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
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