Happy Birthday Cost of Freedom!

Happy belated birthday to Cost of Freedom! The son of Cee’s Tizzy out of  Freedom Dance turned eight years olds on February 24^th.

         

Cost of Freedom has got to be one of the most magnificent veteran geldings in training. He didn’t debut until August of his three-year-old season, when he finished ninth in a seven furlong maiden claiming race at Del Mar. He broke his maiden in a similar event nineteen days later, but then a setback occurred and he was forced to miss the remainder of 2006, all of 2007, and the first two months of 2008. But perhaps the time off did him good, for he then turned into one of the best sprinters in the country. The gelding’s biggest victory came in September 2008, when he rallied from just off the pace to score a half-length victory in the grade I Ancient Title Stakes. But then more trouble occurred, and the unlucky gelding missed another year.

         

In 2009, he made three starts. He won none. First, he ran fourth in the Pirate’s Bounty Stakes. Then he ran fourth in the Ancient Title Stakes. It looked as though the gelding had passed his peak age – until he ran third in the Breeders’ Cup Sprint, beaten just a nose and a head.

        

The gelding finally got through an entire year in 2010. He made eight starts, and won five of them. Two of his losses could be explained by circumstances – one was a turf race and he broke poorly in the other. He won a pair of grade III stakes races and finished a close fourth in the Ancient Title Stakes. In his final start of 2010, he broke Hollywood Park’s five furlong track record in the Mike Tyson Stakes.

          

But perhaps his gamest performance came this year, in the Sunshine Millions Sprint Stakes. He was sent straight to the lead in the six furlong event, and set simply unimaginable fractions. He ran the opening quarter mile in :20 4/5. He ran a half-mile in :42 3/5. Despite this, he still managed to finish third. . .  beaten just two heads.

        

So happy birthday to Cost of Freedom! May you celebrate many additional birthdays (and perhaps additional grade I stakes victories!) in the future!

            -Keelerman

Happy Birthday to Interpatation!

            Happy birthday to Interpatation, who turned nine years old today! The dark bay or brown gelding has become a staple of the grade I Joe Hirsch Turf Classic Invitational at Belmont Park. In 2006, he ran fourth in the race. In 2007, he ran third. In 2008 he finished second. Finally, in 2009, he broke through with a dramatic victory at odds of 43-1, defeating eventual Eclipse champion Gio Ponti despite being passed by him in the stretch. The gelding started in the Joe Hirsch again in 2010, but ran seventh. The game gelding has won only six times from sixty-four starts, but has earned over $1.2 million dollars in a long, gallant career. Happy birthday!

            -Keelerman

Welcome back Awesome Gem!

Awesome Gem, the eight-year-old gelding who won the 2010 Hollywood Gold Cup (gr. I), recorded his first workout since running seventh in the 2010 Breeders' Cup Marathon this morning at Santa Anita.

The chestnut son of Awesome Again worked three furlongs in :36 4/5, the ninth fastest of twenty-one workouts at that distance this morning.

Welcome back Awesome Gem! Perhaps a repeat win in the Hollywood Gold Cup is on the horizon!

-Keelerman

Happy Belated Birthday to California Flag!

Happy belated birthday to California Flag, who celebrated his seventh birthday yesterday! The beautiful gray or roan gelding has had great success during his lengthy career. His biggest victory came in 2009, when he ran his numerous rivals off their feet to win the Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint by 1 3/4 lengths.

May he celebrate many more birthdays (as well as many more victories!) in the future!

-Keelerman

Results ---- February 20th, 2011

• Congratulations to Dubious Miss, who as the sixth choice in the Fair Grounds Handicap (gr. II) on February 19th finished a game third. The seven-year-old gelding tracked a very slow pace (:26.70, :53.55, 1:18.76) before taking over the lead. He led by a half-length at the eighth pole, but was caught by 32-1 shot Expansion and favored Sleepless Knight in the final strides. However, he was only beaten a head in a very game performance which earned him $12,500. He was ridden by Corey Lanerie.

• Well, Interpatation didn’t quite run as well in the February 19th San Luis Obispo Stakes (gr. II) as he has in the past. Sent off as the longest shot in the field at 72-1, he stalked the pace before gradually backing up to finish eighth, beaten fifteen lengths. But he did beat one horse to the wire! Victor Espinoza rode the nine-year-old gelding. I’m sure he’ll find the winner’s circle again in the future!

• Eight-year-old Silver Timber ran an admirable race in the February 19th Turf Dash Stakes at Tampa Bay Downs. In his first start since the Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint, he ran a sharp fourth in a field of ten, beaten just 1 ¾ lengths. The winning time was :55.28, just .26 off of the track record. I have the suspicion that Silver Timber needed the race and will run better next time out. He was ridden by Leandro Goncalves and earned $3,750 for his efforts. Good job old fellow!

-Keelerman

A Pair of Entries

Interpatation and Dubious Miss are both entered to race today!

Interpatation, winner of the 2009 Joe Hirsch Turf Classic Invitational (gr. I), has not won since but ran some fine races in 2010. He has earned over $1.2 million dollars in a career that has spanned sixty-three starts. This despite the fact that he has only won six times!

He is entered to run in the grade II, mile-and-a-half San Luis Obispo Stakes. 20-1 on the morning line, he will probably be more like 50-1 by post time. Among his opponents are Champ Pegasus and Bourbon Bay, no doubt two of the finest turf horses in the country.

Dubious Miss, a fine gelding who has placed in a variety of graded stakes races over the years, is entered in the Fair Grounds Handicap (gr. III). A nine furlong turf race, he is 8-1 on the morning line and I expect him to run an excellent race. Among the horses he will have to beat are Gran Estreno, Workin for Hops, and Telling. It should be a magnificent race!

-Keelerman

THE VETERAN GELDINGS FAN CLUB

Who doesn’t like a veteran gelding?

That’s what I told myself when I decided to create this blog. There’s something about older geldings, many of them past their prime, racing day after day, year after year; pouring everything they have into running.

So many times nowadays the greatest stars in racing are whisked away to stand at stud before they’ve raced very long at all. Lookin at Lucky, Big Brown, Street Sense, Hard Spun, and Bernardini come to mind. Now don’t get me wrong – it’s great to have these colts as stallions and I eagerly anticipate their foals – but it’s always nice to have a superstar stick around and race for three or four years before heading to the breeding shed.

That’s why I’ve always been fond of geldings. Time after time they parade to the starting gate, often racing at the advanced age of eight or older. There’s something about their courageousness and longevity that appeals to me.

My favorite gelding that I have seen race is Better Talk Now. Winner of the 2004 Breeders’ Cup Turf, he came back to defend his title in 2005. . . and 2006. . . and 2007. . . and 2008. In 2009, at the incredible age of ten, he finished third in the grade I Woodford Reserve Manhattan Handicap, then came back and ran second in the grade I Sword Dancer Handicap!

In 2009, when Gio Ponti was gunning for his fifth straight grade I win in the Joe Hirsch Turf Classic Invitational Stakes (gr. I) I was cheering him on. Yet I couldn’t help but root for Interpatation, a seven-year-old gelding who had finished fourth, third, and second in the Joe Hirsch during the previous three years. Amazingly, despite being headed by the eventual duel Eclipse champion, Interpatation battled back to win the race by 1 ¾ lengths.

The 2010 Hollywood Gold Cup was all about Rail Trip, an impressive five-year-old gelding who had won the race in 2009. But I was cheering for a still-older gelding named Awesome Gem. Seven-years-old, he had placed in a variety of grade I races over the years but had never once stood in the winner’s circle of a top class race. But much to my delight, the old guy was up to the challenge, sneaking through along the rail to defeat Rail Trip by a half-length.

Then of course there is the courageous Brass Hat, at the age of nine he rallied from last to win the grade III Sycamore Stakes last year by a length. The gelding has raced in Kentucky, Ohio, Indiana, Texas, Louisiana, Florida, Dubai, New York, Massachusetts, New Jersey, and Iowa during a career that has spanned forty starts.

The main story in the 2009 Breeders’ Cup Turf was whether or not odds-on favorite Conduit could win back-to-back runnings of the race. He did so in the end, but not without a fight. Presious Passion, six years old at the time, opened up a ten length lead early on. He ran fractions of :23 flat, :45 flat, and 1:09 1/5. He was running like he was sprinting! Despite these impossible fractions, the gelding kept on running, closing his final quarter mile in :24 seconds. He finished second, a half-length behind Conduit, who won the race in 2:23 3/5.

It is performances like these that have inspired me to create this blog. Its purpose is to give fans of these magnificent warriors and others a place to rave, discuss, and follow their favorite geldings. It works like this:

First, I shall compile a list of veteran geldings that we shall follow on this blog. I will post whenever they are about to run, and following the conclusion of their races, post the results. This list will be posted on a page entitled “Members of the Veterans Turf Club”.

After the list is up, you may suggest geldings to add to the list. For a horse to be added to the list, they must meet these requirements:

1.     They must be a gelding.
2.     They must be aged six or over.
3.     They must currently be racing.

These are the only criteria. They can be maidens or grade I stakes winners, allowance or claiming runners. It doesn’t matter. The point is to celebrate the magnificent careers of the veteran geldings who give us so much enjoyment.

Every three months, we shall conduct the “Veterans of the Season” awards. They will be a set of unofficial championships awarded at the beginning of April, July, and October. I shall establish a list of categories, such as Champion Turf Miler, Champion Dirt Sprinter, and such. You may nominate any gelding who is a member of the Veterans of the Turf Club to any award which they are suited to. Then, upon completion of the nomination process, we shall conduct an official vote to decide the championships. Finally, in early January, we shall conduct voting on the “Veterans of the Year”, where we shall award championships to the best of the geldings in the Veterans of the Turf Club based on their performances from the previous year. It will be great fun!

Here are the categories which we will be voting on throughout the year:

Champion Dirt Sprinter

Champion Turf Sprinter

Champion Dirt Miler

Champion Turf Miler

Champion Dirt Marathoner

Champion Turf Marathoner

Veteran of the Season (or Veteran of the Year in January)

Most Courageous Performance

Now I’ve said enough – let’s start following the veteran geldings!

-Keelerman