Redraw stood out in my July 9 Daily Racing Form past performances but not for the usual reasons. This 10 year old chestnut gelding brought out the sympathetic side of this horse racing analyst. For one thing, he was a ten year old race horse still working hard at the race track. While the big name thoroughbreds are rushed off to the breeding shed or the November Bloodstock sale for the fillies and mares, Redraw was a gelding whose only course of action was to keep slugging it out in the claiming ranks at Canterbury Park. With 45 lifetime starts and $102,544 in earnings, Redraw's best days were clearly behind him, but he was still making fans out of people like me.
My wife and I love Canterbury Park and we happily spend as many days as possible in the summer attending the live racing meet in Shakopee, Minnesota. I study my Daily Racing Form as we sit at table 237 on the clubhouse level where the simulcast players and the serious racing fans are mixed in with the special events groups. For a 33 year old who grew up in the city and has zero horse experience, I fell in love with the sport five years ago from the moment I had the chance to see these amazing thoroughbreds up close and personal. Kari and I make it a habit to go down to the paddock in between every race to get a good look at the horses as they are saddled and as they parade around the paddock. When I saw Redraw's past performances in the Form, I told my wife that we have to go down to the paddock and keep our eye on the 2 horse.
Some horses catch my eye because they are the progeny of a prominent sire like Smart Strike or our personal favorite horse Monarchos. Other horses standout because of their connections. It wasn't his pedigree or his Beyer Speed Figure or his Tomlinson ratings that caught my eye. Instead it was the heartbreaking fact that he finished 79 and a ½ lengths out of first place three races back. I immediately felt bad for this aging veteran of the track. Prior to this 79 and ½ lengths back eighth place finish, Redraw had finished 3rd but the comment section of Daily Racing Form continued to break my heart when it simply reported "Lame, vanned off." Redraw immediately became my focus for this 8th race of the day, a $4,000 Claiming event. I wasn't going to make any wagers on him. All I wanted him to do was finish the race. Just finish the race safely. Second, I didn't want him to be too far back. No more 79 and ½ length losses. Redraw's goal for the day would be a) finish the race and b) try and stay near the pack. Suddenly this horse brought out the true horse lover in me and made me look at this race as if I was the track veterinarian, not caring about the order in which the horses finish only how and whether they finish.
On this mid-July night of racing, Redraw finished the race. He stayed with the pack and finished second to last bringing out a smile from my wife and I as if we were two proud parents looking on. He stayed close to the pack, he finished the race, and he appeared to walk off the track safe and sound. But as a ten year old gelding, my thoughts became consumed with one concern. What would happen to Redraw once his owners or trainers decided he was done racing. Clearly one look at the Daily Racing Form past performances shows a recent history of injury and near last place finishes where he was often distanced from the leaders. This horse that had just become my sympathetic favorite may have an uncertain future whenever his racing career ends.
A Horseplayer Learns about Racehorse Retirement
On a vacation two years back, I did what any horse lover would do. I planned a trip to Lexington where my wife and I went to morning workouts at Keeneland, ate at the track kitchen, and took tours of Three Chimneys, Lanes End, and Claiborne Farm. We took pictures of Monarchos, had our picture taken with Pleasant Tap at Lane's End, and relaxed in our vacation rental watching Seabiscuit and Dreamer. But in between all those events, we spent part of a day at Old Friends. We visited Old Friends, I heard the story of Ferdinandand Exceller, I read After the Finish Line by Bill Heller, and suddenly my love for horse racing and thoroughbreds was taking on a whole new direction. Now I find myself aspiring to start an organization for retired thoroughbred racehorses or at least fulfill my dream of owning a horse by going through one of the many great adoption programs that exists for retired racehorses. But right now, I live in a one bedroom apartment in a city of 3.5 million. Not the best environment for owning a horse, not to mention the fact that I have zero horse experience and can barely pay to take care of myself let alone me and a thoroughbred. In spite of my present circumstances, I still became increasingly concerned for the welfare of Redraw and wanted to keep my eyes on him. There was zero chance that Redraw would end up stabling next to two-time Breeders Cup Champion DaHoss and racing legend Cigar at the Kentucky Horse Park. My only hope was to tell the story of this 10 year old gelding that inspired me and brought out the sympathetic side of this horseplayer. I entered him in my horses to watch section of youbet.com and I studied his past performances through Daily Racing Form.
Redraw: From Breeding to 10 year old Veteran
Sired by Repriced, Redraw is one of 303 foals, 234 (77%) of which were starters. He was one of the 160 winners Repriced produced having broken his maiden September 15, 2001 in the 9th race at Kentucky Downs. Going 6 furlongs on the turf in a 28K Maiden Special Weight race, he closed steadily from 8th place and ten lengths back to 8th place and 5 lengths back to 7th place and only 3 and a quarter lengths back. He then surged from 7th to first winning by a length and a half earning a 62 Beyer Speed Figure on the grass, hopefully making his grand sire Roberto proud. Redraw also has some Northern Dancer in his pedigree having Deputy Minister as his broodmare sire. Bred in Florida by Glen Hill Farm, Redraw was foaled on January 31, 1999.
He ran at Churchill Downs. He won at both Arlington Park and the Fairgrounds where track announcer John G. Dooley was calling his name. Over his veteran career, he compiled five wins, three seconds, and four third place finishes in 45 career starts. On October 24, 2004 he was claimed for $20,000 and took residence with new trainer Wayne Catalano. He went through a stretch in 2003-2004 where he routinely posted Beyer Speed Figures in the high 70s or low 80s. He spent the bulk of his career at Arlington Park and Hawthorne in allowance races or claiming races anywhere from $30,000-$50,000. On Christmas Eve 2004, at the Fairgrounds, he put up a 78 Beyer Speed Figure in a $7,500 claiming race and won by a length. This was the last win he recorded.
Falling in Love with Horse Racing and the Claiming Game
Canterbury Park is never going to be confused for Del Mar, Saratoga, or Keeneland. Yet, it is very special to me because it is where I was introduced to horse racing. A buy one get one free coupon encouraged us to give it a try. We sat at the "New to the Races Seminar" taught by Jeff Maday. We even filled out a pick 6 wager back when we filled it out like a scantron sheet from a high school biology exam. Canterbury Park has a lot of lower level claiming races, but I still love the racing there and I have also taken a keen interest in quarter horse racing, since they also run quarter horses and a few graded stakes races at Canterbury. I have begun to follow Mac Robertson and jockeys such as Derek Bell and Scott Stevens. Leading quarter horse trainer Ed Ross Hardy is among my trainers to watch on youbet.com and Redraw is among my horses to watch. A horse that I admire and love, and a horse that I hope gets a happy, peaceful retirement because he always tried hard on the track. He won three races at glitzy Arlington Park and even had pilots such as the likes of Hall of Fame jockey Earlie Fires and current leading rider at Arlington Park E.T. Baird. He posted his career best Beyer Speed Figure of 89 on a muddy track in a $35,000 Claiming Race under a ride by Earlie Fires. And maybe his most noble effort was a third place finish at Fonner Park on March 5, 2005 in a $25,000 Claiming Race. He closed the gap from 9th, to 6th, to 5th, to 4th, before finally finishing 3rd just two and a quarter lengths behind the winner. His effort was noble especially considering the Daily Racing Form comments for this race simply say, "Lame, vanned off." He was laid up for over three years before coming back in September 2008 and finishing 8th out of 9 and a disappointing 79 and ½ lengths out of the first. No amount of research could help me find what type of injury he sustained. And though he still tries hard every outing, he clearly is not the same either because of age or because of injury, or both. He doesn't have the pedigree of Empire Maker and no one will ever confuse his on track winnings for those of Lava Man. Nevertheless, he put in a solid career as a thoroughbred racehorse. Many thoroughbreds never make it as starters and fewer still are the ones that actually tally a win. Redraw did both. He battled injury and came back. He continued to compete and put forth his best effort every race. Like every thoroughbred racehorse, I hope he finds a happy and relaxing retirement coming his way soon. And if I had a barn and a few acres for him to turnout, Redraw would be retiring happily with me. Until then, I will keep him on my thoughts and in my youbet.com horses to watch, and hope for the best.
Epilogue
Following the initial story of Redraw after seeing him on July 9, 2009 at Canterbury Park, he ran two more times to date. He ran July 24th finishing 10th out of 10 horses in a $7500 Claiming Race and he finished 8th out of an eight horse field August 1st in a $10,000 Claiming Race. Both times I watched not from my carousel at the simulcast center but from the reserved tables overlooking the race track. Redraw is typically so far out of the pack that you can never keep tabs on him from the TV monitor. So I watch from high above and keep my focus on him to make sure he finishes safe and sound. I recently read a story of a horseplayer who won a large bet and used his winnings to retire an 11 year old racehorse still working the claiming ranks of his home track Suffolk Downs. While the story is old, the inspiration was there. I'm also inspired by Old Friends, the Finger Lakes Thoroughbred Adoption Program, and the Lone Star Outreach to Place Ex-Racehorses (LOPE Texas) to name a few. I love reading everything I can about thoroughbred horse racing and I'm inspired when I read stories about Arthur Hancock and how he saved his Kentucky Derby winner Gato del Sol from an unsure future. Whether it's hitting a pick 3 at Arlington Park and using the winnings to retire Redraw or trying to start an organization for retired racehorses on my own, my love and admiration for horses like Redraw is growing everyday. With the Canterbury Park season winding down, I'm hoping he finishes the season safe and sound. And until I hit that large Pick 3 or until a group of horse lovers can retire Redraw as a group effort, I hope he returns as an 11 year old gelding next season. And I will be there watching with a sympathetic eye and hopeful heart that his happy retirement comes soon.
ไม่มีความคิดเห็น:
แสดงความคิดเห็น