These are not sour grapes. We don’t have sour grapes in California. However, this is an opportunity to pause between the Triple Crown jewels and their 3-year-old young cast to reflect on the merits of another version of the Thoroughbred racehorse. Specifically sprinters.
Yes, sprinters. The ultimate boxer of the club, always found on the card, all the livery and very little glory. Sprint is consolation prize, Precious horse in thoroughbred drawing. They have “respiratory problems” or “limited pedigrees,” or certain structures that preclude their ability to transport speed over long distances above ground.
No one has set out to pick a winner on the Carter Handicap, even though it’s a level 1 race, or the De Francis Memorial, which used to be but is now the answer to the meager listed condition. . The owners go to bed thinking they’ve got a pony for Haskell Stakes (G1) and wake up distraught to know their trainer recommends something on next week’s six furlongs at Delaware Park.
Did you know the world’s richest grass race is for sprinters? Of course you didn’t, because AU$15 million (about $11 million in real money) is a ridiculous amount to spend on a race for dark horses. Sprinters are doormats, thinkers. In the movie, they will be the usual acquaintances of the leading man’s best friend. Mobster number 3 in the credits.
So why bother? Good question. They are without a doubt recreational value and are available for a decent amount of money for consistently efficient sprinters, along with two Breeders’ Cup and two Eclipse races. Performance of the defending men’s sprint champion Jackie’s Warrior last weekend at Churchill Downs Shares presented by Ford (G1) were a resounding stellar performance about 2 and a half hours prior Rich Strike absorb all coverage areas. Jackie who?
In the 1950s, the American Racing Manual published a list of “Annual Champions in Various Categories.” Sprint champions were included until, around 1960, the category disappeared. When champion sprinters resurfaced in 1965, they were listed as footnotes. A footnote.
Then there’s the Hall of Fame. Race at the National Museum of Racing in Saratoga Springs, NY Just the day before, it was announced that four more horses would join the immortals list. Reeds Tepin is an international star. Hillsdale won a big pile of seven to 10 bets in front of the Walk of Fame and champion. The Royal Heroine beats up the boys whenever she is required. Beholder did everything that could not cure the common cold. They make a great team, and we’re lucky to have them.
There were four other horse candidates nominated in the Hall of Fame who were not elected because they were not on at least 50% (plus one) of the 148 votes cast. Three of them are female champions — Havre de Grace, Blind Luck, and Rags to Riches — and the fourth is a sprinter, Kona Gold.
Voting the Hall of Fame is a deeply subjective exercise. Some candidates are the first to vote, while others need years for their achievements to make their mark in the minds of the selection committee. Some voters cling to a rigid set of standards that draw a line somewhere around the Citation, Secretariat and Man o’ War levels. Others see the Hall of Fame as a symphony of parts, tasked with telling the sport’s poignant story. Lost both types.
However, upon entering the Hall of Fame, there was a clear stereotyped pattern. Starting with the first class in 1955, there were 129 stallions racing on the flat introduced field. Out of those 129 people, exactly two of them are unrepentant sprinters.
Sure, sure, I know. Forego can sprint, Precisionist can sprint, Coaltown can sprint, Tom Fool can sprint, and Dr. Fager can sprint. Man, doctor can sprint. But sprinting for the Hall of Fame for all of that is a failure, something they can do apart from other things, like Rosey Grier’s needlework or Michael Jordan’s baseball career.
Thankfully, the great women sprinters are pretty well represented in the Hall of Fame, starting with the Texas sprint, Pan Zareta, through Affectionaently and Ta Wee, to recent practitioners of the profession. — Safely Kept, Xtra Heat and My Juliet . Of the men, however, only two are considered worthy of Fame:
Roseben and Housebuster.
Roseben was the heavyweight giant of the early 20th century who started 111 times and won 52 races, 51 in less than a mile. Through a race in 1905, Roseben won 12 of 14 sprints, 4 of which were under 140 pounds or more.
Housebuster was a two-time 1990-91 Eclipse Award champion who won 15 of 22 starts for Jimmy Croll and owner Bob Levy. Just because he can, Housebuster has also stirred in three stake wins in mile races out of his 11 wins in six and seven events.
They are lonely. They need company. Sprinters deserve to be considered as classic dark horses and older middle-distance stars. Thoroughbreds who do it best and longest are blessed with a network of rapidly twitching muscles and eating preferences that set them apart. And in no more than a minute to get the job done, there’s no room for the slightest mistake. This is not about calling for an equal opportunity clause in the Hall of Fame process, or imposing a quota system. This is a plea at least for Hall of Fame level recognition that constant sprinting against top company is a tough game.
As for Kona Gold, the memories are still fresh for those of us lucky enough to see him live as he performed for us joy over the course of six seasons. Failing again this year to enter the Hall of Fame does nothing to tarnish those memories. He will be in the Hall someday, hopefully sooner, and the Hall will be better for his presence.
