That picture is a second place photo from a random lower-end claiming race at the magnificent Del Mar race course, where Claim To Fame Racing Club lead trainer Sam Wilensky typically races in the summer. Sam, like his father for decades before him, has his primary operation out of Gulfstream Park. But between the higher summer purses in places like Del Mar and Saratoga, if you have the horses to run competitively there, it saves you and them some of the wear and tear of the South Florida summer.
That photo is likely not much of a memory for horse racing fans. But to those of us who navigated through a few months of a mystery injury, for a horse that seemed to have lost his desire to race, finishing third by a nose felt like winning on Breeder’s Cup day!
And, as I noted in that segment of a post to our partners later that day, being nosed out for second place meant $3,000 less purse winnings for that particular race. So if you’re looking for examples of the embedded and constant win-lose scenarios in this sport, there you have it! It prompted me to recall one of the great TV comedies I enjoyed growing up during the 1970s, Get Smart.
Swaggish: Can’t he just TELL US what’s going on?
When an athletic runner puts together a few of disappointing races in a row, you have to play detective. That’s what Sam did with Swaggish. After we claimed him, he had a couple of races where he broke cleanly from the gate, got into a perfect winning position near the lead... and then completely ran out of gas when asked to finish. He wasn’t getting beaten by faster horses. he was simply stalling out.
Sam went to work as the horseman on the ground. A thorough veterinary check revealed nothing that would explain that on-track performance. Like human pro atheletes, there’s always some minor issues with every horse. That’s why the training regimen for all horses includes things water therapy and detailed grooming on a regular basis. So nothing from the vet that would explain the sudden change in form for Swaggish. We had a healthy horse.
But in this case, all of the usual remedies that would typically cause a racehorse to jump back into form just were not working. It was maddening.
I took this picture when visiting the barn last spring, in the midst of this slump for our boy. Sam points to Swaggish in his stall and says, “take a look, I just fed him a little while ago, I’ll bet he’s already finished all his food.” If a horse is eating well, that’s a good sign.
Sure enough, I pointed the camera down at his bowl…”drain-O!” Sam then reminds me that from day one, this horse has done “everything right” in terms of training process.
So, what’s with him? This is not the horse we thought we claimed in Tampa last April, with 5 career wins and a body that looks poised to win some more.
There are so many variables in this game. And again, the horse won’t tell you. So, what do you do?
At the same time, we looked at his past racing records. Across his career, Swaggish consistently ran his fastest times in cool spring and late-fall weather at northern tracks like Woodbine in Canada or Churchill Downs in Kentucky. But in the boiling, humid summer heat of South Florida, his performance dropped off significantly.
That’s when Victor and Sam made the decision that turned it around. They dropped Swaggish to a low-level claiming race, where he ran like he used to. It was a shorter distance as well, which made a lot of sense even if it hadn’t worked, given the aforementioned issues.
Then, 4 weeks later we ran him back, again at Del Mar in San Diego, in a higher level claiming race than the previous one. Another third place finish!
Here’s what Swaggish told us, in looking back to his tough spring
NOTHING. Because horses can’t talk. And sometimes, they behave normally, 24/7. Then on race day, whatever issue they have comes out, in front of a crowd.
Swaggish is back at Gulfstream, likely hoping the weather cools off. But he’s back to form. And for a new stable, we are frankly grateful to have gone through this with him. Because this game is, if nothing else, a never-ending series of highs and lows.
Enjoyed reading the nitty-gritty details...from the side of racing that unless you own horses you never see and can barely understand. Or appreciate. Thanks for sharing Rob!