Birds colliding with aircraft happens maybe more than you might think. A British pilot for Cathay Pacific once told me that he was flying a 747 from Hong Kong to Saigon when a large goose flew into the windshield at 30,000 feet, killing the co-pilot instantly. He had to bring in the de-pressurized aircraft to land in wartime Saigon.
Years ago I managed the Daily Racing Form office in Vancouver. In the fall, the thoroughbred caravan in Western Canada shifted to tiny Sandown Park on the east shore of Vancouver Island.
Racing was conducted on Friday and Saturday afternoons. My job was to make sure that the Saturday edition arrived at the track well before the close of racing, so that punters could buy it on the way out To accomplish this I booked a seaplane and hitched a ride along with the papers to spend the weekend on the island.
We departed from a dock directly behind the plush Bayshore Hotel (Howard Hughes was holed up on the top floor at the time). The plane gunned its way through ocean-going traffic in Burrard Inlet, climbed over the majestic Lions' Gate Bridge and took us on a magic carpet ride above the numerous Gulf and San Juan Islands that formed borders between Canada and the State of Washington. It was a great time to be alive!
The racing wasn't much on class but long on laughs. Alberta horsemen quit punching cows long enough to show up for the 15-day meet, as did Klondike sourdoughs, and hustlers of every stripe. One city slicker from Vancouver even felt brave enough to run a ringer one day (she ran second) and berated us on the ferry boat home that we were all so dumb we never knew he had run one under an assumed name. Unsurprisingly, the Mounties were waiting for him when we docked and hauled him off to the hoosegow.
Next time the horse ran the handicapper for the Vancouver Sun deadpanned that the horse in question "wasn't herself last time out". If memory serves, the miscreant dodged the rap. Back then what happened at Sandown stayed at Sandown, I guess.
One Friday afternoon I picked seven straight winners on a tip sheet that I published. I doubled the order at the print shop for the Saturday card, sure that the fans would be lined up waiting for me. As luck would have it, six inches of snow fell overnight, a rare November sight for an island warmed by the Japanese Current. Maybe 50 people showed up at the races.
Cowardly Lion didn't care about snow. The gelding won six straight races during the abbreviated stand, a rare burst of success for his owner-trainer Jock Iaci. Jock's family owned a popular eatery in downtown Vancouver which permitted him to dabble in the horse game. There was a strip club across the street and what passed for hoods in those days congregated there when they weren't chowing down with Mama Iaci and her family.. The idea of winning six races in a row would never occur to these boys--they would never have turned him loose that many times.
The season had ended when I picked up the paper one day and read of a fatal crash by a float plane while flying salmon fishermen up to Campbell River on the Island. Our young pilot from Sandown had been killed when an eagle with a six-foot wingspan took down the aircraft.
Feb 10, 2009
Jan 28, 2009
THIS IS KID STUFF
The 2-year-olds in training step onto the stage amidst the fear and trembling of all markets globally. We are not immune in the Thoroughbred world like we were in recent memory. When you read reports in the business press that Dubai is under stress then you know it’s a whole new ballgame.
Through thick-and-thin, Dan Kenny Bloodstock has compiled an enviable record of finding value for money. Our outfit rarely bought more than a handful of juveniles per year but do they ever perform!
Just to give you an idea here is a partial list of horses who either won or placed in stakes or exceeded their purchase price or earned more than $l00,000 plus.
Tricky Trevor, Above The Table, Sam Lord’s Castle, Blacksage Alley, Kirtons, It Is, Lost At Sea, Viansa Ossidiana, Broadway Hennessy, Christmas Wish, Ask For Speed, Act Smart, Shezashiningstar, Alpine Queen, Mapp Hill, As The Bell Tolls, Riverbank Kid, Lady’s Excuse, Porey Spring, Donnybrook Pride,Arizona Storm, Miss Bank Robin,Sweet Ilima, Kendall Point, Lively Talk, All The Roses, Ali’s Dancer. That's one sound, hard-hitting bunch of horses who earned over $3 million after purchase prices cumulative at some $900,000. Throw in the residual value of the stakes fillies and you'd register a pretty profit indeed.
I will be in attendance at all three Florida select sales and will be pleased to discuss representation for you. My background as a clocker for many years has contributed to the high percentage strike rate of my purchases. Separating the wheat from the 2-year-old chaff is both a science and an art. We’ve honed our skills over three decades at the juvenile sales. It is the best place to find a horse that has shown you some hole cards to draw to. but you still have to know when to draw.
Through thick-and-thin, Dan Kenny Bloodstock has compiled an enviable record of finding value for money. Our outfit rarely bought more than a handful of juveniles per year but do they ever perform!
Just to give you an idea here is a partial list of horses who either won or placed in stakes or exceeded their purchase price or earned more than $l00,000 plus.
Tricky Trevor, Above The Table, Sam Lord’s Castle, Blacksage Alley, Kirtons, It Is, Lost At Sea, Viansa Ossidiana, Broadway Hennessy, Christmas Wish, Ask For Speed, Act Smart, Shezashiningstar, Alpine Queen, Mapp Hill, As The Bell Tolls, Riverbank Kid, Lady’s Excuse, Porey Spring, Donnybrook Pride,Arizona Storm, Miss Bank Robin,Sweet Ilima, Kendall Point, Lively Talk, All The Roses, Ali’s Dancer. That's one sound, hard-hitting bunch of horses who earned over $3 million after purchase prices cumulative at some $900,000. Throw in the residual value of the stakes fillies and you'd register a pretty profit indeed.
I will be in attendance at all three Florida select sales and will be pleased to discuss representation for you. My background as a clocker for many years has contributed to the high percentage strike rate of my purchases. Separating the wheat from the 2-year-old chaff is both a science and an art. We’ve honed our skills over three decades at the juvenile sales. It is the best place to find a horse that has shown you some hole cards to draw to. but you still have to know when to draw.
Jan 27, 2009
RIDERS UP, RIDERS DOWN
Vestrey Lady topped the Tuesday session at Keeneland's January Sale with a $300,000 price tag in foal to Broken Vow. She rose from humble beginnings to win some $490,000.
Hall of Fame jockey Eddie Delahoussaye bought her as a yearling for a mere $6,000 on behalf of voluble Canadian horseman Dick Bonnycastle. Dick made his fortune publishing romance novels. Vestrey Lady starred in a real-life tale that only seemed like fiction.
You see, Dick decided to listen to his Alberta ranch manager who advised him to break and train a dozen yearlings tethered to the back of a pick-up truck. His English-bred advisor Tony Goswell went into conniptions when he saw the goings on. Anyhow, Dick planned to sell this crop as two-year-olds at an inpromptu auction and barbecue at his ranch near Calgary. I was conscripted to serve as auctioneer after the youngsters had breezed a furlong or so for the crowd.
Vestrey Lady was the only one with a reserve price. It would take $25,000 to buy the daughter of Vicar from the immediate family of Street Sense, Mr. Greeley and others. There were no takers among the mainly moochers and sightseers that made up the audience Dick took the filly to join his Toronto string of runners and the rest is history.
Nobody would part with 25 grand when E. P. Taylor was trying to sell Northern Dancer four decades ago. Canadians have a reputation for thrift. A British Columbia horseman once overheard someone say at Keeneland that Canucks were a little tight with a buck and took great umbrage
at the thought. Later that day he sprung for lunch, perhaps to demonstrate his lack of frugality.
Our waiter returned with change from a $20 bill, some 18 cents as I recall, and told the waiter he could keep the change.
"All of it, sir?," deadpanned the waiter while the rest of us howled with laughter.
Retired jockey Chris Loseth need not worry about how much to tip these days. The Canada Hall of Fame rider bought a winning lottery ticket last November that paid a seven figure sum.
Chris and I were talking last summer about his thirty plus years in the saddle and I was sure surprised when he told me that he had never broken a bone while riding at the races or in morning work. He won 19 stakes with a mare named Delta Colleen that I bought at a dispersal in Vancouver for $6,000. She was the filly version of Silky Sullivan, routinely circling the field from last at Hastings Park's bullring. and getting up in time whether the distance was six furlongs or a mile and an eighth
While fortune smiled on Loseth it was unkind to another former riding star up north. Herbie Ollive died of a sudden heart attack in December. He came out of Alberta, in the mould of John Longden, Don McBeth, Don Seymour, Jim McAleney and the ill-fated Ron Hansen. Herbie won lots of races and he broke lots of bones. Injury and weight forced him out of the saddle and he worked as Loseth's agent with much success.
Herbie was a modest and gentlemanly who once rode a horse who broke his maiden three times.
His name was Pole Position and he was disqualfied twice before behaving well enough to please the stewards. Another rider rode him the first time but begged off a return bout with the high-strung California-bred. Herbie signed on and he and Pole Position roamed far and wide, winning numerous US stakes for trainer Goody Goodwin. Herbie always sent a Christmas card to the rider who rejected the mount on Pole Position.
Hall of Fame jockey Eddie Delahoussaye bought her as a yearling for a mere $6,000 on behalf of voluble Canadian horseman Dick Bonnycastle. Dick made his fortune publishing romance novels. Vestrey Lady starred in a real-life tale that only seemed like fiction.
You see, Dick decided to listen to his Alberta ranch manager who advised him to break and train a dozen yearlings tethered to the back of a pick-up truck. His English-bred advisor Tony Goswell went into conniptions when he saw the goings on. Anyhow, Dick planned to sell this crop as two-year-olds at an inpromptu auction and barbecue at his ranch near Calgary. I was conscripted to serve as auctioneer after the youngsters had breezed a furlong or so for the crowd.
Vestrey Lady was the only one with a reserve price. It would take $25,000 to buy the daughter of Vicar from the immediate family of Street Sense, Mr. Greeley and others. There were no takers among the mainly moochers and sightseers that made up the audience Dick took the filly to join his Toronto string of runners and the rest is history.
Nobody would part with 25 grand when E. P. Taylor was trying to sell Northern Dancer four decades ago. Canadians have a reputation for thrift. A British Columbia horseman once overheard someone say at Keeneland that Canucks were a little tight with a buck and took great umbrage
at the thought. Later that day he sprung for lunch, perhaps to demonstrate his lack of frugality.
Our waiter returned with change from a $20 bill, some 18 cents as I recall, and told the waiter he could keep the change.
"All of it, sir?," deadpanned the waiter while the rest of us howled with laughter.
Retired jockey Chris Loseth need not worry about how much to tip these days. The Canada Hall of Fame rider bought a winning lottery ticket last November that paid a seven figure sum.
Chris and I were talking last summer about his thirty plus years in the saddle and I was sure surprised when he told me that he had never broken a bone while riding at the races or in morning work. He won 19 stakes with a mare named Delta Colleen that I bought at a dispersal in Vancouver for $6,000. She was the filly version of Silky Sullivan, routinely circling the field from last at Hastings Park's bullring. and getting up in time whether the distance was six furlongs or a mile and an eighth
While fortune smiled on Loseth it was unkind to another former riding star up north. Herbie Ollive died of a sudden heart attack in December. He came out of Alberta, in the mould of John Longden, Don McBeth, Don Seymour, Jim McAleney and the ill-fated Ron Hansen. Herbie won lots of races and he broke lots of bones. Injury and weight forced him out of the saddle and he worked as Loseth's agent with much success.
Herbie was a modest and gentlemanly who once rode a horse who broke his maiden three times.
His name was Pole Position and he was disqualfied twice before behaving well enough to please the stewards. Another rider rode him the first time but begged off a return bout with the high-strung California-bred. Herbie signed on and he and Pole Position roamed far and wide, winning numerous US stakes for trainer Goody Goodwin. Herbie always sent a Christmas card to the rider who rejected the mount on Pole Position.
Jan 12, 2009
FOUR STAR TO SHINE
FOUR STAR TO SHINE
Four Star Sales launches its 2009 selling season with a strong consignment at Keeneland’s January Sale.
Multiple stakes-producer
She is in foal on an early cover to celebrated Distorted Humor.
I will be available to find the right horse to buy in this topsy-turvy market. Our reputation has been secured over the years by finding quality up and down the economic scale.
For instance, the last three weanlings which I purchased for myself and clients were Paradise Dancer (bought for $10,000, earned some $600,000 to date); Galatea Cat (bought for $38,000, earned $280,000) and Fourth Floor (bought for $3,700, earned $299,000). Let me find a short yearling for you while prices are modest.
Jan 7, 2009
Monday, January 5, 2009
IF YOU DON'T HAVE SOMETHING NICE TO SAY...
Canadian stallion Alfaari (Danzig-Life's Magic) succumbed to infirmities of age and was euthanized at Road's End Farm in British Columbia on December 18.John Franks had enlisted me to syndicate the horse in Canada. Alfaari had been purchased privately from Darley after showing a trace of talent in England. Franks had done well with another Danzig stallion bought in England: Lost Soldier, sire of the celebrated sprint champion Lost In The Fog.
Alfaari needed a procedure done on his breathing and was turned over to Jerry Hollendorfer who got him stakes-placed in California, enough credential for a regional stallion.
Alfaari was as good looking a horse as you will find, 16.1 hands, good bone, balance and a handsome face to befit a $500,000 yearling.
I figured I'd drop a note to Major Dick Hern and get some background on the horse that might be useful in promotional material. No such luck. Writing from his Lambourn headquarters, Hern said, "In reply to your query about Alfaari I'm afraid that he had very moderate form on the racecourse. A big strong good looking horse, I'm afraid he was of only very moderate ability. Temperament good and a good action but he had 'a bad case of the slows.'
I am sorry I cannot be more encouraging but you asked me to tell you the truth and I have done so."
Hern was in a wheelchair after a hunting accident. Overseeing some 200 horses in training is tough enough for an able bodied trainer. Hern, best known in these parts as trainer of the champion sprinter Dayjur, might have overlooked something. I knew Alfaari was capable of attending sub-:45 half-miles at the races and could run and win going long on dirt or turf. It wasn't hard to dismiss Hern's implied warning that Alfaari could not outrun a fat man, an American translation for bad case of the slows.
Enough said after Alfaari got a stakes-winning sprinter in his first crop named Rampaging Alf who was good enough to beat top sprinters at Hollywood and Santa Anita. Alfaari went on to achieve regional success and his daughters are already showing signs of ability.
The whole episode got me thinking about my favorite epithets of dismissal heard round the
racetracks of the world. Some trainers cannot teach a hungry rat to eat cheese or get ivy to grow up a wall, or teach Lassie to bark.
Jockeys may not be able to ride a boxcar with both doors closed. They might also look as if they are mating a football. A few camp followers would rather steal a dollar than earn two.
Got any other favorites out there you'd like to share?
Wednesday, December 24, 2008
HARK THE HERALD, ANGEL SINGS
Back in my newspaperman days (1967-73) my first assignment was to cover the racing beat at Fair Grounds for the New Orleans States-Item, the pm daily not to be confused with today's Times-Picayune. The SI is no more but memories persist.One such is the 1967 Louisiana Futurity which was contested on Christmas Eve. Heavy favorite Hark The Herald won easily. My story next day came with one of the best headlines I've ever seen.
You see, Hark The Herald was trained by Angel Barrera. Thus, Hark The Herald, Angel Sings.
Angel was one of three Barrera brothers who escaped Castro's Cuba and made their way to the United States. Laz we all know as the tutor of the last horse to win the Triple Crown, Affirmed.
He's in the Hall of Fame and deservedly so.
Oscar Barrera might more properly be relegated to a Hall of Shame. His shenanigans turned New York racing on its head in the 1970s. Barrera- trained horses routinely went from claiming races to stakes races. Oscar's charges seemingly defied all logic. He might win three races in one week with the same horse! Whatever secret ingredients they might have needed was a secret the trainer took to his grave.
Angel spent his adult life on the Fair Grounds-Detroit rotation and kept a low profile. Every morning you would find him outside his barn under a pork pie hat and sunglasses, running cold water over the ankles of one of his runners.
You don't see much of that these days. Sherrill Ward and Forego come to mind as similar practitioners of a long gone therapy.
Ward in fact became embroiled in a medication controversy involving San Roque who finished second in the 1969. New Orleans Handicap. Several trainers were cited when traces of a new and powerful pain-killer Talwin were detected. Those implicated were all veterans with clean records and the case eventually was dropped. A trainer patient enough to run cold water for hours out of a hose is not usually a medication trainer. Ward's many backers were relieved.
Monday, December 22, 2008
DRAW YOUR OWN CONCLUSION
Did you happen to notice that there was no Peb cartoon on the cover of Daily Racing Form on October 25, Breeders' Cup day? Evidently not many people were aware of its absence for the first time in the history of Breeders' Cup.
The Form chose to cut ties with beloved artist Pierre Bellocq, citing financial reasons, late in the Saratoga meeting. The 82-year-old Frenchman (a dual US citizen) graced the pages of the paper for five decades as the preeminent sporting artist in the world.
The still lively octogenarian is currently painting a mural at Del Mar. He has in recent years completed two Kentucky Derby themed murals at Churchill Downs and others at Belmont and Aqueduct.
Peb's body of work earned him an Eclipse Special Award in 1980. His whimsical, impish humor brought to life the unique world of Thoroughbred racing. Race fans started the day with a smile when they picked up Daily Racing Form and saw Peb's work on the cover.
His talent was not limited to horses. He was hired by Daily Racing Form owner Walter Annenberg to draw cartoons on the editorial page of the Philadelphia Inquirer. He was once nominated for a Pulitzer prize. He also joined his son Remi, a cartoonist in his own right, in helping create an international circuit for amateur riders.
Peb's art adorns the walls of the world's top racetracks and numerous private collections, including one at Gallagher's Steak House, just down W. 52nd Street from the offices of the Morning Telegraph, antecedent of Daily Racing Form. It depicts a mob of well known celebrities partying in the famed eatery. You won't miss Josephine Baker.
Still, it's a pity that Peb did not get the sendoff he deserved. His legions of fans would have filled Saratoga to say good-bye. A collector's edition would have sold out thousands of Daily Racing Forms. T-shirts of the elfin Gallic humorist would be all the rage.
Peb has a few new irons in the fire at the moment with various racing entities. He won't need to stand in any baguette lines.
The Form chose to cut ties with beloved artist Pierre Bellocq, citing financial reasons, late in the Saratoga meeting. The 82-year-old Frenchman (a dual US citizen) graced the pages of the paper for five decades as the preeminent sporting artist in the world.
The still lively octogenarian is currently painting a mural at Del Mar. He has in recent years completed two Kentucky Derby themed murals at Churchill Downs and others at Belmont and Aqueduct.
Peb's body of work earned him an Eclipse Special Award in 1980. His whimsical, impish humor brought to life the unique world of Thoroughbred racing. Race fans started the day with a smile when they picked up Daily Racing Form and saw Peb's work on the cover.
His talent was not limited to horses. He was hired by Daily Racing Form owner Walter Annenberg to draw cartoons on the editorial page of the Philadelphia Inquirer. He was once nominated for a Pulitzer prize. He also joined his son Remi, a cartoonist in his own right, in helping create an international circuit for amateur riders.
Peb's art adorns the walls of the world's top racetracks and numerous private collections, including one at Gallagher's Steak House, just down W. 52nd Street from the offices of the Morning Telegraph, antecedent of Daily Racing Form. It depicts a mob of well known celebrities partying in the famed eatery. You won't miss Josephine Baker.
Still, it's a pity that Peb did not get the sendoff he deserved. His legions of fans would have filled Saratoga to say good-bye. A collector's edition would have sold out thousands of Daily Racing Forms. T-shirts of the elfin Gallic humorist would be all the rage.
Peb has a few new irons in the fire at the moment with various racing entities. He won't need to stand in any baguette lines.
Dec 3, 2008
DRAW YOUR OWN CONCLUSION
Did you happen to notice that there was no Peb cartoon on the cover of Daily Racing Form on October 25, Breeders’ Cup day? Evidently not many people were aware of its absence for the first time in the history of Breeders’ Cup.
The Form chose to cut ties with beloved artist Pierre Bellocq, citing financial reasons, late in the Saratoga meeting. According to Peb, two DRF employees traveled to his home in Princeton, NJ to deliver the news that he was through. The 82-year-old Frenchman was offered a year’s salary as severance after five decades as the preeminent sporting artist in the world. He also was asked, he said, to sign a promise that he would not “trash” The Form in public.
Not being the type of person to trash anybody, the octogenarian is currently painting a mural at Del Mar. He has in recent years done two Derby themed murals at Churchill Downs and another at Belmont Park
Peb’s whimsical humor brought to life the unique world of Thoroughbred racing. A racing fan started the day with a smile when he picked up The Form and saw Peb’s work on the cover.
His talent was not limited to horses. He was hired by Daily Racing Form owner Walter Annenberg to draw cartoons on the editorial page of the Philadelphia Inquirer. He was once nominated for a Pulitzer prize. He also joined his son Remi, a cartoonist in his own right, in helping create an international circuit for amateur riders.
Peb’s art adorns the walls of the world’s top racetracks and numerous private collections, including one of Gallagher’s Steak House, just down W. 52nd from The Morning Telegraph. It depicts a mob of recognized celebrities partying in the famed eatery. You.won’t miss Josephine Baker.
Still, it’s a pity that Peb did not get the sendoff he deserved. His legion of fans would have filled Saratoga to say good-bye. A collector’s edition would have sold out thousands of Daily Racing Forms. T-shirts of the elfin Gallic humorist would be all the rage.
Peb has a few irons in the fire at the moment with various racing entities. He won’t need to stand in any baguette lines.
The Form chose to cut ties with beloved artist Pierre Bellocq, citing financial reasons, late in the Saratoga meeting. According to Peb, two DRF employees traveled to his home in Princeton, NJ to deliver the news that he was through. The 82-year-old Frenchman was offered a year’s salary as severance after five decades as the preeminent sporting artist in the world. He also was asked, he said, to sign a promise that he would not “trash” The Form in public.
Not being the type of person to trash anybody, the octogenarian is currently painting a mural at Del Mar. He has in recent years done two Derby themed murals at Churchill Downs and another at Belmont Park
Peb’s whimsical humor brought to life the unique world of Thoroughbred racing. A racing fan started the day with a smile when he picked up The Form and saw Peb’s work on the cover.
His talent was not limited to horses. He was hired by Daily Racing Form owner Walter Annenberg to draw cartoons on the editorial page of the Philadelphia Inquirer. He was once nominated for a Pulitzer prize. He also joined his son Remi, a cartoonist in his own right, in helping create an international circuit for amateur riders.
Peb’s art adorns the walls of the world’s top racetracks and numerous private collections, including one of Gallagher’s Steak House, just down W. 52nd from The Morning Telegraph. It depicts a mob of recognized celebrities partying in the famed eatery. You.won’t miss Josephine Baker.
Still, it’s a pity that Peb did not get the sendoff he deserved. His legion of fans would have filled Saratoga to say good-bye. A collector’s edition would have sold out thousands of Daily Racing Forms. T-shirts of the elfin Gallic humorist would be all the rage.
Peb has a few irons in the fire at the moment with various racing entities. He won’t need to stand in any baguette lines.
Dec 1, 2008
TIME IS ON MY SIDE, YES IT IS
It will soon be the 19th anniversary of Sunny Blossom’s setting a new track record at Santa Anita in the Palos Verdes Handicap, six furlongs in 1.07.1. He flew the colors of Santa Barbara Stables, a band of racing enthusiasts rounded up by your humble scribe to try our luck with the big boys.
In the Los Angeles Times the next morning columnist Allan Malamud scoffed at that record as nothing more than a fluke on a super fast track. Basic handicapping skill said otherwise and I said so in a note to Allan. A decent claiming horse also won at six furlongs that day and needed 1.11 and change to do it. I pointed out to Allan that I had never seen such a spread over the same distance on the same day anywhere, let alone Santa Anita. Nobody else ran faster than usual that day, only Sunny Blossom.
To my delight, Allan wrote in his next column that I had persuaded him. Journalists are not readily found apologizing for the record. That no one has equaled that feat since is all the testimony needed that it was indeed an extraordinary performance.
How the landscape has changed since that golden after in 1989. Allan Malamud died much too young and the Los Angeles Times now barely acts as if racing exists.
I got to thinking the other day about track records of other horses in my care. Champion Speightstown could motor and equaled the six furlong standard of 1.08 at Saratoga.
Champion Chilukki sped a mile in 1.33.2 at Churchill Downs. Speightstown was bought at Keeneland for $2 million; Chilukki was a weanling when I bought her dam. Now that was luck!
Harmony Lodge was a great Gr. I performer who did not set any records but came close on occasion. This spring I found Broadway Hennessy and bought her because I thought she was the spitting image of Harmony Lodge, also by Hennessy. She broke the 5 ½ furlongs record at Golden Gate Fields first time out.
Sunny Blossom was found at Woodbine and there were plenty more speedy Canucks to be had at the right price. Slyly Gifted won the 11 furlongs Canadian Derby two weeks after taking the Longacres Derby at 1 3/16 miles. Both records still stand.. He was ridden by the ill-fated Ron Hansen whose body washed ashore in San Francisco Bay some years later in an unsolved murder case.
Bold Laddie was the first stallion project that I was involved in. The smallish son of Boldnesian broke down in a quest for the British Columbia Derby by the Jawl family of Vancouver Island. Bold Laddie’s progeny won over $10 million and he sired more than 30 stakes-winners, huge numbers for that part of the world’s limited opportunities.
Bold Laddie passed on stamina as well as speed. Lil Ol Gal set a world record for 3 ½ furlongs at two. I bought her for John Franks as a 4-year-old and she went on to win Woodbine stakes.
Laddie’s Prince was another versatile sort who set standards three times at two miles or longer.
Our latest speedster is Home For Harlan who broke the 6 ½ furlongs mark at Woodbine. He found the Toronto surface more congenial than his first few tries in California. He won again the other day in 1.08 and change.
After I bought him his trainer evidently was talking smack about my purchase, implying that I was either stupid or dishonest. It’s a good thing that the finish line speaks louder than jive,
He who laughs last, laughs best.
In the Los Angeles Times the next morning columnist Allan Malamud scoffed at that record as nothing more than a fluke on a super fast track. Basic handicapping skill said otherwise and I said so in a note to Allan. A decent claiming horse also won at six furlongs that day and needed 1.11 and change to do it. I pointed out to Allan that I had never seen such a spread over the same distance on the same day anywhere, let alone Santa Anita. Nobody else ran faster than usual that day, only Sunny Blossom.
To my delight, Allan wrote in his next column that I had persuaded him. Journalists are not readily found apologizing for the record. That no one has equaled that feat since is all the testimony needed that it was indeed an extraordinary performance.
How the landscape has changed since that golden after in 1989. Allan Malamud died much too young and the Los Angeles Times now barely acts as if racing exists.
I got to thinking the other day about track records of other horses in my care. Champion Speightstown could motor and equaled the six furlong standard of 1.08 at Saratoga.
Champion Chilukki sped a mile in 1.33.2 at Churchill Downs. Speightstown was bought at Keeneland for $2 million; Chilukki was a weanling when I bought her dam. Now that was luck!
Harmony Lodge was a great Gr. I performer who did not set any records but came close on occasion. This spring I found Broadway Hennessy and bought her because I thought she was the spitting image of Harmony Lodge, also by Hennessy. She broke the 5 ½ furlongs record at Golden Gate Fields first time out.
Sunny Blossom was found at Woodbine and there were plenty more speedy Canucks to be had at the right price. Slyly Gifted won the 11 furlongs Canadian Derby two weeks after taking the Longacres Derby at 1 3/16 miles. Both records still stand.. He was ridden by the ill-fated Ron Hansen whose body washed ashore in San Francisco Bay some years later in an unsolved murder case.
Bold Laddie was the first stallion project that I was involved in. The smallish son of Boldnesian broke down in a quest for the British Columbia Derby by the Jawl family of Vancouver Island. Bold Laddie’s progeny won over $10 million and he sired more than 30 stakes-winners, huge numbers for that part of the world’s limited opportunities.
Bold Laddie passed on stamina as well as speed. Lil Ol Gal set a world record for 3 ½ furlongs at two. I bought her for John Franks as a 4-year-old and she went on to win Woodbine stakes.
Laddie’s Prince was another versatile sort who set standards three times at two miles or longer.
Our latest speedster is Home For Harlan who broke the 6 ½ furlongs mark at Woodbine. He found the Toronto surface more congenial than his first few tries in California. He won again the other day in 1.08 and change.
After I bought him his trainer evidently was talking smack about my purchase, implying that I was either stupid or dishonest. It’s a good thing that the finish line speaks louder than jive,
He who laughs last, laughs best.
Nov 25, 2008
VIVE LE GUINNESS
Jonathan Sheppard’s habit of feeding Guinness to Forever Together drew plenty of comment when she romped home in the Breeders’ Cup filly race on turf. Seasoned Cup watchers remembered a similar dietary tactic employed by Clive Brittain in winning the Breeders’ Cup Turf with the glorious runner Pebbles.
Irish jockey Pat Eddery exuded confidence about Pebbles defeating colts all week long.
“Never mind the Guinness,” he told me one chilly morning at Aqueduct. “If you’re a betting man, empty your pockets on her.”
Eddery certainly rode as if his pockets were empty, squeezing through a miniscule gap to pip a startled Strawberry Road and Steve Cauthen. Guinness by a head, you might say.
Not a very ladylike drink, that, but one that can get you safely past the winning post without worrying the authorities.
A few years later, I was in England on a tour with former Daily Racing Form columnist Wally Wood who hosted a tour to the Prix de la Arc d’Triomphe in Paris. He let me tag along, gratis, as long as I could pick a winner or two for the busload of pilgrims.
I say “pilgrims” because we decamped in Canterbury to enjoy some sport in Wally’s home country. We went off to Lingfield which offered racing on a newfangled surface called Polytrack. On a raw day we spent most of the afternoon in the bar, braving the elements just long enough to engage in a punt with the bookies.
I was off my game until the last race, a two-mile handicap. Who was in the field but a Clive Brittain runner by Jupiter Island. Brittain had trained that horse to win a Japan Cup.
Obviously, this fellow knew a little bit about training for stamina. The Brittain runner went off l8-to-1 and came home a galloping winner. I wish I could remember whether the race was on dirt or Poly but, never mind, we got the money and caroused our way through every country pub we could find.
Chaucer would have approved.
We sailed on the Dover-Calais ferry on a sunny autumn day—a Canadian World War II veteran sang “There’ll be blue birds over the white cliffs of Dover”-- as we sailed towards the Normandy coast.
We hit Paris with a replenished bankroll. Cash Asmussen let us know that he would not be beaten aboard Suave Dancer; every Englishman at Longchamp that day laid it in on Generous who looked clearly over the top.
Our gang filled their saddlebags at 6-to-l on Suave Dancer while Cash conducting a press interview in French and English, one of the coolest things I’ve seen a jockey do after a big race.
Irish jockey Pat Eddery exuded confidence about Pebbles defeating colts all week long.
“Never mind the Guinness,” he told me one chilly morning at Aqueduct. “If you’re a betting man, empty your pockets on her.”
Eddery certainly rode as if his pockets were empty, squeezing through a miniscule gap to pip a startled Strawberry Road and Steve Cauthen. Guinness by a head, you might say.
Not a very ladylike drink, that, but one that can get you safely past the winning post without worrying the authorities.
A few years later, I was in England on a tour with former Daily Racing Form columnist Wally Wood who hosted a tour to the Prix de la Arc d’Triomphe in Paris. He let me tag along, gratis, as long as I could pick a winner or two for the busload of pilgrims.
I say “pilgrims” because we decamped in Canterbury to enjoy some sport in Wally’s home country. We went off to Lingfield which offered racing on a newfangled surface called Polytrack. On a raw day we spent most of the afternoon in the bar, braving the elements just long enough to engage in a punt with the bookies.
I was off my game until the last race, a two-mile handicap. Who was in the field but a Clive Brittain runner by Jupiter Island. Brittain had trained that horse to win a Japan Cup.
Obviously, this fellow knew a little bit about training for stamina. The Brittain runner went off l8-to-1 and came home a galloping winner. I wish I could remember whether the race was on dirt or Poly but, never mind, we got the money and caroused our way through every country pub we could find.
Chaucer would have approved.
We sailed on the Dover-Calais ferry on a sunny autumn day—a Canadian World War II veteran sang “There’ll be blue birds over the white cliffs of Dover”-- as we sailed towards the Normandy coast.
We hit Paris with a replenished bankroll. Cash Asmussen let us know that he would not be beaten aboard Suave Dancer; every Englishman at Longchamp that day laid it in on Generous who looked clearly over the top.
Our gang filled their saddlebags at 6-to-l on Suave Dancer while Cash conducting a press interview in French and English, one of the coolest things I’ve seen a jockey do after a big race.
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