There have been a few great losses in the horse racing world this past week, including the great sire Kingmambo and mare Storm Flag Flying, who died birthing a Candy Ride filly, which survived.
Carrie Lynn Barker
Somali Lemonade also passed but, unfortunately, her foal, her first, was lost. But on the morning of January 17, 2016, the racing world lost a great champion in the oldest living Breeders’ Cup winner, the mighty Gulch (by Mr. Prospector out of the Rambunctious mare, Jameela). Gulch won the 1988 Breeders’ Cup Sprint Gulch and resided at the Old Friends retirement facility in Georgetown, KY, after he was pensioned in 2009. I had the absolute pleasure of meeting him this past October, and it was a moment I will never forget.
Lost Bus, Finest City and Tara’s Tango in the Santa Monica Stakes
Gulch was known to pick and choose the people he interacted with, according to our tour guide, but he was at the fence, ready for attention when we got to his shady spot. Gulch was wearing his fly mask so I never got to see his eyes, but one could sense he was something special. He quietly chewed away and stood utterly still, letting a couple children stroke his soft nose. He didn’t have a care in the world and seemed to bask in the love. It’s not often one gets to meet a living legend, affectionately known as Gulchie by some of the Old Friends staff. He was a favorite on the farm and a favorite of fans too, and he will be missed.
Victor Espinoza up on Undeniable U during Stewards Inquiry
Back in the land of the living, upsets were common on January 26 at Santa Anita Park, with few favorites hitting the wire in front. In the 4th, Undeniable U, under the command of jockey Victor Espinoza, had enough gas in the tank to get his first win but got blocked when the erratic Silent Movies, with Abel Lezcano aboard, swerved out. Silent Movies also bumped Dare to Believe and Mike Smith in the process. Victor took up Undeniable U expertly to avoid any accident but had to go wide and didn’t have enough time to get in front. Silent Movies hit the wire in front of Basinca and Undeniable U. There was no surprise on the stewards’ inquiry on this race, and Silent Movies was moved down to third, with Basinca taking the win. Undeniable U may have been robbed but he looked great coming down the stretch and I think his next race might finally do it for him.
Tyler Baze on Avanti Bello upset Race 7
Avanti Bello under Tyler Baze easily took the win from the even-money favorite, Wolf Man Rocket and jockey, Victor Espinoza in the 7th.
The big surprise though came in the feature race of the day, the Grade II Santa Monica. Lost Bus, a 64-1 shot under jockey Fernando Perez, was in a fine field of experienced racers, but got the lead and battled for it down the stretch with Finest City and jockey, Corey Nakatani.
Fernando Perez and Lost Bus upset the Santa Monica
Lost Bus bumped Finest City just past the wire but the jockey objection was thrown out, leaving Lost Bus, the longest shot in the field, as the huge upset winner. The joy on Fernando Perez’s face at this win was awesome. The $131.20 payout win also was a moment of triumph for the two guys standing near me, who split a $2.00 bet on the longshot to win.
The rain held off all day and, with the 9th concluded, I headed out to the parking lot. The fiery sunset was too good to pass up so I took one last parting shot.
— By Carrie Lynn Barker, who shares her thoughts, observations and photos of the horse-related activities from her near-weekly visits to Santa Anita Park on Saturdays during racing season. Carrie is a photographer who lives in Monrovia with her screenwriter husband Brandon and is Chief Member Concierge at the Arcadia Chamber of Commerce. Carrie has written seven stories published as ebooks and has produced several films. She has also been Operation Manager of Barfly Staff Monitoring Services since 2010.