Always Dreaming roared into the stretch in the Kentucky Derby with a mob of horses chasing behind him. Mud sprayed up from his hooves in all directions as he wildly set sail for the wire. Victory was just ahead, and Always Dreaming had it in his sights. The stampede of horses left in his wake tried everything they could to run him down, but it simply wasn't enough. Extending his brilliant stride, Always Dreaming soared down the stretch to claim the roses, and carve his name into history as the 143rd Kentucky Derby champion.
There were high hopes for Always Dreaming after his scintillating score in the Kentucky Derby. After all, the young horse had managed to accomplish a lot in a very short amount of time, suggesting that he was something special. After struggling to break his maiden as a two-year-old, Always Dreaming had an enormous breakthrough at the age of three. In his seasonal debut, Always Dreaming obliterating his competition in a maiden race at Tampa Bay Downs, romping away to win by 11 1/2 lengths. There was no denying the fact that Always Dreaming had finally found his stride. His passion for running and his desire to win had come to life, and there was no looking back.
Always Dreaming followed up his breathtaking maiden win with a victory in an optional-claiming allowance race at Gulfstream Park. It was the beginning of March at that point, and Always Dreaming was dramatically behind his peers in both experience, and Derby points. With the first Saturday in May looming in the horizon, Always Dreaming would only get one chance to prove that he belonged. That chance came in the Grade I, Florida Derby, where he proved once and for all that he had the skill to run with the elite.
Always Dreaming dominated his rivals in the Florida Derby, running away to win by five crushing lengths. His blazing final time for the 1 1/8 mile test came in 1:47.47, making his victory the fastest Florida Derby since the legendary Alydar won it in 1978. The ease of his win, combined with his flashy margin of victory and astonishing time established Always Dreaming as a legitimate Kentucky Derby contender. The plucky bay went on to make his connection's dreams of roses become reality on that fateful day in May. However, despite his obvious talent and endless speed, Always Dreaming has not been to the winner's circle since.
It didn't quite look right seeing Always Dreaming finish 8th in the Preakness, 3rd in the Jim Dandy, and 9th in the Travers Stakes. He had been untouchable earlier that season, with an obsessive drive to win. It was almost as if he wasn't the same horse. After all, a horse that has the class and ability to win a race as major and difficult as the Kentucky Derby, in what was only his second stakes race ever, is clearly not your average thoroughbred. It takes a serious athlete to pull off such a feat, and it didn't make sense to see that same horse act so flatfooted. Concerned with his uncharacteristic performances, Always Dreaming's connections decided to have him evaluated at Rood & Riddle Equine Hospital. It was there that the vets solved the mystery as to why Always Dreaming wasn't himself. The colt was suffering from a serious case of stomach ulcers, one of the worst cases the team had ever seen.
The painful stomach ulcers that Always Dreaming had been plagued with undoubtedly contributed to his lackluster performances. Running in any race with painful stomach ulcers has to be difficult, but to compete in major stakes races against top competition while dealing with such an ailment had to be downright unbearable. The colt was given a much needed break after the discovery was made, and has since made a full recovery. With a clean bill of health and an unfinished story on the track, Always Dreaming will now be back full force for a four-year-old campaign.
While the stomach ulcers are likely the main culprit to Always Dreaming's string of bad races in 2017, it will still be up to him to come back and prove that he truly is his old self again. Based on the way he has been training, it is safe to say that there is a very real chance of him returning to his top form. Since returning to the track, Always Dreaming has been showing glimmers of hope to those around him, flashing the same speed and enthusiasm in his workouts that he showed before he won the Kentucky Derby. It is obvious that Always Dreaming is feeling fantastic, as each of his workouts has looked better than the last. Always Dreaming wasn't even expected to race until later in the spring, but he has been training so well that his connections couldn't help but start his season sooner. The horse wants to run, and on Saturday, he will get his wish in the Grade II, Gulfstream Park Mile.
If Always Dreaming carries the same gusto and energy into the Gulfstream Park Mile that he has been flashing in his workouts, the other horses better watch out. It is never easy to win a stakes race after such a long layoff, but Always Dreaming appears loaded and ready to strike when the starting gates open. As Always Dreaming heads to post on Saturday, keep in mind that this is the same horse that once won four races in a row, two of which were major Grade I events. This is the horse that swept to glory on both wet tracks and fast tracks, at distances ranging from 1 mile and 40 yards, to the testing distance of 1 1/4 miles. Always Dreaming is a serious racehorse that once possessed shades of greatness. The same power that he used to storm to glory at Churchill Downs is still inside of him somewhere, bringing nothing but hope and promises for his return. For now, the dream is still very alive for Always Dreaming to return to his place among the elite. We will soon see if he still has what it takes to make dreams come true, once again.
Be sure to follow me on Twitter! https://twitter.com/Down2TheWire_
Komentarze