The year was 1998 and I sat in the poor man's section of Belmont Park which is standing room on Belmont Stakes Day. The grand track swirled with excitement of the possibility of seeing a triple crown winner. The horse with the beer drinking owner and a trainer whose appearance speaks of Hollywood, champagne, and caviar, with pinky hanging out just right when holding the champagne flute. Real Quiet gave us a chill that day and Tom Durkin's call summed up the moment sweetly. "It's too close to call, was it Real Quiet or was it Victory Gallop?! A picture is worth a thousand words! This photo is worth five million" That was one of my best moments watching a horse race in person.
This Saturday at Santa Anita the same connections are back again with a few more mileage and challenges over the past few years. Bob Baffert had to overcome the experience of having your life flash before your eyes. It is great to have the silver hair master strolling the triple crown story lines once again this year, hoping that this time around the ending would be something he would pen. Hoppertunity, their new shiny colt is hoping to silence the crowd at Santa Anita by sending California Chrome and Candy Boy back into never never land. California Chrome will probably be your post time favorite for the Santa Anita Derby. The little engine that could race horse is trained by Art Sherman the once upon time jockey. Sherman who is 77 years young, is the kind of horse racing memorabilia that one would love to sit and talk to about all his eyes have seen over the years. There won't be any champagne glasses or caviar, just a bag of chips, peanuts and cold beer to wash down the history. His horse California Chrome will be a tough engine to stop from rolling on the front end Saturday. He could kiss everyone goodbye early.
Candy Boy comes to the showdown with a few scalps to prove his battle worthiness. He took down Chitu and Midnight Hawk in a flashy style. Candy Boy created a buzz after that win and the buzz permeated deeper after Chitu and Midnight Hawk came back to finish first and second in the Sunland Derby. Candy Boy is nice, John Sadler has journeyed a long way with his barn of fine horses and his charge will make some noise on Saturday.
Hoppertunity comes into the Santa Anita Derby off a battle against Tapiture in the Rebel. Mike Smith who isn't racking up wins and titles like Bejarano and Castellano but whose big day ability is unmatched by any jock in any jock's room around the country, took the race and position to the young, talented Ricardo Santana Jr. He got the best of the young jock that day. Since the race Santana Jr. was taken off Tapiture. Hoppertunity entered the Rebel after finishing fourth in the Risen star, a race that I hold in high regard. The pace was slow and he didn't finish quickly like the winner Intense Holiday that day, but in the Rebel, Smith had in the groove from the start and he bullied his way to the win and derby qualifying points.
Would I love to see Art Sherman and the little engine that could win the Santa Anita Derby? You best believe I would. The horse racing game and Kentucky Derby is often times a love fest of owners with big wallets and trainers with Armani suits. That is our culture. That is what television believes we all want to see.The lights, camera, action, with Robin Leach head popping out of the pockets of the wealthy. I enjoy a glass of champagne occasionally and its usually the type you find in the front of the store. What I really love is an old cloudy room filled with characters that traveled in their shoes and others has well. I love the stories these characters have buried deep in their souls. I would love to sit in that cloudy room with a pen and paper and record years of yesterday. Art Sherman is one of those yesterday characters. A horse man who understands he isn't bigger than the animal. A horse man whose yesterday will be probably forgotten after the first Saturday of May but whose history will linger on the backside of California tracks for a long time to come. I will be rooting for the the little engine California Chrome with the trainer who has given all he has to this game, although my wallet will be looking for a Hoppertunity.
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