Old Friends, saving retired thoroughbred horses.

Old Friends Horse Rescue

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.

A Second Chance to Back Wallenda

March 26, 2007

There have been numerous woulda coulda shouldas in my career as a horseplayer. Too many to count, really, and certainly too many to remember. But there is one instance where I changed my selection from a winner to a loser that I’ll never forget. Luckily, as circumstances would have it, I have a chance, in a way, for a do over.

It was a picture perfect day at Saratoga back on August 2, 1992 and the fourth race that day was a maiden special event for two year-old colts. As soon as I saw the entries the day before I knew my money would be going squarely on a Gulch colt, named Wallenda. I had watched him run a good second at my friendly neighborhood OTB parlor a few weeks earlier, was duly impressed, and noted him as a ‘horse to watch’.

But being as I was at the track, and not the friendly neighborhood OTB parlor, I went over to the paddock to see the horses in the flesh. Wallenda looked good and I was licking my chops when I saw he was 4-1 on the paddock tote board. But just as I was about to turn away, satisfied that I had the winner, another horse caught my attention.

In my minds eye I can still see Jerry Bailey, dressed in the Rokeby Farm yellow and gray silks, atop a striking dark bay colt (even though the jockey was actually Art Madrid that day-such is the fallibility of memory). I’m not sure what it was that struck me about the horse, he just had a grand ‘presence’ about him. I glanced down at the Racing Form and saw that he had finished fourth as the favorite in his first start. I then glanced at the paddock tote board again and saw that he was going off at 6-1.

I’m still not anything close to being an expert in evaluating horseflesh and but every now and then a horse will ‘wow’ me like that. Such as it was with that Rokeby colt - it was love at first sight. But I didn’t know what to do, trust my very possibly faulty intuition, or go with the more trusted, logical, handicapping principles.

My gut eventually won out. I’m sure I used Wallenda in the exacta, but was definitely mortified when he won the race easily, and paid $10, while my new favorite horse struggled home fifth.

You never know what stars of tomorrow will show up in the maiden races at Saratoga. Wallenda went on to be a pretty nice horse. He was a grade two winner by the end of 1992 and made it into the Kentucky Derby field the next year after placing in the Florida Derby and the Blue Grass. He ran 13th on Derby Day but came back to win the Pennsylvania Derby and the Super Derby, then a grade one. After a few more stakes wins at four he retired to stud with over $1.2 million in earnings.

Wallenda stood his first few years at Dixiana Farm in Kentucky for $7,500. He didn’t turn out to be much of a sire and was shipped off to Japan for a try at stud duty over there. Now Wallenda is done with his second career and it’s time for him to come home.

Old Friends, horse retirement farm in Georgetown, Kentucky, has taken up the cause of returning Wallenda from Japan. Such an endeavor has become a bit of specialty for Old Friends operator Michael Blowen. In fact, his organization grew by leaps and bounds a few years ago when news broke that Ferdinand had died in a Japanese slaughterhouse after his days as a stallion were over. Mr. Blowen has worked tirelessly to make sure that never happens again. He has arranged to bring back horses like Eclipse Champion Sunshine Forever, grade one winner Ogygian, European star Creator, and Breeders’ Cup winner Fraise. While Fraise has since passed away, all those former greats (as well as around 20 other retirees that include multiple grade one winners Awad and Special Ring and Florida Derby winner Bull in the Heather) are available for public viewing at the Old Friends farm.

It’s an expensive enterprise to ship a single horse around the world. In fact the cost is downright outrageous. Cot Campbell, who runs the Dogwood Stable syndicate that raced Wallenda, has stepped up and generously donated a large portion of the $58,000 shipping cost (yes $58,000!). But Old Friends still needs more donations to ‘Fly Wallenda Home’, per their slogan.

I didn’t root Wallenda home 15 years ago and I don’t remember the exact amount I almost bet on him back in 1992. But I threw $50 bucks on him the other day. That alone won’t get him home to Kentucky, but I didn’t want to let him get away again.

By the way, the story of that maiden race at Saratoga a decade and a half ago actually has a happy ending. That colt that so struck me turned out to be a pretty nice horse, too. His name is Sea Hero and I cashed a nice ticket when he won the 1993 Kentucky Derby. Granted, it was not the strongest Derby field ever assembled, but it turned out I was right about the horse after all, just nine months too early.

More information on Old Friends and the fundraising effort to ‘Fly Wallenda Home’ is available at the Old Friends website: www.oldfriendsequine.com

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