The common thread that makes racing such a powerful and passionate sport is the cross-section of human interest stories it provides, whether it be about Phyllis Wyeth or the rags to riches story of Mario Gutierrez or a simple bonding between father and daughter.

One of the partners in Donegal Racing, owner of Dullahan, is cardiologist Rick DeNardo, who became involved through his daughter, Michaela, following his divorce. He was intrigued with the bond that was created between father and daughter in the movie “Dreamer,” which they watched together countless times. That led to a trip to the Breeders’ Cup and eventually ownership in horses. Their experience at the Kentucky Derby was one he will never forget.

“To do the walkover in the Derby with my daughter on my arm, it’s absolutely one of those indelible memories that will be with me forever and always bring a warm smile and a moist eye; just an unbelievable experience,” DeNardo said. “I’m mentally humbled and unduly rewarded to be able to participate at such a level. As a parent, there are events that are woven into the tapestry; memories that we create with and for our children, and this will forever stay with me. And I hope if I’m no longer here, Michaela will reflect upon them and cherish them as much as I have. It’s been absolutely beyond my expectations.”

Although 12 were entered in the Belmont, only five were given a legitimate chance to win – I’ll Have Another, Kentucky Derby third-place finisher Dullahan, Union Rags, Paynter, and Street Life, third in the Peter Pan Stakes (gr. II). Atigun, trained by Kenny McPeek, who upset the 2002 Belmont with Sarava, looked to have the stamina to be considered a live longshot.

Then the day before the Belmont, all hell broke loose as O’Neill and Reddam announced at a press conference that I’ll Have Another would not run because of a tendon injury and was being retired. The news came as a crushing blow to a sport in dire need of a hero and to all those yearning to see a Triple Crown winner, many for the first time in their lives.

Although racing had just had the wind knocked out of it, there was still a Belmont to be run.

Ahmed Zayat was looking to snap a frustrating run of second-place finishes and some bad luck in the classics. He had finished second in three of the last four Kentucky Derbys and lost the overwhelming favorite, Eskendereya, to injury the other year. Bodemeister was nailed on the wire in the Preakness, Nehro was beaten a nose in the Pimlico Special the same day, and Justin Phillip was nipped right on the wire in the True North Stakes on Belmont day.

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.

Prior to the Belmont, I’ll Have Another was paraded around the walking ring to a warm round of applause and then brought to the winner’s circle, where the fans got one final look at the horse they thought was destined to be the sport’s savior.

“I think of the journey he’s taken me on,” O’Neill said. “He’s such a once in a lifetime heroic horse. This has been so special for the whole team.”

Dullahan was made the slight 5-2 favorite over Union Rags, also at 5-2. Paynter, as expected, went to the lead under Mike Smith, and after a lively opening quarter in :23.72, he slowed the pace down, getting the half in :49.23 and three-quarters in 1:14.72, while maintaining about a length advantage over longshots Optimizer and Unstoppable U.

Velazquez had Union Rags down on the inside in fifth after breaking from post 3 and was just biding his time, waiting for room. The longer the race went the more uneasy Matz and Wyeth became, seeing the same scenario as the Florida Derby and Kentucky Derby unfolding.

“I was having flashbacks of the last two races and was starting to get nervous,” Matz said.

Paynter continued to lead, while under a comfortable hold by Smith and looked to be in control of the race, slowing down the fractions with a 1:38.85 mile. Passing the three-eighths pole, Atigun made a bold move on the far outside and looked to be a legitimate threat. Union Rags, meanwhile, had made steady progress without having to break stride at all, but found himself directly behind Paynter, with the outside sealed off by Atigun.

Smith could sense the danger from Atigun and went to a left-handed whip after turning for home. Paynter eased slightly off the rail, just enough to allow Union Rags a path, as narrow as it was. Velazquez jumped at the opportunity and came through the tight spot. Paynter had repulsed the challenge from Atigun and now had to turn his attention to Union Rags, who was creeping up on his inside.

“I saw the hole and I waited for it to open up,” Velazquez said. “I got lucky. The horse did it all.”

Paynter dug in again, but Union Rags kept coming and was able to just get up by a neck in yet another agonizing defeat for Zayat and Baffert. Paynter ran his heart out, especially considering the fact that he lost a shoe in the race. It was another 1 ¾ lengths back to Atigun in third. Dullahan never fired, finishing seventh. The final time for the mile and a half was 2:30.42, leading many to believe that the Belmont would have been ripe for the taking for I’ll Have Another.

But that will remain pure speculation. Union Rags had come through for Wyeth and Matz and closed out the 2012 Triple Crown by writing at least one chapter of the trilogy and turning the fairy tale into reality.

As Wyeth, seemingly overwhelmed by the experience, was wheeled into the winner’s circle, one of those cheering her on was her niece Sophie Derrickson, who lives in Bali with her husband Lance.

“I’m so happy for Phyllis,” she said. “She really needed this. After the Derby, she was great until she got home. Once she got home she crashed for several days and then left for Maine. Phyllis is like my mother. We’ve done everything together. We traveled together just the two of us when I was young and she was able to. Whenever she had something exciting to do she asked me to be there with her. It’s so wonderful to have such a great aunt who treats me like a daughter. I’m the only grandchild in the family. I only wish I’ll Have Never would have been here for us to beat him.”

Paynter’s connections took the defeat graciously, despite their bitter disappointment.

“Is there a Triple Crown for seconds?” Baffert asked. “I need a Triple Crown for seconds. I really thought he was going to win today. He was doing so well. I just feel bad for Mr. Zayat. The poor guy, he’s been tortured on this Triple Crown. Turning for home, I knew we had the horse to do it and that horse snuck up on him there. He’s still a young horse, still learning how to run. It’s over. When you get beat, you get beat.”

Said Zayat, “Heartbreaking defeat; just a heartbreaking defeat. He ran his guts out. What do they call that race, the ‘Test of the Champion?’ To go a mile and a half the way he did in only his fifth race I am very lucky to have him. I’m just very disappointed we opened the rail for (Union Rags).”

So, the tumultuous 2012 Triple Crown passes into history, with I’ll Have Another bidding farewell after coming one day short of possible immortality, and Union Rags, Bodemeister, and Paynter emerging as the stars of the summer and fall.

After the race, Wyeth passed on the post-race interview and was taken to the director’s room before heading back to the barn to see her hero.

“I want to see Peter and the boys,” she said, holding a half-smoked cigar. “I went upstairs, but it got so hot I was ready to pass out. I had to go out and have a little puff of my cigar.”

Union Rags had just been out grazing for a short while and Brette asked her if she wanted to see him out.

“No, if you tell me he’s alright, that’s fine with me,” she said. “You call me in two days and tell me if there’s any heat. I’m sorry I didn’t mention you (on TV); everything was out so of control.”

But Brette had the colt brought out anyway, and Wyeth wheeled herself over to him and gave him a pat on the forehead.

And so, Wyeth and Union Rags got to complete their fairy tale and live happily ever after. The horse was put on a van that night and returned home to Fair Hill.

“Tomorrow he’ll be turned out in a nice paddock,” said Matz, “and can stay out as long as he wants to.”

The journey begins. I'll Have Another arrives at Churchill.

I'll Have Another morning after the Preakness

I'll Have Another horsing around with Dennis O'Neill

Team O'Neill and Paul Reddam

Union Rags at Fair Hill

Breakfast at Belmont great for kids

Team O'Neill farewell photo with the Big Hoss

Proud Lava Man thinks the cheers are for him

I'll Have Another and crew one last walk

Haskin's Belmont Report: Remembering Big Red

aspradling — Mon, 04 Jun 2012 23:32:00 GMT

Steve Jordan will be celebrating his 64th birthday on Saturday; a day that could be made more exciting if I’ll Have Another should win the Belmont Stakes and become the first horse in 34 years to sweep the Triple Crown. But this will not be the first time Jordan’s birthday fell on a day when a Triple Crown sweep was on the line.

It happened on his 25th birthday in 1973. Jordan works out of Barn 4 on the Belmont backstretch as assembly barn coordinator. The “assembly” barn is where all horses must go before heading to the paddock prior to a race. The next barn over, about 50 yards away, is Barn 5, where Jordan worked for 16 years, first as a hotwalker and groom for Lucien Laurin, with whom he became very close, and then as assistant to Lucien’s son Roger.

On his desk in Barn 4 are two treasured photographs – one of him walking Secretariat and the other holding Riva Ridge as the colt eyed an admiring kitten perched atop the fence post the morning after Riva broke the world record in the Brooklyn Handicap.

Steve Jordan and Big Red

Although it’s been nearly 40 years and almost everyone from Barn 5 is gone, the memories are still fresh in Jordan’s mind as he recalls one of the most remarkable periods in racing and sports history and the colorful cast of equine and human characters who became household names across the country.

This was the era of Secretariat; a name that still echoes through the chambers of time. And Jordan was there every step of the way.

When he wakes up on Saturday and crosses off another year on the calendar and prepares to witness history once again, he can think back to the morning of June 9, 1973 and the anticipation in Barn 5 and the feeling of just wanting to get the inevitable over with. Jordan and everyone else in the barn knew they were, as the Moody Blues would say, “on the threshold of a dream.”

They were ready and Secretariat was ready. Boy was he ready.

“(Exercise rider) Charlie Davis was walking Secretariat around the walking ring,” Jordan recalled. “We had a pony shed in the yard with a tree next to it. All of a sudden, Secretariat rears up and Charlie has his hands full trying to get control of him. We look up and there’s this photographer up in the tree. Secretariat obviously heard the click of his camera. We got him back in the barn and chased the photographer away. I was going, ‘Whoa, it didn’t take much to set him off; just the click of a camera.’ That’s how sharp he was. He was always a manageable horse, and if he wasn’t he could have easily tipped over as strong as he was. I knew he was ready to do something special.

“I said, ‘If anyone thinks Sham or anybody else is going to beat this horse today they have no idea what they’re in store for. I remember saying to a writer that morning, ‘:24 flat.’ He said, ‘You really think he’s going to get away with a :24 opening quarter?’ I said, ‘No, 2:24 flat.’ He looked at me like I was nuts and walked away.”

Jordan had a friend coming in for the race and they had seats in the clubhouse. He remembers watching Secretariat draw away “like a tremendous machine” and getting caught up the pandemonium like everyone else.

“As soon as he put Sham away, the grandstand literally started to shake,” he said. “The place was rocking. I had never felt anything like that before. You look at the fractions he’s putting up and you ask yourself, ‘Could this be possible?’ He just kept widening and widening. Even after all these years I still get chills watching it. I remember after the race, it was a feeling of relief more than anything.

“Everyone had been so confident leading up to the race. We all considered Sham a very good horse. Pincay had tried everything he could to try to beat Red, and you had to wonder, how much could he have left? But there were still people who believed Sham would beat Secretariat going a mile and a half. The few of us that are left will tell you that Secretariat really hadn’t learned how to run at that point. He didn’t learn to run until the fall of his 3-year-old year. In the spring, he was strong and exuberant, and it was almost like a young professional athlete doing everything just on talent. It wasn’t until the fall that we all said, ‘Now, this is really getting scary. He’s really starting to take this seriously.’ There’s no telling what he would have been as a 4-year-old. When he won the Man o’ War, he was amazing. Tentam was a really good horse and he tried him and tried him and Secretariat just flicked him away like a bug.”

Jordan had been living in Detroit and was a huge racing fan, following Riva Ridge through the 1972 Triple Crown. He had married his high school sweetheart, and she saw how strong the lure of the racetrack was to her husband, so she encouraged him to go to the track and get it out of his system. That summer he spent the month with his brother, who lived in Glens Falls, about 15 miles north of Saratoga. He went to the Saratoga backstretch looking for work, even though he had no experience working with horses. Of course, the first trainer he went to was Lucien Laurin, who tried his best to talk Jordan out of pursuing a life at the track. Each day they two would talk up in the clocker’s stand and eventually became close.

Finally, during the final week of the meet, Laurin asked him. ‘So, young man, what are you going to do now?’ Jordan told him he was going to look for a job either at Belmont or Monmouth.

An incredulous Laurin said, “I spent the whole month up here discouraging you from getting on the racetrack. It’s bad for family life, the hours are long and hard, and it’s very unrewarding initially. Why would you leave your hometown to do this?”

Jordan replied, “Mr. Laurin, I don’t live in Saratoga; I live in Detroit.” Laurin had no idea and he told Jordan, “Come by my barn Thursday morning and I’ll give you a job.”

And so, Jordan was thrust into a new world, a new life, and the biggest whirlwind ever to hit the Sport of Kings. He got to work with Riva Ridge, as well an up-and-coming 2-year-old named Secretariat. Years later, Philadelphia Daily News reporter Dick Jerardi interviewed Jordan and used the analogy of a baseball player coming out of the minor leagues and immediately becoming the centerfielder for the New York Yankees in the World Series.

Steve Jordan, Riva Ridge, and Friend

“No one at the time really knew the magnitude of what was happening, but it didn’t take long for everyone to realize something special was going on here,” Jordan said. “Of course, there was nowhere near the media scrutiny in those days as there is now, with Twitter and all the forms of communication and social media.”

What media pressure there was really started after Penny Chenery (then Penny Tweedy) syndicated Secretariat for a record $6.08 million. What people never knew was how close the Secretariat story came to going up in smoke, literally, shortly after the syndication.

“After the syndication, I never really noticed any difference in the day-to-day operation, although there was a bit more pressure having a horse worth that much money,” Jordan recalled. “I remember we were at Hialeah that winter. Greentree was stabled right behind us and Eddie Yowell and Del Carroll shared the barn right next us. One day, in the middle of the night, there was a fire in Yowell and Carroll’s barn and it burned down, with all the horses getting killed. It was so bad, Greentree’s hay nets caught on fire, that’s how close it came to us.”

Secretariat finally got to the races at 3, having to lug around that “Six Million Dollar Horse” title. He swept through the Bay Shore Stakes and Gotham Stakes with no problem, and then came his showdown with California sensation Sham in the Wood Memorial. The race proved to be one of the shockers of all time, as Secretariat and Sham not only both lost, the winner was Secretariat’s stablemate Angle Light. That was the worst possible thing that could have happened to Laurin. He had beaten his own horse, who was worth more money than any other horse in history. The look on Laurin’s face in the awkward winner’s circle photo pretty much told the story. He would have to answer to Penny, and he would have to answer to the fans and the syndicate members who were all prepared to witness the first Triple Crown winner in 25 years.

“What people didn’t realize was that Angle Light was a pretty good horse who had run some big races in stakes, had two mile and an eighth stakes under his belt, and was on the top of his game,” Jordan said. “No one chased him in the Wood. They paid no attention to him, and he just kept going. Lucien was sick to his stomach. He knew what the implications were having Secretariat not only lose, but finish third. That’s when the pressure really started, and rekindled the talk about Bold Ruler and the mile and a quarter. Things started to snowball from there, with the syndicate members now having doubts after believing he was going to win the Triple Crown.”

Of course, it was discovered later that Secretariat had an abscess in his mouth and wasn’t able to grab hold of the bit. Jordan, however, knew nothing about an abscess and said no one mentioned a thing about it.

“That’s a story full of conjecture,” he said. “I’m not saying whether it happened or didn’t happen, I only heard about it later on, so I had no way of knowing. Eddie Sweat (Secretariat’s groom) and I were close and he never hinted anything about that. But then maybe he was told not to. I really don’t know.”

The only thing anyone knew was that Secretariat had worked a mile slower than usual before the Wood, and wound up turning in an uncharacteristically dull race.

Secretariat’s next defeat came that summer in the Whitney at the hands of Onion, which was perhaps the biggest shocker of them all, considering Big Red had won the Triple Crown and followed it up with an easy victory at Arlington Park before breaking two track records in a workout in the mud at Saratoga, prepping for the Whitney. After the defeat, it was announced that Secretariat had a virus and fever and would miss the Travers. This time, Jordan knew for a fact that Big Red was a sick horse.

“He was definitely sick for the Whitney,” he said. “I can’t recall any trepidation going into the race, but most of the time these things explode from the stress of a race. And I’m sure he was incubating something going into the race. Afterward, we just walked him for eight to 10 days. One morning I was out grazing him, and back then we used only a single chain. Out of nowhere, he started raising hell and rearing up right near the old wooden manure pit. The first thing I did was look to see where my car was parked, because I knew if he got loose I’m going right to my car and saying sayonara to the racing game; I’m gone. I jumped inside the manure pit to brace myself, and he finally settled down. I was ashen and my heart was pounding out of my chest. I looked up and saw Penny and Lucien standing at the end of the shedrow and they’re both smiling. Lucien yells to me, ‘Stevie, you can bring him in now. I guess he’s feeling better, isn’t he?’”

Jordan had discovered earlier just how strong Big Red was when the colt lifted him off the ground just by sneezing.

The inaugural Marlboro Cup was getting close and everything had to go perfectly for Secretariat to make the race. The race initially was designed as a match race between Secretariat and Riva Ridge, but the Whitney defeat and a Riva Ridge loss on the grass took the luster out of that concept, and it was changed to an invitational, with the best horses in the country invited. But could Big Red make the race?

“One morning I was standing in the yard with Lucien and (assistant) Henny Hefner and Lucien said, ‘I don’t know, this is really squeezing on this horse to make this race after being as sick as he was. This is a big task facing all these good horses,’” Jordan recalled. “Henny always had a way of putting things in perspective, and he shrugged his shoulders and just said, “Well, boss, then we’ll just win in it with the other horse.’”

History shows that Secretariat, after turning in a brilliant final work, blew by Riva Ridge in the stretch and won the Marlboro Cup in world-record time.

“After the race, I was standing by the rail and Charlie Whittingham, who had Cougar and Kennedy Road in the race, was down there waiting for them to come back,” Jordan said. “Cougar (who finished a well-beaten third) came back first. (Bill) Shoemaker jumped off Cougar no more than five yards from me and pulled the tack off and just looked at Charlie, and all he said was, “Charlie, those are two runnnin’ sonofabitches that beat us.”

When Lucien Laurin retired, Jordan, who had also worked for a short while at The Meadow, became an assistant to Roger Laurin during the days of Chief’s Crown, whose groom was Eddie Sweat. He then went out on his own, training from 1986 to 2003 before returning to New York, where he worked as the Race Day Barn Security Coordinator. He remembers one year at Delaware Park, it was Kentucky Derby day, and he was saddling a horse he owned in a $5,000 claiming race and he was 50-1.

That was a harsh awakening that the days of Secretariat and Riva Ridge and the Triple Crown were long gone. But Big Red and Riva and Lucien and Penny and everyone in Barn 5 had become his family, and family memories remain vivid forever. As Jordan said, “You savor things whenever you can savor them and the years don’t take that away from you.”

Haskin's Belmont Report: Why the Crown is Harder Now

aspradling — Sun, 03 Jun 2012 23:49:00 GMT

After 34 years and 11 failures, this is the year the Triple Crown will be conquered…right? It’s so close you can taste it. Unfortunately, the taste hasn’t lasted very long, quickly dissipating somewhere between the quarter pole and eighth pole of the 12-furlong Belmont Stakes (gr. I).

Well, once again, the tantalizing taste has returned. We are so close the adrenaline is already pumping. You can visualize it happening and can even project the feelings of euphoria that will encompass you when it does. You convince yourself I’ll Have Another is the one that the racing gods, or whatever divine powers in which you choose to believe, have decreed to be the chosen one.

Generations of racing fans have never seen racing’s ultimate quest achieved. Many weren’t even born the last time it was done. But like most other quests, the longing for something often turns out to be more stimulating than actually achieving it.
If I’ll Have Another does stamp his name in the history books, what will become of future horses attempting to sweep the Crown? Will anyone care? Will the novelty and historical significance be gone in this quick-fix and move-on society?

Those thoughts are way too deep right now. In this moment, everyone wants it badly and racing needs it badly, as temporary a tonic as it may be.

But after so many failures, the question must be asked: Is I’ll Have Another, or any other horse these days, equipped to handle the Belmont Stakes, which has gone through a metamorphosis in recent years, making it tougher to win than it was decades ago?

I’ll Have Another looks as equipped as any other horse we’ve seen since Spectacular Bid. He has the temperament, the pedigree, the class, the versatility, and the tactical speed to excel over Belmont’s grueling 1 1⁄2 miles.

So, why the question mark? Simple, because the entire nature of the Belmont Stakes has changed as has the entire nature of training 3-year-olds. Because we have so many late-developing 3-year-olds and so many trainers looking to salvage something out of the Triple Crown, the concept of competition has changed. Whereas during the Triple Crown decades ago the Belmont Stakes was mainly a coronation for the Kentucky Derby and Preakness winner who pretty much faced small fields consisting mainly of horses he’d already beaten, today’s Derby and Preakness winner must face a large field consisting of a number of fresh faces and horses that ran in the Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (gr. I), but skipped the Preakness. Add to the number of legitimate contenders those that run just for the sake of running and you have two major obstacles—fresh, talented horses and a cluttered field, often consisting of several no-hopers with little or no stakes experience.

To demonstrate the dramatic change in the Belmont Stakes, the 11 Triple Crown winners faced 42 opponents in the Belmont, while the 11 Derby and Preakness Stakes (gr. I) winners since Affirmed who failed in the final leg of the Triple Crown faced 92 opponents in the Belmont.

Not a single Triple Crown winner faced more than seven opponents in the Belmont. But of the 11 failed attempts, five of them had fields of 10 horses or more, and only three had fields of less than nine.

Of the so-called spoilers, only three ran in the first two legs of the Triple Crown (Victory Gallop, Easy Goer, and Bet Twice, who among them had five seconds and a third in the first two legs), four ran in only one leg of the Triple Crown, and four did not run in any of the previous Triple Crown races.

So, it is apparent that the Belmont Stakes has become much more of an obstacle than it was in the past. Citation could get away with stumbling at the start. Whirlaway, a stone closer, could get away with being closer to the pace in a four-horse field. Secretariat could get away with running his first six furlongs in 1:094⁄5 in a five-horse field. Affirmed, with only four opponents, could get away with turning the Belmont into a virtual match race with the only horse (Alydar) that stood in his way of a Triple Crown sweep. Count Fleet, facing only two opponents, could get away with opening a 12-length lead after three-quarters. War Admiral could get away with being fractious in the gate while facing six rivals. Omaha, facing only four opponents, could get away with being shuffled back after the break. When Sir Barton defeated two opponents, there was no such thing as the Triple Crown.

As great as most of those horses were, it would have been interesting to see if they had gotten away with all that in fields of 10 to 12, consisting mainly of classy, fresh horses pointing just for this race.

I’ll Have Another will be facing a large field that figures to include fresh grade I winners from the Derby, Union Rags and Dullahan, both of whom had bad trips; and up-and-coming stars such as Paynter, who is coming off posting a 106 Beyer Speed Figure, and the powerful stretch runner Street Life, a fast-closing third in the Peter Pan Stakes (gr. II).

Many feel today’s Thoroughbred cannot handle three grueling races at three different tracks at three different distances in the span of only five weeks. There is nothing to substantiate such a claim, however. It’s not as if many of the horses trying for a Triple Crown sweep, like Silver Charm, Real Quiet, Smarty Jones, and Charismatic, didn’t run winning races in the Belmont. It’s not as if horses such as Easy Goer, Arts and Letters, Afleet Alex, Risen Star, Point Given, and Tabasco Cat, just to name a few, didn’t get better throughout the Triple Crown, with all but Easy Goer winning the final two legs.

Some say the winning Triple Crown is more difficult now because today’s Thoroughbreds are more fragile than those of yesterday. That really doesn’t hold water either. While it may be true to a degree, it only takes one horse to sweep the three races, and surely not every horse in the country is too fragile to put together three top efforts in five weeks. Are horses trained too conservatively because they are not able to handle racing or are horses not able to handle racing because they are trained too conservatively. If horses require five and six weeks now between races, why have eight of the last 15 Kentucky Derby winners been able to come back in two weeks and win the Preakness, and in many cases run better races than they did in the Derby?

Another obstacle that often goes unnoticed is Belmont Park itself. Going 1 1⁄2 miles, most jockeys don’t how to ride there and most horses don’t know to run there. Compared to other American racetracks, Belmont is a freak, designed by sportsmen to emulate the sweeping race courses of Europe. Despite the Belmont distance and the physical nature of the track, tactical speed is still a horse’s most dangerous weapon. Settling into a steady rhythm and relaxing are imperative. Getting hung wide on the turn of no return normally spells disaster. Occasionally, it can be done by a true stayer in an inferior field, but that’s only on rare occasions.

Compared to most of the Derby and Preakness winners since Affirmed who have to failed to sweep the Triple Crown, I’ll Have Another may have the best credentials because none of the Belmont’s obstacles should bother him. He has the tactical speed, he can settle comfortably wherever Mario Gutierrez wants him, he’s bred to get the 1 1⁄2 miles, and he has the right temperament and constitution. Stabled at Belmont for three weeks, he will be familiar with the surface. Gutierrez must also familiarize himself with the track and should take as many mounts as possible. With Gutierrez coming from bullring and Quarter Horse tracks, Belmont will be a rude awakening, even with him having ridden so well at Churchill Downs and Pimlico. But so far, he has adjusted and adapted to everything put before him.

I’ll Have Another will be the fourth Santa Anita Derby (gr. I) runner since Affirmed to attempt a Triple Crown sweep. And Affirmed also ran in the Santa Anita Derby, so that has been the best prep race to at least get a horse this far. The Wood Memorial (gr. I) and Blue Grass Stakes (gr. I) produced two such horses. And remember, two of those Santa Anita Derby runners, Real Quiet and Silver Charm, came the closest to sweeping the Triple Crown, losing the Belmont by a nose and three-quarters of a length, respectively.

One aspect of preparing a horse for the Triple Crown that has changed is how to get started. It is interesting to note that seven of the last eight Triple Crown winners began their 3-year-old campaign in sprints. Whirlaway, in fact, made his first five starts at 3 in sprint races. The belief back then was that it was best to sharpen a horse before sending him two turns. Running two turns off a layoff early in the year can often be too taxing on a young horse and does not leave sufficient room for improvement as the distances stretch out. That could be one of the reasons that many of our horses run their best Beyer Speed Figures early as 3-year-olds and never duplicate them.

But all the comparisons of Triple Crown winners and near Triple Crown winners mean very little and are merely fodder for conversation. What we’ve learned over the past three decades is that there is no blueprint on how to win the Triple Crown, and the campaigns of the greats of the ’30s, ’40s, and ’70s bear no resemblance to modern-day racing. And we can safely say the Belmont Stakes then and the Belmont Stakes now are worlds apart.

The only conclusion that can be made in regard to the race as the final leg of the Triple Crown is that it was a lot easier to win it back then. That is why it’s worth the wait until we find a horse worthy enough to conquer all three races. One thing is for sure—whoever finally succeeds will have earned it.

Haskin's Belmont Report: 'Another' Gallop? Not Quite

Blood-Horse Staff — Fri, 01 Jun 2012 12:58:00 GMT

So, I’ll Have Another will gallop up to the Belmont Stakes. Well, that’s what we’ve been told. Officially, that is correct, as there will be nothing on the worktab under the name I’ll Have Another.

But if you’re concerned that the Kentucky Derby and Preakness winner will be compromised by not having a work, unlike the past three Triple Crown winners, who had long works in between the Preakness and Belmont, you can rest easy. We were one of those concerned at first, mainly because we felt the lack of a work could have the colt a bit too fresh going a mile and half, where a horse cannot afford to be too keen early, even a little. The Belmont is all about relaxing early and settling into a good rhythm.

So, why would the lack of a workout not be a concern in the case of I’ll Have Another? Because he has indeed been working. We all know by now that I’ll Have Another is a galloping machine, storming around the track every at a wicked pace. He did it at Churchill Downs, he did it at Pimlico, and he’s doing it at Belmont.

We came across a video of Thursday’s gallop on YouTube, at least part of it, from the sixteenth pole to the beginning of the backstretch, where I’ll Have Another began to pull up. What we saw was no gallop. Passing the finish line, this horse was working, regardless of how you want to officially classify it. Although it was on a computer screen, several of the poles were clearly visible, so we thought we’d put a watch on it just for the heck of it.

The finish line as a starting point was easy to catch. The seven-eighths pole looked pretty clear, but not being there you couldn’t be sure of the angle. It was, however, clear enough that the difference would be no more than a fifth or two-fifths of a second, tops.

The first time, as we watched I’ll Have Another ease slightly toward the rail as if in work mode and motor past the finish line, we were amazed to catch him from the finish line to the seven-eighths pole in :11 4/5. OK, no way, so we tried it again -- :11 4/5. The next time, we made an angle adjustment and waited a hair longer -- :12 flat. A few more times – all :12 flat. One more angle adjustment, waiting even longer -- :12 1/5. After several more attempts, we just accepted that one of these times was correct. Regardless of which one, you don’t see splits of :11 4/5 or :12 or :12 1/5 going an eighth past the wire in a gallop. You rarely see it in a work.

We continued to time the “gallop” out all the way around the big sweeping turn. By now, I’ll Have Another was indeed galloping out and farther off the rail, looking as if he had just worked, and still went three-eighths past the wire in :39 3/5. A two-minute lick, basically the fastest type of gallop you’ll see, is a series of :15-second eighths, which will give you a mile gallop in two minutes. During a two-minute lick, a horse will go three-eighths in :45, not :39 3/5. That’s a difference of 27 lengths.

Was this gallop exceptionally fast for I’ll Have Another or the norm? It just so happened that on a TVG round table discussion that same night, they showed I’ll Have Another galloping in the mud on May 27. This time it was from the eighth pole to the seven-eighths pole, and shot from farther away, which made the angle much more defined. Fortunately, we had recorded it on DVR it and were able to play it back several times. Each time, we got the same results. I’ll Have Another, again down on the inside, went from the eighth pole to the wire in :13 flat and then from the wire to the seven-eighths pole in :12 1/5, which was the slower of the splits we got in Thursday’s gallop, leading us to believe that on a fast track, our original :11 4/5 might have been correct.

Of course, he didn’t look as if he was going that fast, but exceptional horses often look as if they’re going slower than they actually are. And he has such a smooth, efficient stride it can be deceiving.

In this particular May 27 “gallop,” he came through the stretch a quarter in :25 1/5. Once again, these are work splits, and not even close to a typical gallop. And the emphasis seems to be on getting the colt to run “through” the wire, as they say.

So, what is the point of all this? The point is, we believe we are dealing with an extraordinary horse who would prove to be a worthy Triple Crown winner. We’re not making any predictions yet, but let’s just say, with his pedigree, power, speed, class, courage under fire, and ability to rate, we could be looking at something special. Whether that equates to a Belmont victory, who knows?

If I’ll Have Another should win the Belmont, there is no way of knowing for sure just how much these daily gallops will have contributed to the victory, but we feel the subject is worth mentioning to show one more example of why this colt is different and stands out from other horses.

Seattle Slew and Affirmed both solidified their greatness with championship campaigns at 4, while Secretariat won four stakes later on as a 3-year-old. So, if I’ll Have Another is fortunate enough to sweep the Triple Crown, let’s give him the opportunity to earn his place among the greats before making any comparisons and judgments based only on what he’s accomplished through early June of his 3-year-old campaign.

There is one thing he has going for him in addition to the aforementioned attributes. He has proven there is nothing ordinary about him.

Haskin's Belmont Report: What's Shakin' with Cal Board?

Blood-Horse Staff — Sat, 26 May 2012 01:06:00 GMT

OK, let’s get this straight, just to make sure we’re not all being Punk’d. The California Horse Racing Board, in all its divine wisdom, has decided to dredge up a nearly two-year-old carbon dioxide overage on a Doug O’Neill-trained horse and make a ruling on it two weeks before O’Neill will attempt to sweep the Triple Crown with I’ll Have Another, who should be a feel-good story. But heaven forbid racing should allow one of those.

The California board didn’t rule on this six months ago, or a year ago, and even if they didn’t have their findings then or it was under litigation, they apparently felt as if it was in racing’s best interest not to wait until after the Belmont Stakes (gr. I) to issue a ruling. And they’re not singling out O’Neill; we get it. They would have done the same thing had it been Bob Baffert or Dick Mandella or most any other trainer. Uh huh.

They also decided to issue their ruling at this ill-advised time even though they were aware that the evidence shows the horse involved, Argenta, was not milkshaked, and that the elevated TCO2 level was caused by other means, like perhaps something natural, which is not uncommon. The hearing officer also concluded there were no suspicious betting patterns – Argenta finished out of the money -- and a determination was made that there was no evidence of any intentional acts by O’Neill in regard to this incident.

So, the Board decided out of the kindness of their heart to suspend O’Neill “only” 45 days and stay the remainder of a maximum 180-day ban.

OK, we fully understand racing’s absolute insurer rule that holds a trainer responsible for any positive, whether deliberate or not. We get it. We get the fact that O’Neill has had a number of other violations over the years.

We don’t question the ruling that O’Neill should be suspended if his horse was found to have a TCO2 level above the legal limit. It is something he can always appeal. Under the circumstances, however, and the findings, a fine might have been sufficient, but that’s not the issue here. We understand a horse can show up positive for opium as a result of coming in contact with someone’s poppy seed bagel. Stuff happens.

But we do, however, question the timing of it and to some degree even the length of it. Knowing prior to the ruling that O’Neill did nothing intentional and did not milkshake the horse, the Board still went ahead and issued their ruling at this time, fully aware that they would be adding fuel to an already growing media fire. Yet another mind-boggling move for the good of racing, right?

This is like some members of PETA and other organizations, having no regard for the facts, coming out of the woodwork and attempting to cut off racing’s left arm, and racing responding to it by attempting to cut off its right arm.

Did the CHRB sit down at any point and come to the realization that it didn’t matter if O’Neill was suspended 10 days or five days. The headlines are going to read that the trainer going for the Triple Crown has been suspended for milkshaking, and even if milkshaking is not mentioned in the headline, it will be in people’s minds. No one is going to go down four or five paragraphs into the story to discover that it was proven he did not milkshake the horse or do anything sinister. And many of those who do will read right over that little tidbit of information. All the national media is going to see and play up is the word “suspension.” You add “suspension” to “Kentucky Derby” and “Triple Crown” and you have a media field day, as misguided and misinformed as it may be.

Good timing, CHRB.

I’ll Have Another stripped

Now we move on to the issue of nasal strips and the decision by the New York stewards not to allow I’ll Have Another to wear them, as he has in every one of his starts this year. Did anyone hear any complaints from opposing trainers all year?

Nasal strips were all the rage in the 1999 Breeders’ Cup, when a number of winning horses wore them. But they seemed to peter out over the years. Nasal strips are nothing more than a piece of equipment, and the Belmont stewards’ reasoning of not allowing I’ll Have Another to wear them because they need to regulate their use is pretty weak, and once again shows how fractured the rules of this sport are.

NYRA claims they can come loose or fall off before the race if they get wet. Well, bandages do come loose or can fall off on rare occasion. Reins can break, shoes can fall off, tongue ties can come loose. Once again, it’s a bunch of individual minds thinking separately instead of one mind thinking as one. Imagine if every owner of an NFL football team dictated his own rules. And we want to know why racing has problems. It’s not something as trivial as nasal strips; it’s the sport’s lack of uniformity.

“The Strips are to protect the horses’ lungs,” Nan Rawlins of FLAIR Nasal Strips said prior to the stewards’ ruling. “But many things go into winning a race. We’re pleased to be a tool for horsemen to protect their horses. And we hope that when NYRA makes its decision, it carefully considers the health and welfare of the horse and the science behind FLAIR.”

Apparently they didn’t.

Hangin' With Haskin: Lava Man Revisited

aspradling — Wed, 23 May 2012 13:49:00 GMT

In Sept. 2008, it was announced that Lava Man was going to be retired to Old Friends. It never happened. He had been turned out briefly on a small farm and all those around him stated emphatically that he hated it. The sedentary life wasn’t for him. He wanted and needed the action and excitement of the racetrack. He was returned to trainer Doug O’Neill’s barn, where he became a lead pony. After nearly four years working at his new job in relative quiet and tranquility, Lava Man, now finds himself caught up in the whirlwind of the Triple Crown. The cheers that accompany his star pupil, I’ll Have Another, are always within ear shot, and Lava Man has no reason to believe they are not meant for him.

In fact, many of the cheers now are meant for him, as evidenced by the ovation he received after the Preakness Stakes prior to I’ll Have Another’s return. He has had photos and stories plastered across the pages of publications all over the country, something he never even achieved during his magnificent career in California. He currently is a star on Youtube, where a laugh out loud video shows him walking the shedrow at Hollywood Park unattended and casually going over to a feed bin, opening it himself, and partaking in dinner. Watch the video here.

With Lava Man all the rage again, we thought this would be a good time to reprint a column we wrote back on Sept. 6, 2008, telling the story of one of the greatest claims in racing history, if not THE greatest.

Here then is the story of Lava Man.

June 19, 2003 was a warm, humid day in Stockton, California, with a brisk 20 mile-an-hour-wind. Those that attended the races at the San Joaquin Fair were there just for fun and certainly were not looking for any future superstars. The fourth race on the card, a $12,500 maiden claiming race for 2-year-olds, had no particular meaning, and you can bet no one paid any attention whatsoever to the fourth-place finisher – a 35-1 shot named Lava Man, who was racing for his owner, breeder, and trainer Lonnie Arterburn, along with several partners.

Following three more defeats, at Santa Rosa Fair and Bay Meadows, Lava Man finally broke his maiden by four lengths on the turf at Golden Gate under jockey Francisco Duran. Even then, the son of Slew City Slew had character and charisma, and made people notice him.

“I felt he was a special horse in his own way,” Duran said. “He was an incredible horse to ride, and he had a special demeanor about him. He also had a wonderful attitude toward everything he did. We all thought he was a good horse, but obviously we had no idea how far up the ladder he was going to climb. I don’t know how to explain how he got this good, but he’s evolved into an amazing horse.”

Lava Man followed up his maiden win with a starter allowance victory, but lost his next four starts before winning an allowance race on the grass at Bay Meadows by a nose. Arterburn had removed his blinkers for the race, and Lava Man showed tremendous courage to win after a stretch-long duel. It was that same tenacity and courage under fire that would enable to him to win back-to-back gut-wrenchers in the Hollywood Gold Cup (gr. I).

On July 28, 2004, Lava Man was entered in a $62,500 claiming race on the grass at Del Mar. One person who had his eye on the horse was Steve Kenly, who wanted to claim him, but was talked out of it by his trainer Doug O’Neill.

“On the form and on the Sheets, I just felt $62,500 was too much money,” O’Neill said.

Kenly, who had been looking specifically for 3-year-old Cal-breds, because of the state’s lucrative program, had his eye on several horses and Lava Man was one of them.
“Doug said there were more negatives than positives, and I told him, ‘Well, let’s watch him,’ Kenly recalled. “He was coming from Bay Meadows, and for whatever reason, I decided to wait. I watched the race with interest anyway and took notes.”

Lava Man finished sixth in the race, but had a ton of trouble, getting squeezed and trapped between horses. Kenly remembered that and stored it in the back of his head in case the horse showed up again for a price.

Meanwhile, Arterburn hadn’t realized what kind of a bullet he had dodged. Would he tempt fate again?

“The Claim”

The answer, sadly for him, was yes. On August 13, Lava Man was back at Del Mar, this time for a $50,000 tag.

“I never should have run him back down there,” Arterburn said. “You go down to that claiming pit at Del Mar and you’re asking for trouble. They claim crazy down there, and I never should have taken him there. I really liked the horse. He had a great personality; almost a clown. He was like a big kid, always wanting attention. He was a one of a kind character, and we tried to protect him the best we could.”

Arterburn’s friend, veterinarian Kim Kuhlmann, who was co-owner and is co-breeder of Lava Man, was friends with trainer Mike Puype, so instead of shipping Lava Man back to Northern California, they decided to leave him with Puype at Hollywood Park and let him train down there for a couple of weeks. When a $50,000 claiming race showed up in the book, Puype told Arterburn about it. Arterburn had Puype enter the horse and saddle him in his absence. It was a decision he has regretted every day since.

“He had gotten beat for $62,500 and was 9-1 in that race,” Arterburn said. “The bettors there didn’t give him any respect, and I thought the trainers wouldn’t give him any respect either.”

He was right about the trainers, but didn’t count on an owner.

“I actually was seriously thinking about scratching him right before the race, because I started to feel afraid that we might lose the horse,” Arterburn said. “For some reason, I didn’t, and now I’m sick as a dog that I didn’t go by my gut and scratch him. We paid the price.”

Kenly, meanwhile, had been on the lookout for Lava Man, and was delighted to see him show up for $50,000. This time, there was no stopping him. When he saw him entered, he called O’Neill and told him, “Well, you just saved us $12,500.” As it turned out, Kenly’s was the only claim.

But O’Neill and his brother Dennis still were less than enamored with the horse. “Doug actually was even more negative than he was the first time,” Kenly recalled. “He just didn’t like the horse. His running line was bad, and Doug thought he might be unsound. But he had a horrible run, and it was a typical Del Mar turf race where horses get steadied and never get out. He was trapped in there the entire race.”

“The beauty of Steve is that when he gets locked in on a horse he goes after it,” O’Neill said. “He had seen all the trouble he had gotten into in his previous race. So, we felt as long as the horse looked good in the paddock we were going to claim him. Lonnie had him looking great, and we put in the claim. I definitely feel bad for him, because I’ve lost a few grade I horses myself and it does get to you. This can be a brutal game at times. There are a lot more disappointments and heartaches than there are high-fives.”

It was decided to point him for the Pomona Derby at Fairplex, and Lava Man won the Derby Trial by 6 1/4 lengths in his first start for his new connections. He then finished a well-beaten third in the Pomona Derby and proceeded to lose his next six races. But he did finish second in the California Cup Classic and On Trust Handicap for Cal-breds before finishing a game second to Rock Hard Ten in the grade I Malibu Stakes.

Just when it looked as if his career was about take off, he lost his form that winter, turning in three poor performances in state-bred stakes, including the aforementioned Sunshine Millions at Gulfstream.

Then it was O’Neill’s and Kenly's turn to flirt with destiny. Arterburn, still upset over losing the horse, waited patiently, hoping to see Lava Man back in for a price. He was determined to get the horse back. It took a year, but there he was, on May 14, 2005, entered for a $100,000 claiming price.

Unfortunately for Arterburn, he was in the process of moving to Florida in an attempt to upgrade his stock and was unable to come up with the money. It was that move that precipitated his putting Lava Man in for $50,000. And now it was that same move that prevented him from getting him back.

“I was in the middle of real estate deals trying to get a farm bought,” Arterburn said. “I couldn’t find any partners who were interested in claiming him for that price, and I couldn’t afford to claim him back myself. It was bad timing for me and good timing for them. It was ironic, in a bad way, that we let him slip through our fingers because at the time we were in the pursuit of getting better horses some day.

“After that, it all went rosy for them. When he started running so good, I said to myself, ‘That’s it, I’ll never see him again. Game over.”

As Lava Man developed into a grade I winner and then a legend, becoming the first horse to sweep the grade I Santa Anita Handicap, Hollywood Gold Cup, and Pacific Classic in the same year, Arterburn became more distressed over his misfortune. Now he’s had to watch Lava Man make more history by emulating Native Diver’s feat of winning three consecutive runnings of the Hollywood Gold Cup.

“It’s almost killed me,” he said. “It’s not even the money, because I earn breeders awards every time the horse runs. I would give all the money back if I could do everything over. It just tears me up, but what can I do? You hope for a horse like that some day, and there’s no way I’ll ever get something like that again. I’ve always been a claiming trainer and this has made me hate claiming. All I can do is keep trying, but it’s hard to swallow. That’s why I’ll be glad the day Lava Man retires, because it still hurts.”

Kenly had lucked out getting Lava Man, as all the forces seemed to be working in his favor. So, why in the world did he and O’Neill decide to tempt fate and put a grade I-placed horse in a claiming race, albeit for $100,000?

“Doug is a gambler and a pretty aggressive trainer when it comes to claiming races, and the horse had two bad outs and he thought he could get away with it,” Kenly said. “I was against it and just kind of went along with him. I remember telling him, ‘We can’t replace this horse for $100,000; no chance in hell.’ I stayed in Phoenix and watched the horse win in fast time with blinkers on, and was nervous as hell until I got a hold of Doug. I said, ‘Please tell me we didn’t lose him,’ and he said, ‘That (expletive) Hollendorfer.’ When he said that my stomach just fell out; I turned from a nice tan to white. Then he told me he was kidding. I said I’d get him back if it’s the last thing I do. He really got me with Hollendorfer, because he’s the kind of guy who would claim a horse like this. He’s famous for coming down from Northern California and taking high-priced claimers.”

So, that pretty much is the story of Lava Man and the contrasting fortunes of two men. Kenly, as well as his father, Wood, and O’Neill, gives thanks every day for the fortunes that smiled down on him. But, he still never takes anything for granted.

“In this game, the minute you start getting cocky and think you know it all, the racing gods will strike you down with a thundering blow,” Kenly said. “It’s been a fairy tale, and we’re living right in the middle of it. You have to ask, ‘Where is this book going to go?’ It’s been like a great novel already and you just hope it doesn’t end. You know it will some day, and when it does, you just have to say, ‘Look what he’s done for us. He’s put us in the spotlight; he can’t do any more.’ If it ended today, sure we’d be upset and depressed. It would be a sad day. But on the flip side, we’re so appreciative to have been involved with a horse like this. No matter what happens, it’s in the books, and you can never take that way. It’s history.”

Last fall, Kenly was looking for an appropriate slogan for Lava Man. He inadvertently came up with a perfect one when he said about owning a horse like this: “We’re having a blast.”

Lava Man never showed his greatness outside of California. For one reason or another he ran poorly in all his forays outside the Golden State. But he still was the king of California. He still was a racing treasure. He still was a legend. In short, he still was Lava Man. And that’s enough in anyone’s lifetime.

All Photos by Steve Haskin

Lava Man waits patiently for I'll Have Another

Lava Man is used to cameras and fans now

Lava Man always with his head out

I'll Have Another is not his only pupil

Lava Man in all his splendor

Lava Man always bright and alert

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: Cause and Effect

Blood-Horse Staff — Thu, 17 May 2012 18:06:00 GMT

For the first eight months of his career, everything went right for Creative Cause. Is it possible for everything to then go wrong in the next six weeks? Yes, according to a great many experts and anyone else with an opinion on the do’s and don’ts of Triple Crown training.

Trainer Mike Harrington found himself thrust on the Derby scene and out of his comfort zone; the proverbial fish out of water. And how does the big cowboy feel about all the second-guessing?

“They obviously don’t think I know what the hell I’m doing,” he said.

OK, so here’s what happened in a nutshell to create the total metamorphosis of one the most consistent and classy colts in the country. After a near-perfect two opening races this year, in which Creative Cause was a good third in the seven-furlong San Vicente Stakes and a winner over Bodemeister in the San Felipe, Harrington decided to take the blinkers off his colt for the Santa Anita Derby, off a victory no less. The horse was beaten. Then he worked him with cheater blinkers, but kept them off for the Kentucky Derby. Then the horse tore off a chunk of his hoof on the trip to Kentucky and had to be equipped with glue-on shoes. Then he worked. Then he didn’t go to the track for two days. Then the warning flares went up. Something was amiss. The horse reportedly looked terrible on the track galloping, during which he sweated up pretty noticeably. Harrington all of a sudden was under attack from enquiring minds.

“Anything wrong with your horse?”

“No.”

“How come he didn’t go to the track for two days?”

“We always do that after a work.” The enquiring minds departed, still not satisfied.

Creative Cause was a drenched basket case schooling in the paddock. Few mentioned he was much better the following day. Even fewer mentioned that he often got hot back in California. After all, it was near 90 degrees in Louisville on Derby week.

Then the colt was scheduled to school for a third time, but was a no-show. Then came the rumors from various sources he was going to be scratched. Even the stewards called Harrington and said, "I hear you're going to scratch your horse."

“Not true,” said Harrington. “He couldn’t be doing any better.” No one believed him. The Derby experience was becoming an annoying test of the trainer’s patience, having to defend his actions and the horse’s well being. It was like taking an old taciturn cowboy and dragging him away from his home in Laramie and dropping him in the middle of Times Square.

Well, Creative Cause ran a darn good race in the Derby, despite a terrible trip, in which he was five to six wide the entire race and still was beaten only three lengths.

But afterward, the cowboy was it again, shipping his horse back to California and then back east to Baltimore three days before the Preakness. Of course, no one liked that move. Harrington explained it was like a person being more comfortable sleeping in his own bed. Still, no one liked it. What else is new?

So, here he is, ready for the second leg of the Triple Crown. No one seems to be mentioning Creative Cause or putting him up there with I’ll Have Another, Bodemeister, and Went the Day Well.

The cowboy couldn’t care less. He wouldn’t be here if he didn’t think he could win.

Sure, Creative Cause could show the effects of the Derby; so could any other horse coming out of the race. Is a plane ride back to California and another to Baltimore 10 days later going to hurt his chances? We would hardly think so.

If you look past all the nonsense and rumors and concentrate strictly on his Derby trip, his previous form and his consistency, and the fact that he’s already beaten I’ll Have Another and Bodemeister, he just may turn out to be the overlay special of the Preakness.

And if he should win, well, of course, Mike Harrington would be a genius. He would blow the smoke off the tips of his six shooters, flip them back into his holster and head back to Laramie. But this time he’d be riding a white horse…well, gray at least.

I’ll Have Another puts on a show

We’ve seen an awful lot of Preakness gallops over the years and honestly cannot recall seeing a better gallop than that of I’ll Have Another on Thursday.

It was a thing of beauty to watch; a textbook gallop – strong, straight, and silent. Strong in that he was again motoring around the track at a near two-minute lick pace. He ran as straight as the proverbial arrow, and didn’t make a sound, just gliding over the surface as smoothly and efficiently as a horse can travel. He lowers his shoulder and just takes off, with great extension to his stride. In other words it was one helluva gallop.

Two other horses who made a terrific impression this morning were Cozzetti, a big eyeful of a horse who has a great presence about him, and Went the Day Well, who we mentioned the other day as having shown little effects from the Derby.

Cozzetti - Photo by Steve Haskin

Went the Day Well - Photo by Steve Haskin

Lava Man - Photo by Steve Haskin

Doug O'Neill at local Boys and Girls Club Photo by Steve Haskin

Haskin's Preakness Report: Five Weeks in Spring

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Secretariat - Photo by Steve Haskin

Seattle Slew - Photo by Steve Haskin

Affirmed - Photo by Steve Haskin

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Haskin's Derby Recap: Cookie Monster

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Haskin's Derby Trail: The Fear of Losing

Blood-Horse Staff — Sat, 10 Mar 2012 19:12:00 GMT

The Derby trail is a perilous one, with all who travel on it exposed to its many obstacles and heartaches. It is where the strong are rewarded and the weak are gobbled up and spit out.

The trail is laid out to provide all travelers with numerous stopping off points along the way – each one being an opportunity to rev up the engines and continue moving forward in an effort to reach Churchill Downs in top condition and then peak on the first Saturday in May.

But there is no doubt something has changed over the years. The trail has been plagued by a disease that continues to spread each year and can derail even the most talented trainers and their steeds. It is called fear. Not fear as in one’s character, but the deep-rooted fear of losing.

What makes this malady so baffling is that the Derby trail is designed in good part to use defeat as a positive. In fact, only seven of the last 20 Derby winners won their previous start and only five of the 20 had won their previous two starts. So, 15 of the last 20 Derby winners suffered at least one defeat in their final two preps.

Look how much was learned as a result of Hansen’s defeat in the Holy Bull. Had the champ won that race and remained undefeated, do you think trainer Mike Maker would have tinkered so much with him, especially making two significant equipment changes? Now they have a horse who not only can rate, but rate off the pace.

Gut-wrenching final prep defeats no doubt helped toughen Super Saver, Street Sense, Funny Cide, Silver Charm, Grindstone, and Lil E. Tee, and prepared them for the battle ahead.

That brings us back to the present. The day before the Tampa Bay Derby, trainer Pat Byrne announced he would not run Take Charge Indy, who would have gone off as the favorite or second choice. Bryne told DRF, “We just decided we’re not going to go up to Tampa to come out of the 10 hole over a track he’s never been on before. We’ll just keep him here and shoot for the Florida Derby now. I guess it means we’ll be putting all our balls in one basket, having only one more Derby prep instead of two, but the Florida Derby is a $1 million race, so even if he finishes second or third we should have enough earnings to make the Derby.”

What Byrne is saying is that he doesn’t want to risk losing the Tampa Bay Derby because of the post. So, what if he did lose? Byrne had planned a three-prep schedule for a horse who is on the improve, but hasn’t run since Jan. 29. Altering a healthy, sound horse’s schedule when each race is so vital is tempting fate, as Byrne even alluded to. What if Take Charge Indy, who will be facing a top-class field in the Florida Derby, runs a good third, which would be excellent coming off a two-month layoff against the likes of Union Rags, Alpha, and possibly El Padrino? Then again, what if that’s not enough to get him in the Kentucky Derby field and he misses out by the amount he would have earned with a second or third in the Tampa Bay Derby? Not to mention the fact he would need a gut-check in the Florida Derby to be toughened and seasoned enough for the Kentucky Derby, with only two races under his belt this year. We only mention the earnings scenario as a matter of principle; he likely would have enough with a Florida Derby placing.

This is a horse who has picked up a check in every one of his starts, including a pair of grade Is and a grade III. Would breaking from post 10 have been that disastrous in a field with only two grade III winners where the morning line favorite had only run twice in his career and never in a stakes? Post 12 didn’t stop Hansen in the Gotham and look how much he got out of that race. Even in the worst case scenario that Take Charge Indy got caught incredibly wide on both turns and failed to pick up any money. Would he be in any different shape he is now heading into the Florida Derby other than having that all-important extra race in him?

Look, Byrne is a veteran, successful trainer of champions and multiple Breeders’ Cup winners, so we’re not saying what he’s doing is wrong; just perplexing. Take Charge Indy could very well be unaffected by this major last-minute schedule change and run his eyeballs out in the Florida Derby. But our old-fashioned brain just can’t grasp it. Again, from Byrne’s own comments, it all seems to boil down to nothing more than fear of losing.

Following I’ll Have Another’s resounding victory in the Robert B. Lewis Stakes at the insane odds of 43-1 in his first start of the year, it was decided to skip the San Felipe Stakes and wait two months for the Santa Anita Derby, despite the colt having had only three career starts, which were broken up by a five-month layoff between 2 and 3. The reason given in this instance was the “bounce” factor. Racing has become a sport ruled by speed figures and numbers, and, we repeat what we’ve been saying: gone are the days of sending tough, battle-tested horses to the Derby.

Because I’ll Have Another ran an outstanding “4” Ragozin number in the Lewis, the feeling was that he would bounce in the San Felipe. Traditional thinking asks, “So what?” Here we go again with the fear of losing. After all, these are prep races and it’s OK to regress a bit off a big effort. It’s OK to lose. By skipping the San Felipe, will I’ll Have Another, coming off an eight-week layoff, again be razor sharp in the Santa Anita Derby, possibly run another monster race, and then be in danger of bouncing in the one race in which you don’t want your horse to bounce? Why not just get the bounce out of the way two starts before the Derby when it really matters little? Then you can use the Santa Anita Derby to move forward, while getting a third race into him for foundation, and in his case, experience.

In short, the goal is to peak on Derby Day, not the race before or two races before. Ask John Shirreffs if all those consecutive defeats with Giacomo bothered him. They only bothered those who made him 50-1 on Derby Day. There was only one day Shirreffs was interested in getting to the winner’s circle. If you run a freaky race on Feb. 4, as I’ll Have Another did, you still have two more potential starts to turn the engines down and then start them up again. I’ll Have Another’s connections chose not to go that route, and again we’ll just have to see how it plays out.

With that said, we really like I’ll Have Another – loved everything we saw in the Lewis and feel he’s a much better horse than people think, which is why he’s been ranked so high on the Derby Dozen. And his owner, Paul Reddam, is one of our favorite people in racing and one of the easiest guys to root for. The Robert Lewis was far from a fluke, despite the crazy odds, and I'll Have Another could very well wind up the leading California Derby contender. You just can’t help but be a little leery walking on eggshells, knowing there is no room for even the slightest error or setback and the danger of another knockout performance. Knocking out your sparring partner doesn’t help you when you get in the ring for the biggest fight of your life, especially not having fought much over the past couple of years.

These are just two examples of trainers taking the conservative route and minimizing their chances of defeat. We have not heard either trainer say anything about their horse’s constitution or soundness, so we can only assume both colts would be physically and mentally up to the task of competing in three preps, which was never considered an arduous schedule.

Again, we have nothing but respect for Byrne and O’Neill and are not implying what they are doing is wrong. That would be irresponsible from someone who has never trained a horse. We mention all this having watched races, especially the Kentucky Derby, for over 40 years. We don’t knock what they’re doing. We just don’t get it.

(We’ll gladly print any further comments from Byrne and O’Neill in our next column)