Horse training a subtle art
John Shirreffs uses rewards, communication
LOUISVILLE, Ky. — More than 165,000 people will turn Churchill Downs upside down Saturday, celebrating the Kentucky Derby by sampling mint juleps and imported beers.
I have identified one visitor guaranteed not to imbibe anything stronger than carrot juice.
That is Gormley, winner of the Santa Anita Derby, assigned Derby post position 18, listed at 15-1 in the morning line, a reasonable threat at a mile and a quarter for multiple reasons.
Gormley is trained by John Shirreffs, one of four trainers in Saturday’s race with a Derby victory. Gormley is the kind of horse you’d treat to Rainbow Blossom, not Molly Malone’s.
You remember Shirreffs for the jarring Derby upset he scored with Giacomo a dozen years ago, but he’s more than a guy who won with a 50-to-1 colt on the first Saturday in May. Shirreffs trained Zenyatta, the fabulous filly who won 19 of 20 starts and was honored as Horse of the Year in 2009.
Shirreffs believes in legitimate rewards for horses that work hard and pay attention. Zenyatta’s reward was a pint of Guinness beer.
“Zenyatta loved Guinness,” Shirreffs said. “We tried to limit her to one bottle. She’d drink one just like that. Chug it. Put it in her little green bowl and watch it disappear.”
If Guinness and its creamy top was the magic nectar for one of racing’s greatest horses, it is reasonable to expect Shirreffs has offered the Irish stout to other runners.
Gormley was given his pint.
“He didn’t like Guinness,” Shirreffs said.
This is the beverage Gormley prefers, the one that has helped him win four of six races, including three graded stakes, all in California:
A zesty smoothie blended with 20 pounds of carrots, water and one apple.
“There always has to be a reward,” said Shirreffs, who brought his juice machine from Southern California to Barn 42 on the Churchill backstretch.
Shirreffs will turn 72 next month. He has limited his barn to 20 horses because he wants to understand the personality of every horse he trains. He learned the game the old-fashioned way, working on a farm, riding horses and then making his way to the track. He is a former Marine who served in Vietnam, as well as a voracious reader. He is also the only trainer I’ve interviewed who had several iPhone apps he wanted to share. Shirreffs has more trust in his animals than he does in The Racing Form.
“Anything a horse does, if you want them to do it well, they have to find some sort of reward,” he said. “It can be very subtle. It can be a carrot. It can be the rider relaxing, putting his hand on the horse’s neck.
“Anything at all that tells a horse, ‘ You know, you’re doing it right.’ And the horse gets that message. They really do get the message.” You’re certain of that? “Oh, absolutely,” Shirreffs said. “Absolutely. They’re intuitive and they’re always aware of their environment.”
Some guys train by the stopwatch. Some do it the way Woody Stephens and Charlie Whittingham ruled. Some convince owners to empty their pockets for the most expensive yearlings.
Shirreffs will argue there is nothing extraordinary about the way he works but he talks about horses the way others talk about family pets.