This is the time of year when a lot of horses hang up the saddle and retire. I am always looking ahead at what's next in life, and at the end of the year I often wonder how the three year old crop will turn out as older horses, since it is right around the corner. A lot of horses mature with age, so I find it very exciting to see how dramatically some of them will improve. Take Gun Runner for example. He was a fine three year old. Always gallant, always ran in the big races, always put forth a solid effort. He was a very good horse. But as a four year old he became an absolute monster, and now he's a Breeders' Cup champion. It's amazing what a difference one year can make. And that's exactly why it's so sad to see so many three years olds retiring now.
Some of the horses from this year's crop of three year olds had to retire for their health and safety, but others seem to be retiring even though they're just reaching the top of their game. It can be very frustrating to see such promising young horses end their careers when there is still so much more left to them. It leaves you wondering exactly how great they could have been. To name a few, so far we have lost Classic Empire to retirement, Practical Joke, and Battle of Midway, who was just coming into top form. It will be disappointing not having them on the track in 2018, but there is one horse that will be returning to the track that I'm very happy about. That horse is Kentucky Derby winner, Always Dreaming, and he has been a personal favorite of mine from the very beginning.
I am so glad that Always Dreaming will be returning to the races in 2018 because this horse has some unfinished business, in my opinion. He was on top of the world in the beginning of spring, swiftly putting away every foe that dared to challenge him. I had been following this colt for quite some time. As I have mentioned in previous blog posts, I like to study pedigrees as a hobby, and when I saw Always Dreaming in the Keeneland September Yearling Sale back in 2015, I was mesmerized by his bloodlines. I always expected him to be a good one, but when he had his breakout win at Tampa Bay back in January, I knew then that he was my pick for the Kentucky Derby and quickly made some future wagers on the colt. Was I being biased because I liked his breeding? Sure, I was a little bit. But when I saw the striking way that he propelled himself over the ground when he won, I knew that I wasn't just imagining things as a fan. This colt was the real deal.
I couldn't stop singing the praises of Always Dreaming after seeing him break his maiden by 11 1/2 lengths at Tampa Bay. While others were high on horses like Gunnevera, McCraken, Irish War Cry, or Classic Empire, who were already establishing Derby points, my heart was set on the maiden winner. I was in the feed store that I work at one evening shortly after Always Dreaming broke his maiden when Mary, one of our loyal customers and avid racing fans came in. "I know it's early in the year, but who is your top Derby horse right now?" she asked. Without hesitation I looked right at her and said "Always Dreaming". She thought about it for a second before asking "who is that?". I quickly brought her up to date on who he is and how I had this colt on my radar for so long, and why I thought he had what it took to win the roses. She agreed that he sounded promising, and while she stuck with her pick at the time, Gunnevera, she agreed that Always Dreaming was one to keep an eye on.
Always Dreaming went on to score in an Allowance race in his second start of the year. Todd Pletcher was bringing him along slowly, and I trusted his method. Shortly after his win in the Allowance race, it was announced that Always Dreaming would make his next appearance in the Florida Derby. I could not wait to see what he could do against a higher level of competition. I had a lot of faith in this colt and wanted to see him rise to the top.
There was a lot on the line for Always Dreaming in the Florida Derby. It was a big step up in class for the tenacious young colt, and his first try in stakes company involved taking on a salty field of his more experienced peers. Not to mention, this would be his last and only chance to earn those coveted points to qualify for the Kentucky Derby. If Always Dreaming didn't run first or second, his Derby dreams were over. However, Always Dreaming appeared dauntless as he loaded into the starting gate for the G1 event. He looked like a horse that knew exactly what he was doing.
Brimming with confidence, Always Dreaming tracked the speedy Three Rules, blazing down the track with complete gusto. When Always Dreaming decided it was time to take command, it was all over from there. No one stood a chance as the nimble bay lengthened out his stride and took off. With a powerful acceleration, Always Dreaming left his competition in the dust, drawing away to win by five convincing lengths. His final time of 1:47.47 was the fastest Florida Derby since 1978, when the legendary Alydar cruised to victory in the race. I believed it before and I believed it now more then ever. Always Dreaming was going to be the one horse this year to be cloaked in roses.
They say that a racehorse is the only animal that can take thousands of people for a ride at the same time, and that saying is certainly true. In the wake of the Always Dreaming's big win, Derby fever began to overcome my circle of fellow horse lovers. Mary, and now her partner in crime, Carol, were singing the praises of Always Dreaming every time they would stop by the feed store to see me. In fact, Mary was so pumped up about this horse's chances of scoring big that she would say to every customer that came into the store "Remember the name, Always Dreaming! He's going to be the Kentucky Derby winner! I mean it!". She was fully on his bandwagon with me now. It was fun watching Always Dreaming turn into what he was, and the fact that I had followed him from the start made things even more thrilling. However, at this point, we weren't alone in our confidence in this colt. Racing fans everywhere were starting to believe in him along with us. The intrepid beast had made himself known, and with his final prep out of the way, there was just one more race to focus on. My belief in the Always Dreaming remained unwavering as the race drew closer. I wanted more than anything to see a horse that I followed since he was a yearling to etch his name into history as a Kentucky Derby winner.
As we all know by now, Always Dreaming did win the Kentucky Derby. He was riding high on his four race winning streak. He looked to be an unstoppable force who could run down any horse that tried to stand in his way. A lot of people thought that he had what it takes to go on to become something greater than a Kentucky Derby winner. A lot of people believed that he could take the whole thing, and win the elusive Triple Crown.
As dominating as Always Dreaming had been in his four previous starts, he could do no better than eighth in the Preakness Stakes. It was a shocking finish that left Always Dreaming fans in dismay. It was simply odd to see a horse that previously cruised to victory in one of the most prestigious races in the world, come up so empty. Two weeks before, Always Dreaming took on nineteen of the finest thoroughbreds in the world and beat them all. Not a single horse could catch him. Now the tables were turned, and he was the one who had been run off his feet.
Always Dreaming took a little break after his disappointing run in the Preakness. When he returned to the races, he took on the Preakness winner, Cloud Computing once again. The two were facing off in the Jim Dandy Stakes at Saratoga. Always Dreaming ended up beating Cloud Computing, but he didn't exactly win either. He finished third. A third place finish is an improvement from his eighth place run in the Preakness, but Always Dreaming just didn't look like himself. He was well beaten, showing no signs of his former glory. It was mind boggling and upsetting to see. This horse was the Kentucky Derby winner for crying out loud. He was supposed to beat these horses.
Always Dreaming met inglorious defeat once again in his next start, the Travers Stakes. Many people were hoping for the colt to find redemption in this race, but instead he finished worse than ever before, ending up in ninth place. It didn't make any sense. This horse had once shown signs of brilliance. He once possessed devestating
speed and unyielding stamina. He was once a horse that pulverized his rivals, displaying an urgent need to win. Now he couldn't even pick his feet up. It was like he wasn't the same horse.
No matter what, I was still a fan of Always Dreaming. I had followed him for so long, and I wasn't about to back away from him now. He was the Kentucky Derby winner, after all, and nothing will ever take that away from him. It is a title that few will ever own, and it is one to be respected. I wanted to see him return to his former glory, but for whatever reason, he just wasn't getting there. At the rate he was going, I expected him to end up retired.
After his defeat in the Travers, Always Dreaming was sent to WinStar Farm to take a much deserved vacation from racing. Upon his arrival to the farm, Always Dreaming received a physical evaluation from Rood & Riddle. Everything appeared to be in good order, that is, until they looked in his stomach. It was discovered that Always Dreaming had a pretty severe case of stomach ulcers. In fact, they were so bad that Dr. Steve Reed of Rood & Riddle reported them as being one of the worst cases of stomach ulcers he had ever come across. Amazingly, the regal thoroughbred had not shown any signs or symptoms of having stomach ulcers, so the news came as a surprise to his team. Luckily, his ailment was very treatable, and after a while, the pesky ulcers cleared up and went away. With the ulcers gone, it was announced that Always Dreaming would return to training for a 2018 campaign.
The fact that Always Dreaming was suffering from stomach ulcers explains a lot. He was too good of a horse to run the way that he was. Now we know that there was a legitimate reason for his lackluster performances and we have a lot to look forward to with his return. Does this mean he will come back to his best form? Not exactly. There is no way to know for sure until he runs. But there is a good chance that he will. He is given the chance to come back and show the world what he's made of. Instead of retiring to stud like so many of his peers, Always Dreaming gets a chance to finish what he left behind and reclaim his glory. Maybe he'll regain his awe inspiring winning kick that thundered him to victory under the Twin Spires, or maybe he won't. Only time will tell. For now I am going to keep dreaming that the old Always Dreaming is still in there, ready to come out. After all, what is this sport without dreams?
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