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Da Hoss by Tammy Siters 
It was November 4, 1998 at Churchill Downs, with the impossible suddenly looking possible.
When Da Hoss stuck his bay nose in front, then lost the lead to Hawksley Hill before
battling back to win by a nose at the wire, a full range of emotions electrified the
crowd. It wasn't just a great horse race, it was something more. It was the crowning
moment of glory not only in Da Hoss' life, but also those who surrounded him. It wasn't
even just the fact that he had become one of only four horses to win more than one
Breeders' Cup race. It was so much more in the life of a small Thoroughbred gelding
no one thought much of at first. One plagued by injuries -- many injuries. And one small
Thoroughbred gelding who had the heart to overcome all by winning the 1998 Breeders'
Cup Mile (G1) after just one race in two years.
Da Hoss was foaled on January 18, 1992, at Issam Fares' Fares Farm in Lexington Kentucky. Fares had purchased the mare Jolly Saint (Welsh Saint-Jolly Widow by Busted), a stakes winner in both Ireland and the U.S., at the 1991 Keeneland November Sale for $80,000 while carrying Da Hoss. Da Hoss' sire, Gone West (Mr Prospector-Secrettame by Secretariat) was a Grade 1 winner, but not yet making his mark as a stallion. Gone West, now a leading sire, stands for a reported $150,000 fee at Mill Ridge Farm here in Kentucky. Jolly Saint was sold for $100,000 at the Keeneland November sale to John R. Gaines Thoroughbreds, before she was sold to Japanese interests in 1997 and died there earlier this year at age 18. Da Hoss was consigned by Fares' Farm to the 1993 Keeneland September Yearling Sale where he was sold to trainer Kevin Eikleberry on behalf of Wall Street Racing Stable. He was the lowest priced Gone West yearling that year. In November 1993, Da Hoss was up for sale again, this time consigned by Drennan Ranch as agent in the 1993 Arizona Thoroughbred breeder's Association fall mixed sale, but he was bought back for $13,000. The next year, Da Hoss entered the racing world. He raced three times, winning all three, the latter his first stakes race, the A.T.B.A. Sales Stakes. He ran the six furlongs in 1:07 1/5, which is believed to be a world record for a two-year-old. Wall Street Racing then sold 85% of Da Hoss to brothers Art, Jack, and J.R. Preston (Prestonwood Farm) in early February 1995 and Da Hoss would race the rest of his career for those two parties. He also got new trainer Michael Dickinson. Da Hoss raced much of 1995 on the dirt. He ran 2nd in the Illinois Derby (G2), Gotham (G2), and Swaps (G2) stakes, and Pegasus Handicap (G2). He did have a win in the Best Turn Stakes (G3) on the dirt, but he showed better form on the turf by winning the Jersey Derby (G2-T) and Del Mar Invitational Derby (G2-T), and running 3rd in the G1 Hollywood Derby. Da Hoss also attempted the Breeders' Cup Sprint (G1), but unable to handle the footing, he finished 13th and last under jockey Jerry Bailey. Da Hoss recorded 10 starts for the year, winning four, running second four times and placing third once, with career earnings now totaling $664,040. 1996 would bring Da Hoss and his crew to new heights. He returned to racing on July 4th where he finished 3rd in the Poker Handicap (G3-T), then shortly after won the Fourstardave Stakes (G3-T) and the Pennsylvania Governor's Cup. Da Hoss was forced into a respite due to lameness, and finally returned with a 3rd in the Kelso Handicap (G3-T). At this point, Da Hoss had never won a Grade 1 race, let alone anything of the caliber of the Breeders' Cup but his trainer was not deterred. They headed to Woodbine Racetrack in Canada, host of that year's Breeders' Cup, full of confidence. Da Hoss would become a sidenote like virtually everyone else at Woodbine in 1996; megastar Cigar was racing for the last time in the Breeders' Cup Classic. No one paid much attention to the "mad genius", Michael Dickinson, who wanted everything perfect for Da Hoss, right down to the exact path jockey Gary Stevens should take his horse. Together with his partner Joan Wakefield, Dickinson walked the course over and over, Wakefield attired in high heels to see just how the footing was. Dickinson drew a map for Stevens: drop immediately to the rail, stay inside down the backstretch and the turn, then angle outside down the stretch. The plan worked. Da Hoss was 9th after the 1/4, then 3rd behind just 1 1/2 lengths at the 1/2. He moved into 2nd by the 3/4 point before making a move off the rail and around Kiridashi to sweep to the lead. Spinning World (who would win the 1997 Mile) came late but could not threaten the winner. Da Hoss won by 1 1/2 lengths in a good time of 1:35 4/5 over "good" turf. Things then fell apart for Da Hoss as he was plagued by injury after injury. Some of the injuries stemmed from injuries suffered early on in life. As a yearling, a piece of gravel got imbedded in his right front foot and became infected, and vets had to scrape away part of his coffin bone. As a two-year-old, he developed bone spurs of both hocks which later developed arthritis. He would often overuse other parts of his body to take pressure off those problems, which in turn made more problems. He missed all of 1997 with three separate injuries. In early 1998, things looked good for Da Hoss. He had breezed 10 times and needed only two more to race; he was almost ready. Then, suddenly, he had another devastating injury, this time a tendon. Reports of Da Hoss' scans were described as looking like a lit up Christmas tree. Dickinson took painstaking care of his gelding, carefully returning him to easy training. A buzz went about the racing world when Da Hoss was listed as a possible starter in a few upcoming races. Two were selected -- the Cliffhanger Handicap on October 9th at the Meadowlands and an allowance race at Belmont on October 10th. Thinking ahead, Dickinson called racing secretary Lenny Hale at Colonial Downs and asked him to write a race for Da Hoss. When the first two races came off the turf because of rain, Dickinson shipped Da Hoss to Virginia to run in the 1 1/16 mile allowance race Hale had written. Da Hoss won easily by 3/4 of a length. Da Hoss breezed twice more at his home base, Dickinson's Tapeta Farm, before flying to Churchill Downs to defend his title in the Breeders' Cup Mile. No one gave Da Hoss a chance considering his nearly two year layoff and single allowance prep. The field for The Mile was filled with talent. The strong European contingent consisted of Desert Prince, Cape Cross, Second Empire, Fly to the Stars, Among Men and Wacky Nao. Also set to run was reigning Horse of the Year, Favorite Trick, who had found new life on the turf as a three-year-old. Other talents included Hawksley Hill, Labeeb, Military, Magellen, and Mr. Lightfoot. These were the best milers in the world, not an allowance at Colonial Downs -- Da Hoss was thought to be no threat to win in this company. Even the gelding's old racing partner Gary Stevens didn't believe, choosing instead to ride Among Men. Dickinson played the part of the cat who swallowed the canary to anyone who paid attention; Dickinson publicly bet Steven's agent $1,000 that Da Hoss would finish ahead of Among Men. The agent took the bet, and John Velazquez was named to ride Da Hoss. Favorite Trick broke sharply and went right to the lead. Fly to the Stars' saddle slipped forward, giving his rider little control, and he pushed Favorite Trick thru fractions of :23 2/5 and :46 2/5. Favorite Trick still held the lead after 3/4 in 1:10 4/5, but he was tiring. Da Hoss, meanwhile was stalking in 5th, just two lengths behind. As they hit the stretch, Da Hoss stuck his nose in front and kicked for home. Hawksley Hill, though, was rolling on the outside, and charged at Da Hoss, briefly pulling ahead. Da Hoss was up to the challenge, dug in and battled back, crossing the wire in first as race announcer Tom Durkin exclaimed, "This is the greatest comeback since Lazarus!" Da Hoss was put back on the shelf, with Dickinson stating that he and his gutsy charge would be back for one race in 1999, an attempt at a third Breeders' Cup Mile title. But another comeback wasn't to be when Da Hoss' degenerative hock disease made it too much to ask of the gelding. Da Hoss was retired in mid-October to Prestonwood Farm. Shortly after, Da Hoss was sent to the Kentucky Horse Park to live a leisurely retirement at the Breeds Barn, representing the very finest qualities of the Thoroughbred -- heart, class, and the will to win despite adversity. |