Good Things Come To Those Who Wait
January 15th, 2005by Chad Summers
Pacific Classic Winner Borrego
Anne M. Eberhardt/Blood-Horse Photo
Don’t wake up yet, the dream is just starting.
“I thought he could be third, then I thought he could be second, and by the time he was in midstretch, I realized he could win,” Jon Kelly, co-owner and breeder of Borrego said, recalling Del Mar’s $1-million Pacific Classic. Borrego, a four-year-old son of El Prado (Ire), made the entire partnership group of Kelly, Ralls & Foster LLC and Scott et al extremely proud.
“Since they turned for home on Sunday, the last few days have been a blurr,” trainer, co-owner and breeder Beau Greely shared from his Del Mar office. “Like it was all one big dream.”
The tale of Borrego begins long before there was said horse. It traces back to the Bluegrass State of Kentucky some 2184 miles away from the California coast, “where the turf meets the surf.” Keeneland Race Course is where Brad Scott first met Beau Greely.
“I used to go to the races with my dad when I was a kid,” Scott reminisced. “He taught me how to read the racing form and soon I was hooked. When I met Beau, it was great because his family was in the industry and we used to get together all the time and just talk horses. We had a lot of dreams back then and we would always dream of one day having that big horse.”
The first horse Scott owned in partnership with Greely was a two-year-old colt named Lexington Beach, who made his first career start in Southern California. The juvenile was victorious that day, beating among others, a flashy chestnut colt named Charismatic, who would go on to win the 1999 Kentucky Derby. Scott was elated with his first victory. Greely called after the race to congratulate his friend and co-owner, but had to share the sad news that Lexington Beach had dropped dead soon after the race was official.
Although shaken by the loss of Lexington Beach, Scott was determined to stay the course and participate in racing as a Thoroughbred owner.
“With the rising prices of football tickets and baseball tickets,” Scott said. “It’s amazing to think that with some Thoroughbred partnerships, for $300 a month in trainer’s fees, you could own a part of a horse,” “And believe me, when they are coming down the stretch, it doesn’t matter if you own 10% or 100% it’s your horse. There’s no other feeling like it.”
Borrego partner Jon Kelly met Greely through a mutual friend, Dr. Sam Bradley, who is also a co-breeder of Borrego. Bradley, Kelly, Greely, and Scott decided to purchase a mare at sale, to breed her and sell the resulting foal as a yearling. They bought the mare Sweet as Honey, on the recommendation of Greely’s brother John Greely, IV, for a bargain price and decided to book her to El Prado (Ire) who was gaining in popularity at the time. His stud fee then was $25,000.
Sweet as Honey didn’t foal until May 17. As a September yearling, her chestnut colt was big but very immature. When Keeneland auctioneer Ryan Mahan’s hammer dropped at $20,000, Borrego had failed to sell. Undaunted, the partnership tried to sell him at a two-year-old in training sale, but Borrego failed to impress the clockers. At the suggestion of John Greely, III, Beau’s father, the partnership decided to keep their colt and race him.
Bradley sold some of his shares to Raleigh Ralls and Dennis Foster prior to Borrego’s debut adding a couple of new shooters to the partnership. Little did the group know, they’d be in for the ride of their lives.
Borrego showed a ton of promise at the races, but was only able to win three times in seventeen starts.
“We were always the bridesmaids,” Kelly said. “Never the bride.”
Even though Borrego had raked in a cool $852,090 before his breakthrough performance under jockey Garrett Gomez in the Pacific Classic (G1), his second-place finishes to Master David in the Sham Stakes at Santa Anita, Wimbledon in the Louisiana Derby (G2) at Fair Grounds, Smarty Jones in the Arkansas Derby (G2) at Oaklawn Park, Perfect Moon in the El Cajon Stakes at Del Mar, Fantasticat in the Super Derby (G2) at Louisiana Downs and Lava Man in the Hollywood Gold Cup (G1) at Hollywood Park, underscore Kelly’s frustration.
“The victory is just all that sweeter when you realize that the mare was bought by my brother, my dad raised Borrego on our farm, he ran second to Smarty Jones, he took us to the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness, and now he won the Pacific Classic,” Beau Greely said. “And to think someone could have bought him as a yearling for 30 or 40 thousand.”
It’s been said, “Good things come to those who wait.” Kelly, Ralls, Foster, Bradley and Scott will drink to that.
