Remembering … Ferdinand

By the time the 1986 Kentucky Derby rolled around, master horseman Charlie Whittingham had his big horse ready to peak. Ferdinand was a strapping chestnut colt owned and bred by Howard and Elizabeth Keck, and was a bit of a slow developer. He ran five times as a juvenile with but one win. He had developed into a stakes performer over the Winter, and scored his first added money triumph in the Santa Catalina Stakes. But still, after being well beaten by division leader Snow Chief in the Santa Anita Derby, the son of superior sire Nijinsky shipped to Louisville with only two wins in nine races. At post time, Ferdinand, with regular rider Willie Shoemaker on his back, would be sent off as a 17-1 outsider, but his Hall of Fame trainer was full of belief that the colt was ready. He was right. Breaking from the one-hole, Ferdinand was squeezed a bit early on, and quickly dropped to last in the 16-horse field. The pace was strong and Ferdinand was allowed to relax early. When Shoemaker asked him for run, it was clear that the Bald Eagle’s trainee was ready to respond, but traffic would be a major issue. Ferdinand weaved his way through horses and looked ready to pounce spinning out of the Churchill Downs turn. Passing horses on the outside, Ferdinand was now near the leaders, but as the field straightened out, he was completely blocked by a wall of horses all vying for the Kentucky Derby lead. In an instant, Ferdinand and the Shoe darted through a hole and towards the inside. It was a bold and decisive move. Now on the inside of his competition, Ferdinand was clear to run, and he proved too strong for the rest. He spurted clear and hit the wire 2 ¼ lengths a winner. It was a special win. Whittingham at 73 was long respected, and Shoemaker was never more loved after becoming the oldest rider ever to win the Derby at 54. Ferdinand and his connections were the toast of the nation. After his big score in the Run for the Roses, Ferdinand returned to run two solid races to complete the Triple Crown series. In the Preakness, he came from far back to finish 2nd , while in the Belmont, Ferdinand caught a sloppy track and could never get to the speedy Danzig Connection. He was 3rd that day, beaten only 1 ½ lengths, and it would be the only day I would see the West Coast star in action. After the rigors of the Triple Crown, Ferdinand was given a long break before returning to run one of his most impressive races. The day after Christmas, 1986, Ferdinand was entered in a strong field of 12 in the Malibu Stakes. Proving his class, Ferdinand, a true distance horse, rallied by his talented nemesis, Snow Chief, to win by 1 ¼ lengths in the seven furlong affair. After this win, Ferdinand would run his final 16 races at 1 1/8 miles or longer, but in the Malibu he proved that he could beat the best at any distance. The Malibu set up Ferdinand well for his four-year-old season. A season that would culminate with a Horse of the Year award. As a four-year-old, Ferdinand was at his best, but wins would not come easy. He ran well each and every time out, but despite his effort, a six race losing streak started the season. Two nail-biting losses highlighted the first half of the year. In the Strub Stakes, he lost by a nose to Snow Chief. A month later he returned to defeat his rival in the Santa Anita Handicap, only to lose out to Broad Brush again by a nose. The losing streak would finally end, and the big colt looked outstanding in winning the Hollywood Gold Cup, Cabrillo, and Goodwood. The winning streak seemed like fair retribution for the horse who had been so good all year. Ferdinand still had one last test to pass, and it was administered to him in spades in his final race of the season. He went on to meet Alysheba in the Breeder's Cup Classic, and it there the world would see a classic battle between two proud Kentucky Derby winners. Ferdinand was game and strong, and he defeated the onrushing Alysheba in dramatic style, winning by a nose after a head-to-head battle down to the wire. It was the final crowning achievement for Ferdinand on the racetrack, and he was rewarded by being named America’s best of 1987. Unfortunately, Ferdinand returned from his BC Classic victory to go 0 for 6 as a five-year-old, but would give the champion Alysheba everything he wanted in memorable battles in the San Bernardino and Santa Anita Handicaps that Spring. He was retired after an uncharacteristic poor performance when 5th in the Goodwood Handicap that Fall. All in all, Ferdinand would win 8 out of 29 lifetime starts, with 23 in-the-money finishes. A record that at first glance might not seem sterling, but when you consider that 17 of those races were in grade 1 stakes, and that he was able to win nearly $4 million dollars more than twenty years ago, and you begin to realize what a strong horse he was. Ferdinand was able to win on the two biggest stages in American racing and was always a threat to win major races in all four seasons he ran. Ferdinand was retired to Claiborne Farm in 1989 with high hopes for success at stud, after all he was a well bred and durable classic winner. It did not happen. He was quickly defined as a disappointment as a stallion. Much like many fine horses, Ferdinand was not able to pass on his quality as a runner to his offspring. You can only stand on your racing laurels for so long in the big money business of thoroughbred breeding. At eleven years old, and only eight years removed from being draped in roses, Ferdinand’s value as a stallion was drastically lower than a few years before. He was sold to Japanese breeding interests and shipped across the globe to stand stud. After several years of breeding in Japan, it became apparent that the once proud runner was now a financial liability to his owners. In many nations, thoroughbreds, whose financial usefulness runs dry, have their lives ended at the hands of humans who once showered these horses with admiration. And in 2002, so it was for Ferdinand. Details are a little fuzzy, but the end was horribly clear. Ferdinand’s life was extinguished in a Japanese slaughterhouse. It was an unspeakable fate for a marvelous horse. Not the only top American racehorse to die in a foreign slaughterhouse, Ferdinand joined Exceller, the only horse to beat two Triple Crown winners in a race, as the most famous of these heartbreaking deaths. Some good has come from their tragic ends. American owners now commonly have clauses written into stallion sales, where they can buy back their horses after breeding careers end. Anti-slaughter supporters are at an all-time high, and people like Alex Brown work tirelessly to protect the horses we love. One of the best organizations in championing the overall welfare of horses is named after Ferdinand. Please visit Friends of Ferdinand to see how you can support the cause. Ferdinand was a very good horse and deserved so much better. Not that all beautiful thoroughbred horses do not deserve better, but this was Ferdinand, a Kentucky Derby and Breeders’ Cup Classic winner. He was a champion, with the heart of a champion. When I try to imagine what Ferdinand may have gone through those final moments, I still lose it.  I remember you Ferdinand.

Remembering ... Snow Chief

Snow Chief was a Classic winner and an American champion. The California bred, near black colt was a consistent and dominant star in 1985 through 1987. He was the all-time leading California bred earner until surpassed by Best Pal, and still is fourth behind only Tiznow, Best Pal and Lava Man. Snow Chief was bred by Carl Grinstead in the name of his Blue Diamond Ranch, and owned in partnership with retired vaudevillian, Ben Rochelle. Together the two gentleman in their seventies, were known as the Sunshine Boys, and they enjoyed every second of Snow Chief’s rise to prominence. Snow Chief was trained throughout his career by Mel Stute who had already been at the training game for forty years, and also was a beloved personality on the Southern Californian racing circuit. Despite his modest breeding, it was clear that Snow Chief was destined to become a star early in his career. Most notably winning the Grade 1 Norfolk Stakes by three lengths and the Grade 1 Hollywood Futurity by more than six lengths as a juvenile. Left in his Hollywood Futurity wake that day, was next Spring‘s Kentucky Derby winner, Ferdinand. It was the beginning of a great rivalry and one that Snow Chief would get the better of more often than not. In the three-year, nine-race rivalry he defeated the champion Ferdinand six times in nine meetings. All told Snow Chief won five of nine starts at two, including four stakes wins. Snow Chief began his three-year-old campaign much the same as he finished 1985, winning four straight stakes. He traveled from Southern California to Northern California, to Florida, and back again to Southern California in racking up stylish wins in the California Breeders' Champion, the El Camino Real Derby, the Florida Derby and finally a six length thrashing of his Santa Anita Derby foes. It was no wonder that Snow Chief was the hot 2-1 favorite in that year's Kentucky Derby. The Derby would not be his day, however. Snow Chief chased the sprinter fractions set by speedball Groovy and had nothing left for the demanding Derby stretch. He faded to finish in 11th place in the field of 16, while his previous whipping boy, Ferdinand, rallied strongly on the inside under Bill Shoemaker to snare the roses. It was a big disappointment to his connections, but they resisted the urge to take their colt back to their home base in California. The gamble would pay off as two weeks later in Baltimore, Snow Chief exacted his revenge on his old rival with dominating performance in the Preakness. Under more reasonable fractions, Snow Chief took command and easily romped home by four lengths over the Derby winner. It was the first Classic win for any of his connections including his regular rider, Alex Solis. Snow Chief would get no rest after his biggest career win. He came back only nine days later to take the $1 million Jersey Derby at Garden State Park. It would be the only day I got to see him in person. Snow Chief led throughout that day to easily defeat the horse who had beat him out for the juvenile championship, Tasso. I remember thinking after seeing him up close, that he was sure to be that year's champion. After this taxing schedule over the first half of 1986, Snow Chief would only run two more times that year in which he was beaten by the speedy filly Melair in the Silver Screen and by rival Ferdinand in the Malibu. But, with his six stakes triumphs through Memorial Day, there was little doubt that Snow Chief would be a champion, and he was awarded the Eclipse Award as the best three-year-old colt of 1986. Snow Chief had a shortened season at four which was ended in mid-season due to injury. Following a third place finish in the San Fernando Stakes, he won his biggest race as an older horse, when he outdueled Ferdinand to the wire and won the Charles H. Strub Stakes by a nose. His other major win in 1987 came in the Oaklawn Handicap, where Snow Chief ran the fastest 1 1/8 miles ever run at the Arkansas oval in 1:46 and 3/5. His final career start was a third place finish in the Californian Stakes at Hollywood Park. Despite defeating Ferdinand in three of their four match-ups as older horses, it was Ferdinand who would go on to be named Horse of the Year largely due to his exciting Breeders‘ Cup Classic win over Alysheba. Snow Chief retired with the impressive record of 24-13-3-5. He was a major stakes winner in each of his three seasons and amassed $3,383,210 in earnings. At stud, he sired a handful of stakes winners, but none that ever came close to the kind of superior racehorse that Snow Chief was. Snow Chief died of an apparent heart attack on Preakness Saturday, which happened to be on the 24th anniversary of his ultra impressive win in the 1986 Preakness. The 27-year-old, black stallion stood at Eagle Oak Ranch near Paso Robles, California. He lived a long successful life. I remember you Snow Chief.

Remembering ... Alysheba

Relentless. That was the thing about Alysheba, he may not have had the raw talent of his sire, Alydar, he was not an overly precocious juvenile, and as good as he became, Alysheba never overwhelmed his competition with romping victories, but he was relentless. In both his many fine performances on the racetrack and over his three year career, Alysheba would keep on coming with the grim determination of a true champion. By the time Alysheba arrived at the 1987 Kentucky Derby, he was an attractive and promising colt, but still eligible for ‘non winners of one other than.’ His career to that point was littered with near misses and he was coming off a recent disqualification from 1st, after a roughly run three horse stretch battle in the Blue Grass. Flash-forward 18 months later and Alysheba was America’s Horse, the all-time leading money winner, and a respected champion. The legend began with his remarkable run in the Kentucky Derby. The Kentucky Derby that year featured an excellent field of 17 colts and geldings, many of whom had already compiled a much more impressive resume than Alysheba. Horses of note in the field included Bet Twice, Cryptoclearance, Gulch, Capote, and the betting favorite, Demon’s Begone. Alysheba was respected at 8-1, but not one of the favorites. The running of the race will forever go down in Kentucky Derby lore. As the field straightened out for the long Churchill Downs stretch, Bet Twice had secured the lead, but looked like he would soon be swallowed up by the powerful rush of Alysheba. It would not be that easy though, as Bet Twice started to bear out into his competition. The first time nearly knocked Alysheba down. Alysheba, with Chris McCarron in the irons, went down to his knees, but gracefully regained his balance and set off after the leader again. Two more times, Bet Twice would bear out and impede Alysheba’s progress, but Alysheba was too strong and determined and simply would not be denied. At the wire, he would be ¾ of a length the better of his new rival. It was one of the most eventful stretch runs in Kentucky Derby history and Alysheba was lauded for his amazing performance. After the thrill of Alysheba’s Derby win, it was straight to Baltimore and the Preakness Stakes. This time Alysheba would be the favorite at 2-1. The result was the same as the Derby, as once again Alysheba would wear down the game Bet Twice in the lane. This race was devoid of the theatrics of two weeks before, but it once again revealed the best three-year-old in the nation. The victory, by a ½ length, put Alysheba just 1 ½ miles away from ultimate glory. An impressive looking bay colt, Alysheba was a son of the great sire Alydar, and was out of the stakes placed Lt. Stevens mare Bel Sheba. He was bred by Preston Madden in Lexington, Kentucky, and was sold as a yearling to the Scharbauers of Texas for $500,000 at the 1985 Keeneland July yearling sale. The Scharbauers turned him over to the gruff, hardboot Jack Van Berg and now less than two years later, this young horse would try to exorcize the ghosts of Triple Crown past for his sire Alydar. Alysheba would march to the Belmont with the hopes of America on his broad shoulders. For yours truly, it would be my first opportunity to see him in person. Alysheba was supported by bettors to odds-on, despite the then rule of New York racing to not allow the anti-bleeder medication, Lasix, at their tracks. For whatever reason, some blame the lack of Lasix, some thought he was hampered by the ride and the slow pace, Alysheba was not himself that day and I, like most of the crowd, went home with disappointment. He finished worst in a three horse photo for second, with his rival, Bet Twice winning off by 14 lengths. No Triple Crown winner in 1987. I still remember how visibly upset his veteran trainer Jack Van Berg was, the world could see how much he liked his horse. Alysheba would prove to be much more than the Triple Crown though, and finished his championship season with a stirring run in the Breeders’ Cup Classic, where he just missed by a nose to the best older horse in the land, Ferdinand. As a four year old Alysheba would take his career to the next level. He thrice defeated, the second great rival of his career, Ferdinand, in California to stake an early claim as the best horse in America. He was beaten twice in the row in the middle of the year, but big wins in the Iselin at Monmouth, defeating Bet Twice, and in the Woodward at Belmont, where he set a track record, propelled Alysheba to top of the racing world. I was in attendance for both of those races, and it was clear that Alysheba had an even greater presence than he had as a three-year-old. He knew he was the best, and he had the wherewithal to prove it to all comers. So many of Alysheba’s races were memorable, and that is a primary reason why he became immensely popular. One of those memorable races that particularly stands out for me, might seem like an odd choice to many, but it remains in my mind to this day. It was my second year at college, and it was a treat, when on the weekends I came home, to meet up with my father and catch the evening races at the Meadowlands. The most special of that Fall was, without a doubt, the 1988 Meadowlands Cup. It was supposed to be a mere bridge between his record setting win in the Woodward and his ultimate destiny, the Breeders’ Cup Classic, but it turned out to be classic in its own right. The Meadowlands, in those days, was notorious for its ability to hold up speed and the Cup had attracted dangerous speed in the form of Slew City Slew. He was a bit of an inconsistent sort, but when he ran his race, he was almost uncatchable. In the Meadowlands Cup, Slew City Slew ran his race. It took every ounce of Alysheba’s talent and desire to run down the speedster that day and win by a desperate neck. I remember thinking there were not many horses that I had ever seen who would have been able to beat Slew City Slew that night. It was no surprise when three weeks later Alysheba returned, with his regular partner Chris McCarron, for the first time to Churchill Downs since his Kentucky Derby win, and was crowned king of the racing world with his dramatic win under the cover of darkness in the Breeders’ Cup Classic. The Breeders’ Cup Classic was the perfect ending to a marvelous career. He had become America’s richest horse of all time and Alysheba was America’s Horse. The Hall of Fame runner spent the first part of his breeding career near his birthplace in Kentucky and then was sold and shipped to breed in Saudi Arabia in 2000. In failing health, Alysheba was gifted back to the American people by King Abdullah, who shipped Alysheba in 2008, to live out his final years in his homeland. Thousands of fans visited the oldest surviving Derby winner at his home, the Kentucky Horse Park. Unfortunately, the end came sooner than anyone hoped, and Alysheba was euthanized March 27 of this year, from complications of a degenerative spine condition. He was 25 years old. Alysheba was mourned as one of America’s most popular horses. I remember you Alysheba.