Blue Grass to Derby, Still a Viable Route?

Keeneland’s Blue Grass Stakes has long been one of the most prestigious of all roads leading to the Kentucky Derby. Year in an year out, it produced, if not the Derby winner itself, then at the very least, some strong contenders for the blanket of roses. Something has changed though. No longer do I see the Blue Grass as one of the most important preps, or one of the most likely places for a Derby winner to emerge. What changed? In the Fall of 2006, Keeneland went Polytrack. They decided to take out their dirt surface, after seventy years, and replace it with a synthetic surface. It was called a “safer solution.” Whether it is safer or not, is open for debate, but it is not the topic of the day. Now that the Blue Grass is on Polytrack and three weeks before the Derby, it is the final prep for any horse hoping to run in both the Blue Grass and the Kentucky Derby. It would be unheard of, to squeeze in a race between the two, in this age of lighter schedules for our stars. Because of this, the Blue Grass is becoming a less desirable destination for many of the top contenders, as many do not want to run so close to the Derby, especially if it is on a synthetic surface which is so different than that of Churchill Downs. This situation saddens me. In my mind the Blue Grass should be the preeminent prep. There is no place better to be in the Spring than Keeneland. The weather, the facility, the people, and the surroundings…it truly is a slice of Heaven here on earth. Keeneland has an almost mystical appeal to fans of the horse, and I am no different, and the Blue Grass is, at least in my estimation, the grandest day at the Lexington oval. Maybe I am just a bit nostalgic, but when I first became a regular at Keeneland, I saw horses like Summer Squall defeating Unbridled, and heavy hitters Strike the Gold, Prairie Bayou, and Holy Bull, all winning in the Blue Grass. Those times may be lost. With all due respect to the Wood Memorial, Santa Anita, and Arkansas Derbies, the Blue Grass holds the most special place in my heart of all Derby preps. I do not know how much longer I will be saying this though. Since the transition to Polytrack, the winner of the Blue Grass has finished 11th, 20th, and 10th in the Derby. In a word dismal. Success in the Blue Grass is no longer a strong recommendation for your chances in the Derby. To be fair, Street Sense did run in the Blue Grass before winning the 2007 Derby, although by losing in Lexington to an inferior field, and then winning in Louisville, Street Sense pointed out the vast difference in the two tracks. Why would horsemen want to run on a surface so different only three weeks before the biggest race of their lives? I honestly do not know. Despite my sadness in the relative importance of this great race, I am rather upbeat with this year’s edition. There are several horses in the race, who I think have a chance to make some noise at Churchill. Most notably Odysseus and Interactif, whom I definitely both include in my top ten Derby candidates. But still, even with a good field running tomorrow, I have to wonder if the result will mean absolutely anything on the First Saturday in May. Probably not. Maybe they should just run the Blue Grass at Churchill Downs. Ouch! I just bit my tongue. Polytrack Up Close

Remembering ... Holy Bull

The first time I saw Holy Bull in person was the 1993 Futurity Stakes at Belmont Park. I made the foolish mistake of being there to root on a different horse. At the Saratoga meeting I had fallen in love with a talented juvenile named Dehere, who had demonstrated the qualities of a freight train rolling down the lane and mowing down his competition. I knew Dehere’s main threat in the Futurity was Holy Bull and there was plenty of reason for me to be infatuated with him. He had won both of his starts impressively for a trainer I liked, Jimmy Croll, and he began his career at my home track, Monmouth Park. None of that mattered though, I was there to see Dehere. Dehere actually ran an excellent race as he gained the entire stretch, but the race was controlled by the gray speedster. Taking it to his rivals early, Holy Bull was never in danger of being caught in the Grade 1 race. I went home that day thinking that I had just seen the best two juveniles in the nation. Holy Bull would finish his juvenile season unbeaten, making it 4 for 4 with a romping win in the In Reality Stakes at Calder. Holy Bull was bred by Mrs. Rachel Carpenter of Pelican Stable. Sired by Great Above out of the Al Hattab mare Sharon Brown, he caught the attention of Jimmy Croll early on and when Mrs. Carpenter passed away leaving her whole string of horses to Croll, he sold all the horses except for Holy Bull. It was a wonderful tribute to their working relationship and friendship, for the matriarch of Pelican Stable to bequeath all of her valuable bloodstock to her trainer and it was a bold move by Croll to keep only one of the 19 horses. He kept the right horse. Holy Bull continued his winning ways at three when he won eight stakes out of ten starts, five of them being Grade 1 affairs. The season began in Florida, where he powered to easy victories in the Hutcheson and Florida Derby. In between those two races, Holy Bull ran a poor race in the Fountain of Youth, but the defeat was easily explained, as during the race he flipped his palate, restricting his air flow. From Florida, Holy Bull headed straight for the Bluegrass State with Derby dreams. An easy win in the Blue Grass Stakes confirmed his favoritism for the first Saturday in May. In the Kentucky Derby, however, he seemed uninterested and finished a well beaten 12th. Jimmy Croll believed that there was foul play afoot. Claiming that his horse had been drugged by an evil doer, effectively keeping the heavy favorite off the board. His claim was never proven. Holy Bull quickly rebounded, as he ran away from top older horses Devil His Due and Cherokee Run in Belmont’s prestigious Met Mile just three weeks after the Derby debacle. This win started a streak that would propel Holy Bull to superstar status. Easy wins in the Dwyer and then the Haskell followed. In the Travers, he displayed great courage and determination as he held off the distance loving Concern, who would later that year win the Breeders’ Cup Classic, despite being pressured through fast early fractions. His next race would be the season’s final test and it was against older. I was in the stands for his final race of the year, the Woodward. It was one year after I had seen him defeat Dehere in the Futurity and this time I was there to see the gray star, and I was not disappointed. It was one of those rare races when I believed I was truly watching greatness. Holy Bull effortlessly made mincemeat of one of the top fields assembled that year. With his devastating five-length victory over Devil His Due and Colonial Affair, he ended any conjecture as to who was the best horse in the country. Holy Bull capped of the year with Eclipse Awards as the champion 3-year-old colt and Horse of the Year of 1994. After his marvelous campaign at three, it seemed that Holy Bull would have the rest of the racing world at his mercy the following year. He began the year by summarily dispatching top sprinters in the Olympic Handicap at Gulfstream. His next race was the 1995 Donn Handicap. Holly Bull put himself into a perfect position early in the Grade 1 race. Watching from a simulcast television at the Meadowlands, I soon had a sick feeling in the pit of my stomach, as on the backstretch, the star horse was injured and pulled up by his regular rider Mike Smith. It was a sudden and sad ending to his career. Holy Bull was retired. His competition that day, Cigar, gracefully took the baton and went on to be a great champion. As great as Cigar became, you can not convince this writer that he would have beaten the Bull that day. Holy Bull was inducted in the Hall of Fame in 2001. In all, the fantastic horse won 13 out of 16 races. In the three races he lost, he flipped his palate, was possibly drugged, and he was injured. He stood at stud first at Jonabell Farm in Lexington, Kentucky and now at Darley Stud’s American division. He has sired a champion in Macho Uno and a Derby winner in Giacomo, but none of his offspring have been the kind of racehorse that he was. I remember you Holy Bull.