Remembering ... Gate Dancer

He was called a crazy horse and a nut job. He had one of the best trainers in America, Jack Van Berg, scrambling to find a way to keep him running straight in the stretch. He bounced from jockey to jockey in hopes of finding one that could handle him. He was equipped with blinkers, a tongue tie, a shadow roll, a plastic burr was added to his bit, and most famously of all, he wore a hood with ear muffs to block out racetrack noises. When he stepped out on to the track, he was a sight to behold. He had a penchant for doing bizarre things, on the racetrack, he would often come running with all the look of a sure winner, only to search out contact and lean in on the horses he had been primed to roll right by. He was Gate Dancer. Why would his connections put up with all this strange behavior? Simple…Gate Dancer could run. His trainer knew the talent was there, it was just a matter of bringing his ability to the fore. It was this talent that first attracted me to Gate Dancer in the Spring of 1984. To that point, he had been a promising and well bred colt who had been unable to win against the big boys, or girls for that matter. He was already known to insiders for his erratic behavior. While the Arkansas Derby winning filly, Althea, and the consistent Woody Stephens trainee, Swale were preferred in the Derby, I decided to back the interesting son of Sovereign Dancer and Sun Gate, breeding that made him a grandson of two of the greatest sires in American history in Northern Dancer and Bull Lea. The odds were right and he had the look of a horse who might soon be able to put it all together. In the Derby, Gate Dancer had drawn the far outside post position in the 20 stall. This position can be tough enough to overcome even with a good break. Gate Dancer did not break well. Stumbling out of the gate, he was quickly more than 20 lengths behind the large field. He would run on well to rally for 4th. If he did not lug in sharply, I am sure he would have gotten 2nd. He was disqualified (something they just don’t do in the Derby) and placed 5th for his transgression. My longshot selection did not pay off, but he ran a really good race all things considered. I looked forward to the Preakness and to give him another shot against the Derby winner Swale. It finally would all come together for Gate Dancer in Baltimore. As most eyes were on Swale, Gate Dancer once again had his equipment fiddled with by Van Berg, still trying to control the high strung colt who was now known to the American public as a problem child, after his Derby DQ. Van Berg also switched riders, enlisting Angel Cordero, for his strength, and also for his eccentricities, that might fit Gate Dancer’s own quirkiness. In the Preakness, heavy favorite Swale ran poorly and faded well out of contention. Gate Dancer was much closer to the pace, then in the Derby, and he was full of run on the far turn. He collared leader Fight Over and easily pulled away to a 1 ½ length score over the late finishing Play On. Finally he had run without incident, and he won the middle jewel of racing’s Triple Crown. Final time of 1:53 and 3/5 was at the time, the fastest ever official time for the Preakness. Off this big score, he was sent to New York for a rubber match with the Derby winner. The Belmont would not be his day. In one of his few poor performances, Gate Dancer came up empty as the real running happened in the Belmont, and he finished a tired 6th. Swale, who would die mysteriously just days later, was an easy winner and became the clear leader of the division. Gate Dancer would have a great opportunity to overtake the ill-fated Swale with his final three starts of his sophomore season. Following his disappointing run in the Belmont Stakes, Gate Dancer was given a rest and returned to where he began his racing career. The place was Ak-Sar-Ben Racetrack, where trainer Van Berg was a living legend. At home in Nebraska, he scored a dominating win in the Omaha Gold Cup. The Midwestern track would be the site of a win for Gate Dancer in each of his first three seasons. I always appreciated the fact that he continued to run at Ak-Sar-Ben after he became a star. The win in August set him up nicely for a run in one of the nation’s richest races, the Super Derby in Louisiana, where he faced the talented Hooper colt, Precisionist. In the Super Derby, Gate Dancer unleashed a furious stretch drive under new rider Laffit Pincay to just nip Precisionist in the final strides. He set a new track record for the mile and a quarter in the win. Next stop would be Hollywood Park and a little slice of history. 1984 would welcome the first ever Breeders’ Cup, and when the inaugural edition finally arrived, Gate Dancer was in prime form. He was the clear second choice to the dominant handicap horse in the nation, Slew O’ Gold. Slew O’ Gold had, for all intensive purposes, clinched year end honors as best horse, but a win by the hooded colt would surely clinch three-year-old honors. Ironically, in each leg of the Triple Crown, I supported Gate Dancer against a talented son of the great Seattle Slew. Now I was prepared to do it again, and this time against what was assumed to be an even tougher son of Slew. Slew O’ Gold was the prohibitive favorite in the field of eight. A talented son of Icecapade, named Wild Again, would set a solid pace under Pat Day. Slew O’ Gold was comfortable in a stalking position and Gate Dancer lagged behind near the back of the pack. As they straightened out, Slew O’ Gold had latched on to Wild Again and looked ready to take command, but Gate Dancer now had a full head of steam on the far outside. As the stretch battle ensued, it quickly became clear that Slew O’ Gold would not easily get by the longshot speed horse. This was good news to me, as Gate Dancer was gaining with every stride. He was ready to roll right by, when guess what…he lugged in. When he did it in the Derby, it was not the first time, and now with a win in the first Breeders’ Cup Classic within sight, he was doing it again. What happened next will go down forever as one of the best stretch battles in racing history. Wild Again with Pat Day fighting from the inside, Slew O’ Gold with Gate Dancer’s old friend, Angel Cordero, aboard, was sandwiched between horses, and the hooded one, with Pincay in the irons, on the outside. None of the three would give an inch as they ran in close quarters down the Hollywood Park lane. Wild Again would narrowly hold off Gate Dancer, as Cordero stood up on the beaten favorite just before the wire. A long objection was considered, and it was determined that Gate Dancer was the main offender in the bumping. He was disqualified and placed 2nd. Wild Again had won at 31-1, Breeders’ Cup history that would not have been the same without the quirky Gate Dancer. As an older horse, Gate Dancer was even more of an enigma wrapped in a puzzle. Not so much in his antics, but more for running well without winning. Still donning his now famous hood, Gate Dancer toured the nation picking up good checks, but rarely winning. A few failed turf attempts and another win at Nebraska were his preparation for the major Fall races. Races that the experienced Van Berg would have him at his best for. He ran big in three consecutive races in the Big Apple, only to finish 2nd to three different horses. In the Marlboro Cup, it was champion Chief’s Crown holding him off by a neck. In the Jockey Club Gold Cup, Gate Dancer could not real in the quality front runner Vanlandingham, and for the second year in a row he would lose the BC Classic in a spirited battle. This time, he lost the big prize to Proud Truth by a head, as the two pulled clear of the others in the strong field. So close to glory in the first two runnings of the Classic, but alas, the masked marvel had very little to show for his efforts. Gate Dancer finished his career with three more solid efforts as a five year old. Once again, he was running well but unable to hit the wire in front. His final statistics showed only 7 wins out of 28 starts. 15 times he finished in the money without winning. All these quality efforts helped him amass more than $2.5 million in earnings at the time of his retirement in early 1986. Gate Dancer was retired to Florida, and stood at Good Chance Farm near Ocala, Florida. Later he was moved to Silverleaf Farm in Florida. He sired 27 stakes winners, but none had the talent of their sire. On March 6, 1998, after a long battle with laminitis, Gate Dancer was euthanized at the age of 17. I had a soft spot for this horse. The Preakness winner of 1984 was misunderstood and under appreciated, he rarely took home the big prize, but he was always entertaining and fun to root for. I always had the feeling that the next race would be the one where he would break through again. Gate Dancer is the only horse ever to be disqualified for interference in the Kentucky Derby and he repeated the feat in the Breeders Cup Classic. Adding to his mystique was the fact that he just didn’t look like any of the other horses with that hood. He was unique in every sense of the word. I remember you Gate Dancer.

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.