Horny Harry
03-09-2002, 17:25
'Home' is Where the Heart is
by Steve Haskin
Two more races and Came Home will be gone, off to Lane's End Farm. When he departs, we will all look back at his record and what he accomplished, and we'll say, "Man, that was some horse."
But there will be a sad aspect to his departure in addition to simply losing a top-class horse. The shame of it is that we never really had a chance to enjoy what we had while we had it. We never really appreciated each individual conquest, as we did a horse like Point Given. The more Came Home stretched out in distance, the more we expected him to lose. Other than the Kentucky Derby, he never did.
Instead of savoring each victory, we had it stuck in our heads that the next time he tried to stretch out in distance he was going to run smack into his pedigree. So, when he won at seven furlongs, we said, "Fine, he's a top sprinter, but can get a mile?" Then he won at a mile, and we said, "OK, he's just about reached his limit. He'll come down to Earth when he goes a mile and an eighth." Then he won at a mile and an eighth, and we said, "Wow, he's really outrun his pedigree. But that's it. He's not a mile and a quarter horse by any means, so let's just say he's a miler who was good enough to win at nine furlongs. Now what do you do with him?"
Then his connections did the unthinkable. They ran him at a mile and a quarter against the Kentucky Derby winner, the Santa Anita Handicap winner, and the Hollywood Gold Cup winner in the Pacific Classic. They even put a top-class rabbit in there to kill off War Emblem and Sky Jack, in case one of them failed to kill off the other one. So, what good would that do for a horse who runs on or near the pace himself, and can't come close to matching up with those horses going a mile and a quarter?
The fans had no answer, nor did they feel he belonged in the race, and they sent one of the most gifted horses in the country off at a staggering 10-1. So, what happens? Came Home sits off the pace, lets his rabbit bang heads with War Emblem and Sky Jack, then blows by them with a quick, devastating move and draws off to a comfortable victory.
Now it is the end of August, and we find out that Came Home is at the twilight of his brief career just when we're starting to appreciate what we have. He has won nine of 11 starts and earned almost $2 million. He's won at five furlongs, six furlongs, seven furlongs, one mile, 1 1/16 miles, 1 1/8 miles, and 1 1/4 miles -- all of them except his first start coming in graded stakes.
There is a saying that a Thoroughbred horse can make an ass out of us all. We all went digging into breeding books, pedigree reports, and what apparent knowledge we have stored away in our vast network of brain cells. And all the results were the same: Came Home is basically a miler. The farther he runs the less effective he'll be. Now, after the Pacific Classic, all that can be said for that logic is "hee haw."
But you know what? It feels good to be made to look stupid. The more Came Home exposes our stupidity and ignorance, the more we are amazed by him. After all, he must be an amazing, extraordinary creature, otherwise all our endeavors at unlocking the mystery of the Thoroughbred are as useless as searching into a bottomless pit.
While covering the Kentucky Derby this year, I fell in love with Came Home the racehorse. He had everything -- spirit, athleticism, intelligence, the look of eagles, and a dappled coat that glistened in the sun. And he had a great trainer as well. I raved about him in my daily reports as much as my journalistic ethics would allow. As much as I would have loved nothing more than for him to win the Derby, I simply couldn't see him winning at 1 1/4 miles in a big field in early May. When he didn't, we all once again labeled him as a miler who could possibly stretch out to 1 1/8 miles under the right conditions.
But May gave way to summer, and soon it was late August, a time when many young horses mature and get stronger mentally and physically. Still, people kept waiting for Came Home's talent to hit that brick wall known as pedigree. The so-called experts might not agree, but the fact that it didn't happen should make us feel joyous and thankful that there is more to a Thoroughbred than whose blood flows through his veins. Came Home has shown us that heart, raw talent, and the will to be great can overshadow any apparent geneological shortcomings.
So, now we know that Came Home defies all logic. We can finally take his pedigree and remove it once and for all from our minds. It doesn't mean a thing. The question now is, is it too late? All the time, we thought we were looking at Clark Kent and couldn't see who was behind the eyeglasses. Can we now enjoy and appreciate the Superman in our midst in the short time we have left with him?
I for one am sure going to try.
by Steve Haskin
Two more races and Came Home will be gone, off to Lane's End Farm. When he departs, we will all look back at his record and what he accomplished, and we'll say, "Man, that was some horse."
But there will be a sad aspect to his departure in addition to simply losing a top-class horse. The shame of it is that we never really had a chance to enjoy what we had while we had it. We never really appreciated each individual conquest, as we did a horse like Point Given. The more Came Home stretched out in distance, the more we expected him to lose. Other than the Kentucky Derby, he never did.
Instead of savoring each victory, we had it stuck in our heads that the next time he tried to stretch out in distance he was going to run smack into his pedigree. So, when he won at seven furlongs, we said, "Fine, he's a top sprinter, but can get a mile?" Then he won at a mile, and we said, "OK, he's just about reached his limit. He'll come down to Earth when he goes a mile and an eighth." Then he won at a mile and an eighth, and we said, "Wow, he's really outrun his pedigree. But that's it. He's not a mile and a quarter horse by any means, so let's just say he's a miler who was good enough to win at nine furlongs. Now what do you do with him?"
Then his connections did the unthinkable. They ran him at a mile and a quarter against the Kentucky Derby winner, the Santa Anita Handicap winner, and the Hollywood Gold Cup winner in the Pacific Classic. They even put a top-class rabbit in there to kill off War Emblem and Sky Jack, in case one of them failed to kill off the other one. So, what good would that do for a horse who runs on or near the pace himself, and can't come close to matching up with those horses going a mile and a quarter?
The fans had no answer, nor did they feel he belonged in the race, and they sent one of the most gifted horses in the country off at a staggering 10-1. So, what happens? Came Home sits off the pace, lets his rabbit bang heads with War Emblem and Sky Jack, then blows by them with a quick, devastating move and draws off to a comfortable victory.
Now it is the end of August, and we find out that Came Home is at the twilight of his brief career just when we're starting to appreciate what we have. He has won nine of 11 starts and earned almost $2 million. He's won at five furlongs, six furlongs, seven furlongs, one mile, 1 1/16 miles, 1 1/8 miles, and 1 1/4 miles -- all of them except his first start coming in graded stakes.
There is a saying that a Thoroughbred horse can make an ass out of us all. We all went digging into breeding books, pedigree reports, and what apparent knowledge we have stored away in our vast network of brain cells. And all the results were the same: Came Home is basically a miler. The farther he runs the less effective he'll be. Now, after the Pacific Classic, all that can be said for that logic is "hee haw."
But you know what? It feels good to be made to look stupid. The more Came Home exposes our stupidity and ignorance, the more we are amazed by him. After all, he must be an amazing, extraordinary creature, otherwise all our endeavors at unlocking the mystery of the Thoroughbred are as useless as searching into a bottomless pit.
While covering the Kentucky Derby this year, I fell in love with Came Home the racehorse. He had everything -- spirit, athleticism, intelligence, the look of eagles, and a dappled coat that glistened in the sun. And he had a great trainer as well. I raved about him in my daily reports as much as my journalistic ethics would allow. As much as I would have loved nothing more than for him to win the Derby, I simply couldn't see him winning at 1 1/4 miles in a big field in early May. When he didn't, we all once again labeled him as a miler who could possibly stretch out to 1 1/8 miles under the right conditions.
But May gave way to summer, and soon it was late August, a time when many young horses mature and get stronger mentally and physically. Still, people kept waiting for Came Home's talent to hit that brick wall known as pedigree. The so-called experts might not agree, but the fact that it didn't happen should make us feel joyous and thankful that there is more to a Thoroughbred than whose blood flows through his veins. Came Home has shown us that heart, raw talent, and the will to be great can overshadow any apparent geneological shortcomings.
So, now we know that Came Home defies all logic. We can finally take his pedigree and remove it once and for all from our minds. It doesn't mean a thing. The question now is, is it too late? All the time, we thought we were looking at Clark Kent and couldn't see who was behind the eyeglasses. Can we now enjoy and appreciate the Superman in our midst in the short time we have left with him?
I for one am sure going to try.