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Sadly, my Form was in mint condition, though you have to wonder if the same can be said about Boule d'Or. As Marcus Hersh said in his notes, "if a 7yo one-time graded stakes horse dropping in class three weeks after an open-lengths win does not raise red flags, then nothing will." Since that win in March, the seven year-old was freshened until May where he resurfaced at 2-1 in the G2 Jim Murray Memorial Handicap finishing fourth, well beaten by On The Acorn who nosed out Champs Elysees for the win. Yes, that Champs Elysees.
Back on the shelf and come July, Boule d'Or leads the pack around the track for most of the 1 1/2 mile G2 Sunset Handicap before fading to finish sixth, beaten only five and a half lengths. Perhaps the old Irish horse has lost a step, as his next four races dropped him down the claiming ranks from $50K to $16K - though he finished in the money each time, even winning his November 29th effort convincingly. Apparently not convincingly enough, as here he is on a Thursday afternoon dropped in for $12.5K despite having earned nearly $600K in 54 career races.
As post time drew near, Boule d'Or was bet down to even money and along with my $2 Win bet, I decided that I should use him in an exactor with Bullya. I then put another $2 on the rolling double with Victory Pete in the seventh race.
As expected, Bullya went to the lead as Clinton Potts tried to steal the race on the front end with slow fractions of 24.38, 48.37 and 1:12.33. Boule d'Or, with Michael Baze in the irons, stalked the pace never more than two lengths from the lead. As they turned into the stretch a long hard struggle ensued. The smooth stride that won the G2 San Luis Rey Handicap was more laboured in this race, but class and determination pushed the old man ever closer to Bullya. With strong urging from Baze, Boule d'Or hit the wire a length in front finishing the 1 1/16 race in 1:43.44. The Win bet paid $4 and the 4-8 Exactor was worth another $4.50. Victory Pete easily won the seventh race for a 4-1 Daily Double of $10.
My thirty minutes of handicapping paid modest dividends, but it didn't really sit well with me. Boule d'Or is still a few more drops away from being on the Top Bunk List, but it made me wonder if betting on and making money from the race, makes me a part of the problem. It could be that Boule d'Or is in perfect health and simply slowing down. It could be that the owners have plans to use the $12,160 of purse money to retire Boule d'Or. Most of the horse owners I've had the pleasure to meet genuinely care for their athletes. I have no reason to believe otherwise in this case. But $12.5K is quite the drop from a G2. I just don't know.
What I do know, is that hours later I still didn't feel quite right about things. So, I've rounded up my $18.50 of winnings to an even $20 and will mail out a cheque to the Long Run Thoroughbred Retirement Society. Consider it a small contribution to the RRSP plan on behalf of Boule d'Or.
5 comments:
Kudos for doing something positive with your winnings. And I hope you are right about his owners and Boule d'Or is retired long before he ever qualifies for the "Top Bunk List".
Hey Keith! Great post and exactly the type of problem I see with claiming races for these good horses. Watching this horse fall down the ranks quickly certainly makes one wonder what's going on... then it makes you ask "are his people doing the right thing". I sure hope so and I sure hope they are asking themselves that same question.
Thanks for reading Linda and Wendy...
I too hope the horse finds his healthy level - or a proper retirement.
Only the owners really know for sure what is going on with him.
Thanks for posting this, Keith. And thanks for deciding to make that donation - that decision is huge! Is it inappropriate for me to call the trainer and/or owner to ask how the horse is in view of the low claiming tag? Any possibility of a rule coming down from the NTRA or AAEP task forces that the stewards and track vet need to be advised by the trainer when the trainer enters a horse that has dropped so fast - the information provided would have to include the reason for the drop and "certified" 3rd party veterinary records for the horse?
Hi Charlie,
I've added Boule d'Or to my DRF watch list to see where he's entered next.
It seems to me that the owner's are doing their best to lose the horse. They claimed him for $50K in January and have done quite well with their short-term investment.
With regard to new rules, the people over at Alex Brown Racing are most up-to-date on what's coming down the pipe. Your suggestion makes a lot of sense to me!
Keith
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