The Fierceness of Holy Bull
This is the story of two horses who share the same blood and who have followed almost the identical path in their championship careers. They will be forever linked if Fierceness wins the August 24 Travers Stakes. ~ Steve Haskin
The Fierceness of Holy Bull
By Steve Haskin
Both colts were homebreds who were broken and trained at iconic breeding establishments in Ocala, Florida. Both colts won their career debut impressively at the exact same odds of 11-10. Both colts won a Grade 1 stakes at 2. Both colts were upset (at odds of 1-5 and 6-5) in their prep for the Florida Derby. Both colts then romped in the Florida Derby. Both colts were up the track as the favorite in the Kentucky Derby, finishing 12th and 15th. Both colts rebounded with a victory in their next start after the Derby.
The big question now is will Fierceness continue to parallel the career of his maternal great-great grandsire Holy Bull by winning the Travers Stakes? And what better occasion to do so than the 30th anniversary of “The Bull’s” victory in the Midsummer Derby, believed by many to be one of the gutsiest Travers performances of all time?
Another connection between the two colts is that Fierceness was broken and trained at one of the aforementioned establishments Ocala Stud, whose foundation sire was Rough ‘n Tumble, the great-grandsire of Holy Bull.
Also, Fierceness’ sire City of Light is out of a mare by Dehere, who won his first four career starts, including all three 2-year-old stakes at Saratoga, before being upset in Belmont’s 1993 Grade 1 Futurity Stakes at odds of 2-5, by Holy Bull.
One final connection is that Holy Bull’s sire Great Above, grandsire Minnesota Mac, and granddam Ta Wee, were all bred by John Nerud and Fierceness’ dam Nonna Bella’s great-grandsire Unbridled was bred by John Nerud. And of course Nonna Bella’s great-grandsire is Holy Bull.
And if you have any stamina doubts about Fierceness in the Travers, not only did Holy Bull win the Travers, so did Nonna Bella’s sire Stay Thirsty and his sire Bernardini.
Now that we have established the remarkable parallels and connection between Fierceness and Holy Bull, let’s use this 30th anniversary to take a look at that epic 1994 Travers, as well as the career of Holy Bull and his unusual story that began some 20 years before he was even born.
Trainer Warren A. “Jimmy” Croll, a veteran on the New Jersey circuit, had made only one journey on the Kentucky Derby trail, with A.I. “Butch” Savin’s Royal and Regal in 1973. But Royal and Regal would not be Savin’s most celebrated horse. Two years earlier, Savin had sent Croll to the Keeneland July yearling sale with the specific purpose of finding a horse who had the potential to become a top-class stallion. After checking out a number of yearlings, Croll called Savin and told him he had found the colt he was looking for. Determined to buy him, Croll went to $220,000 for the son of Raise a Native out of Gold Digger, whom Savin named Mr. Prospector.
Brilliantly fast on the racetrack, Mr. Prospector was sent to Florida to stand following his retirement, but a short time later was moved to Claiborne Farm in Kentucky, where he became one of the most influential stallions in the history of American breeding.
Around the time of the colt’s purchase as a yearling, Croll, who was stabled in Florida for the winter, was approached by Everett House, the live-in companion of Croll’s longtime client Rachel Carpenter. House informed Croll that Carpenter had re-written her will.
“Jimmy, I want you to know that if anything happens to the two of us, all the horses belong to you,” House said.
It was something trainers never hear and owners never do. A dumbfounded Croll always thought of the spunky Mrs. Carpenter as the type of person who would live forever, so he never gave it a second thought.
For the next two decades Croll planned the matings for Mrs. Carpenter and in 1990 chose Great Above for her mare Sharon Brown, a daughter of Al Hattab, who Croll picked out at the Keeneland July yearling sale for $14,000 and won over $450,000 with him for Mrs. Carpenter’s Pelican Stable.
The following year, as Sharon Brown was about to give birth, Bonnie Heath Farm, where Mrs. Carpenter kept her mares, was going through a major change. Bonnie Heath’s son Bonnie and his wife Kim had just taken over the farm, and when all the help left it was just them at the start. In the 50’s Bonnie Heath Farm was a pioneer in the new Florida breeding industry. But Times were tough for them back then and just as they were considering getting out of the business they won the 1956 Kentucky Derby with a colt they named Needles because of all the injections he was given as a sickly foal. Not only had a Florida-bred won the Derby that year, he was the first Florida-bred to even start in the Derby.
Five days after Bonnie and Kim took over the farm, Kim was all by herself when she saw that Sharon Brown was about to give birth. Bonnie was going to be late getting back to the farm, so Kim began to deliver the foal, but when she saw the size of the hoof, which was all that was showing, she knew this was a huge foal and that she was going to need help getting it out. The only one around was a person who was temporarily living in the tack room. He had been hired a few days earlier by the former farm manager and Kim had no idea who he was. When Kim asked him to help he told her he was just a racetracker and knew nothing about delivering a foal. She told him, “I don’t need you to know anything, I just need your strength.” Kim recalled that after that night they never saw him or heard from him again and they couldn’t find any record of him. “It was like he was an angel that was sent there,” she said.
As the two struggled to pull the foal out, the farm maintenance man was driving into the farm returning from dinner and noticed the light on in the foaling barn. He stopped to see if there was a foal being born and was able to help out.
“It took all three of us to pull this guy out,” she said. “His withers was up to my armpit. I called Jimmy up and said, ‘Jimmy, you won’t believe this foal, he’s so huge.’”
She added, “I foaled a lot of mares but I could see this baby was special. He was a standout in the paddock, just ‘Joe Cool.’ The first time we put a rider up on him he crouched and just laid down, looking up at the rider like, ‘What’s going on?’
Mrs. Carpenter, being a big New York Yankees fan, had been prepared to name the foal Holy Cow after play-by-play announcer Phil Rizzuto’s signature phrase. But when it turned out to be a gray colt she couldn’t have the word cow in his name so she did the next best thing and named him Holy Bull.
In 1992, Croll’s son and assistant, Bill, went down to the farm to look at the yearlings. Croll wasn’t able to get down there that year, so he sent Bill instead. Bill watched the yearlings parade and gallop through the stretch, one of whom was another colt that his father owned, so the farm pushed him in a big way. They had videotaped all the gallops, and when they told Bill the farm favorite was a pretty nice colt, he replied, “You’re out of your mind. What about the gray horse? He’s the best one you’ve got. He’s a standout.”
Around that time House died, which deeply affected Carpenter. Each year, she would make it a point to go to Monmouth Park to visit with friends and family and see her horses. In the summer of 1993, Carpenter had been ill, but she went to Croll’s barn on the last day of her visit. One of the horses he showed her was Holy Bull, the colt who had impressed Bill the year before.
“You know, this gray colt could be something special,” Croll told her.
Two weeks later on Aug. 14, Carpenter died in her sleep. Croll received the news later that morning from House’s daughter, Even Tehan, who was Carpenter’s secretary. Ironically, Croll had entered Holy Bull for his career debut that afternoon and assured Tehan he would scratch the horse.
“Oh no, don’t scratch him,” she said. “She wouldn’t want you to do that.”
So, Croll ran Holy Bull, who won easily by 2 1/2 lengths in a sharp 1:03 4/5. Three days later, Croll received a call from Carpenter’s lawyer, who said, “Jimmy, I just want to tell you that when that horse won the other day he belonged to you.” As did six other horses owned by Carpenter.
At first Croll had no idea what he was talking about, but then he remembered what House had told him 20 years earlier. Croll had felt that over that long a period of time Carpenter could have easily changed her will numerous times. But she hadn’t, so Croll, at age 74, became the owner of one of the most exciting young prospects he’d ever trained. This was someone who had bought his first horse in 1940 for $50.
Croll, of course, had no way of knowing the gift he had just unwrapped was actually Aladdin’s lamp in the form of a big, battleship gray colt. By the end of 1994, the genie had granted Croll two wishes: Holy Bull was named Horse of the Year and Croll became the latest inductee into the Hall of Fame. Seven years later, a third wish was granted when Holy Bull joined his trainer in racing’s pantheon of greats. But the genie wasn’t finished. In 2005, Croll watched Holy Bull’s son, Giacomo, do what his sire was unable to – win the Kentucky Derby.
Holy Bull’s career was extraordinary. Following his debut victory, he won 12 of his next 14 starts, with six of them coming in Grade I stakes and three in Grade II stakes. His only two losses came in the Fountain of Youth Stakes, in which he displaced his palate and lost his air, and the Kentucky Derby, when he turned in an uncharacteristically lifeless performance that Croll always said he could explain, but “can’t talk about.” Years later he began talking about the Derby disappointment more and more. Until the day he died in 2008 at age 88, Croll was convinced that Holy Bull had been drugged. He wasn’t the only one who was suspicious. Many at the time commented how listless he seemed leading up to the race.
It was hard to argue with him. Leading up to the Derby, Holy Bull had just dazzled everyone with a spectacular 5 3/4-length victory in 1:47 2/5 in the Florida Derby, earning a lofty 115 Beyer Speed Figure, and then followed that up by coasting home to an easy 3 1/2-length score in the Blue Grass Stakes, earning a 113 Beyer figure.
The Florida Derby was Holy Bull’s breakout performance, coming off that dismal effort in the Fountain of Youth Stakes, in which jockey Mike Smith said he was gasping for air by the half-mile pole. But it still brought out the critics, who claimed Holy Bull was nothing more than a sprinter. He had won the seven-furlong Futurity Stakes the previous fall, upsetting heavy favorite Dehere in the slop, and had to come again in the stretch after being passed by the speedy Patton to win the seven-panel Hutcheson Stakes in January by three-quarters of a length in 1:21 1/5. But to his credit, in his only two-turn race he did romp by 7 1/2 lengths in the In Reality division of the Florida Stallion Series at 1 1/16 miles as a juvenile.
So, it was important that Holy Bull silence the doubters in the Florida Derby. He proceeded to run his opponents off their feet with a :46 flat half and 1:10 three-quarters.
Croll had been expecting a huge effort from Holy Bull after the colt tuned up for the Florida Derby by working five furlongs in :59 1/5, coming home his final quarter in a sensational in :22 1/5.
“I’ve timed over 25,000 horses in my life and I’ve never seen a horse do that,” Croll said.
Prior to that he worked seven furlongs in 1:23 flat, coming home his final eighth in :11 1/5, galloping out a mile in 1:36 2/5.
“During his gallops, he goes in his eighths in :14, while most horses will go in :16 or :17,” Croll said. “When he was young, we didn’t have any babies who could keep up with him, so we had to gallop him by himself.
“The most exciting thing I ever saw was him alone on the lead Saturday,” Croll said. “After the race, he cooled out in 15 minutes and was screaming for his dinner. He cleaned out every oat and the following morning was as bright as the sun.”
Then came the controversial flop in the Kentucky Derby. Holy Bull proved something was amiss in that race when came right back and annihilated a top-class field of older horses in the Met Mile, earning a spectacular 122 Beyer figure, which began a run of six straight brilliant victories that stamped him as a true superstar.
When Holy Bull won the Dwyer Stakes and Haskell Invitational the metaphors surrounding his name became commonplace in newspapers and trade journals and he was a headline writer’s and merchandiser’s dream. The images people had of the horse were depicted on gray T-shirts designed by Daily Racing Form caricaturist Peb, which showed a raging, snorting bull with a paradoxical halo above his head. His name conjured up heavenly images, but on the racetrack he was hell on wheels. In addition to the T-shirts, there were Holy Bull caps and trading cards, an influx of fan mail, and several public appearances. People came from as far away as Alaska to see him.
But he still hadn’t proven himself at a mile and a quarter, and many still believed he couldn’t go that far, especially considering his sire Great Above was a pure six-furlong horse, whose dam Ta Wee was a two-time champion sprinter.
It all came down to the Travers, where Holy Bull would face D. Wayne Lukas’ Preakness and Belmont Stakes winner Tabasco Cat, who had returned with a strong second-place finish in the Jim Dandy Stakes behind the improving Unaccounted For, who also was coming back in the Travers. Another threat at 1 ¼ miles was the hard-knocking stretch runner Concern, who had won the Arkansas Derby and placed in the Preakness, Haskell, and Ohio Derby.
Lukas felt that Holy Bull would be vulnerable at the distance if he had pace pressure, so he decided to run a rabbit named Commanche Trail to soften him up.
Prior to the race a poster depicted Holy Bull again as a raging bull, and hanging from one horn was a cat and hanging from the other horn was a rabbit. Needless to say the Lukas camp didn’t find it humorous.
Running a rabbit appeared to be a wise decision when Commanche Trail came out blazing from the outside and pushed Holy Bull through brutal fractions of :22 4/5, and :46 1/5. No horse had ever won the Travers setting that fast a pace. It was so fast that Concern dropped 22 lengths back, Even after Holy Bull finally shook free and opened up a clear lead passing the half-mile, he still was keyed up, running the six furlongs in 1:10 3/5. The only Travers winner to run a faster three-quarters was the great Man o’War. The pace was so fast Tabasco Cat was unable to keep up and quickly dropped out of it.
But just as Holy Bull was drawing off from Unaccounted For, here came Concern flying by horses like they crawling. We’ll let racecaller Tom Durkin take it from here, his voice rising with every word:
“Holy Bull is in front by five as they come to the quarter pole, but there is cause for Concern…They’re coming down to the final furlong and Mike Smith is asking Holy Bull for everything he has, but Concern is coming hard under Jerry Bailey…Holy Bull desperately trying to hold on…Concern with a final burst, but it is Holy Bull, game as a racehorse can be…Holy Bull wins! What a hero!”
Bonnie Heath, sitting between the eighth pole and sixteenth pole, recalled. “I had my binoculars and as they went by me I could see Concern coming fast and he had all the momentum. He got right up to The Bull’s hip, and as soon as he did, you could see The Bull drop down and hit another gear.”
Holy Bull’s margin was a neck and to show what a herculean effort this was, it was 17 lengths back to Tabasco Cat in third.
Concern’s trainer Dick Small said afterward, “That was a race for the ages. I had to get out of there quick or I would have broken into tears. My horse was fresh and I really thought we had it. For Holy Bull to dig in and fight back like that after all he had to do early in the race showed that he’s really something special.”
To demonstrate the quality of the field, Concern and Tabasco Cat would go on to finish first and second, respectively, in the Breeders’ Cup Classic that year and Unaccounted For would win the Whitney and finish second to Cigar in The Jockey Club Gold and third in the Breeders’ Cup Classic the following year.
What made Holy Bull such a fan favorite was that he ran as hard, as fast, and as far as he could, race after race. He looked the best horses in America in the eye and left them for dead. The way he rated in his next start, the Woodward Stakes, before blowing away a star-studded field by five lengths in 1:46 4/5 was nothing short of spectacular. Just try to imagine racecaller Tom Durkin’s voice as he again bellowed in a tone of disbelief, “Holy Bull winning like a champion…with devastating ease! Holy Bull toying with the best horses in training.”
His rider, Mike Smith, put it best when he said after the race, “I’m in awe of him. I thought he grew wings at the quarter pole.”
Everyone expected Holy Bull to point for the Breeders’ Cup, but Croll could see some wear and tear after a long, hard year. He knew that making the Breeders’ Cup would force him to miss the entire Gulfstream meet.
“I took a little heat for the decision to put him away for the year,” Croll said. “But I race every year in Florida, and I felt I owed it to them to run the horse there.”
By the end of 1994, Holy Bull had done it all. He demonstrated extraordinary brilliance against older horses, easily winning the Met Mile and Woodward Stakes in blistering times. He annihilated 3-year-olds in the Blue Grass Stakes, Florida Derby, and Dwyer Stakes. He displayed the courage of a champion in the Travers Stakes, digging in and holding off the furious late charge of eventual Breeders’ Cup Classic winner Concern, despite the presence of a rabbit to soften him up. He showed the will to win by coming again to defeat the swift Patton in the Hutcheson Stakes, and he demonstrated his ability to concede weight to top-class horses by defeating graded stakes winners Meadow Flight and Concern in the Haskell Invitational Handicap, giving them eight pounds. In Holy Bull’s eight victories in 1994, his average Beyer Speed Figure was 115, which is remarkable for a 3-year-old.
In all, here was a Horse of the Year and champion 3-year-old male who, during his career, defeated three champions (Bertrando, Cherokee Run and Dehere); the winners of the Grade I Kentucky Derby (Go For Gin), Preakness (Tabasco Cat), Belmont (twice: Tabasco Cat, Colonial Affair), not to mention the winners of the Grade I Jockey Club Gold Cup, Whitney, Woodward, Pacific Classic, and Suburban Handicap; and two Breeders’ Cup winners (Concern, Cherokee Run). Of that final accomplishment, not many horses have shown the versatility to defeat both a Breeders’ Cup Classic winner and a Breeders’ Cup Sprint winner, and do it in the same year.
Holy Bull was assigned 130 pounds on the Daily Racing Form Free Handicap, the first 3-year-old in 15 years to be weighted that high. He arrived in Florida a national hero. A headline in the Form read: “Bullmania Sweeps the Nation.”
Croll brought Holy Bull back for his 4-year-old season in the seven-furlong Olympic Handicap at Gulfstream and he easily defeated the classy Grade I-winning sprinter Birdonthewire. Then came the Donn Handicap and a battle with an upstart named Cigar, winner of three straight, including the NYRA Mile (now the Cigar Mile). One can only speculate what would have happened had Holy Bull not pulled up on the backstretch with a career-ending injury just as he was moving up to challenge Cigar for the lead. The race would prove to be a changing of the guard, with Cigar going on to complete a 16-race winning streak, equaling the feat of the great Citation, and be voted Horse of the Year in 1995 and ’96.
Holy Bull was retired to Jonabell Farm (now Darley at Jonabell) in Lexington, Kentucky, where he sired 51 stakes winners, including 2005 Kentucky Derby winner Giacomo, giving his old friend Mike Smith the Derby victory they both were denied 11 years earlier. He died on June 7, 2017 at the age of 26. People who saw him race still talk about the colt with reverence and utter superlatives when they recall his heroic feats. And if you’ve never seen this brilliant horse in action, be assured none of it is bull.
As for Fierceness, he still is paralleling Holy Bull’s career, as he goes into the Travers with skeptics doubting his ability to go a mile and a quarter. But if Fierceness should shake free from Dornoch in the stretch and you see Sierra Leone barreling down on him from far back, don’t be surprised if he digs in gamely and holds him off just as his great-great grandfather did 30 years ago.
Photos courtesy of the Tony Leonard Collection, Horse Racing Nation, Bob Coglianese and Darley America.
Racing historian, author, and award-winning retired journalist for the Daily Racing Form and The Blood-Horse, Steve Haskin was inducted into the National Museum of Racing Hall of Fame’s Media Roll of Honor in 2016. Known for his racing knowledge and insightful prose, he has been an exclusive contributor to Secretariat.com since 2020.
I really enjoyed this Steve. What a great article. I loved Holy Bull, but never knew about his back story, including his birth. And then, just as you suggested, Fierceness holds on to win the Travers! Well done!
Cool news that Colonel John is home! He looks like he could use some weight, but that’s a tough trip. Anyone who has owned horses in any capacity can relate to that hindsight realization of “I never should have let that one go.” It’s rare to have the opportunity to get that one back. Good on everyone involved! I hope he can stand next season, even if the Man O’ War sireline isn’t a popular one right now.
I needed a little concrete news from the industry to make me smile, as we’ve had quite a bit of sad and exasperating TB news this week.
Batten Down and Sierra Leone both sport blinkers.
SL has been beaten in his last 3 starts with the headgear. I was expecting an equipment change by Chad Brown for the Travers. But instead, the equipment and a rider that has never won on the colt, have been retained.
What part of If you do what you have always done, you will get what you always got, doesn’t Chad Brown understand.
I challenge anyone to refute that Sierra Leone’s most explosive finishes to date were recorded in his MSW win and runner up finish in the Remsen. In both races he ran without blinkers.
The explosiveness displayed in SL’s 1st and 2nd start was never replicated in his Risen Star and Bluegrass wins despite recording those wins off the pace.
Shortly before the KD, Batten Down won a 10F race in a faster time than the one record in the KD. Fierceness finished 15th by 24L in the KD which featured a final time of 2:03 plus compared to Batten Down’s 2:02. His 10f winning time placed him 30L ahead of Fierceness’ KD performance. He shows up in the Jim Dandy and laid an egg in a slowly run race.
The fact that a horse win impressively with blinkers doesn’t mean the equipment doesn’t merit removal after a defeat. BD didn’t get anywhere near lead in the Jim Dandy, suggesting he is only capable of leading opponent below belonging to the level below.
The additional 1F of the Travers and a tougher field featuring the addition of two high cruisers, suggest Batten Down path to victory is closing of the pace. This suggest blinker off should have been option.
The Gr2 Pat Obrien will include The Chosen Vron…Big City Lights (both Cal bred)….Happy Jack….Raging Torrent (3yo)….Senor Buscador (working tremendously)…..Arabian Knight will not go–he is retired…..
Great article Steve. You are the best !
All Dornoch has to do is run the same race as he did in the Belmont Stakes, and he’ll win or place. He showed he could track a fast pace set by a speed horse and win in good time. He then won the Haskell on the lead by setting a modest pace. If Fierceness can get the 10 f., which is a big if at this point, and live up to his full billing, as this is maybe his last chance to do so, he will be the other horse at the end. That’s the scenario I’m sticking with, it may or may not be the most likely scenario.
Thorpedo Anna is the wild card in this, she’s been training well and may have enough stamina. The best closer is Sierra Leone, he’s likely to be in the trifecta and could win it but I think Dornoch, Thorpedo Anna and Fierceness have the advantage, because they are high quality speed. One of the higher odds horses might be worth considering, but I wouldn’t use them unless they look outstanding at post time. Picking long shots in a big race like this, when the best have been tested and raced a bit, is a mistake. The best horses to date should prevail in this race.
I just think Corporate Power is going to step up—he will need to, in order to contend, Fierceness and Sierra Leone ran faster—but Fierceness might bounce, I really don’t fully believe they are going—Dornoch and Sierra Leone are true ten furlong types, I believe Corporate Power is, as well….I’ve been to many ten furlong races, Hollywood Gold Cups, Big Caps, Pacific Classics.. there’s a humongous difference, when they add on one furlong, just as when they add 40 yards to a 400 yard Quarter Horse race, the extra 40 yards completely changes the race complexion!…Ten furlongs is the Classic distance—Ten furlongs dirt is my favorite distance, and I have made a bundle on The Kentucky Derby—by identifying a “ten furlong horse”—-simply put—a horse whose best performance is at ten furlongs….I think Corporate Power is a ten furlong horse, we shall see if that’s enough….
Exactly, Matthew. I’m intrigued with Batten Down, I’ve watched the progression from day 1. If he progresses again from the Jim Dandy, he may win this but that’s up to him and the ‘talented Mr. Bill Mott’ whose horses are growing wings of late.
The heart is also with Honor Marie but the race looks wide open to me. As you say, they are either 10f horses or their not. It’ll be fun to find out.
Right now for the Travers stakes the weather is looking pretty good so let’s hope it stays that way. As far as the race itself it is looking very interesting so far and a case can be made for almost every horse in the race. I am looking for a lively pace for it Although Thorpedo Anna was unfortunate in drawing the rail I don’t see it as a death knell in her chances of winning this race. I don’t think she should be pushed to the front because of it unless the rail proves to be very fast that day ( Again as I posted earlier the trainers and jockeys should be very observant of any track biases for that day, checking out the previous race run that day especially the Jerkens and Forego will be helpful). From what I can see of her she can be rated. I would have her position just behind the leaders (who I see to be Batten down, Unmatched Wisdom, Dornoch and Fierceness) also with Sierra Leone to the outside of her it should help her get a clean break at the start. Good draw for Sierra Leone and with a relatively small field he should not have traffic issues. Horse of interest is Corporate Power. Would not like to see him no closer than 8 lengths from the leaders going into the first turn and holding that position until mid way thru the back stretch and then let go on the far turn. If he is any kind of a runner he should be making up ground fast. Honor Marie should be near the back at the beginning of the race and should coming at the end. Again in my opinion he is not as fast a closer as Sierra Leone and as someone pointed out his slow works leading up to this race. I am still leaning on Sierra Leone to come thru in the end to win this race. If the filly gets a clean trip and not asked to set the pace she should put in a good performance. Will Johnny V give Fierceness another wide trip !?!?! Track bias will dictate if that is a good strategy. Dornoch has shown to be a fighter and don’t expect anything different this time. Will playing probably a 4 horse box exacta of ::: Sierra Leone, Thorpedo Anna, Dornoch and Corporate Power as things stand now. Will check in later this week.
In other developments Baffert to run Arabian Knight this Saturday at Del Mar in the Pat O’Brien. This is a good test for him. Baffert workout pattern is sort of weird for him. Don’t know what to expect but glad he did not run him in the Pacific Classic (PC). Is Baffert going to run Muth in the Pacific Classic? Looks like he may have 2 or 3 horses for that race. The PC should be a good race. And unless I have missed it have not seen a workout for Parenting since his last race. Wonder what is ailing him now???
I think Muth will be heading to Philly….Patrenting to the PC…
Matthew have you seen a recent workout on Parenting ?…. like I said I have not. I would not put him in the PC …. Muth is better prepared for that… JMO.
Ten furlongs off of a five month layoff is a lot to ask….
If he was running on the frontend I would say yes about Muth. But I think he will be rated and kept off the pace. He has been working nicely and seem full of energy.
I enjoyed reading your interpretation of what might happen in the Travers Stakes, Downthestretch. Good luck. Yes, Parenting hasn’t worked since July, 21.
DTS,
Do you have something against paragraphing?
English wasn’t one of my strong subjects (LOL). I will try and do better in the future.
Bob was high on Citizen Bull…but he thought he needed another work, but he won….Gaming is another who looks like a two turn horse, Bob has some two year olds….I commend him for not running Adare Manor in the Pacific Classic, that is taking care of his mare—on the other hand—Jess kept making his beautiful Rachel Alexandra prove it vs males, and THAT was how we knew her greatness, but it did finally get to her—I’m against making fillies prove it vs males, on dirt—maybe in a Sprint, or 12 furlongs, where it becomes speed or stamina—but 10 furlongs is HARD, on dirt for a filly vs males….Bob’s going to keep Adare vs fillies…..
Hey Matthew W
Over the past years, I’ve posted several comments on this blog, expressing my concern regarding fillies vs males, in dirt route races. Turf is a different matter. The legs take much less pounding on turf than they do on a dirt track.
Eight Belles and Ruffian paid the price running against the boys. Will Thorpedo Anna pay the price as well, running against the likes of Dornoch, Fierceness, Sierra Leone and Honor Marie in the Travers? Stay tuned.
I believe that Thorpedo Anna is primed to upset in the Travers. IMO Fierceness will be exposed as a horse who doesn’t want 1 1/4. I will only use TA,SL, and Dornoch in my P5. I will play a $10 TRI 1/2,7/2,7. Anna should be able to sit a good stalking trip , then strut her stuff in the stretch. GO ANNA
Black Caviar’s foalby Snitzel passed away last night. Such a tragic and heartbreaking end.
Rich Strike should be retired before he breaks down (in my opinion). Enough is enough and sometimes that is too much.
Congratulations to Coolmore etc on Whistlejacket’s win.
If it was not for his pattern of win, lose, win, lose my money would be on Fierceness. His PP is perfect for his running style in my opinion. I love Anna, but she got the dreaded one hole. Will be interesting to see what Sierra Leone does this time. Thinking he will try to get on the rail again. Safe racing for all.
Derma Sotagake is back in training.
Happy Monday everyone!
Lynda King: Thanks for the update; what a tragedy that Black Caviar would die followed by the death of her foal.
I read in a publication from outside the US, that the owner of Rich Strike is 99% certain that he will be retiring him to stud.
I feel awful the Thorpedo Anna is on the rail and Sierra Leone is in the 2nd slot. I’ll bet that her jockey, Brian Hernandez, Jr., moves her away from the rail, to get her away from him. With Sierra Leone, one never knows, he might get frisky on the race track.
Hi Terri
I would feel better about Anna’s chances if she was not in one with SL next to her in 2.
For those too impatient for Saratoga this Friday and Saturday, York has come to your aid.
The famous York Ebor Festival starts this Wednesday with a cracking renewal of the Juddmonte International Stakes. City of Troy may be the favourite but White Birch, Bluestocking (if she runs) , among others, may give him more than he can handle.
On Thursday, the Yorkshire Oaks features a matchup between Bluestocking and Queen of the Pride along with Emily Upjohn.
Friday’s featured race is the famous Nunthorpe Stakes – Big Evs could dazzle the crowd here.
Saturday, we have the City of York Stakes with a battle between Audience, Lake Forest, and good o’l Kinross. These are only to feature races there is plenty of support races to keep your eyes glued to the turf. All perfect to set you up for the Travers Stakes. Enjoy the races.
David, I love the UK. I hope the next time I come, I’m able to go to a meet!
Betsy, the Newmarket Stable tours and National Stud tours at Newmarket might be what you are looking for, more than just the racecourses. Unless, you are going when Royal Ascot is in full swing.
If you are going to Paris – you have to see Chantilly and ParisLongchamp. The UK is such a small place, you can see everything quickly and easily. Then there is Ireland…
Did you see what Grosvenor Square did in the Irish St. Leger Trial?
Yes, Steve, outstanding. It’s wonderful to watch a true stayer perform their art. I wonder if they’ll send to the Melbourne Cup? Mind you, the tracks here can be like cement in Spring if there’s little to no rain. Often, the European horses jar up badly during the race.
Selfishly, I’m hoping they send Carson’s Run to the Cox Plate just so I can see him in the flesh. It won’t be easy, Moonee Valley is a tricky track, odd construction, and either horses love it or hate it and, besides, only the cream of Australasian horses are involved. Tough ask, flying in from the US unless they come early and acclimate.
Has anyone else been watching the Arqana August Yearling Sales at Deauville? The US 1,877, 050 and some cents St Mark’s Basilica filly going to Coolmore was as ‘special’ as her price tag. Not bad for a first season sire. Lucky lads at Coolmore, they can have whatever their heart’s desire.
Fierceness is an interesting horse to look at in the Form. On numbers, he charts best. But his yo-yo BSFs are concerning. But he does have excuses in all 3 of his losses(lunged at start, pinballed start, & hopped start). Losing to Hades and Domestic Product in the Holy Bull at 1-5 is disturbing, trouble or not. He figures to get a good trip sitting just off of Dornoch to his inside. Batten Down couldn’t keep up in the Jim Dandy. Unmatched Wisdom is kind of an X factor. He has some speed and I wonder if Chad Brown will have Irad Ortiz send hard to set things up for Sierra Leone. I don’t think his buddy Seth Klarman would appreciate that.
Thorpedo Anna actually charts last on my projected numbers. But I don’t think that they mean anything because she has won so easily that she was never asked to go all out in the stretch. I suspect that she is just as good as Fierceness, Dornoch, and Sierra Leone. I don’t like the rail for her though. If Brian Hernandez hustles her out of there, she could get into a tussle with Dornoch, Fierceness, and maybe Unmatched Wisdom. She could get a nice spot right behind those 3 though. She shows a couple of nice :59 and change workouts coming into the race. I bet that she makes her presence felt.
Matthew likes Corporate Power. I think that he will be coming hard in the stretch. He could be the one to spice up the payoffs.
Here’s some good news. With a first or second place finish, Magnier-Tabor-Smith can come out ahead on that $2.3 million purchase price for Sierra Leone.
Sierra Leone still has a nice rising numbers pattern. But don’t forget that he’s lost 3 in a row. I like the 3rd time Flavien Prat angle though.
Sierra Leone is 0 for 2 at a mile and a quarter. Batten Down 1 for 1. Honor Marie 0 for 3(one of those was actually 1 3/16 miles). Dornoch 1 for 2, but the Derby should be a throw out race(dreaded rail draw & a rough trip). Fierceness 0 for 1, with that loss in the Derby.
I think Prat is riding really well – bravely, but not recklessly. He had the trip of the day Saturday on Grayosh… but that was on the turf.
Ever since the Belmont, I’ve been waiting for Honor Marie to have his chance in the Travers… and all along I’ve believed that he just needs a good trip and he’ll run big
But…I don’t have a good feeling anymore. I’m not a fan of multiple jockey changes – I’d have preferred that Geroux remain on board. I’m not a fan of the blinkers – blinkers aren’t going to help with bad luck. Actually awful luck is why Honor Marie has been so far back in his last two.
And lastly, the workout pattern is giving me serious Honor A.P. Shared Belief vibes. John Shirreffs worked HAP SO slowly before that race, didn’t even give him a stiff breeze coming off a long layoff. I knew HAP wouldn’t be ready to win – and I was right; he didn’t run well
I’m getting same feeling with HM, that he’s being underprepared. Whit didn’t put one stiff breeze in HM – as he did before the Derby. And yesterday’s work was really slow.….watching it was kind of painful
So, I don’t think HM will be prepared to run his best race on Saturday
Betsy, if Shirreffs works too slow for your taste, Bob works way too fast. Hence, the horses from his barn out so often. With him- a yearly pattern.
I was only referring to the Shared Belief, where I do think he undertrained HAP. I think overall JS did a very good job with HAP, though if he hadn’t retired so early, I think I’d have gotten frustrated by JS’s conservatism.
I can’t argue about BB…
Always wished HAP raced at four. As for HM, hope he runs well Saturday. Talent is there.
Mike, he would have been tremendous
I’m a pessimist, so maybe I’m just reaching. I agree, HM has the talent…
Hope it’s a fast track, no excuses needed for anyone
Yes, best of luck!!!
Betsy, I didn’t have a good feeling about Manchester City beating Chelsea at Chelsea’s home ground in City’s opening game of the season in the English Premier League. The final result:
Chelsea 0 – Manchester City 2 🙌
Never surrender, Betsy!!
Love that attitude, David!
I’ve not been impressed with how Honor Marie has been working! I think Corporate Power is peaking….and the Big Lugger should love that tenth furlong—-I’ll box those three, Ive been an HM backer for a long time—….but have come to like Sierra Leone! And Shug is still around! His colt did something he won’t have to do this time, make an early move….he’s a mid-sized stamina built horse, keeps on coming—and working WELL!..
Dornoch for me. Drew well.
I’ll include Dornoch in my box, he’s built like a ten furlong horse! Big frame big stride….
Dornoch(5-2 ML), Thorpedo Anna(3-1), Fierceness(3-1), and Sierra Leone(7-2).
If those odds were to hold up, I think that Sierra Leone could be worth a bet.
I don’t like the rail for Thorpedo Anna. She’ll have to be hustled to get out of there while Dornoch and Fierceness are coming in on her.
The #2 should be great for Sierra Leone. If I remember correctly, he was #2 in the Derby.
Rail for her is pretty much deal breaker in my humble opinion. Honor Marie is interesting.
Sierra will leave there favored….I’m looking at a Sierra/Corporate Power exacta, Shug’s colt is doing quite well—and Sierra is due for a win….Filly draws inside she goes out—Fierceness and Dornoch and Batten Down chase, it looks like closers, to me…
Thorpedo Anna won’t be whistling Dixie out there, she’s a tough stalk! When the boys start to inch up—they’re going to find out who they’re dealing with! The stretch will be interesting….
The beautifully exquisite Siyouni mare, Msqse de Sevigne, remains undefeated for 2024 by winning her third Group 1 win of the year on Sunday in the Prix Jean Romanet in a thrilling finish. The race can be viewed on YouTube.
Edouard de Rothschild flag barer is being prepared for a tilt at the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe at ParisLongchamp in October, according to Andre Fabre. The champion mare is at very favorable odds at this stage, Coral has her at 20\1.
Corporate Power is flying under the Travers radar, this crop is in my opinion an average crop—if all eight go—I’m looking at a closer or three—Shug has a runner, with the filly drawing the inside I think they are sending, Corporate Power had to make the first move, in The Curlin—he won’t need to make the first move, if all go…..
Matthew, there are so many ‘exciting/promising’ missing it’s had to really judge them. Arguably, the H. Allen Jerkins Memorial Stakes earlier in the day could be of greater interest down the line. The race looks wide open with most having the credentials to win. If Speak Easy gets good positioning he may finally get to flaunt the unbridled brilliance/talent he showed earlier in the year.
As for the Travers Stakes, nothing would surprise me really but am hoping for a Batten Down or Honor Marie win. Thorpedo Anna will be hounded all the way which is tough especially at 10f. but it would be exciting should she win.
They’ve chopped the ‘s’ of the Davids
FREE the “S”…..
I was in a class at high school where there were 7 lads named David. The only way to differentiate the Davids was to add the first letter of their last names. There were two boys with Mac…. Names. One was Davidm and the other was DavidMac It caught on with the other boys as well especially for team sports.
Mindless trivia!! Ha ha
David’s this blog is home to some marvelous posters, and yous are hardly mindless! I look forward to your posts and am never disappointed…
Thanks Matthew, that’s kind of you. I always enjoy reading your posts as well. You get so much joy reading the history that has drawn other people to racing.
I love hearing about Blue, I adore Great Danes as well but at this stage getting a dog is on hold. I have 3 Tonkinese cats who are a handful, they want your full attention 24\7. Luckily they are fascinated in watching horse racing. One of runs behind the computer to see where the horses are running to. He his favorite horses as well. Ha ha
David, I was in a junior high school gym class with 8 guys named David! So I know the feeling.
Ha ha!! David, that’s too cool. It was fun waiting for the anticipated last letter when you knew the answer but a great relief when another David was called when you didn’t know the answer. We rock!! lol
The amount of knowledge amassed and shared by Steve to draw the common denominators between the great Holy Bull and Fierceness is simply amazing. if Fierceness were to win the Travers he not only be emulating Holy Bull’s feat there but he will also be only the third 2-year-old champion to win the Mid-Sumer Derby this Century. it is worth mentioning though that only five 2-year-old champions were able to last long enough to compete in the Travers since 2000. So, Fierceness being in the field is an achievement by itself.
Unless Repole decides to run Fierceness next year, I do no see the son of City of Light even getting close to Holy Bull’s feats of his Hall of Fame 3-year-old campaign.
Passing the Torch
A crowd of 18,700 people gasped in unison when Holy Bull stopped with a strained ligament in his left foreleg as the overwhelming favorite in the Donn Handicap. Mike Smith was seen crying profusely while telling his wife ” He is going to be all right”.
No one would imagine that such a dramatic and sour moment marked the rise of another superstar in the unconquerable Cigar.
Jimmy Croll Jr. had mapped Holy Bull’s 1995 schedule to include the Santa Anita Handicap, the Metropolitan Mile, the Woodward and finally the Breeder’s Cup Classic as a final race before retiring the big gray.
If Cigar would have had the very same 1995 campaign then the two superstars would have clashed again in the Woodward and for the last time in the Breeder’s Cup Classic. The fans were hopeful to see Holy Bull emulating another great gray superstar fifteen years earlier named Spectacular Bid.
A very skillful 74-year-old trainer
Revisiting the resume of Hall of Famer, Warrren A. (Jimmy) Croll, Jr., I learned that he also was the trainer of such brilliant horses like Bet Twice (Alysheba’s archrival), champion sprinter Housebuster, champion 2-year-old filly Forward Gal, useful 2-yer-old Ali Oop (Sapling winner), and top turf runners Parka and Dr. Schwartzman. Croll Jr. remarkably made the gelding Parka a grass champion after claiming him for $10k and managing to heal a fractured sesamoid. The son of Artic Prince went on to win 27 times in 93 starts.
Another fun fact about Jimmy Croll Jr. is that he is the first of only other three trainers who are also owners of Hall of Fame horses (than ran over the last 53 years). This distinction was possible thanks to the benevolence of Mrs. Carpenter as described by Steve.
Steve Haskin exalting the past and the present
The added value of Steve’s articles is that they prompt many of us to dig dipper on the subjects and get more awareness about the history of horse racing.
It never ceases to amaze me how Steve is able to connect the story of the greatest horses of the past with current events and the top horses of the day.
I am not sure Fierceness is gritty enough to win the Travers but my excitement about the race this year was boosted after reading this article.
Nelson, you have said it all!
Thank you.
Thanks dear Lynda!
Excited to see Thorpedo Anna take on the boys in the Travers. I like the 1 PP for TA. SL breaks slowly and in PP2. This should allow TA to get a good stalking position and save ground. We know that BH is a good jockey using the inside of the track. Dornoch drew well from PP7. I consider TA,SL, and Dornoch as the most likely winners.
Too bad Rich Strike with latest injury, more than likely retiring. Poor horse never had chance with dumb owner.
Strangely managed after the Derby win.
Owner full blown narcissist.
On any given day you have the enthusiasm of Joe P…the astute points of Discopartner and Bill Dawson…the usually interesting Counter Point (sounds like the name of a racehorse!)….and gems, by Lynda King, Nelson Mann and yourself—along with Steve’s treasures (an homage to the great Quarter Horse rider Steve Treasure)….and many others, who make this the best Horse Racing blog out there.
And of course Tommy Mac…
A post can be classified as good, bad or indifferent. I have often wondered how such classifications are determined.
I submitted as post regarding what could be perceived as the mismanagement of a 3YO colt with a May foaling date. I used the term ‘Possible Abuse’ in the submission and that term was latched on to which led to serious amount of incoming fire.
I assume that post was deemed to deserve the classification of ‘bad’.
Can rushing to judgement whilst ignoring context, result in unfavorable classifications? This is always a possibility.
I contend a negative opinion formulated after reding a post doesn’t make said post bad. Why? The post might be viewed as good by another. It’s always a case of interpretation driven by context.
Sometime ago one of my submissions was classified as absurd. One of the opposites of absurdity is ‘Reasonableness’. What might be viewed as reasonable by one can be viewed as absurd by another.
I much prefer to classify post as provocative, informative, interesting or controversial. Obviously, I do not make the rules regarding classifications. However, if submissions are viewed as either good, bad or indifferent This represent a total disregard of the old idiom – One man’s trash is another man’s treasure
This forum is and will remain a place where information, opinions, viewpoints and are shared. There are no good, bad or indifferent submission. There are just differing submissions.
Hey Counter Point
This past Thursday, I posted a comment to you regarding your post, “breeding the best to the best. I opened my post by stating, “I always enjoy your posts, be they good, bad or indifferent.” So, I can only assume your current is directed at me. Based on the content of any given post, is my right to classify them as “good, bad or indifferent. It’s clearly not your place to dictate to others on how they should interpret comments on this forum.
If I consider a comment as good, I will point that out. Conversely, if I consider a comment as being bad, I will point that out. If I’m indifferent to a comment, I will simply ignore it.
Have a good day Counter Point (AKA, Coldfacts)
I guess there is no BS in Citizen Bull !!! He won nicely yesterday. Nice to see Martin Garcia win one with Baffert. Wonder if he will stick around? Not sure how far Citizen Bull will go I guess only time will tell.
Hey Downthestretch
Aside from missing the break, Unique Power was clearly no match for Citizen Bull.
I found it interesting that during the post parade, UP was the 4th choice in the betting.
However, when the gates opened, he was the favorite. I look for UP to improve in his next outing.
During a prerace interview, John Sadler (UP’s trainer) mentioned his concern about his horse being on the rail and stated, “if doesn’t break well, that could be a problem.”
He was so right.
Bill, I think Unique Power has a bright future and is with a good barn. Will see if he stays healthy. May just need time to mature and develop.
Downthestretch, I completely agree with you.
Depends on if can remain healthy due to his aggressive training style. Too many horses from his barn on sidelines as always.
Mike, Not sure the workouts are the issues. The Into Mischief and Uncle Mo horses tend to have more issues regardless of how they are trained
Yes, not the most robust.
I just watched the replay of the Alabama. Am I mistaken, or did Power Squeeze neigh in the gate just prior to the start? I don’t think I’ve ever seen/heard a horse do that before.
Sorry to hear about passing of Black Caviar.
For Ala, post 1 for win.
Just watched trainer Doug Nunn win a 100k stake at Monmouth at 25-1. I know Steve has written about one of the Nunn brothers in the past. I don’t know them, but I’ve watched them work hard for years in obscurity and they’ve never lost the excitement that drew us all to racing at some point. I’ve never seen a Kentucky Derby trainer more excited to greet his horse and rider than Doug Nunn just was winning a small stake at Monmouth. A nice contrast to the buttoned down trainers with 100 well bred horses.
What, no one here making picks for a salty Alabama? My money’s on Just Basking, already a stakes winner but yet to win a graded stakes. She, like Black Caviar, is from the prolific Family No. 1, with close on 20,000 stakes winners world wide.
I’ll play! This looks pretty wide open to me. I like Just Basking and Power Squeeze. The kid has the 5 – America’s Vow – who is quite the physical specimen, and Intricate is her second favorite. Run home safely, girls!
Power Squeeze was the best play, Katy! From the same female family, but that’s no way to parlay a bet. Just Basking is due for a graded win at some point. Congratulations to all the Power Squeeze connections.
My selection wrong,but glad Pletcher didn’t prevail.
In an interview I read at another site, respected clocker and handicapper Bruno De Julio refers to Sierra Leone as “just slow”. Which backs up Counter Point’s point of view with some cold facts.
I remember De Julio from my California days when he would be a guest on the Saturday & Sunday radio shows. He was one of Roger Stein’s buddies. He always had solid takes and was right more often than not.
BTW, he likes Dornoch.
Re Julio is lucky to know the day/ date!
De
Last week I mentioned a race at Saratoga that featured several high priced two year old fillies.
Today in the 7th race at Del Mar it is the two year old high priced colts’ turn…
Unique Power (Into Mischief/Sadler) $650,000
Kalea Bay (Authentic/Baffert) $700,000
Post Game (Nyquist/Shirreffs) $550,000
Citizen Bull (Into Mischief/Baffert) $675,000
Power Play (Authentic/Mandella) $375,000
No ‘price controls’ evident here….with tongue in cheek, of course.
Unique Power was RNA. The $650,000 was an unsuccessful bid.
Black Caviar gone at 18. Laminitis claims another of my favorites. Rest in peace, brave Nelly.
One of all times great.
Katy, I’d not heard of her. Looked her up and saw she’s Australian, and undefeated in 25 starts, 22 of them graded stakes. Wow, just wow.
Ms. Blacktype– Look at Black Caviar’s race at Royal Ascot in the race honoring the late Queen Elizabeth II’s Diamond Jubilee. Her jockey stopped riding her before the finish line; he realized his mistake and then she won by a nose. What a classy and determined mare. And she had lots of little issues bothering her with that long trip from Australia to England. (That race is in some of the articles and is also on You Tube.) After she won, Queen Elizabeth petted her and handed the award to her team. Royalty always knows royalty.
I’ll check that out, Terri. Thanks!
Ms B, many have said she was greater than Frankle.
Terrible.
Such a heartbreaking loss. One of the greatest mares to ever set foot on a race track.
Still reeling over the news.
Heartfelt condolences to all of her connections.
Is there no end to the loss of so many horses of all breeds to this disease?
Years of research have yielded little in the way of treatments.
Tiz the Law sires his first Stakes winner, Out on Bail, on the turf at Saratoga in the Skidmore Stakes. Exciting race to the finish with an inquiry as well. Jet Sweet Joe didn’t deserve to lose, the third horse was some 9 1/2 lengths behind these two.
Sierra Leone has won 3 of 7 races. Tyler Gaffalione won 2 of 3 with him. Manny Franco 1 for 1. Jose Ortiz 0 for 1. Flavien Prat 0 for 2.
I guess it depends on how you look at it. Prat gets a 3rd try in the Travers and seemed to have him running straight in the stretch on Jim Dandy Day. But Tyler G has ridden him with the most success if you can overlook the lugging in.
Assuming that the Jim Dandy was used as a prep and to get him running straight in the stretch, I see no reason that Sierra Leone can’t run a big one next week. He should get some pace to set up his run.
Sierra Leone went off at 4-5 in the Jim Dandy. Fierceness 9-5. Throw in the very popular Thorpedo Anna and the leader of the division Dornoch, and 7-2 seems possible for Sierra Leone. Maybe I’m dreaming. Maybe Dornoch gets overlooked again and people don’t bet Thorpedo Anna like I think they will.
I’ll wait as long as possible to place a bet on the Travers. An early decision needs to be made for multi-race wagers though.
Chad Brown will possibly have a 2nd runner in the Travers. Will Unmatched Wisdom and Irad Ortiz be playing the part of “rabbit” for Sierra Leone? He has some speed.
I think Sierra will leave there favored again….
That’s my thoughts too !!!
The Jim Dandy used as a prep to get a horse to run straight defies logic.
During training a linty of equipment and approaches are experimented with to address quirks that a horse may possess.
Sierra Leone paddles and this gait deficiency could be the major contributor to his tendency to drift to the rail.
Further, he is big horse that appears too heavy entering his races. More oats and less sweet feed could be a useful diet change.
Does anyone have any further information on the mysterious fellow temporarily living in the tack room, never to be seen or heard from again?
An Angel indeed.
Talking about track announcers…. .Tom Durkin and Frank Mirahmadi are my top two…Harry Henson very close….Trevor another whom I like….I also like Vic Staufer, who pretty much sabotaged his career by saying too much!….Dave Johnson ranks near the top, as well….I agree about Chic Anderson’s historic Belmont call, Chic called Santa Anita for a few years, he wasn’t my favorite—for that matter neither was Joe Hernandez, who went from a fast talker to a slow talker—I just did not get all the hype, I thought he was just average….my hometraxk of Los Alamitos has enjoyed two great race callers, Bobby Doyle and Ed Burgart, they stack up nicely, among the best!..There are many others, mostly back east—who are very good…..
Matthew, we are all partial to certain announcers as they can add to the enjoyment of the racing experience. I like two of your favorites, Frank Mirahmadi and Vic Stauffer. Tom Durkin was good in his prime but got a bit sloppy in his later years, imo.
My top favorite announcer is Keeneland’s Kurt Becker. He delivers a crisp, clean call with measured tones of excitement when called for. Most importantly, I can always understand what he’s saying.
I grew up listening to Bob Weems in the 1980s. He’d call Monmouth in the afternoon then come down the parkway to call Atlantic City, where I always was , at night. Not flashy, made it about the horses, great voice. I met him a few years after he retired. He was very old and in a wheelchair by then, which surprised me because his voice had been so youthful just a few years earlier.
Bob Weems was very good and called races here for a while in Arizona at Turf Paradise.
My two favorites right now are both Golden Gate Fields alumni: Michael Wrona and Matt Dinerman. Both have keen eyes for the details of a race. I love Michael’s sense of humor (for instance, saying a horse is “staying like a mother-in-law!”) and Matt’s enthusiasm. I’ve had the pleasure of meeting both of them, and they’re both thoroughly nice guys.
Michael Wrona has a distinctive Queensland, Australian voice.
Peter O’Sullevan can’t be topped, ‘the voice of racing.’ Racing sounds like the sport of king when hearing the melufqelous tones while raising the ‘competition’ to a battle royal.
Tom Durkin, Vic Stauffer, Frank Mirahmadi would be my favoured US announers along with Robert Galler in Canada. Galler has a quintessential Melbourne voice.
The Sydney announcers have an awful ‘Sydney twang’ to their voice which is extremely irritating to the ear. ha ha
I have lost confidence in Sierra Leone. Wittingly or unwittingly, I have been forced to reassess the colt and have concluded he is a slow $2.3M acquisition
Is my reassessment premature and a bit on the harsh side? Probably! But the cold facts denote a realistic reassessment was warranted after the Jim Dandy.
Sierra Leone had absolutely no excuses for his last 3 defeats, particularly in the Kentucky Derby. Great horses find ways to win in spite of adversities.
Sierra Leone entered the KD with what could be considered an unprecedented advantage. He had previously defeated 8 fellow entrants and those 8 had in turn defeated 8 other entrants. SL therefore had 16 of his opponents covered over a distance which should have been in his favor. Not many KD entrants possessed such a status.
He allowed the stamina challenged Mystic Dan to nose him out. Finishing 18L and 24L behind him were Dornoch and Fierceness. Both the aforementioned colts took turns in defeating him in the subsequent Belmont and Jim Dandy.
If Mystic Dan didn’t get a miracle/daredevil ride from Brian Hernandez squeezing through a hole that wasn’t really there on the far turn, Sierra Leone would have been the talk of the town. Well, wait a minute, he WAS the talk of the town, but for all the wrong reasons.
Dornoch, whom I dismissed before and after the KD, is the one horse who has shown both consistency and resilience. He may be no more talented than the others, but he gets the job done.
You would do back flips if owning him.
Cute.
There are no great horses running right now! I’ll give you three reasons *not excuses he has lost his last three—Mystik Dan…Dornoch….Fierceness—-Sierra did run well but not well enough….I cannot toss him with confidence, not at ten furlongs I cannot..
I think this crop is better than any in recent years, there are more front end “speed” horses at the top, for one – Dornoch, Fierceness, Batten Down, Dragoon Guard, Sieze the Grey, any of which can lead or follow close up. And a few that have been sidelined, like Mindframe and earlier, Nysos. Plus a good, proven closer in Sierra Leone. They’ve been slow to reach their potential, I think it’s because they race less often. Their trainers also seem less concerned about winning the big 3 yo races just for their own sake, and more concerned with building breeding value, but the racing potential is there in those horses. Pletcher seems more into it than the others and he’s pretty laid back. Brad Cox has gone philosophical, and Bill Mott isn’t one to go through the triple crown from start to finish. I think all that affects the horses’ careers and effectiveness.
Agreed!
Well my reply was to his “great horses find ways to win” post…
I would strongly dispute that the crop born in 2021 is anywhere near the same quality as the crop born in 2018. Which includes: Flightline – Horse of the Year, Cody’s Wish – Horse of the Year, Essential Quality, Life is Good, Proxy, Jackie’s Warrior, Elite Power, Golden Pal, Hot Rod Charlie, Mandaloun, Medina Spirit, Midnight Bourbon, Rebel’s Romance among others.
The crop of 2021 is simply not in the same class as the above crop.
You is right! Medina Spirit, Mandaloun, Hot Rod Charlie, Essential Quality….quite the Super…
Were not for a horse named Knicks Go they sweep the Classic…
Davids, you can’t compare older horse careers at this point. Looking at 3 yo routes to date, this year has more potential Gr. 1 winners than in ’21, the ones I mentioned above compared to the 3 yo’s you mentioned. This year, there are more who could win, which speaks to quality although some will say it means lesser quality. There’s also more front runners capable of wiring a race but also able to run just off the pace, and a good 3 yo deep closer in Sierra Leone, a type that hasn’t been seen in years. I think they’re still reaching their potential as 3 yo’s,
Discopartner, you are certainly entitled to your opinion but just something that might give you pause to think, there is a strong opinion that a filly is the best 3 year old of both sexes and, moreover, Thorpedo Anna is competing in the Travers Stakes this Saturday.
The champion 3 year old filly of the 2018 crop was Malathaat. Malathaat won the Kentucky Oaks in 1:48.99. Thorpedo Anna won the Kentucky Oaks in 1:50.83 that’s about 9 lengths to the advantage of Malathaat.
In the Kentucky Derby, Mystik Dan took 2:03.34 to get to the line while in 2021 the time was 2:01.21, that’s about 10 lengths to the advantage of the 2018 crop.
That’s quite convincing to me, and they have to face up to Flightline’s tour de force performances.
Thorpedo Anna has gone faster than that since, and is more dominant than Malathaat was, to the point where she’s one of the favorites in the Travers, something few fillies attempt. I think you picked the wrong comparison there. As to the Derby, the class of ’21 emerged early, the class of ’24 has taken their time to get up to speed, but they’re getting faster. I think jockeys are riding slower this year, maybe in response to HISA’s clampdown on riding rough, and safety concerns from last year’s Saratoga meet tragedies. Let’s compare the Travers afterwards. I think this field beats the one from ’21.
The BSFs of 2021 TC were 102，102，and an amazing 109（Hot Rod Charlie got a great 108），the beyers of TC 2024 are 100,100,100；
the 2018s won G1s beating older males in Pacific Classic，BC dirt mile，BC turf sprint，Cigar mile，finished second in BC sprint，finished 2nd to 4th in the BC Classic，in 2021，as they were 3yos.
in 2022，as 4yos，they won everything，they did not lost any of the BC races on dirt，they won 25/31 G1s on dirt for 3yo and ups in America all year long.
Even in their 6 yo season this year，they won the Saudi cup，Dubai World Cup，Bing Crosby.
We can see the names：Flightline，Life is Good，Medina Spirit，Essential Quality，Hot Rod Charlie，Olympiad，Cody’s Wish，Elite Power，Jackie’s Warrior，Speaker’s Corner，Midnight Bourbon，Mandaloun，Senor Buscador，Emblem Road，Laurel River，Proxy， Lemon Pop，The Chosen Vron，Golden Pal，Malathaat，Goodnight Olive，Clairiere，Search Results，etc.
One of the best US crops in years.
Yes, toro, that’s how I see that crop, star studded. This year’s crop of 3 year olds I’m not so sure about the quality but that’s a wait and see.
Slow??? This entire 3-year-old class is slow except for when Fierceness runs his good ones. As Steve Haskin points out, Holy Bull averaged a 115 BSF in his 8 races as a 3-year-old. I don’t see any horses like that listed as “possibles” for this year’s Travers. Fierceness is scheduled for one of his bad ones according to his form. IF he runs.
Personally, I don’t think that Saratoga is the right track for Sierra Leone. I would only consider a bet on him if the price is right. If people go a little crazy betting Fierceness, Thorpedo Anna, and Dornoch. 7-2 or better could be attractive.
I have the feeling that Sierra Leone’s time to shine will come on November 2nd where the surf meets the turf.
Counter Point (CP) I think you are losing confidence in Sierra Leone (SL) at the wrong time. I think he was the best horse in the Jim Dandy (JD) just ridden on the wrong part of the track that day and I also don’t think Chad Brown had him cranked up to 100% . After the JD I posted a comment after the race that Fierceness won because Johnny V kept him wide and on the faster part of the track. Chad Brown the next day basically confirmed that when congratulated Johnny V on his intelligent ride in the race and that in the end his horse was running on the deepest part of the track.
For me SL is setting up just right for this race. If Dornoch and Thorpedo Anna and Fierceness are entered into the Travers we should have a pretty lively pace which would be good news for Sierra Leone closing style of running. Also Sierra Leone should be a little sharper going into the Travers. You also have the “X Factor” in the Travers with Todd Pletcher and that is his inability to get a front runner to carry his speed for 1 1/4 mile. Now unless he has figured out a way to get Fierceness to run mid pack the first half of the race and finish strong in the end then everybody else is running for 2nd but so far Fierceness has not shown that ability. The other scenario is for Dornoch and Thorpedo Anna scratch from the Travers and Fierceness has free rein of the frontend. I know there are some in here that are Honor Marie (HM) fans but Sierra Leone is just faster then him and unless Sierra Leone gets in a lot of traffic issues SL beats HM in the stretch everytime.
So CP if you are giving up on SL I think you are making a mistake but then again this is just my opinion.
One other thing on Travers day and that is “All” trainers and jockeys should pay very close attention to the early dirt races that day and see if a “mysterious” track bias appears in those races. Travers is known as the Graveyard of Champions for a reason !!!
RE: 75K Maiden race, at Del Mar, on Saturday, Aug. 17th, (R7).
The morning line has yet to be posted, but Smash It (2nd to Getaway Car, last out) will be the likely favorite, IMO. Baffert has two first time starters that look enticing, but the colt I’m most interested in is Unique Power. By top sire, Into Mischief, out of the Tapit mare, Unique Bella. She won over $1.2 million in eight graded races over her career, sprinting and routing. Her dam, Unrivaled Belle, won $1.8 million in career earnings, including the G1 BC Ladies Classic. In addition, she won the G2 La Torienne Stakes, beating the great Rachel Alexandra.
In Unique Power’s most recent work, he fired a bullet 4 furlongs in 46.20 (1/131).
This maiden race could produce a very special colt moving forward.
The morning line has been posted for this race. Surprise, surprise, Bob Baffert has the favorite in Citizen Bull, at 2-1.
1) Unique Power, 3-1
2) Kalea Bay, 4-1
3) Smash It, 7-2
4) Post Game, 10-1
5) Citizen Bull, 2-1
6) Toppers At Seaside (scratched)
7) Power Play, 5-1
Saw the rider for Citizen Bull as M. Garcia…. does anyone know if that is the same Garcia that rode for Baffert a few years back and was also his go to workout rider’s.? If so that should workout as a positive for Baffert especially when it comes down to workouts. Martin Garcia was one of Baffert’s best in that area.
C’est lui.
Hey Downthestretch
Yes, he’s same the Martin Garcia that rode for Baffert years ago, but Baffert dropped him for not working his horses in the morning. As far as I know, this will be the first time Garcia will ride a Baffert horse since their falling out.
Evidently, they’ve patched up their differences which will probably be beneficial to both parties.
Thanks for clearing that up Bill. Egos aside I hope it works out this time. As you said it should benefit both parties.
You’re welcome Downthestretchpp 0.01
Let bygones be bygones.
Didn’t he ride Nadal and Charlatan in the A K Derby after the fall out?
Martin Garcia is in town to ride Buchu for Philip Bauer in Saturday’s feature race at Del Mar.
Hi Bill….had Unique Power drawn outside I would single her…but you never can tell WHEN the Del Mar rail is not good…every year the rail does get deeper, for a weekend, and that has not happened (yet)….
Hi Matthew W
Judging by Unique Power’s latest work, (4F, 46.40) he appears to have excellent speed which will of benefit in the early going. If he breaks well, he could move out away from the rail and be in a good position going into the first turn. I like his chances in his debut race.
BTW, you mentioned, “I would single her”, just for clarification, Unique Power is a colt.
Oops I knew that! I love how his dam took her dam’s class—no reason why this colt won’t draw class from mom—he got her grey coat—Sadler is having one of his huge Del Mars, he has done that before…..
Unique Power –
Breeding the best to the best rarely produces champions in the modern era. Optimism regarding this colt being a champion has to be tempered. But you never know!
The colt is classified in Equibase as RNA with a final bid of $650,000 in the September Yearling Sale. Yearlings that do not meet their reserves despite high bids are rarely those that feature in the TC Series. But there is always the prospect of an exception.
Breeders Don Alberto Corporation seems to have no luck with the youngsters that chose to hold onto. But they ae overdue for success.
Good day Counter Point (AKA, Coldfacts)
I always enjoy reading your posts, be they good, bad or indifferent.
Since Unique Power has yet to race, let’s see how he does tomorrow against Baffert’s highly touted prospect, Citizen Bull.
Despite your reference, “Breeding the best to the best rarely produces champions in the modern era”, I would “Counter” that with, it sure beats “Breeding the worst to the worst”.
BTW, Martin Garcia did not ride Nadal in the Arkansas Derby, but he did ride Charlatan. I remain convinced that it’s been quite some time since Garcia has ridden for Baffert.
With respect to Unique Power versus Citizen Bull, may the best horse win tomorrow.
When was the last time a horse easily won the Preakness and Belmont…and list The Classic by a nose—-finish (rightly) THIRD, in 3yo Eclipse voting? (Tabasco Cat)..
Matthew, per chance have you seen Fort Bragg in training. He’s been working at Los Alamitos since July 5, 2024 and now at Del Mar on August 13, 2024?
I have not but he’s top class one turn!
Thanks, Matthew. Fort Bragg must be getting close to a start. Still no sign of Hejazi since January 24.
Matt,
I am requesting that you eliminate my bewilderment regarding your disclosure above.
Fort Bragg –
Record – 12 starts (3 – 2 – 3)
The colt’s 3 wins include a MSW an AOC and the Dwyer (G3).
How can a colt with such a resume be classified as top class at 1Turn?
Well he’s pretty solid….has contended in graded Sprint stakes, I call that top class—speaking of which.. .California right now—houses two of the finest sprinters, The Chosen Vron and Sweet Azteca, Cali just might get their Sprint MOJO back, for 2024!. .
I have always been a racing fan, and a horse fan, but I never knew the behind-the-scenes stories of many of these champions. I really appreciate your knowledge, Steve, and the way you tell the tale. Thanks for another great read.
Thank you Jerre. I’m happy to bring these stories to life for you
It’s been reported that Kingsbarns has been retired to Spendthrift Farm due to a strained ligament in his left front leg injured during his recent workout. This is most disappointing and disheartening as he was in brilliant form having just won the Stephen Foster (Gr. I). It’s a significant loss for the older horse ranks.
If it wasn’t for the highs I’ve experienced from racing, I would be hard pressed to endure the lows. But, somehow I do and so it goes. Sigh!
Kingsbarns -4YO
Stephen Foster G1 -1st
Pimlico Special G3 – 2nd
Ben Ali G3 -1st
AOC – 1st
The colt won one G1 as a 4YO and he is significant loss for the older division. How so?
Kingsbarns is trained by TP. His horses are accustomed to either going MIA or have abbreviated racing careers.
Locked hasn’t made a start since the BCJ
Speak Easy is MIA
Mindframe is out of training
Fierceness wo a slow renewal of the Jim Dandy. Who knows in which direction he is heading.
Noted who defeated Dornoch in the Sapling has been beaten in his last 4 starts by a combined 54 1/2L
Antiquarian winner of the Peter Pan and 5th place finisher in the Belmont has not worked in 60 days.
You are required to get accustomed to TP’s world. His High-Tech Program produces results, but abbreviated careers follow.
You should check with Equibase before making assumptions. Speak Easy won a race at Saratoga on July 27, 2024. Moreover, Speak Easy worked 4f at Saratoga on August 8, 2024.
Speak Easy has also been nominated for the H. Allen Jerkens Memorial on August 24, 2024.
Thanks!
You could have communicated your information update in a less confrontational manner.
I am not the enemy.
You are being reminded that a stranger is a friend one has not yet met.
Often, I’m rushing so have limited time but to express brief notes like a memo. I used to dictate memos to my secretory, many years ago ha ha, who softened the ‘message.’ Alas, those days have gone.
Sorry, if it was too direct.
At least he’s retired and. Could be worse.
Mike, ya beat me to it.
Dewey, I’m bummed by this one. Kingsbarns was my Derby horse last year, and I was hoping for a legit 4 year old showing.
Likewise, Katy. I used Kingsbarns and Tapit Trice in last year’s Derby. Kingsbarns was gearing up for his best as a 4 yo. Tough loss. Should have a good career at stud.
Slightly interesting – another Travers probable/possible, Unmatched Wisdom, is a Holy Bull descendant via the same mare in Fierceness’ family, Holy Bubbette.
In his case, she appears in the top side as dam of Cairo Prince.
In the breeding that produced Fierceness, Holy Bubbette appears in the tail-female line, which is a position of stronger genetic influence for mares.
Yes, I saw that. I didnt want to drift too far from the connections to Fierceness and Bull’s story but if they should run 1,2 or even 1,3 I probably will follow up on Holy Bubbette herself.. Might be a good story there.
They may not have the makings of HOFers, but I am so impressed by the mare power represented in the 2021 foal crop! The Travers looks like deep water for Unmatched Wisdom, but I agree that there’s a great storyline if he and Fierceness both do well. I don’t think you’re going to have any shortage of stories when this edition of the Travers is said and done! Picking might be the trick.
Steve, your palette gave us every shade of grey along with a heart of a lion. Your writing brings back that era in vivid monochrome and who can forget those cartoons. As silly as they were. Holy Bull also brought Mike Smith to national prominence as well, he was a top New York jockey but the Holy Bull exposure gave him a ‘name.’
I tend to think Holy Bull was an excellent 9f horse but his class and heart got him to reach the 10f distance, who can forget Smith extending himself splayed over Holy Bull’s back in an endeavor to urge and lighten the load of Holy Bull’s task in an Herculean effort of both horse and jockey to reach the line in the Travers Stakes, first. Tom Durkin agonized the drama in pure operatic style. Boy, is he missed!!
Great article, Steve. As for the Travers Stakes in 2024, the anticipation is high but it wouldn’t surprise me if another grey were to rise to the occasion. The post draw might be quite important for quite a few this year.
Thank you very much, David. So glad you enjoyed it. As you pointed out, great memories,
Steve,
You really captured The Bull! Special indeed.
Thank you for all your help Bonnie. Great sharing all the special memories with you and Kim
Oh, my. Happy memories and tears.
I appeciate the kind words Kim, on here and Facebook. Your stories helped a great deal. Hope to talk again soon .
Also, this article makes me really miss Tom Durkin. His race calls told a story.
To me, 9 of the 10 greatet race calls ever belong to Tom Durkin.. The other being Chic Anderson’s “moving like a tremendous machine…”
Maybe it is my west coast bias but I will take Trevor Denman and Harry Henson over Durkin and Chic Anderson any day but I will say this … Like Pres. Franklin Roosevelt’s “Day of Infamy” Speech after Pearl Harbor I will say that Chic Anderson’s Secretariat Belmont race call will go down as the “RACE Call of Infamy ” call !!!
Love ya Steve !!!
Infamy? Wow, what a sour, antisocial comment.
And the big chip on the shoulder comment knocking Durkin, you probably never heard him much.
Knocking Durkin? He made no such comment….and it’s obvious to me, he was complimenting Chic’s call….
No, he wasn’t complimenting the call. Infamy is bad, not good.
And putting those two above Durkin “any day” is an insult to Durkin, who most consider to be one of the best race callers and at least on some days, THE best.
And I’m expressing my opinion, not yours.
I’m Tom Durkin all the way….today it’s The Mirah-man, for me—both those guys are horse race lovers that could improvise—-and Harry Henson! When I entered Hollywood Park and heard the bark of Henson….what excitement! Those are my three….
1995 Classic has several “Durkinisms”!….And his 2001 Classic call is a part of social history…..weeks after 9/11, talk of Bin Laden being able to launder his money through Dubai—and so many Dubai winners, on the day—and it looked like one more….the emotions were palpable….Durkin was special….
I have a Holy Bull cap I bought from the now defunct http://www.horsehats.com it is black with white writing save the “O” in Holy is a yellow halo.
I have had it 20 + years. It’s pretty ratty now but I can’t get myself to throw it away.
If not for Holy Bull, I’m not a racing fan today.
Thanks for the article.
So great to hear that. And dont ever throw the cap away. The rattier the better.
Thanks Steve for another great piece! I got to see Holy Bull 4 times in person and it certainly wasn’t about betting him for at the odds we certainly had to pound him just to pay for gas ,tolls and everything else in involved. It was just to witness something that just left us in awe of him. In 2005 when the DRF Experimental Handicap came out as I looked down the list and came to Giacomo and saw Holy Bull as his sire it slapped in the face and I just knew he was my Derby horse. Stayed with him the whole way. The funny thing coming up to that Derby was that there was an add campaign in the Post and the daily news promoting Giacomo women’s shoes almost every day just to remind me that the stars were aligning! Talk about Kismet.
Thank you Derek. Great pick and for the right reason.
When Holy Bull’s second half really got ramped up, he had fallen off of our radar. After the Triple Crown races, we used to get zero racing coverage on antenna TV until the Breeders Cup. This story explained to me exactly why Mike Smith gets so emotional when anyone asks him about Holy Bull.
I really like the picture of Holy Bull at stud. No one wears the seasons of their life better than a fine grey horse.
Steve, after reading your work for many years, I am still in awe of the magical threads that you weave through your storytelling. I don’t know how you do it, I just know that I look forward to reading you every week.
Your excellent story of Holy Bull brought me back to the time I attended Jimmy Croll’s induction into the Hall of Fame. Of the many Hall of Fame ceremonies that I have attended, this one stood out in my memory for it’s emotional feeling. As I recall, John Nerud gave the most inspiring speech about how horseracing is a relationship that tugs at the heart. A representative of the British Jockey Club gave a stirring talk of the impact that Steve Cauthen had as he captivated British and European race fans when he moved his tack across the pond. Then, it was Jimmy Croll’s turn. He recounted his career and talked of Holy Bull and his other stars. When he began to speak of his patron, Rachel Carpenter, he choked up when remembering her unexpected generosity of bequeathing Holy Bull and six other horses to him upon her death. Jimmy got the largest prolonged ovation at a ceremony that offered the best that horseracing can offer.
I don’t know if Fierceness can win the Travers, but if he does, then we’ll have seen a race such as Holy Bull’s Travers win. Can’t wait to see it.
I appreciate it Dewey. Jimmy was such a great guy. I have many photos of him and my daughter with The Bull
Muth has run twice this year, San Vicente and Arkansas Derby (gr1)….what it—he won The Penn Derby (gr1)….and closes it out 4 for 4 (3 gr1s) in The Classic?….
I think Thorpedo Anna is going right to the front and saying “follow me”—with two very good persuers right behind, but I do think she will show the way—law of averages says Honor Marie won’t get bumped back, I like him to be in the exacta with Sierra Leone, who should get pace to run at, if the filly leads the way!…Hope everybody is doing fine. .
She’ll lose if she goes to the front, I doubt they’ll send her. Dornoch will probably be 1st at the start.
My resolve to enjoy this one is wavering, big time. This is a very hard ask, and I couldn’t do it if Thorpedo Anna was mine.
Speaking of, I see that Adare Manor is a possible for the Pacific Classic. That seems unreasonable as well, despite her Amazonian build. No shame in remaining a possible, not an entry.
Katy I agree with you about Thorpedo Anna, it’s a big ask, for a filly….Adare Manor is five, now—she just ran against type and came away from them, in the Hirsch…and I don’t see any world beaters, going….so I get that they might try them….it’s still a big ask, dirt racing is harder, on a horse….
I think IF she gets the early lead. ..Dornoch and Fierceness will tire, chasing her…..it’s fun to predict how a race will be run, I just think they’ll send Thorpedo—and woe to those that try to press her!…I try to come up with a likely race scenario….if the filly sends–I agree with you she will lose, and closers will run one/two…
I think if she gets the lead, she’ll eventually be passed, by just off the pace horses. Fierceness will pass her, if he’s in form, and Dornoch will too. But I don’t think she’ll get the lead, and she’ll finish the better for it. There are others, one of them may go to the front. I see a speed type horse winning, as in the Belmont stks.
I think Fierceness will pull it out, but he should go to the front and control the pace, not try to follow Dornoch. I think Sierra Leone will find a way to lose again.
The Florida Derby was his best race, he maintained a lead of 1 to 1 1/2 lengths for the first 6 furlongs, then pulled away. I think he could get the lead but will have to work harder to get it.
The draw will be interesting.
I am going to watch for the time at the half mile. I think it really means something for Fierceness. If they go under :46, which means he has had to work harder (maybe not breathe as well?) in the early race stages, he hasn’t pulled one out. Can’t make a bet at that point, but I believe that is when we will know which Fierceness we have for this race.
It’s fun to know nothing until we know something, isn’t it?
I’m picking Fierceness, it’s called gambling for a reason, but will not bet to win if odds are low, which they’re apt to be. Whomever Irad Ortiz is riding will be my exacta box bet.
Yes, Katy, hindsight, makes you a genius. Ha ha I agree with you about the post position draw, it could make a huge impact on the Travers Stakes. If Thorpedo Anna gets the outside post and Fierceness the inside with Dornoch in 2 or 3, the race is anyones. There is a lot of difference between a 9f race and a 10f race especially when stamina is in question.
Ain’t it the truth, Discopartner and Davids! No genius here, just empty pockets and pointless musings. It is for sure why I leave the real money game to those of you who know how to play it. I’m way too sentimental!
There is a difference between a horse’s best race and its best performance.
The entrants that finished 2nd & 3rd in the FL Derby were subsequently beaten by 32 1/2L & 40 3/4L in the KD. Given those results. Was the FL Derby either Fierceness best race or best performance?
In the BCJ G Fierceness won by 6 1/2L. Behind him were the following entrants.
Locked – Winner G1 Futurity at Keeneland
Timberlake – Winner G1 Champane
Muth – Winner G1 American Pharoah
The colt facts indicate the FL Derby was neither Fierceness’ best race nor his best performance.
Anytime you win by 13 l. or more it’s your best race.
Come on man!
A horse’s widest win margin doesn’t equate to its best race. The competition had a lot to do with that wide win margin n in the FL Derby.
Many believe Usain Bolt’s best win was in the 2008 Olympic 100M finals. I contend it might just be his win in 200M the 2016 Olympics. Why?
He was the only entrant the finished in a time under 20 seconds. The conditions were not conducive to fast times.
Agreed. Sometimes horses show you what they’re made of. Seattle Slew’s loss to Exceller is widely considered his best race. The same could be said Holy Bull’s Travers. Dominating unaccomplished horses doesn’t always reveal much.
I get your point and agree with you—-Holy Bull had incredible cruising speed…much like Precisionint, they both ran some fast races….but Holy Bull’s BEST? It was when he had soent his speed turning back challenges, and found enough to hold off Concern by a neck…..
Same goes for Rachel Alexandra, who sat off slow fractions before powering away by TWENTY, in The Oaks …but her best performance was when Macho Uno ran the race of his life, and Rachel took 31 whips, holding sway over the older male, in The Woodward..
Yeah and that race gutted her.
Yes it did. Look at the winners circle pucture! Jess raised fist…..Rachel head practically touching the ground….
Yes, never mind the fact,as result she declined as four yr old- result of greedy connections.
It has been very easy for me to get behind the strike count rule regarding whips. It is literally shocking to watch some of those races, with the optics we are used to now. I got used to that real quick. I personally prefer slower race times and some beaten champions.
Rachel Alexandra was a truly great race filly who was pushed to her limits and shamelessly used up by people in the throes of megalomania.
On a less critical note, a good friend of mine was part of Macho Again’s vet care team (routine stuff) in LA, and she really loved that horse. Said he was a complete softy to be around. She was so proud of his 4 year old campaign, especially his Stephen Foster win and his race in the Woodward. To tie in with Steve’s post, he was/is a grandson of Holy Bull.
If RA in barn of Zenyatta’s connections,far different outcome.
Loved reading this column, Steve. Your writing is as always fantastic! I felt like I was living the story. No one can weave a story quite like you.
Thank you very much Suzie
Del Mar dirt surface is a tiring one, horses who have raced over it will be at an advantage, Scylla is one I would give careful attention to…..
I liked the plan to get Scylla out there earlier.
Depending on the rest of the year for Scylla and Batten Down, Close Hatches throws her hat into the very crowded “broodmare of the year” ring!
I think a Sierra Leone/Honor Marie exacta will rule the Travers day!…
I don’t think Holy Bull had as much stamina as Cigar ..but I do think he was faster!….
So far, there is really no comparison between Holy Bull and Fierceness. In the Jim Dandy, Fierceness was handled so delicately to avoid any kind of pressure, which seems to discourage him. Thorpedo Anna and Dornoch have never run especially fast, but they are battlers and will not let Fierceness get away with anything. Of course, Holy Bull could battle anyone, and had he not been hurt, Cigar probably would have not been Cigar, admireable though he was.
Agree. Fierceness will get plenty of pressure in the Travers, no easy lead. You know Dornoch will be sent and TA will be in a stalking position. I was at the Ohio Derby and Batten Down ran a sub 23 second 1/4 going 1 /8 in the Ohio Derby. I expect Batten Down to pressure Fierceness from the get go.
Cigar didn’t scale the heights he did by accident.
I respect Cigar as a winner, but he came along at the right time. Most of his victims were not really grade 1 horses. When Skip Away and others came along the next year, they ran far faster than Cigar ever did. He may have won some against that group, but i don’t believe he would have dominated.
Well, he was fast enough to prevail in sixteen straight races. As Jack Van Berg stated, “time only matters if you’re doing it. Many super fast horses don’t make it to starting gate. Ranked eighteen from one hundred greatest horses from the twentieth century.
Far faster? Cigar ran 10 f. under 2 min. a few times. And what others besides Skip Away?
Disco, thanks!!!
Since you ask, in 1997 in four straight races, at least three horses ran Beyer figures faster than Cigar ever ran. Cigar broke 120 once. Skip Away, Formal Gold,and Will’s Way ran 122, 126, 124, and 125 while battling each other in grade 1 races that summer. After Formal Gold and Will’s Way were injured, Skip Away dominated lesser competition in the JC Gold Cup and BC Classic. Cigar was a great horse. Maybe a prime Cigar could have risen to the occasion against such horses, but I stand by my opinion that most of Cigar’s competition was moderate for that era.
Spent alot of time with Cigar, including two weeks prior to his death. While you read about his passing,like so many on some site, my info came from other sources in advance. Skip Away,while very good-never in same area code as Cigar.
Cigar had a very hard Dubai Cup. the first Dubai Cup—I don’t think he was the sane Cugar, after that….he TRAVELLED EVERYWHERE, beating all comers, amI remember when he came to Hollywood Park he dominated good horses, like he did everywhere. ..I cannot think of any horse that did as much as Cigar did, for so long a time—and when Skip Away became a “tough customer” Cigar made him earn it, and then he showed up in The Classic at Woodbine, and again he fought bravely—Skippy faded back….by the way I consider Skip Away in my top ten horses of the past 50 years, very underrated..
1995 Hollywood Gold Cup had Tinners Way, Concern, Best Pal, Urgent Request and three others challenging Cigar, who hit the mile marker in 1:34 flat—-Trevor said “He’s all class”….
Some never get it!
Thank you for this great tribute to Holy Bull. What a horse.. and what good people behind him.
I planned on reading this piece this afternoon, but I couldn’t wait. What a time to have been a fan . My favorite part is that Mike won with Giacom. Ad carried him to win the KD.
Safe racing to all in the upcoming Travers.
I ordered the Holy Bull t-shirt, and bought one for a friend….real cool print, blowing steam out his nose, with a halo!….
I have a Cigar t-shirt.
Great piece, Steve. That photo of Holy Bull beating Concern in the Travers shows his heart and tells you everything you need to know – look at Mike Smith, literally lying across his neck, asking him for absolutely everything, and he delivered. I’ve seen interviews where Mike mentions him and his face just lights up. I had never heard the story of how he got his name – that made me chuckle. Fierceness is brilliant, great effort in the Jim Dandy, but will the same horse show up in the Travers – so I’ll continue to be a little nervous about that as I place my bets. Hopefully we’ll see a great showdown with Dornoch and Thorpedo Anna. After I read your article, I pulled up the pedigrees of both Holy Bull and Fierceness, and lo an behold, behind Fierceness, there’s Secretariat 3 times. And Dornoch has him in there as well.
Thank you for this scintillating tribute to the great Holy Bull! Fierceness has shown a few flashes of the same brilliance, but I would be both shocked and thrilled if he even comes close to the magnificence of his great-grandsire in the Travers.
Thank you for this wonderful reminder of the amazing Holy Bull.
I moved to Lexington in April 1994 and he was the first thoroughbred that I saw. He was grazing in front of his barn at Keeneland. His speed figures were so high and he was usually just cruising. Horses like him are very rare and I’m so glad that I got to see him up close throughout his life.
I visited him at Jonabell many times. Everyone who visited had to go meet Holy Bull.
Fierceness could win the Travers , but won’t be on my tickets. The 1 1/4 IMO is a question that Fierceness has not answered. I’ll go with Dornoch and Sierra Leone who have run well at 1 1/4. Thorpedo Anna IMO could pull the upset. She can stalk and doesn’t need the lead. TA has been winning her races at 1 1/8 against GR 1 female horses without being asked. She will have to deliver a career effort to win the Travers but IMO she is capable of running with the boys. Brian Hernandez knows her and is a good fit. It will be interesting to see TA in the stretch when she is called on to collar the leader . Should be a helluva a race.
A wonderful story. It sets a very high standard for Fierceness, and I’m cheering for him to live up to it. Holy Bull did not have a pattern of good-bad-good-bad-good-bad, which unfortunately would leave Fierceness due for a less-than-great performance in the Travers. But hopefully he will drop that pattern and emulate Holy Bull’s impressive victory. I know he’s capable of it, and this would be a perfect time to prove it.