It’s one thing to stand at arm’s length and contemplate the horror of last Tuesday afternoon at Indiana Grand Race Course, where the 17-year-old apprentice Juan Saez was killed in a race worth $34,000.
It is quite another, though, to wake up the next morning and confront a room full of young Juan Saez wannabes, all of them longing to live the life of a professional jockey in spite of the dangers once again screaming at them from the headlines.
A day before Wise Dan was declared out of the Breeders’ Cup last Tuesday, he was 6-1 in William Hill’s future-book wagering to win his third straight Horse of the Year title, the third choice behind Shared Belief at 8-5 and California Chrome at 5-2.
His defection has not removed him from consideration, as he is still 4 for 4 this year, with three Grade 1 wins. Now, however, his candidacy would require losses by all four 3-year-olds who will be the top choices in the Breeders’ Cup Classic on Nov. 1 – not only Shared Belief and California Chrome but also Bayern and Tonalist.
Add up the ages of the two “Road” horses who will be on display Saturday in breeding showcase days in West Virginia and Maryland, and you get 15. Add up the money that the West Virginia-bred Russell Road and the Maryland-sired Roadhog have made, and you get almost $2.3 million. Add up the wins, and you get 37.
There is a place called Garyland, sometimes known as Stevensville. Those who have been to Garyland never forget the experience. Those who have yet to visit are advised to pack light and keep the tank full.
Garyland has an elevation of 64 inches and a population of one. You will not find it on a map. Don’t trouble your GPS.
Atlantis, Shangri-la, Valhalla – at least those places makes sense. But Garyland? No, Garyland is a world unto itself. There are no borders and few limitations.
Horseplayers who prefer multirace wagers, the pari-mutuel wagering industry’s lone growth sector in recent years, have repeatedly made their preferences clear by voting with their wallets. They want many-legged bets with low takeouts, low minimums, and a chance for a payoff of more than $500.
Too much horse. Too many memories.
June 30, 1995. Late morning. A van pulls up to the barn nearest the Hollywood Park backstretch racing office, and out comes Cigar, on a run of eight straight wins, led by groom Juan Campuzano and accompanied by assistant trainer and exercise rider Tim Jones. The backstretch is nearly deserted. There are no camera crews. Cigar whips his gray-streaked tail as a gust of warm California wind catches his long mane. Two days later, the Hollywood Gold Cup becomes win No. 9.
After Wise Dan won his 14th consecutive grass race last Saturday at Keeneland, Charlie LoPresti was wondering why even all that winning wasn’t enough. The answer, sadly, is that it is 2014, when even our heroes – especially our heroes – are scrutinized for their perceived flaws rather than appreciated for their sustained excellence.
The Salvaggio brothers first went to the tracks around Cleveland with their father. The dad owned horses. One son became a trainer. The other two sons became jockeys.
“He would take us to the track, mainly on the weekends, and we just got hooked,” said Mike Salvaggio, the trainer.
The town where they grew up was between ThistleDown and Northfield Park. The brothers made their way over the Ohio border to Penn National in the 1980s and never left. If Penn National has a First Family these days, it is the Salvaggios.
Ten years ago, the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe was won by Bago, a son of Nashwan who carried the colors of the Niarchos family to a narrow victory over Cherry Mix in France’s greatest race, the same colors now flown by America’s top distance turf horse, Main Sequence.
