Ryan Roshau for HRND
They run the Moother Goose Stakes at Belmont Park in late June and this year that's likely where we'll see Preakness heroine Rachel Alexandra next. But the Moother Goose is as close as you'll come to storybooks as we've learned all too well, the Belmont Stakes isn't always a place for happy endings.
How soon we forget after years of Triple Crown letdowns. Coming into Saturday's Belmont it seems all the world is hoping for a feel good story to end this year's Triple Crown. Mine That Bird, the little gelding-that-could will canter home and give his jockey Calvin Borel a personal Triple Crown. Bennie Wooley, an extremely likeable trainer will lean on his crutches and grin in the winner's circle and all will be right with the world. This would be a great scene but lest we forget, this is the Belmont Stakes where harsh reality has a tendancy to smack us upside the face.
Mine That Bird will be the favorite but he does have a few obstacles to overcome. We hear about how great he looks and how fit he is but the rigors of this three race series are often hidden within. The five weeks can take its toll and history suggests this is certainly the case. Of the last ten Belmont winners only two (Point Given, 2001 and Afleet Alex, 2005) have tested all three Triple Crown races. Three Belmont winners (including the last two years) did not run in either the Derby or Preakness and five ran unsuccessfully in the Derby, skipped the Preakness, and rejoined the series to take the Belmont.
Does Mine That Bird have the stuff to join Point Given and Afleet Alex, arguably two of the best sophomores we've seen over the past decade? Or is he more of the Go for Gin ilk; a horse who wins the Derby only to be second in the last two legs of the Triple Crown? If so, there's certainly no fault in that for a horse who started this journey as a 50-1 outsider from the depths of New Mexico.
Another undenaible statistic rears its ugly head when we discover that over the last 25 years only ONE Kentucky Derby winner has donned the white carnations after the Belmont Stakes. Thunder Gulch in 1995 was the only horse during that span to turn the Derby-Belmont trick. Trained by Wayne Lukas, he may have benefited from the pre-race scratch of even-money favorite and Preakness winner Timber Country. Let's see, a Belmont with a Derby winner but no Preakness winner, isn't that what we have going for us this year?
Is there anything to the gelding angle? I don't believe in it but truth be told only one gelding has won the Belmont in 140 years (Creme Fraiche in 1985). Keep in mind, from 1918-1957 geldings weren't allowed to run in the Belmont as the race was intended to showcase future stallions. I'll take this stat with a grain of salt but I do squirm in my seat when I hear Calvin Borel guaranteeing a victory on Saturday. Apparently Calvin didn't learn from Rick Dutrow last spring; overconfidence heading into the Belmont angers the Triple Crown gods.
Don't get me wrong, if the 'Bird lands in the winner's circle and debunks the aforementioned jixes I will be applauding but when he will likely go off at odds of 3-2 the value player in me will probably look elsewhere.
Charitable Man is 2 for 2 at Belmont Park and 3 for 3 on dirt. He looked strong in winning the Peter Pan on May 9th and comes into the race as the fresh horse who has not been through the rigors of the Triple Crown. Nick Zito, a two-time Belmont winner is back with a pair of longshots and Miner's Escape could be loose on the lead ala Da' Tara last year.
For me, I'm sticking with the trend that seems to be prevailing in the Belmont; a Derby starter who comes to the final leg off of a five week rest. Dunkirk fits the profile of a horse who is likely to improve. Furthermore, he has exhibited speed figures in the past that show he can win at this level. His long, loping running style will be well suited for the wide and sweeping turns at Belmont and his pedigree suggests he should relish the 1 1/2 mile distance. His trainer Todd Pletcher has had his heartaches in the Derby but he has a solid record in the Belmont and he won the race two years ago with Rags to Riches. Pletcher maintains after an 11th-place Derby finish that Dunkirk is still something special. I believe on Saturday evening he will prove to be.
Incidentally, Dunkirk is co-owned by Susan Magnier, the daughter of the revered Irish trainer Vincent O'Brien who passed away earlier this week. If her colt wins the Belmont it would be a fitting tribute to her father and it would certainly produce a nice story.
But there we go again, testing fate in the eye of harsh old Belmont Park.
Friday, June 5, 2009
Monday, June 1, 2009
Easy Like Sunday Morning
Ryan Roshau for HRND
As the Belmont Stakes beckons racing fans are besieged with stories of past Triple Crown glory. As you watch the programming this weekend count the number of times you see the stretch replay of Secretariat's 31-length score in the 1973 Belmont or stash away a nickel every time you are told that "Affirmed remains the last Triple Crown winner in 1978."
For many racing fans like me those historical references are more legend than fact as I was not around to see Big Red romp and like Affirmed and Alydar I was only three-years old in the summer of '78. For my generation, the Triple Crown is a forbidden city, unvisted in ---now 31 years.
It's not to say the recent Derby, Preakness, and Belmont series has not been memorable, however. On some occassions, one horses ballyhooed quest and subsequent failure to win the elusive prize can be just as intriguing. A springtime full of high hopes deflated in an instant. Silver Charm and Gary Stevens beaten by Touch Gold and Chris McCarron, in what may be the greatest ride I've ever seen a jockey give a horse. Five years ago I was one of 120,000 at chilly Belmont Park who saw the stone-cold cinch Smarty Jones caught at the wire by Birdstone. That kick-in-your-gut feeling still lingers today.
But once in a while one fan's painful tale is another's salvation and that's why for me the 1989 Belmont was the most satisfying race I've ever experienced. Quite simply for many in my generation, it was the greatest Triple Crown series on record. Why? Because it was Sunday Silence and Easy Goer.
Now 20 years removed from there classic confrontations the memory of that spring is still fresh in my mind. Like many involved in the sport, I was convinced Easy Goer was the next Triple Crown winner and from November through March I awaited his first start as a three year-old. So much has changed from now and how things were two decades ago. Today we can follow Triple Crown news on the internet minute by minute. There's TVG, HRTV, and national radio talk shows. Back then, it was not uncommon to turn to ABC TV the day of the race to find out who was actually running. You savored every opportunity to see your horse and in the case of Easy Goer, between his looks, connections, and race record, he had it all. He was, in my eyes, perfect.
A win in the Derby was a foregone conclusion after romps in the Swale, Gotham, and Wood Memorial. His jockey Pat Day never even gave him a tap in any of his prep races. I've seen 20 Derbys since and with the possible exception of Arazi, I can't recall a more clear-cut Derby favorite. They would load the gate and two minutes later those black and cherry red silks on top of Easy Goer would be joined by red roses. But, of course, every rose has its thorn.
The thorn in Easy Goer's side would be Sunday Silence. The lanky dark bay, almost black colt, was lightly raced but he had talent. Enough talent in fact to make his usually conservative trainer Charlie Whittingham brim with confidence. To add further intrigue, 'Silence was owned by Kentucky black sheep Arthur Hancock III, passed over by a group of trustees to run his family's powerful Claiborne Farm in the early 1970's. Shunned by the overseers, Arthur went out on his own and started his farm and made a big success out of his once troubled life when he won the Kentucky Derby in 1982. The head of the aforementioned trustees was Ogden Phipps, a life-longer pillar of the sport who had never one the Derby. Oh, and he happened to be the owner and breeder of Easy Goer. Now the two would meet with their respective colts in the ultimate race.
The muddy track at the Derby proved to be to Sunday Silence's liking as he gleefully skipped over the slop to win by 2 1/2 lengths over Easy Goer, mysteriously spinning his wheels in second. Dreams were crushed that day and for the the first time the harshness of the sport left me shell-shocked.
It had to be the muddy track that caused this freak occurance and two weeks later I was even more confident than I had been before the Derby. This would be the day the big chestnut would roll. Heck, he'd probably set a track record. I hear Sunday Silence has a brusied foot so in the Preakness we would see the real Easy Goer. True enough, we saw the real Easy Goer but we saw the real Sunday Silence too as the duo matched strides for the final three furlongs and the racing world went into a frenzy. Watching in the dark confines of my basement family room that stretch run seemed to last an eternity. Easy Goer had the lead! Sunday Silence countered. Now they're even. Why is Easy Goer's head turned in slightly?! They hit the wire together with Sunday Silence a nose to the good. Twice. The impossible had happened again...unfathomable defeat.
How do you explain a fact that you know has to be true? Easy Goer was the better horse. He should be going for the Triple Crown, not this skinny johnny-come-lately who got lucky twice. This whole thing was an aberation and it had to stop! This is the agony that the fans of Easy Goer lived for 20 days. Three weeks before the proof would play out for all the world to see in the Belmont Stakes.
There were plenty of reasons to be confident. Belmont was Easy Goer's home track. He would love the wide, sweeping turns that would play into his long, fluid strides. And, the law of averages would have to come into play. Both horses were very good, had similar talent, and sooner or later the flip of the coin would have to land on heads rather than tails.
There were simply two outcomes to the race. Sunday Silence would win, or Easy Goer would turn the tables. The other eight in the field were merely bit players. Waiting for the race that day was agonizing. Anytime the Triple Crown is on the line you are talking about an entirely different level of agony. It was especially hard when you are emotionally attached to a horse, particularly one who looks dead-fit and ready for the race of his life.
Easy Goer, wearing saddle cloth #1 (what else?) was the first to hit the track. The ovation for the Big Apple's hero was overwhelming. Fans show up at Belmont to see a Triple Crown but I am convinced on that day they showed up hoping to see one denied.
My older sister joined me for support and we watched as the overmatched horse from France Le Voyageur went to the lead. The Derby and Preakness winner stalked in second with his rival in third. That's the way they remained for almost two minutes. On the turn the action started. Sunday Silence moved first and for an instant left Easy Goer behind. With 3/8ths of a mile to go, the action continued to unfold as Easy Goer made his move. On the far turn Sunday Silence led but Easy Goer boldly swept to the outside of him. He was going to pass him! He's in front by three!! The TV glowed brightly and I began to shout as Dave Johnson belted out, "And DOWWWWN the stretch they come! It's Easy Goer, with a furlong to the finish in front by five....Sunday Silence appears beaten!" Indeed he was. New York's Easy Goer won under wraps, powerfully thundering home in front by eight dominant lengths. It was over.
Sweet, sweet vindication.
Easy Goer had run the second-fastest Belmont of all-time. Only the immortal Secretariat had covered the 1 1/2 miles faster. Ogden Phipps, at age 80, had won his first Triple Crown race. Shug McGaughey the trainer saw the performance he was waiting for and Pat Day rode into the winner's circle on the horse he would later say was the best he ever rode.
The white carnations must have smelled awfully sweet to the connections of Easy Goer. They were barely off of his withers before the debate began as to which of the two was the better horse. Yes, Sunday Silence had won two of the three but by smaller margins and Easy Goer was the most dominant. Later in the year Sunday Silence would hold off a fast closing Easy Goer to win the Breeders' Cup Classic and Horse of the Year but the debate raged on. In fact, it's still going today.
And that is why whenever the Belmont Stakes arrives on the calendar my mind wanders back to June of 1989. The golden chestnut Easy Goer, under those black and cherry red silks of the Phipps family is in the Belmont paddock is heading out to the track.
For all time, the recordbook shows that his flaws were exposed by a rival. But to me, on Belmont day, he was and remains, perfect.
As the Belmont Stakes beckons racing fans are besieged with stories of past Triple Crown glory. As you watch the programming this weekend count the number of times you see the stretch replay of Secretariat's 31-length score in the 1973 Belmont or stash away a nickel every time you are told that "Affirmed remains the last Triple Crown winner in 1978."
For many racing fans like me those historical references are more legend than fact as I was not around to see Big Red romp and like Affirmed and Alydar I was only three-years old in the summer of '78. For my generation, the Triple Crown is a forbidden city, unvisted in ---now 31 years.
It's not to say the recent Derby, Preakness, and Belmont series has not been memorable, however. On some occassions, one horses ballyhooed quest and subsequent failure to win the elusive prize can be just as intriguing. A springtime full of high hopes deflated in an instant. Silver Charm and Gary Stevens beaten by Touch Gold and Chris McCarron, in what may be the greatest ride I've ever seen a jockey give a horse. Five years ago I was one of 120,000 at chilly Belmont Park who saw the stone-cold cinch Smarty Jones caught at the wire by Birdstone. That kick-in-your-gut feeling still lingers today.
But once in a while one fan's painful tale is another's salvation and that's why for me the 1989 Belmont was the most satisfying race I've ever experienced. Quite simply for many in my generation, it was the greatest Triple Crown series on record. Why? Because it was Sunday Silence and Easy Goer.
Now 20 years removed from there classic confrontations the memory of that spring is still fresh in my mind. Like many involved in the sport, I was convinced Easy Goer was the next Triple Crown winner and from November through March I awaited his first start as a three year-old. So much has changed from now and how things were two decades ago. Today we can follow Triple Crown news on the internet minute by minute. There's TVG, HRTV, and national radio talk shows. Back then, it was not uncommon to turn to ABC TV the day of the race to find out who was actually running. You savored every opportunity to see your horse and in the case of Easy Goer, between his looks, connections, and race record, he had it all. He was, in my eyes, perfect.
A win in the Derby was a foregone conclusion after romps in the Swale, Gotham, and Wood Memorial. His jockey Pat Day never even gave him a tap in any of his prep races. I've seen 20 Derbys since and with the possible exception of Arazi, I can't recall a more clear-cut Derby favorite. They would load the gate and two minutes later those black and cherry red silks on top of Easy Goer would be joined by red roses. But, of course, every rose has its thorn.
The thorn in Easy Goer's side would be Sunday Silence. The lanky dark bay, almost black colt, was lightly raced but he had talent. Enough talent in fact to make his usually conservative trainer Charlie Whittingham brim with confidence. To add further intrigue, 'Silence was owned by Kentucky black sheep Arthur Hancock III, passed over by a group of trustees to run his family's powerful Claiborne Farm in the early 1970's. Shunned by the overseers, Arthur went out on his own and started his farm and made a big success out of his once troubled life when he won the Kentucky Derby in 1982. The head of the aforementioned trustees was Ogden Phipps, a life-longer pillar of the sport who had never one the Derby. Oh, and he happened to be the owner and breeder of Easy Goer. Now the two would meet with their respective colts in the ultimate race.
The muddy track at the Derby proved to be to Sunday Silence's liking as he gleefully skipped over the slop to win by 2 1/2 lengths over Easy Goer, mysteriously spinning his wheels in second. Dreams were crushed that day and for the the first time the harshness of the sport left me shell-shocked.
It had to be the muddy track that caused this freak occurance and two weeks later I was even more confident than I had been before the Derby. This would be the day the big chestnut would roll. Heck, he'd probably set a track record. I hear Sunday Silence has a brusied foot so in the Preakness we would see the real Easy Goer. True enough, we saw the real Easy Goer but we saw the real Sunday Silence too as the duo matched strides for the final three furlongs and the racing world went into a frenzy. Watching in the dark confines of my basement family room that stretch run seemed to last an eternity. Easy Goer had the lead! Sunday Silence countered. Now they're even. Why is Easy Goer's head turned in slightly?! They hit the wire together with Sunday Silence a nose to the good. Twice. The impossible had happened again...unfathomable defeat.
How do you explain a fact that you know has to be true? Easy Goer was the better horse. He should be going for the Triple Crown, not this skinny johnny-come-lately who got lucky twice. This whole thing was an aberation and it had to stop! This is the agony that the fans of Easy Goer lived for 20 days. Three weeks before the proof would play out for all the world to see in the Belmont Stakes.
There were plenty of reasons to be confident. Belmont was Easy Goer's home track. He would love the wide, sweeping turns that would play into his long, fluid strides. And, the law of averages would have to come into play. Both horses were very good, had similar talent, and sooner or later the flip of the coin would have to land on heads rather than tails.
There were simply two outcomes to the race. Sunday Silence would win, or Easy Goer would turn the tables. The other eight in the field were merely bit players. Waiting for the race that day was agonizing. Anytime the Triple Crown is on the line you are talking about an entirely different level of agony. It was especially hard when you are emotionally attached to a horse, particularly one who looks dead-fit and ready for the race of his life.
Easy Goer, wearing saddle cloth #1 (what else?) was the first to hit the track. The ovation for the Big Apple's hero was overwhelming. Fans show up at Belmont to see a Triple Crown but I am convinced on that day they showed up hoping to see one denied.
My older sister joined me for support and we watched as the overmatched horse from France Le Voyageur went to the lead. The Derby and Preakness winner stalked in second with his rival in third. That's the way they remained for almost two minutes. On the turn the action started. Sunday Silence moved first and for an instant left Easy Goer behind. With 3/8ths of a mile to go, the action continued to unfold as Easy Goer made his move. On the far turn Sunday Silence led but Easy Goer boldly swept to the outside of him. He was going to pass him! He's in front by three!! The TV glowed brightly and I began to shout as Dave Johnson belted out, "And DOWWWWN the stretch they come! It's Easy Goer, with a furlong to the finish in front by five....Sunday Silence appears beaten!" Indeed he was. New York's Easy Goer won under wraps, powerfully thundering home in front by eight dominant lengths. It was over.
Sweet, sweet vindication.
Easy Goer had run the second-fastest Belmont of all-time. Only the immortal Secretariat had covered the 1 1/2 miles faster. Ogden Phipps, at age 80, had won his first Triple Crown race. Shug McGaughey the trainer saw the performance he was waiting for and Pat Day rode into the winner's circle on the horse he would later say was the best he ever rode.
The white carnations must have smelled awfully sweet to the connections of Easy Goer. They were barely off of his withers before the debate began as to which of the two was the better horse. Yes, Sunday Silence had won two of the three but by smaller margins and Easy Goer was the most dominant. Later in the year Sunday Silence would hold off a fast closing Easy Goer to win the Breeders' Cup Classic and Horse of the Year but the debate raged on. In fact, it's still going today.
And that is why whenever the Belmont Stakes arrives on the calendar my mind wanders back to June of 1989. The golden chestnut Easy Goer, under those black and cherry red silks of the Phipps family is in the Belmont paddock is heading out to the track.
For all time, the recordbook shows that his flaws were exposed by a rival. But to me, on Belmont day, he was and remains, perfect.
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