Aside from training horses capable of winning, the trainer has to enter horses where they have a chance of winning, not only for themselves, but for the owners, those that are either brave enough, or foolish enough to enjoy the game at the ownership level. As I've often quoted Bobby B., who when asked why hasn't he and his long-time friend Richie Pressman gone in together and co-owned a horse replied, "It's bad enough one of us has the disease."
Take Barclay Tagg, is perhaps the best trainer not yet to be in Racing Hall of Fame. Sounds like an odd way to compliment someone, but in the Hall or not, Barclay represents the true, smart trainer.
He has conditioned Funny Cide and Tiz the Law to Derby, Preakness and Belmont victories. Funny Cide's two-thirds of a Triple Crown is not nothing. I first started noticing Tagg in the 80s when I was at Saratoga. He always seemed to have a good turf horse. Since his name was Barclay, I always thought he was British. He's not.
He's 82, and is always seen at the track and the winner's circle in a sport coat and tie, definitely the Old School look. He's not above carrying the sponge bucket in the paddock and out to the track. He's a bit taciturn, but that just means he doesn't give his plans away.
At this point, after using many different trainers, Bobby B's buddy Richie is now coupled with Barclay in the training of Step Dancer, a talented 3-year-old turf horse who has shown both promise and disappointment.
Step Dancer has had trouble getting a good start. He's generally spotted the field several lengths just by getting off slowly. And when you're racing 7 furlongs on the turf, getting a bad start doesn't leave a whole lot of time to get back in the race.
But persistency in racing can be rewarded, and this is where the talents of the trainer are so important, to aim the horse for a spot that they have a very good chance of winning.
If you know anything about racing, the conditions of the race create a field of runners who should be competitively matched. There is little sense in entering a race that there is no prospect of winning. Nobody wins.
Step Dancer won early as 2-year-old, showing great promise for when they turned three. He won at a terrific mutuel first time out, then won the black type Awad Stakes. Step Dancer was rested in Florida for the winter and turned out for what was hoped to be a continuation of his winnings ways. It didn't happen.
Disappointment followed the horse. Getting an inattentive start immediately put Step Dancer behind the eight ball. Three-year-old career? No wins.
Then along comes the $150,000 New York Stallion race, for 3-year-olds at a mile on the turf at Saratoga.
The New York Breeding program was started by Governor Carey, and has made upstate New York a breeding ground for decent thoroughbreds. Wednesday's 3rd race at Saratoga sounded like a race for New York Breds, but there was a twist. It was not a routine State Bred Race.
The Stallion Series, with this race being named after the Cotton Club entertainer Cab Calloway, who was often seen at the races, had conditions that created eligibility if a horse's sire had been nominated for the Stallion Series. This is where a good trainer can excel. They have to know when their charge might qualify for a lucrative race based on their breeding.
In Step Dancer's case, his sire War Dancer had been nominated for the series, with the owner of War Front getting a Breeders' award if an offspring of War Dancer were to win the race. Their reward would be 5% of the $150,000 purse.
Stake races have nominating fees, entry fees and starting fees, monies that are all added to the initial value of the race. A trainer's office is also an administrative hub. They need to make the payments in order to keep their horse eligible for the future race. Thus Step Dancer, by virtue of being foaled by a sire whose breeder has nominated War Dancer for the New York Stallion Series, earns the breeder 5% of the purse if a War Dancer offspring wins.
Thus, Step Dancer became eligible for a $150,000 stakes race, a restricted race, based on the sire's nomination. Barclay kept his eye on the Condition Book, where the racing secretary lays out various criteria for races the track hopes to fill.
The odds maker decidedly did not rate Step Dancer as an outsider. He was installed as the favorite at 2-1, even as his 124 pounds gave as much as six pounds in weight to some rivals. He moved to 8/5 and was on the board at when the gates opened at 7/5. He was not overlooked. He was expected to do well.
Step Dancer broke a little better this time, 7th of the 8 horses, and pretty much was in the second tier around the Clubhouse turn and backstretch. Coming down the stretch, catching the front runner Dreamer's Disease seemed like it wasn't going to happen. Step Dancer was not going to win, again...until...he just kept coming, straight as an arrow with dead aim on Dreamer's Disease.
Step Dancer ranged up alongside inside the sixteenth pole, and just passed Dreamer's Disease going away to win by a neck. Dylan Davis had guided the horse perfectly to the wire.
Dylan is the son of jockey Robbie Davis, who was an excellent turf jockey. Because this was a mile turf race at Saratoga , it was two turns. And two turns just might be what gives Step Dancer the feel to excel in the stretch. His last quarter was in :22.1, a very fast final quarter. The final time was a pedestrian 1:35 4/5, but the last quarter had to have earned Step Dancer a mid-80s Beyer. Just guessing.
Step Dancer hit 7/5 on the board when the gates opened, and wound up paying $4.90 to win. Richie's horses are no longer long shots. But a bet that's placed that pays out is always a good bet.
No one ever has to be asked to smile in the winner's circle, and this was festive. Richie Pressman owns 50% of the horse with Diamond M. Stable, which put a party of people in the photo. There was a trophy for the owner.
Barclay Tagg was interviewed by Acacia Courtney after the race and was asked what you might expect: "Will Step Dancer go in an open race next?"
Barclay, who never gives much away, replied with what any good trainer should say. "We'll put him where I think he can win."
I know I'll be rooting for him.
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