Remembering ... Ack Ack

In a career filled with the training of great horses, it may have been in the transforming of a former sprinter into a sensational Horse of the Year, which proved to be Charlie Whittingham’s greatest professional accomplishment. Ack Ack was a bay son of Battle Joined out of the Turn-To mare Fast Turn foaled in 1966, and he did not come to work with the Bald Eagle until he already had two seasons under his girth. In those first two seasons, Ack Ack displayed a penchant for winning, but also a preference for shorter distances. His racing career began the year before I was born in 1968. As a juvenile, Ack Ack managed only one win and two seconds in three starts. At the time he was trained by Frank Bonsal, for owner and breeder Harry F. Guggenheim. His sophomore season began in South Florida and Ack Ack began to flash his talents. Three straight wins ensued, including Hialeah’s Bahamas Stakes, but he failed when trying a distance for the first time in the Everglades Stakes. Back at shorter distances, Ack Ack romped in an allowance race at Keeneland and then scored an impressive victory in the Derby Trial. In that race he broke the track record by running the mile in 1:34 2/5. The sharp time did not persuade his connections to go on the Triple Crown trail though as they knew their charge was best in one-turn races. While Majestic Prince and Arts and Letters were deservingly getting all the headlines with their series of battles in the Derby, Preakness, and Belmont, Ack Ack stayed off the major stage. He was placed first in Belmont’s Withers Stakes and then finished second in two straight distance races at Garden State Park, before ending his season with a big win in the one-turn Arlington Classic. At year end, his sparkling three-year-old record showed seven wins and three seconds in eleven starts. Offered as part of a full stable dispersal sale due to the owner’s failing health, Ack Ack, was not sold. It was no wonder as his reserve price was rumored to be one million dollars. A huge number as the 1960‘s came to a close. Still running for his ailing owner, Ack Ack was sent to California to work with his new conditioner, Charlie Whittingham. Ack Ack began his career as an older horse, and for his new trainer, with a troubled trip when fourth in the Premeire Handicap. He would go on to win the Los Angeles Handicap at Hollywood and the Autumn Days Handicap on the Santa Anita turf course. He also set a track record of 1:02 1/5 for 5 ½ furlongs in an easy allowance score at Del Mar. At four, he may have only raced five times, winning four of them, but it was clear that Whittingham‘s new charge was one of the fastest horses in America. Although he specialized in sprint races, his trainer saw the potential for distance racing because of the bay colt’s breeding. Whittingham mapped out a plan to test him in the biggest races on the West Coast. Ack Ack began his fourth season of racing the day after New Year’s by finishing second in the Palos Verdes Handicap and then quickly wheeled back to win the seven furlong San Carlos Handicap easily for Guggenheim. The sickly owner would not live to see the transformation from sprinter to superstar though, as he died in January of 1971. Whittingham was able to convince friends Buddy Fogelson and his wife, actress Greer Garson, to buy a majority interest in Ack Ack for a reported $500,000, while the wily trainer retained one-third interest. It was money well spent all around as Whittingham would be correct about the horse and Ack Ack would go on a major roll for his new owners. In his first route try in nearly two years, Ack Ack won the San Pasqual at 1 1/16 miles. Next came a win in the nine furlong San Antonio Stakes. The historic Big Cap would be next, and the former sprint specialist was assigned 130 pounds in his first try at a classic distance. He opened up a large lead and was able to hit the wire 1 ½ lengths clear of the classy Cougar II. Proving his amazing versatility, Ack Ack returned to the races, after a brief rest, to score easily in the Hollywood Express at just 5 ½ furlongs. Next would come only his second ever try on the grass, and he once again dominated from the get go in the 1 1/8 mile American Handicap, setting a course record in the process. His next test would come in the Hollywood Gold Cup. On a six-race winning streak, Ack Ack was asked to carry 134 pounds. It marked the fifth straight race where he carried rider Willie Shoemaker and enough lead to hit at least 130 pounds. The heavy impost and the ten furlongs mattered little as Ack Ack rolled home much the best. Unfortunately, Ack Ack would not be afforded the opportunity to build on his lengthy win streak. A life-threatening bout of colic saw to that, and the speedy son of Battle Joined was retired. Despite not racing after the Gold Cup on July 17, his superlative five-year-old season earned an embarrassment of riches at the Eclipse Awards. Ack Ack was named Horse of the Year, as well as both the Champion Older Horse and Champion Sprinter awards. Ack Ack retired as a champion with a career record that displayed his marvelous consistency, 19 victories and 6 second place finishes in only 27 starts and career earnings totaling $636,641. With his racing career behind him, Whittingham’s star project went to stud at Claiborne Farm in Kentucky where he once again was a big success. Ack Ack sired a diverse group of 55 stakes winners. Among his notable offspring was the great turf talent Youth, who won the Canadian International at 1 5/8 miles and the prestigious D C International by ten lengths, as part of Ack Ack’s first crop. He also sired a favorite of mine in Broad Brush, who inherited his sire’s consistency and toughness, and became a champion sire as well. He lived at Claiborne until his death on December 28, 1990 at the age of 24. Ack Ack was buried at Claiborne Farm. Elected into Racing’s Hall of Fame in 1986, he was truly one of a kind. Sprinting, routing, grass, or dirt, Ack Ack, with the help of his legendary trainer, did it all. I remember you Ack Ack.

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 ... Sunday Silence

Tom Durkin‘s words still freshly echo between my ears whenever the thought of Sunday Silence or Easy Goer comes to mind. “Easy Goer with one final acceleration and Sunday Silence holds on!!!” Everything was on the line and the two magnificent horses, forever joined in history, responded with a racing epic that day at Gulfstream Park. Beating a great horse like Easy Goer for the third time in four tries was not easy, but from a very young age things were not easy for the champion. After surviving a life threatening virus as a weanling at Stone Farm in Paris, Kentucky, Sunday Silence grew into a long-legged, narrow frame. Cow-hocked, he impressed no one with his conformation. Sunday Silence was well bred, by Halo out of Wishing Well. Halo had already produced champions Devil’s Bag and Glorious Song and a Derby winner in Sunny’s Halo. Wishing Well was a multiple stakes winning daughter of Understanding. The solid breeding was overshadowed though by the looks of the gangly youngster. Twice offered for sale at auction, he attracted no buyers even with very modest reserve prices, leaving owner and breeder Arthur Hancock III no choice but to retain the colt to race. Adding to the adversity of his childhood, Sunday Silence was involved in an awful accident. As a 2-year-old, Sunday Silence was being transported by van when the driver had a heart attack. The van overturned and nearly ended the young colt’s life. Sunday Silence would endure. Veteran trainer Charlie Whittingham, liked what he saw once the colt began his training. He did not rush the leggy colt and brought the horse to the races for the first time late in his juvenile season. After a narrow defeat in his opening race, Sunday Silence rebounded with a ten length score in his second race. He continued to develop and things all came together in the Spring. He demolished the field in the Santa Anita Derby in April and went to the Kentucky Derby as a clear second choice. On May 6, 1989 Sunday Silence shocked the racing world as he galloped home 2 ½ lengths in front of the most highly regarded Derby favorite in ten years. It was not a straight course down the stretch of the Churchill Downs mud, but it was a triumphant one for the horse no one wanted. Baltimore would soon host Sunday Silence vs. Easy Goer II The Preakness was one of the greatest races ever run on an American racetrack. It brought together Sunday Silence fresh off his Kentucky Derby win and his blueblood rival, Easy Goer who had finished second in the Derby as a heavy favorite. Before Louisville, it was well established that the powerful chestnut son of Alydar was a special horse, but with his win in the Derby, Sunday Silence had emerged as a second superstar from the 1986 foal crop. The Preakness would be a showdown between the East Coast establishment and the West Coast upstart. The world was watching. Easy Goer was once again made the favorite, but this time the odds were much closer. Odds make little difference to the horses and the race was on. Pat Day, careful not to give Sunday Silence too much room for comfort, made a big move on the turn to go by his rival. The black horse was squeezed and was suddenly two lengths behind. Pat Valenzuela swung his charge to the outside and then something magical happened. Sunday Silence, using perhaps his greatest racing asset, an electrifying burst of speed, pounced like a cat on a mouse and was abreast of Easy Goer like a shot. The race was on. The entire Pimlico stretch became a racing battleground for two horses that were too good to lose. The only other time I have ever witnessed such an intense display was in the Affirmed - Alydar Belmont Stakes of 1978. The horses turned their heads slightly so that they could look at each other eyeball to eyeball as their riders vigorously urged their talented runners on. Sunday Silence on the outside Easy Goer on the inside. Neither horse had one iota of give up, it was racing perfection incapsulated within a quarter of a mile. Easy Goer fought on gamely from the rail and gained a nose advantage in the stretch, but in the end, Sunday Silence edged in front by a whisker. Watching this race, was proof that horse racing is the purest form of athletic competition. On to New York they would go. The Triple Crown was not to be, as the powerful Easy Goer relished the 1 ½ mile distance, the sandy surface, and the sweeping turns of Belmont Park. His great rival had his day in the sun with an easy victory over my hero in the Belmont Stakes. The nation would again have no Triple Crown winner, but the rivalry between Sunday Silence and Easy Goer was flourishing. The 1989 Breeders’ Cup Classic would bring these racing titans together for a final time. Since the Triple Crown, Easy Goer was a dominating force in the New York racing scene. Sunday Silence was lightly raced, but was coming off a rousing win in Louisiana. With a win, either horse would win the three-year-old championship and the Horse of the Year title. Both horses were treated as superstars by their throngs of fans in South Florida. The greatest match-up in Breeders‘ Cup history lived up to the expectations. Sunday Silence took his familiar stalking position with Easy Goer a little farther back. Pat Day made the first move, rushing up to join his rival on the backstretch. It was Sunday‘s Silence‘s turn to respond and respond he did. Displaying the incredible acceleration that he was blessed with, Sunday Silence spurted away from the Phipps runner and carried himself to a clear lead in late stretch. Then it was one last run by his great rival… I will let Tom Durkin say it one more time “Easy Goer with one final acceleration and Sunday Silence holds on!!!” Sunday Silence was the 1989 Horse of the Year. In all he won nine times out of fourteen races and never finished worse than second. Besides his three classic wins over Easy Goer, Sunday Silence won the Super Derby by six lengths and the Santa Anita Derby by eleven lengths. He earned just a shade under five million dollars and was quickly ushered into Racing’s Hall of Fame at first opportunity. For all his racing accomplishments, Sunday Silence would still meet doubters when it was time for syndication. For a final time, American breeders did not believe in Sunday Silence, and he was sent to stud in Japan. Zenya Yoshida saw the opportunity through the indifference in the United States and stood Sunday Silence his entire stud career. It can not be overstated what Sunday Silence meant to the Thoroughbred breeding industry in Japan since he began his stud career there in 1991. His complete dominance as a sire in Japan is best described by the words of my friend living in Japan and noted Thoroughbred photographer, Kate Hunter “Sunday Silence did for the Japanese thoroughbred what Eclipse did for English Thoroughbreds. Every horse will eventually find itself crossed with Sunday Silence in Japan. He took Japanese Thoroughbreds to a new level, where they now can compete successfully with the rest of the world.” To this day and despite his relatively short career at stud, Sunday Silence’s progeny have earned more money worldwide than those of any other sire in history. On Sunday, August 19, 2002 Sunday Silence passed away at Shadai Stallion Station in Japan's Hokkaido. The great horse died of heart failure after a long battle with debilitating laminitis. Infection had spread to his leg causing laminitis and only the heart and the will of a true champion allowed him to survive and fight for life for more than three months. In the end the infirmity got the best of the black stallion. His many caretakers at the breeding farm said he found some relief from his pain near the end. Sunday Silence now rests in peace at Shadai Stallion Station. News of his failing health and finally his death at the young age of 16 years touched horse fans throughout the world. I know it touched me, I loved Sunday Silence. It still touches me, for now I am just trying to get down the words through all of these tears. I remember you … Sunday Silence.