Tracking down Eightyfiveinafifty

It was supposed to be a pretty regular, perhaps rather non-descript day at the races. It was a freezing cold Saturday, the feature race was placed third on the card, and I had a ton of work to do. So: meet up with a friend or two early, watch the feature, buckle down. Eightyfiveinafifty would win or he wouldn’t; New York would have a Derby hopeful or we wouldn’t.

Not, as they say, so much.

Those of us watching the race on television at the track or from the rail knew only that Eightyfiveinafifty had bolted and was out of the race; even as we raced to the paddock, we had no idea that he’d dumped Jorge Chavez and taken on a couple of rails en route to the backstretch.

Information emerged, erratically and with few details: “Chavez is in the ambulance.” “The horse took off.” “Where is he?” “Nobody knows.” “How’s Chavez?” “We don’t know.”

In the meantime, there’s a winner’s circle photo to be taken, a winning trainer to be interviewed, a winning jockey to talk to. Poor Tim Kreiser and Peppi Knows: they win a stakes race in New York, and still, everybody wants to talk to somebody else.

“Where’s Gary?” “He went up the chute.”

Some writers head to the backstretch; others, like me, go upstairs. More details are coming, from those who watched the race with a view of the whole track. “He went through the rail.” “Which one?” “Both of them.” “And ran across the main track and disappeared.” “Disappeared? Where is he now?” “ We don’t know.”

I head to the computer, and instead of finding, as I expected, an internet full of agitated questions, I find instead a few concerned comments: “Eightyfiveinafifty was pulled up. I hope that’s he’s OK.” “Any word on Eightyfiveinafifty?” Nothing about Chavez, and I realize that those who watched from home had no idea of what had happened while the race was being run: even replays didn't show it.

So the tweeting begins…and the medium is perfectly fitting the messages: small bits of information, quickly and widely disseminated. They get re-tweeted, and—amazingly, remarkably—a Real Journalist calls me—a Tweeter!--asking for my source for a piece of information and verifying its veracity before publicizing it herself.

And now the pieces can be put together: in a NYRA press release, in a DRF Inside Post blog.

And now, because we know that horse and rider are OK, we can relax. “Do you think it’s OK,” I ask no one in particular, “to say that Eightyfiveinafifty was apprehended on the backstretch?”

“How about ‘nabbed’?” someone suggests.

“Captured?”

The immediacy of Twitter can carry with it a nearly irresistible urge to get online and share what you know; I’ve rarely been motivated by the prospect of a scoop, but the lure of being the first to post something can be awfully seductive. Just ask the folks at the Blood-Horse that announced Take the Points as the winner of Saturday’s Gulfstream Park Handicap before the race was made official.

Was the world—racing or otherwise—changed by the ability to Tweet information on Saturday? No. Would the racing/Tweeting public have suffered if it would have had to wait for the information to be conveyed via e-mail or press release? Hardly. But, armed with verifiable and up to date information, I found Twitter an incredibly useful medium for reporting on Saturday afternoon...as did Claire Novak, Andy Serling, and NYRA news, all of whom posted information about the story through the afternoon.

This is, I recognize, hardly big news: that Twitter is an effective way to get out information is as accepted as the inner track's reputation for speed. It also, I think, emphasizes an even greater need for judiciousness and perhaps, paradoxically, patience, in the service of getting it right. The ability to go so fast might just mean that we in fact have to go more slowly. Just ask Eightyfiveinafifty.

If at first you don't succeed...

Coming into yesterday’s Whirlaway, all the talk was of Eightyfiveinafifty, of his prodigious speed, of his impressive maiden win, of his recent high Beyer Speed Figure. His trainer, Gary Contessa, participated in a nearly two-hour live chat on Friday night (you can read the transcript here, and I recommend that you do, especially his answer to a comment about selling Peace Rules); and many local folks were rooting for the man known best for training New York-breds and dominating local standings. The other five horses entered got little in the way of attention.

But if you were paying attention to New York racing in early January and reading David Grening’s Inside Post blog on January 2nd, the name Peppi Knows might have rung a bell.

Peppi Knows had been entered by his trainer, Tim Kreiser, in the next day’s Count Fleet; on the morning of January 2nd, the New York stewards scratched Peppi Knows from the race because Kreiser hadn’t obtained workers’ compensation insurance, a condition of running in the race.

Kreiser had never before run a horse at a New York Racing Association track and was told that he could not purchase workman's comp insurance the day his horse was to race. He said he was informed on Friday -- New Year's Day, a day when he could not buy insurance _ by New York racing officials that his horse would not be able to run because of this issue.

Kreiser didn’t pull any punches in discussing the situation with Grening. The trainer is based out of town and in early January, he seemed content to stay away from NYRA tracks.

Asked if he'd consider coming back to Aqueduct for the $100,000 Whirlaway on Feb. 6, he said probably not, in large part because this incident left a bad taste in his mouth. "If they don't want me to run there because of something like that, I won't run there,'' Kreiser said. ``I lived 16 years without running there, I guess I can another 16.''

Clearly something changed in that month, because there indeed was Peppi Knows, back at Aqueduct, entered in the Whirlaway, 15-1 on the morning line and nearly 8-1 at post time. He sat off the pace set by Papa’s Nice Cat after Eightyfiveinafifty had bolted on the first turn, moving up around the far turn and drawing off in the stretch under Richard Migliore, withstanding a late run by Afleet Again.

Asked after the race whether he was glad that he’d given NYRA a second chance, Kreiser responded,

"I guess you could say that was the owner's decision, not mine. They can make it tough on some people here, first-timers I guess; you got to go through a lot of stuff, but it was well worth it. Like I said it was the owner's decision, I don't know what I would have done."

Owner’s decision or trainer’s, we’ll see Kreiser and Peppi Knows back at the Big A in early March, where the horse is expected to make his next start in the Grade III Gotham.

Whirlaway at Aqueduct

Today at Aqueduct six hopeful three-year-olds will take to the track in the closest that New York comes to a Derby prep. It’s been a while since a winner of this race has figured prominently the first weekend in May, but we locals nevertheless look with anticipation at the sophomores who will either dash or enhance their connections’ Derby dreams.

The race is named for the only Triple Crown winner to win the Travers, too: fitting that such a marvelous three-year-old gives his name to an sophomore-restricted race. Then again—Whirlaway’s four-year-old season was pretty impressive, too.

It was that year that Whirlaway raced at the track that currently hosts his eponymous race. It’s something of a surprise to note that he raced at Aqueduct only three times in his 60-race career, and those three starts all came in June 1942.

Following a 1941 campaign in which Whirlaway had been named both champion three-year-old male and horse of the year, the chestnut son of Blenheim II, owned by Calumet and trained by Ben Jones, hit the board in all 22 of his 1942 starts, compiling a record of 12-8-2. Two of those wins and one second came at Aqueduct.

Whirlaway hadn’t won a sprint since April of the previous year, and his patented deep closing style meant that shorter distances were not his métier; true to form in the seven furlong Carter Handicap on June 13, Whirlaway finished third; Doublrab won it with Swing and Sway finishing second.

Nine days later, Whirlaway returned to the Aqueduct track in a mile and an eighth allowance; even with the extra distance, Whirlaway didn’t have it easy:

The little horse with a big tail had just far enough to go at Aqueduct
yesterday. Warren Wright’s champion, Whirlaway, needed every inch of the mile
and a furlong he raced to nose out Mrs. Parker Corning’s Attention…
…
Until the last three or four strides, it seemed he wouldn’t do it and the
two leaders [Whirlaway and Attention] roared under the wire together. The photo
sign went up on the board, but as the two leaders returned to the winner’s
circle the judges posted the order and a great howl of tribute went up from the
crowd as Woolf dismounted. (Kelley)

Whirlaway had set a track record for the mile and an eighth, carrying more weight (122 pounds) than he’d carried all year. Attention was a nose behind him, and with Swing and Sway two and a half lengths back in third.

Five days later, Whirlaway came back to Aqueduct in the Brooklyn Handicap. It was the Queens County Jockey Club’s Army-Navy Day, and all proceeds from the day above purse and stakes payments would go to the Army and Navy; earlier in the year, Belmont and Jamaica had held similar days, and New York racing had a goal of donating $2,000,000 for the war effort (Field).

Whirlaway didn’t have to work quite as hard as he’d had to the previous week, but given his penchant for coming from way off the pace with one exhilarating run, it seems that no Whirlaway win was ever pedestrian. As Times turf writer Bryan Field put it,

It was a thrilling race, but rather an expected thrill, since most now are quite
familiar with the powerful manner in which Whirlaway can turn on speed…
…
The vaunted rush, when it came, brought a yell from the crowd.

This time, the place and show spots were reversed, with Swing and Sway second and Attention third.

Before 1942 came to an end, Whirlaway had broken Seabiscuit’s earning record, becoming the world’s leading money winner. He was the champion handicap horse, and horse of the year for the second year in a row. He was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1959.

Another horse in 1942 might have laid claim to horse of the year honors: Alsab, who beat Whirlaway two of three that times that year. But William H.P. Robertson says that Whirlaway brought something that Alsab didn’t:

Whirlaway retained that certain aura of untapped resources, which gave the
impression that he could have won several races that he actually didn’t, and,
finally, he emerged…as the world’s leading money winner.

The horse with the flying finish and the memorably long tail (one of his nicknames was “Mr. Longtail”) overcame bad starts, bad manners, and bad habits to become one of racing’s most storied stars, and his race gives us a chance, in dreary February, to recall his memorable June at Aqueduct.

Here, an ESPN feature on Whirlaway, narrated by the marvelous Jim McKay, on Jewels of the Triple Crown:



More here on Whirlaway at Brooklyn Backstretch.

Works cited and consulted:

Champions. New York: Daily Racing Form Press, 2000.

Field, Bryan. “Whirlaway Takes Brooklyn Handicap As Aqueduct Ends.” Nytimes.com. New York Times. 28 June 1942. Web. 5 Feb 2010.

Kelley, Robert F. “Champion Defeats Attention By Nose.” Nytimes.com. New York Times. 23 June 1942. Web. 5 Feb 2010.

Robertson, William H.P. The History of Thoroughbred Racing in America. New York: Bonanza Books, 1964.

“Whirlaway.” Racingmuseum.org. National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame. Web. 5 Feb 2010.

Brian's Derby preps: The Whirlaway and the Bob Lewis

Some Derby notes: Don’t forget that you can check out Brian’s handicapping for NYRA races at Horseplayernow.com. He’ll be participating in “Countdown to the Crown” live chats every Friday at 2 pm, accessible from the main page of the site, chatting for an hour about anything and everything for three year olds.

And if you haven’t already, sign up for the Hello Race Fans! weekly Derby update. It features advances and recaps from a variety of contributors, including yours truly on tomorrow’s Whirlaway. Brian takes over from here-- Teresa


Whoever would have thought that the attention of the Triple Crown Trail would focus on Aqueduct and the inner dirt? That’s exactly the case on Saturday when the blazing fast sprinter Eightyfiveinafifty tries to stretch his speed to two turns and prove he belongs. In California, the path to the Santa Anita Derby begins in earnest with the Robert Lewis, a race that also attracts some sprinters trying their mettle at two turns for the first time. Let’s take a look.

Aqueduct: The $100,000 Whirlaway at 1 1/16 miles

1. Turf Melody: Youngster has been on his own Magical Mystery Tour since getting his career going last summer at Del Park, and remarkably this is his ninth different track in as many career starts. He endured a bit of a sketchy trip at Fair Grounds and frankly probably isn’t good enough to beat GIII types, so this might be a better spot. Drew well and his late run might be flattered by an extremely rapid pace, and the best thing is that because of the presence of heavy favorite Eightyfiveinafifty, you’re going to get double the price you should on a colt who has a two-turn win and the right running style to be plenty scary in the lane; call for the win at an overlaid price.

2. Eightyfiveinafifty: Well, here he is. The fastest 3yo on the planet-well, at least for 6F’s--hails from Gary Con’s Ozone Park barn. Yes, you read that correctly. His maiden win earlier in the meet was nothing short of extraordinary when you consider the fractions he threw down over a track that’s been dead, dead, dead all meet. But today that means about as much as the Mets signing of Kelvim Escobar because this isn’t 2001 and the Whirlaway isn’t at 6F’s. So, the $64,000 question is, can he negotiate a second turn? You’ve got to figure he’ll be in front for as far as he can go, but there’s a lot of other speed signed on and the majority of it comes from some stretchout runners like this colt. So point being, you’re going to have to stomach 3-5 on a horse a month removed from a 6F maiden win who doesn’t project to have an easy trip. The heart will be rooting like heck to see Gary jump on the Triple Crown Trail but the wallet says there’s no better time to try and beat this freakishly fast colt; backwheel, anyone?

3. Peppi Knows: Ran a big second to Buddy’s Saint in the GII Remsen to close out his sophomore campaign, but they timed that one with a sundial and we’ve already seen several runners exit that race and run poorly in their next start. Still, that was his first two-turn start and he’s 3-for-5 lifetime, so you know there’s talent here; in the mix if the favorite falters but playing against in his first start of the year.

4. Afleet Again: Got beat up pretty good in his lone local start in the Count Fleet, but it was nice to see him leave town and score in a sloppy Philly Park allowance (though it was a four-horse field). Back for more today, but unless he’s picked up about 10 lengths off his Philly race, it’s hard to see him threatening; minor award seems to be his ceiling.

5. Three Day Rush: Ships north from Gulfstream after an entry-level allowance score at 6F’s. Dueled on the lead that day, so with his outside draw you’ve got to figure he’ll be lapped right onto ‘Eightyfive early and often. It’s Pletcher and Cohen, a potent combo here, and you know he didn’t ship a few thousand miles for nothing, but the aforementioned race flow isn’t going to do him any favors; playing against.

6. Papa’s Nice Cat: State-bred runner broke his maiden two-back at 6F’s, then ran a big second in a two-turn allowance last out while finishing well clear of third, which is a pretty solid accomplishment in your first route run. Enough speed to negate this bad draw and it’s not hard to envision him in the garden spot behind two dueling leaders. From there it’s just a matter of if he’s good enough or not and you’ll be getting one heck of a price to find out; upset special.

Selections:

1. Turf Melody
6. Papa’s Nice Cat
2. Eightyfiveinafifty



Santa Anita: The Grade II, $150,000 Robert Lewis Stakes at 1 1/16 miles

1. Macias: Figures to be involved from the opening bell with his rail draw and sprint speed, and that’s not a very enviable combination in this two-turn spot. He’s got the pedigree to negotiate this longer trip and seems to be coming into the race the right way but seems destined to fall victim to the race flow; outsider.

2. Dave In Dixie: Looked like a real comer when he won his debut for fun last summer at Del Mar and then hardly disgraced himself when a solid sixth in the GI Norfolk, which marked his first start vs. winners and first start at two turns. He’s been working great guns for his 3yo debut but thinking today is simply a nice starting off point for one of the West Coast’s top Derby prospects; tabbing him for a minor award and expecting some big things once the furlongs begin to add up later this spring.

3. Tiz Chrome: Speaking of exciting prospects, this colt has looked great in winning both career starts and now he takes the next step and tries the two-turn game for the first time. Can he do it? Well, dad was one of the finest long distance horses to come along in the past quarter century, and if this colt relaxes like pops did and throws those :12 eighths at you then look out. There’s some other speed signed on so he’ll need to relax on the front end, and with some potential question marks to go with the anticipated short price, it’s best to watch this one and make an assessment on the future when it’s all said and done.

4. Caracortado: While some of these sprinters need to answer the two-turn question, this gelding did just that in winning a Cal-bred stakes over the course in his last. He didn’t break the stopwatch that day, but when you go from 6f’s to 8.5f’s and get the job done, it’s worth noting to be sure. The water gets deeper once again but he’s got a few things in his favor, price being one of them; a logical alternative if you’re looking to beat the short-priced favorites.

5. Tango Tango: Northern California invader seems outclassed in this difficult assignment, even with Hollendorfer calling the shots. He’s eligible to be a nuisance near the lead early, but it’s tough to imagine he’s going to be around in the late stages; longshot.

6. American Lion: It might be a good time to try and buy a little stock in WinStar, as they are absolutely loaded with 3yo’s right now. This colt is at the forefront of their West Coast contingent, and with good reason, as he did little wrong in three sophomore starts, which culminated in a stakes score in the Hollywood Prevue. The neat thing is those starts were all at one-turn and here’s another Tiznow colt who you know is just begging to stretch his legs. Well, he gets the chance today, and his stalk and pounce style should allow him to be right off the leaders and get him the jump on the closers like ‘Dave; not expecting to get rich, but he gets the call for the win nonetheless.

7. Domonation: Ran decent in his two-turn debut when finishing behind a nice Baffert runner in Conveyance in the GIII San Rafael here last month. Takes the next step down the path but got no favors from the draw, so he’s either got to go early and risk a wide journey and a pace battle or simply give up some ground and drop back to the rail. They’ll probably take the latter approach, and if the speed burns out and finds the distance a bit taxing and the comebackers aren’t ready to fire their best, then it’s not out of the realm of possibility that this guy comes calling late; interesting at a price.

Selections

6. American Lion
3. Tiz Chrome
1. Macias

Retirement of Saratoga Russell

A fan of Sunshine Millions, I looked forward to this year’s event with more than usual anticipation; always a good day of racing, this year it would feature a Backstretch favorite, Saratoga Russell.

The son of Trippi came back to the races in last June after a 15-month layoff, and in six starts at age four, he compiled a record of two wins and two seconds. This Florida-bred headed south late in the year with Mike Hushion’s stable, pointed to the Sunshine Millions Sprint. He’d last raced at Gulfstream in February of 2008, romping by nearly 11 lengths in the slop in his third lifetime start.

A few weeks ago came word from one of his owners that not only would Saratoga Russell not race in the Millions, but that his racing career was over.

“He cracked a sesamoid in training; he was galloping at Palm Meadows and took a bad step,” said Terry Finley this week. Finley is president of West Point Thoroughbreds, Saratoga Russell’s owner.

I happened to be at Aqueduct on November 17, 2007, when this two-year-old set crazy fractions before fading to finish second; in his second start a month later, he showed that he could come from off the pace, drawing off to win by more than seven lengths.

He returned to his speedball ways in that race at Gulfstream in early 2008, and encouraged by his dominant win, his connections brought him back north for the Gotham, where he finished a disappointing last. After the race, it was discovered that he’d displaced a palate, and the next fifteen months was a series of surgery and treatment and progress and setbacks. He’d get back to training, and then get sidelined; he’d post a workout occasionally, and then nothing. Finley explained why, after so much time and so many setbacks, West Point continued to try to get him back to the racetrack.

“We’ve learned over the years, and we don’t do that unless they’re really talented. We really thought he was in the top ranks of West Point horses and that he’d have a great five-year-old year. He ran fast enough that if he took a jump forward, he could be successful.”

Last summer, Saratoga Russell came to the town for which he was named to make his second start off the layoff. As usual, he went to the lead to set blistering fractions, and halfway down the stretch, I—and the dozens of West Point partners who had traveled from far away to see this race—knew that he was going to win it. Sometimes, the script plays out exactly as it should.

The script wasn’t supposed to have this abrupt ending, but it does, and Saratoga Russell’s fans and owners can be glad that the bay colt is going to recover and head to a life off the racetrack.

“We’ve sent him to the farm,” Finley said. “We’ve found that it’s best that West Point give [our horses] the time off before a new home is found. We like to have them set up and ready for their next career.”

Back in the state in which he was foaled, Saratoga Russell is currently recuperating in Ocala. He needs 60 days in his stall and then he’ll be a riding horse, according to Finley, who said that West Point will be responsible for finding a home for him.

The conversation with Finley wasn’t all wistful nostalgia: he spoke with cautious optimism about another West Point colt, Middle of the Nite (Offlee Wild - A Loose Kisser). Middle of the Nite started his career at Saratoga last summer in the barn of Kiaran McLaughlin; when McLaughlin stopped training for West Point, the colt was transferred to Tom Albertrani. Third recently at Gulfstream in a race in which Eskendereya and Thank U Philippe finished in front of him, Middle of the Nite is scheduled to start next in the Sam Davis at Tampa Bay Downs on February 13th, and Finley admits that West Point has “great aspirations for him.” Edgar Prado, who’s been aboard for Middle of the Nite’s last two starts, will ride.

West Point Thoroughbreds is an occasional advertiser on this site through Hello Race Fans!, but readers know that I started writing about Saratoga Russell long before that professional relationship began. I appreciate all the people who helped me stay up to date with him: his owners, Finley, his former trainer McLaughlin and his assistant Andrew St. Lawrence. They sent me updates, they responded to requests for information, and they granted me access at Saratoga and Monmouth. It was an awfully fun couple of years.

Brooklyn Backstretch stories on Saratoga Russell are here.

Cool N Collective: What next?

On Sunday afternoon, Mike Repole of Repole Stables, owner of 13-year-old Cool N Collective, reflected on his gelding’s game second in Sunday’s first race at Aqueduct.

The son of Ruhlmann was making his first start in New York in this stint of Repole’s ownership; last fall Repole bought Cool N Collective for the fifth time since 2006 with two goals in mind: to race Cool N Collective in New York so that he could become the oldest horse in anyone’s memory to win a race in New York, and to retire the horse to a good home.

Those goals co-exist uneasily in Repole.

“He came back fine,” he said yesterday afternoon. “[Jockey Mike] Luzzi said that he didn’t want to pull up, and the pony had to go get him after the race—he didn’t want to stop.”

Cool N Collective set the pace in the $7,500 claiming event, setting easy fractions and loping along through three-quarters of a mile. Racing on the rail, he was challenged in the stretch by Who Needs to Know, going eyeball to eyeball and digging in with every step. Behind those two, Saratoga Lulaby swung off the rail, pulling away and winning by nearly three lengths, but Cool N Collective refused to concede second place, holding on by a head.

“He fought with the horse down the stretch the whole way,” Repole said. “He just fights, head to head down the stretch. And he came back great—he wasn’t even huffing and puffing. He looks like he’s seven or eight.”

Asked about what’s next for the horse, Repole admitted, obviously conflicted, “I don’t know if he’ll have a next start; it’s up to the horse. If he’s got so much as a bruise, I’ll retire him; he has to be 100%.”

His concern for Cool N Collective wrestles with his desire to see the horse win, especially when he sees his horse run like he did today. “He’s had 80 starts and he’s a solid, solid horse who loves to run. In March there’s a race that’s an easier spot for him, so we could run him in February, point him to that, and maybe get the win.

“I want to do what’s right for the horse, and do what’s right for racing, too. It would be a great story to retire him after he becomes the oldest horse to win a race in New York.”

As much as he wants the win, he acknowledges that even without it, Cool N Collective is a great story: “You’re writing about him, Dave Grening wrote about him in the Form, NYRA’s doing a story on him, TVG talked about him. A lot of people are paying attention to him, and I understand why: it’s why I wanted to get him back so badly. He’s the first horse I visit when I go to the barn.”


Repole has begun thinking about where Cool N Collective will go when his racing career is over; he wants to make sure that his bay gelding will have a good home, with plenty of room to run around. He says that he does the same for all of his horses. “When my horses are done, no matter how old they are, I always make sure that they have a good home. I support horse rescues financially; everyone has to take responsibility for their own horses, has to take care of them.”

But in Cool N Collective’s case, he’s not sure, at this point, what “taking care” of him would be. “I want to do what’s right for the horse,” he says emphatically. “He loves to run, so should he keep racing? Or should he be retired?

"Which is better?”

Cool N Collective: Back in the gate at 13

In September of 2008, I went to Suffolk Downs to see Commentator run in the MassCap. Earlier on the card, in a $16,000 allowance optional claimer, a name in the program caught my eye. Cool N Collective? I knew that name...why was it familiar?

It was familiar because for much of his then-nine-year racing career, Cool N Collective had raced in and around New York; four months before this Suffolk start, he’d been claimed from Bruce Levine in a race at Belmont, and prior to that he’d done a good deal of his racing at Aqueduct, the Meadowlands, and Monmouth, frequently changing hands, getting claimed, moving from trainer to trainer.

Cool N Collective finished sixth that day at Suffolk, and while a twinge of uneasiness at this old hard knocker’s finish up the track lingered for some time after the race, the glow of Commentator’s victory eliminated any memories of it, and Cool N Collective, like so many horses, slipped out of my consciousness.

Until last fall, when a tweet by Suffolk Down handicapper Jessica Paquette brought him back.

Paquette has worked at Suffolk for four years, and when the track is open she tweets regularly about her picks and about horses with interesting stories or angles; last September 19th, she tweeted that the 12-year-old Cool N Collective had won a $4,000 claimer. A subsequent conversation with her revealed that Paquette did more than assess this horse’s chances out of the starting gate.

“Every Friday I make my peppermint rounds,” she said, and Cool N Collective was a regular stop. The bay is, she says, “the coolest horse. He’s a classic Ruhlmann, looks exactly like his sire, and he’s a big sweetheart. He’s a big goof, tilting his head side to side until he gets a peppermint.

“He is such a neat old horse, all class. If you didn’t know how old he was, you’d never guess because he’s so well kept and he’s held his weight well. He just looks so comfortable.”

Cool N Collective was claimed out of that September race by Lynn Scace, from whom New York owner Mike Repole purchased Cool N Collective privately. It’s the fifth time that Repole has owned him; the gelding first raced for him in late 2006, with Bruce Levine training, and after only two races Cool N Collective was claimed away. Over the next year and a half, he was claimed no fewer than seven times, four by Levine and Repole.

Early in his career, this Canadian-bred son of Ruhlmann did not labor in the claiming ranks. He was trained by Reade Baker and Steve Asmussen, and he ran in a number of stakes races, winning the Elgin at Woodbine in 2000 and placing in the Prince of Wales at Fort Erie and the Lexington Park at Laurel. In his first 18 starts, he hit the board 16 times.

If there were ever an equine warrior, Cool N Collective is it: he’s raced for nine trainers at 12 tracks. He’s compiled a record of 15 – 26 – 13 from 78 starts: 64 times on the board, and only 14 off it. Shortly after the most recent purchase, Repole characterized him as an “underdog, but ultra competitive.” As an 11-year-old, Cool N Collective earned $48,440; at 12, he earned $13,070, hitting the board in five of eight starts. Lifetime, he’s earned $675, 096.**

“He’s like a grandfather competing with his grandsons,” says Repole of the 13-year-old. “He loves going out there, going to work with his hard hat.”

Repole is a well known owner in New York racing, with plenty of stakes caliber horses like Go Go Shoot and Nonna Mia in his barn. Nonetheless, his attention last fall was on getting Cool N Collective back. “I was as focused on buying Cool N Collective as I was on buying expensive yearlings,” he said.

Cool N Collective will get a chance to add to his earnings on Sunday, when he races for a $7,500 claiming tag in Aqueduct’s first race, his first race as a 13-year-old and first for Repole this time around. He’s believes that if Cool N Collective wins, he’ll be the first 13-year-old to win a race at a New York track. And as excited as he is to have this horse back in his barn, as excited as he is to see him race again, he does have one reservation: “I really hope that no one takes him away from me.”


Past performance information provided by Trackmaster.
Stall photo of Cool N Collective by Jessica Paquette
**Thanks to the reader who wrote to point out that my original stats here were incorrect; I'd overlooked a late 2009 start.