Colins Ghost

Of everything written so far about Rachel Alexandra’s historic performance in the Woodward on Saturday, nothing carries more significance than this:

“I think she’s the best I’ve ever seen,” said 96-year-old racing legend John Nerud. “I don’t compare her to anyone. I’m not afraid to say she’s better than Ruffian, because she is. They sent two speed horses after her and made her go in :22 4/5, then they came after her one at a time and she put them all away. Those were tough older horses and they tried everything they could to get her beat and they couldn’t.”

That quote — from Steve Haskin’s brilliant story about the Woodward – is from a man who has spent at least 75 years of his life in racing.  John Nerud has seen Gallorette, Busher, Twilight Tear and every other filly who has raced in this country since the Great Depression.  Can you think of anyone more difficult to impress than someone who has seen it all?  If John Nerud says she is the best – who can argue with that?

I have already watched this at least a dozen times since Saturday — something tells me it will never get old:

What a moment….hope everyone enjoyed it as much as I did.

THANKS FOR READING AND GOOD LUCK!

How many horses can match the career of Dr. Fager? He won races from seven furlongs to a mile and a quarter – breaking track, stakes, and world records along the way. Of his 18 career wins, Steve Haskin wrote it was his only race on turf, in the 1968 United Nations, that “may have been Dr. Fager’s greatest performance.”

Image: John Nerud and Dr. Fager in an advertisement from the Thoroughbred Record, January 13, 1968

According to Haskin, trainer John Nerud entered Dr. Fager in the U.N. to drum up publicity for the race but had no intention of actually running. On August 24th, Dr. Fager broke the world record mark for a mile at Arlington Park, eighteen days later, Nerud decided to run him in the prestigious turf race at Atlantic City. Nerud said later, “I thought ‘Hell, I’ll send him down there and show them he could do anything.”

In spite of his lack of turf experience, the track handicapper assigned him high weight of 134 pounds. He would be spotting the field anywhere from 12 to 22 pounds. Add to that, his competition included Australian champion Tobin Bronze; Flit-to, the 1967 winner of the U.N.; multiple grass stakes winner More Scents; Irish Rebellion, winner of the Pan American Handicap; and the the 1967 D.C. International winner and turf champ Fort Marcy.

But, with all that talent in the race, it was the 30 to 1 Advocator (carrying only 112 pounds) who gave Dr. Fager one the toughest races of his career. Advocator had won multiple stakes on the dirt and finished second in the 1966 Kentucky Derby. While untested on the turf, Advocator had the blood to run well on the weeds, his sire – Round Table – was (and is) considered one of the best grass horses in American racing history.

Watch Dr. Fager refuse to lose the 1968 U.N. at Atlantic City:

Here is how Harry Hoffman from the Atlantic City Press, described Dr. Fager’s victory:

“Dr Fager earned his PhD in courage at the Atlantic City Race Course Wednesday.

“Hooked from start to finish by lightweight Advocator for the mile and three-sixteenths of the $100,000 United Nations Handicap, this super horse called on all of his courage in the final yards to best his determined foe by a neck at the wire.

“It was a brilliant performance by a brilliant horse, and his trainer John Nerud called it ‘Dr. Fager’s toughest race,’ as he toasted his champion an hour after the important victory.

“‘I believe that Dr. Fager proved that he is the Horse of the Year, the horse of any year, out there today,’ commented the happy trainer. ‘It was his first trip on the grass and last night’s rain certainly didn’t help him. I would have liked it much more if it had not rained and the footing had stayed a bit firmer. But Dr. Levy [Chairman of the Board, Atlantic City Racing Association] was counting on us to go. There had been a lot of publicity throughout the country on Dr. Fager’s appearance, and we couldn’t pull out just because of the rain’

“Dr. Fager was sent off at 4 to 5 by the 16,557 fans, and the odds would been a lot less if it were not his first test over the infield course.

“Dr. Fager was carrying 134 pounds, conceding 16 pounds to grass champions Fort Marcy and Tobin Bronze. As it turned out Advocator, with a feathery burden of 112, was the chief rival for the Tartan Stable speedball

“Two Panamanian riders Braulio Baeza aboard Dr. Fager and Laffitt Pncay Jr. astride Advocator, sent their steeds out of the starting gate together.

Image: Clip from the Atlantic City Press listing the writers covering the 1968 U.N.

“Advocator had the hedge and Pincay made good use of that advantage to save every inch of grass, while Baeza had Dr. Fager away from the hedge. In most of his races, except when he is opposed by the ‘rabbit’ Hedevar, Dr. Fager is able to steal away from his foes early and go winging along on his own pace, until Baeza asks him for something extra to ward off any challenges by the late runners.

“But Pincay and Advocator did not allow that to happen in the spectacular UN. Pincay kept Advocator right alongside Dr. Fager down the backstretch, applying pressure every step of the way. Leaving the backstretch, Pincay applied extra pressure on his own horse and took almost a length lead.

“However, Dr. Fager responded to that challenge by letting out another notch himself to regain a slight advantage entering the stretch. But still Ada L. Rice’s Advocator refused to fold before the Horse of the Year. Back he came along the inside to shove his determined head in front again with about and eighth of a mile to go.

“Now it was Dr. Fager’s turn to show the enthralled racing fans why he deserves his many accolades. Even though the softened grass and the 134 pounds and the 22 pounds he was conceding his rival were working against his making the lead again, make it he did.

“Baeza applied some extra hand pressure and pushed his neck back in front seconds before the duelers flashed across the finish line….

“…Dr. Fager went the distance in 1:55 1/5, one-fifth seconds off the track record set last year by Fit-to while carrying only 110 pounds over a firm course…

“…Trainer Nerud hedged a bit when asked about future plans for his great thoroughbred, ‘Right now I want to enjoy this victory champagne and let Dr. Fager relax for a while. Then we’ll see what we’ll do with him. This was a very tough race. He was hooked every step of the way. He certainly earned a rest after that performance.’

“Jockey Baeza never considered using a whip to ask Dr. Fager for something extra in the stirring stretch duel, ‘This horse goes on his own courage. He would sulk, if I hit him. I just use my hands to urge him. He came back strong at the end. I was never certain we had it won until I saw the finish line. The other horse ran a strong race, and Dr. Fager had to be the best to win it.’

“Dr. Leon Levy, chairman of the board at Atlantic City Race Course, called Dr. Fager’s victory, ‘My greatest thrill in racing. It was a stirring performance by a great horse. We have never had a better horse race or a better horse run over the track. It was a very moving as those two battled to the wire and Dr. Fager stuck his neck out to victory. I certainly would not have liked to see him lose here. He’s a great champion’

After his grueling win in Atlantic City, Nerud gave Dr, Fager nearly two months off before entering him in the Vosburgh at Aqueduct. On November 2, 1968, in the final start of his career, Dr. Fager finished first under an astounding 139 pounds. He completed the 7 furlongs in 1:20 1/5 – breaking the track record and missing the world record by only a fifth of a second.

UPDATE: Ron Micetic was kind enough to scan and send along the program cover and page from the 1968 United Nations (below). Ron shared a copy of the program from War Admiral’s maiden win a few months ago. Thanks Ron!

SOURCES, NOTES, AND OBSERVATIONS

“Dr. Fager Assigned 134 for U.N. ‘Cap,” Atlantic City Press, September 10, 1968
“Dr. Fager Favored in Debut on Grass,” Atlantic City Press, September 11, 1968
“Dr. Fager Wins U.N. ‘Cap by Neck,” Atlantic City Press, September 12, 1968

Steve Haskin, Dr. Fager: Racing’s Top Record Setter (Eclipse Press: 2007)

Needless to say, I was thrilled to find video of the ‘68 U.N. at YouTube. Thanks to YouTube user cf1970. S/he has compiled a great collection of classic races, check it out: http://www.youtube.com/user/cf1970

UPDATE (7/3/09): Read Charles Hatton on Dr. Fager’s ‘68 campaign from Dan Illman’s FormBlog

Check out more history of the United Nations and Round Table in a post from last year.

I will be in the house for this year’s running of the United Nations at Monmouth on Saturday — very much looking forward to it.

THANKS FOR READING AND GOOD LUCK!

On December 16th and 17th, legendary trainer John Nerud spoke with Steve Byk on Byk’s outstanding radio show. Over the course of his conversation, Nerud, at age 95, provided some profound insights into the current state of the game. Nerud, the Hall of Fame trainer of Dr. Fager, is the sage of American racing. His lifetime in racing as a trainer, breeder, owner, and one of the founders of the Breeder’s Cup makes him a goldmine of wisdom.

Image: John Nerud and Dr. Fager in an advertisement from the Thoroughbred Record, January 13, 1968

Nerud’s ideas about the Breeders Cup are especially insightful. Nerud worked closely with Breeders Cup founder John Gaines to develop and sell Gaines’s idea and then served as the chairman of the BC marketing committee for the first 10 years of its existence. Nerud understands the original intent of the Breeders Cup because he was there at the beginning.

I transcribed portions of Nerud’s interview with Steve Byk below.

On the founding of the Breeders Cup, Nerud said:

“As you know John Gaines dreamed this up…When this was born he and I both agreed that the Breeders Cup is only a marketing tool for racing – nothing else. You have one big day to draw attention to racing and its a marketing tool…Without racing breeders don’t have a place to sell their horses but I don’t think the breeders have ever realized that. Anyhow, we wanted to spend everything on one day…. I think they have lost their way with the Breeders Cup. The Breeders Cup is only an event. It wasn’t put together to bring a lot of money back to the breeders. They were expected to fund it so they would have a market to sell their horses but the people in Kentucky think it belongs to the breeders and they should make a profit off it, which is wrong…”

When asked about the expansion to two days and the addition of races like the Marathon and Turf Sprint, Nerud replied, simply, “Who is the Worlds Champion Boxer? Who knows anymore. Why? Because they diluted it.” A perfect analogy, in my opinion, as boxing and horse racing had an equally high level of popularity in the 1950s. Both made disastrously poor decisions since then that have pushed them to the fringes just 50 years later

On the current leadership at the BC:

“I haven’t been to meetings and I don’t know what their ideas are but we have never had a CEO in charge of the Breeder’s Cup that is independent. Every CEO we have ever had running the Breeders Cup has been an inside man. If the Breeders Cup is to be run right they have to get an outside person with the ability and the education – I don’t care if he has never seen a horse – he has to be a strong executive and not part of the good old boys club. That is what is wrong with the Breeders Cup, it is run as a good old boys club. Until we get rid of that attitude, its not going to work…I don’t think we will ever get it straightened out. The Kentucky breeders are a very close knit group. They are the center of the breeding world and they know it. It is very difficult for an outsider to get in and make a very big splash. I did. I was on 5 committees and chairman of the marketing committee for 10 years. I had a pretty strong voice but they got rid of me…”

In addition to specific discussion about the Breeders Cup, he also had some general thoughts on the state of the game.

In talking about the true stakeholders in the game:

“The jockeys and the trainers and everybody are takers. The only two people that put up the money are the owners and the customers who come to the races. The rest of them are takers…”

And, finally, on the opportunity for racing considering the current financial situation:

“Well, you see it right now. The handle has not fallen off a great deal at Belmont, Aqueduct, and Hollywood…The racetrack is the last place for the depression to hit. When I was racing in the 30s – when we came into town we were popular with the girls because we were the only ones that had any money. We haven’t priced ourselves out of the market — I think the Breeders Cup and the (Kentucky) Derby are foolish but I am whistling in the dark. They are overpricing it to the point where it will get to them — You can come to the races, you can look at the trainer and holler at ‘em, you can talk to the jockey who might even sign your program. You go to a baseball or football game and try to talk to the manager and you might wind up in jail. So its a nice afternoon. You go to Aqueduct this winter and go into that grandstand it is amazing how beautiful and well kept it is…it is a great place to spend an afternoon.”

I encourage everyone to listen to the interview in its entirety. Nerud had much more to say on the Breeders Cup and other racing issues. It can be found below as streaming audio or you can subscribe to the podcast:

Streaming audio:
Decemer 16 (Begins about 8 minutes into the first hour)
December 17 (Begins about 31 minutes into first hour and continues into the second hour)

Subscribe to the At the Races podcast

Seth Merrow clipped a portion of an interview with Steve Haskin relaying a great story about a recent yearling purchase made by John Nerud. Listen here…

SOURCES, THOUGHTS, AND OBSERVATIONS
A quick word on At the Races with Steve Byk: If you are a fan of thoroughbred racing, I guarantee you will love this radio show. For all the marketers, journalists, bloggers, and track executives trying to figure out how to sell the game – listen to the show to see how it is done. Byk covers all angles of the game and does it brilliantly. With regular guests like Steve Haskin, Rich Eng, Jon White, Seth Merrow, Lauren Stitch and a steady stream of jockeys, trainers, owners, and industry heavy hitters, it is the best show (TV or radio) dedicated to the sport of thoroughbred racing. It is broadcast on Sirius satellite Monday to Friday at 4pm EST on channel 126. If you don’t have Sirius it is streamed online and available via podcast (I listen to the podcast which is usually available for download the following day and sometimes earlier).

I have been enjoying the end of the year coverage from everyone. The book lists by Maryjean Wall and Larry Lee Palmer had me adding a few more books to my ever-expanding reading list. The series at Mary Forney’s blog by historian Leonard Wynne on racing in southern California has been very enjoyable. Seth Merrow from Equidaily did an interesting look back at a 1987 issue of the Daily Racing Form. Teresa at the Brooklyn Backstretch put together a nice piece on Henry of Navarre and Domino at the Gravesend racetrack. Dana at Green But Game has posted part one of her look back at racing in 1994. The lack of racing during this time of year makes for some fascinating reading by all of the dedicated writers covering the sport.

Be sure to check out the new look at the Throughbred Bloggers Alliance site — with news feeds, free past performances, and other fun stuff.

The updated Colin’s Ghost site is still a work in progress. I was hoping to have it done before 2009 but it appears to be a long term project. Hope you like the new look.

This is the last post for 2008. Hope everyone has a happy, healthy, and safe New Year. Looking forward to 2009!

Thanks for Reading and Good Luck!