When it comes to old age, as the wise men remind us, it’s when you cross the hill that you start to accelerate. And it’s true: the magnolia trees where I live are in bloom, and I swear that each passing year compresses both the duration of those brief candles and, above all, the time in between. The inference is a somber one: time flies when you’re having fun.
So, on a weekend when we pause our search for a juvenile Purebred that is mature enough to defeat its brethren on the first Saturday of May, let’s celebrate our achievements. achievement later in life—whether on two legs or on all fours.
GIII Essex H. is the kind of race that warms my heart. Last year it regained its classified and well-deserved status after increasing its wallet fivefold between 2016 and 2021–a remarkable overall picture. The Oaklawn program is thriving. And this time, it brings together some evergreen veterans who show that whether age turns us into vinegar or aged wine is largely up to us.
In the case of D. Wayne Lukas, it really makes sense that he should still maintain golden age standards even with a much smaller barn. Yes, he seems to be blessed with the tirelessness and genius that he always brings to his vocation, and exploiting one with the other simply brings an edge. new for his unique status in our community. However, a broader application certainly applies to the principle that any decline in physical strength, even for those of lesser stature, is compensated for, and largely so. , by experience.
Not everyone sends an expensive Thoroughbred to a certain trainer because otherwise he might have made a cage fighter or logger. I have never understood why “aging” coaches (an alarmingly elastic concept) have become as outdated as they certainly are in my hometown. Some of the biggest yards in Newmarket today seem to be overseen as a perk that comes with appointment as principal at various prep schools. As I have frequently commented, if I owned my favorite car of the Derby, and he put his foot in a bucket of ice the night before the race, I would rather my coach had to deal with it. the eleventh problem, not the first.
It’s great to think some people have considered this after the longest serving coach in Newmarket won the Arc last fall, and I’m pleased to hear that Sir Mark Prescott will be coaching the king. new this year. Meanwhile, on the other side of the water, Lukas himself made a similar suggestion to reflect with the Oath of Secrets (Pride) during last year’s GI Kentucky Oaks. Even though he’s closer to 90 now than 80, maybe one or two people realize he can finally make sense of the game.
Admittedly it’s hard, after Rich Strike (Keen Ice) appeared out of nowhere (both figuratively and literally) the next day, to resist the feeling of regret that the Secret Oath in that form ended up being in that form after all. could have knocked the boys out in the Derby. While her form then faltered, last weekend she looked as young as her coach when she returned to the track where she first made her name.
It was a gratifying sight, after her breeders had resisted any blandness to keep her in the Briland family. And the Last Samurai, who represents Lukas in Essex, is looking as good as ever, earning over $1.6 million in GIII Razorback H. Even in the fourth campaign, however, he’s still was a relatively immature person compared to the horse that finished in fourth place that day.
R-rated superstar (Kodiak Kowboy) won this race last year, when he returned in 2019 as a 6-year-old and is now bidding to retain the trophy when began his 68th career. Here’s a horse to refresh the perennial question, then: who do we blame for the fact that modern Thoroughbreds are treated like porcelain? Is it the coaches themselves? Or do they only treat horses this way because of the raw materials they are supplied by today’s breeders?
One coach who differs in that respect is Kenny McPeek, who has actually coached the R-Rated Superstar through his first 30 starts, including when he finished third in GI Breeders’ Futurity. And on Saturday, McPeek took on his old friend with someone else who perfectly matched that effort as a teenager, in Classic Causeway.
At this time last year, this horse had just won the GII Tampa Bay Derby and was drafting a fitting memorial as one of three ponies in the last Giant’s Causeway. True to that legacy of toughness and versatility, over the summer the Classic Causeway reinvented itself in incredible style, winning a grass-court No. I just two weeks after finishing third in the GIII Ohio Derby. . Very few American coaches today dare to try anything like that, so who could have predicted what he might achieve while on the ground?
This week McPeek eliminated another sophomore from last year to make a truly exhilarating comeback. Looks like it’s been a while since Smile Happy (Runhappy) beat the Classic Causeway (then in a different warehouse) in the GII Kentucky Jockey Club S., not seen since he finished quarterback in the Derby. But his rehearsal last spring established him as one of the best in the crop, and it’s rewarding to be reminded that there’s still life behind the Triple Crown trail. After all, three years ago, it was the Samurai who finally took the lead in 5/6 in the GI Arkansas Derby; while his rivals on Saturday also include Silver Prospector (Declaration Of War), who was eliminated in the previous run of that race.
So let’s hope that Litigation (Blame) could also return to build a career commensurate with his talent and potential following the extremely disappointing news that he was ruled out of the Derby. We all have some stake in this horse doing enough to earn a spot at the stud, provided it has a Numbered Account (Buckpasser) facing Thong (Nantallah) on either side. its pedigree. As that shows, he’s been in the hands of the best all along and hopefully his time will still come.
Even without him, next week’s GII Louisiana Derby looks deep enough for the horses to show that they can have a legitimate hit on Churchill but not enough points to open the gate. However, if that happens, no one should despair. You could still end up with an Essex H. millionaire in 2025. There are worse fates. Because what they say about man is probably true of many horses as well: youth is wasted on youth.
