American Classic Pedigrees
  • Home
  • Books
    • American Classic Pedigrees
    • Dream Derby
    • Gold Rush
    • The Kentucky Oaks
    • The Kingmaker
    • Recommended Reading
  • Blogs
    • Mares on Monday
    • Horse Tales
  • Articles
  • Horse Profiles
    • Horse Profiles A-E
    • Horse Profiles F-K
    • Horse Profiles L-Q
    • Horse Profiles R-Z
  • Links
  • About ACP
    • Author
    • For Contributors >
      • Contact

Triple Crown Detour

8/29/2024

0 Comments

 
This week's journey alongside Holy Bull led me through Jimmy Croll's decisions not to enter him in either the Preakness or the Belmont. Obviously, this annoyed the dickens out of Triple Crown purists, especially when the Bull bypassed the Belmont after demolishing older males (including four Grade 1 winners) in the Metropolitan Handicap.

Whether the Bull could have won the Belmont, I don't know. His entry would certainly have changed the complexion of the race, as Go for Gin and Tabasco Cat went 1-2 around the Belmont oval, exchanging their positions in the final quarter-mile. Would either of them have pressed Holy Bull through the early pace, probably a suicidal task that would have set things up for whoever stayed out of the duel? Precedent had certainly been set that a gifted miler could see out the mile and a half if allowed to cruise unmolested---Conquistador Cielo had done just that in 1982 after blowing away the Met Mile just six days earlier, so it's entirely possible that if no one engaged Holy Bull, he could have run off with the race at a distance that he did not "really" stay.

We'll never know what might have been. Croll chose not to risk "squeezing the lemon dry," to borrow from fellow Hall of Fame trainer Horatio Luro's dictum, and the result was a colt who went undefeated through four more races during the season and was ready to go again at 4 before injury cut his brilliant career short. It's hard to argue with that kind of success, even if it meant traveling a road less taken.

0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    Author

    I'm Avalyn Hunter, an author with a passion for Thoroughbreds and a passion for writing and storytelling.

    Archives

    May 2025
    April 2025
    March 2025
    February 2025
    January 2025
    December 2024
    November 2024
    October 2024
    September 2024
    August 2024
    July 2024
    June 2024
    May 2024
    April 2024
    March 2024
    February 2024
    January 2024
    December 2023
    November 2023
    October 2023
    September 2023
    August 2023
    July 2023

    Categories

    All
    Amer. Classic Pedigrees
    An Author's Life
    Book Reviews
    Dream Derby
    Famous Horses
    Writing Topics

© 2014-2025 by Avalyn Hunter. All rights reserved. Contributors' materials remain the property of the copyright owners and are used by permission. For information regarding use or licensure of photographs, please contact the copyright holder.

Home     Books     Articles     Horse Profiles    Hoofprints    Contact    Links