Old timers at the racetrack

Old timers at the racetrack

Insight and commentary on the world of thoroughbred horse racing.

Thoughts and opinions about the fascinating sport of thoroughbred horse racing from a racing insider.

Old Timers Week at the Racetrack

In the last edition of the Horse Racing Blog, I lamented the premature losses of Invasor and Scat Daddy. But the last week of stakes racing gave us some fireworks from the equine geriatric set. Three veteran runners in particular gave racing fans everywhere something to cheer about.

Lava Man may never do well outside of California, but who cares? He won a prestigious Grade 1 race (Hollywood Gold Cup) for the third consecutive year on June 30. As everyone knows only Native Diver had done that before. But Lava Man also made some history of his very own with that victory. With the Gold Cup being run on Cushion Track for the first time, Lava Man became the first horse to win a Grade 1 on dirt, turf and a synthetic surface.

A few hours before the Hollywood Gold Cup the nine-year-old war horse The Tin Man showed he’s still all heart. He finished a gallant second in the Grade 2 American Handicap to Out of Control. The Tin Man has been thrilling racing fans on and off since 2002 when he won the American along with the Grade 1 Clement Hirsch Handicap at Del Mar. He lost the 2007 edition of the American by just a head, the margin of defeat surely attributable to the 10 pounds he spotted Out of Control.

And then on the Fourth of July old Funny Cide found his way back to the winner’s circle. He had to go to Finger Lakes to do it, an upstate New York track where New York-bred has-been and never-weres make up most of the fields. The local fans responded accordingly (12,000 folks showed up) and Funny Cide didn’t disappoint. It had been a little over a year since the now seven-year-old had his picture taken. According to the Chicago Tribune, only two other Derby winners in the past 60 years raced to their seven-year-old seasons, Assault in 1946 and Tomy Lee in 1959.

It’s good to know there are still a few old timers around like Lava Man, The Tin Man and Funny Cide to help keep the game fun.

Matt O'Neil has been a racing enthusiast since the mid-1980's. He is a freelance writer and thoroughbred marketing consultant and editor of the breeding journal Owner-Breeder International. Contact Matt O'Neil