Hindsight is 20/20
January 4th, 2005by Michael Penna
Seldom does a horse come along that captures the hearts and imaginations of not only racing fans, but of an entire nation – a horse with that rare and unique blend of charisma, presence, and ability. Legendary icons such as Seabiscuit, Secretariat, and most recently Smarty Jones come to mind.
It is even far less common for a horse to achieve that lofty status while possessing an obscure, unfashionable pedigree that would be considered by the vast majority of racing experts to be severely lacking in class, quality, and stamina – three traits evident in nearly every great Thoroughbred.
The subject of this story was the product of a most obscure mating indeed. He was from the 12th crop of the 22-year-old sire Great Above, who in 11 prior crops had produced 424 foals, none of whom ever aspired to Grade 1 form. His dam, Sharon Brown, had displayed very little in the way of class. She had amassed just three minor victories throughout her 32-race career and had been sold for a mere $13,000 shortly before our subject’s rise to stardom. As the saying goes, “Hindsight is 20/20!”
He was a rather large, long-legged, husky colt, standing 16.3 hands as a 2 year old – larger than many of his older counterparts. He was bred by Mrs. Rachel Carpenter, a true racing enthusiast, who campaigned her runners under the banner of Pelican Stable.
Mrs. Carpenter enjoyed a long-standing relationship with trainer Jimmy Croll, who had successfully conditioned horses for her for the better part of 37 years. Together they managed such stellar runners as Al Hattab and the 1965 grass champion, Parka. Neither Mrs. Carpenter, nor Mr. Croll could have anticipated the tremendous windfall of success that awaited them once their son of Great Above and Sharon Brown made his racing debut at Monmouth Park on August 14, 1993.
The big grey cruised to an easy maiden score in wire-to-wire fashion, but the win was bitter sweet and the normally joyous mood that follows such a victory was very much subdued. Just hours before the colt went postward, Croll had learned that Mrs. Carpenter had lost her battle with a terminal illness.
As per the instructions in Mrs. Carpenter’s will, all of her horses – our subject included – were to be turned over to the 73-year-old Croll. That decision proved to be a prudent one, as Croll masterfully guided his flashy colt to an undefeated 2 year old campaign en route to a career that would see his standard-bearer tally 13 wins from 16 trips to the post and more than $2.4 million in earnings.
He recorded six Grade 1 victories and defeated the very best his generation had to offer. As a three-year-old, he displayed his true brilliance by soundly defeating a stellar group of older horses in the Grade 1 Metropolitan Handicap. He completed the mile in 1:33 4/5 and joined such standouts as Arts and Letters, Sword Dancer, and Conquistador Cielo as the only three-year-olds ever to win the prestigious event.
His 1994 campaign was culminated with five straight wins including the aforementioned Metropolitan, the Dwyer, the Haskell Invitational, the Travers and a second victory against older horses in the historic Woodward. His efforts earned him both three-year-old champion and Horse of the Year honors in that year.
Realizing that his champion had incurred an enormous following, Croll strategically plotted a schedule of races for his four-year-old season that would display the popular star from Florida, to California, to New York. But sadly, it was not to be.
The great sport of thoroughbred racing is said to possess the highest highs and lowest lows. That was painfully evident on the Gulfstream Park backstretch during the running of the 1995 Donn Handicap. Jockey Mike Smith, the colt’s regular rider, was forced to pull the game champion out of the race after having suffered a career ending tendon injury as he moved on the backstretch to engage his newest rival, Cigar, who went on to quite an illustrious career of his own.
Millions of fans throughout the country stared in teary-eyed disbelief, hoping that their beloved grey superstar would be alright. After the momentary fear for his life had passed, fans optimistically looked forward to his new career as a stallion.
Physically, he couldn’t miss.
Dr. Manny Gillman, who had also measured Secretariat, stated that the measurements of both thoroughbreds were nearly identical. At 7:45 AM on February 23, 1995, he arrived at his new and current home, Jonabell Farm in Lexington, Kentucky. His impact at stud was felt almost immediately as he produced a Grade 1 winning filly in his very first crop.
On May 1, 2001, he received yet another accolade as he was inducted into racing?s Hall of Fame. A fitting tribute to the accomplishments of this game and charismatic colt, who grew so immensely popular, that he came to be known as “The People’s Horse.”
Who was that champion, who hailed from a non-descript mating, that the experts said could never possibly produce any kind of quality racehorse?
His name is Holy Bull.
Hindsight truly is 20/20.
