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.