OPINION: Why I Care About State Breds
I had my first taste of racing in 2013 when Orb won the Kentucky Derby. It’s an origin story familiar to many, but it wasn’t until “America’s Horse” California-bred California Chrome captured the nation with his underdog story that I was hooked. After his Triple Crown run, I watched the Breeders’ Cup and Hollywood Derby for the first time.
We all remember the great racehorses of the following years. American Pharoah, Arrogate, Beholder, Songbird, Justify as well as foreigners Enable, Winx and Almond Eye.
It was a joy to watch these racehorses, but I did so from my couch. I grew up in the Air Force, meaning I moved around frequently and during this era I was living in Las Vegas for most of those horses. Far away from any racetrack.
My first trip to a racetrack was during a vacation to San Diego, and thankfully Del Mar was in season. It was a ghost town at Del Mar since I visited on a Thursday and I forced my family to stay for the feature race-- a mile starter allowance on the grass. It was won by California-bred Rye, who went on to win the black type Unusual Heat Turf Classic twice.
It wasn’t until my family settled in Colorado that I could go to the racetrack again. Arapahoe Park is a far cry from Del Mar, but it still allows a fan to hear the thunder of hooves past the wire.
Arapahoe Park’s horse population is a mismatched group of mostly state breds. There’s Colorado of course, Arizona, Nebraska, California, New Mexico and I’ve even seen a South Carolina-bred win here.
They run only a couple months of the year and I make the most of it. It’s small purses, less competitive horses, but I enjoy it.
The big issues most fans have with horse racing, aside from safety, are that we only see the best for a short time. Justify famously had a career which lasted 111 days. Both he and Flightline ran just 6 times. Both are guaranteed to be Hall of Famers.
California Chrome’s career was extended in part due to an injury that derailed his 4-year-old season, but also due to his unfashionable pedigree. The popular Maryland-bred Ben’s Cat had a 7-year career since he was a gelding.
These state breds race.
They are the “old war horse” people say don’t exist anymore. They don’t get swept to the breeding shed because the money and demand isn’t there.
If you have followed me or read my previous blogs, you will know that Colorado-bred Collusionst has dominated the state for the past six years. I’ve watched ‘Chrome, American Pharoah, all these greats but Collusionist will forever be my all-time favorite.
He embodies everything that people say don’t exist: longevity, versatility and dominance.
Sharing the stories of these state breds is a priority of mine. Whether that be by a tweet, retweet or writing blogs. I’ve even tossed around the idea of writing a book including great state breds from all over the country.
There is nothing I find more fun in this sport than scouting state breds to find another Collusionist or California Chrome. I ride along with the connections from the rail or my television hoping that their talented racehorse lives up to expectations.
Unfortunately, once these great state breds retire, they are quickly forgotten about if fans are even aware they have retired. There often is no record left behind of them.
Journalistic coverage is slim, due to lacking nationwide fan interest, meaning their stories aren’t shared the traditional way.
There aren’t many tracks who showcase state breds who release press releases. I’ve yet to stumble across a racetrack who keeps public records of their non-graded stakes winners, meaning in most cases it’s impossible to find the records. Not every racetrack keeps a digital hall-of-fame like Washington and Oklahoma. Nor do they all regularly announce their state bred champions with a digital record, never mind keeping a record of all the champions.
Thus, even if they have lengthy careers, they can be easily ignored or forgotten. The only people who will remember them are those who truly cared about them. And it saddens me.
Many of these state breds are everything fans proclaim doesn’t exist anymore. Except it does. They just don’t run record breaking beyers in million dollar races.
P.S. Here are a few of my favorite active state breds: Collusionist (CO), Desert Dawn (AZ), Whelen Springs (AR), Miss West Code (OK), Touchuponastar (LA), General Shipman (NE), Carmelita’s Man (CA), Aoife’s Magic (PA)..
Photo: Maiden Special Weight at Arapahoe Park won by Colorado-bred Grand Expectations (middle, red cap).
