Breeding can wait
He’s not the first to B ALTIMORE address the subject of horse racing losing its stars to the breeding shed, but Anthony Bonomo might be next in line to become the face of the issue as the owner of Kentucky Derby winner Always Dreaming.
For now, Bonomo’s focus is on Saturday’s Preakness Stakes. But he admits to looking ahead and is excited about the possibility of racing Always Dreaming beyond 2017.
“I think it’s good for the sport if we can let the horses stay around and not get enticed by the ( breeding) rewards,” Bonomo said. “Why not give him one more year if we can?”
Only two of the last seven Kentucky Derby winners have raced beyond their 3-year-old campaigns — 2014 winner California Chrome, who retired in January, and 2011 winner Animal Kingdom.
Bonomo said he understood the need to get 2015 Triple Crown winner American Pharoah into the breeding business as soon as possible but added that fans lose out because of those decisions.
“We always lose our stars,” he said. “People don’t really know who owns them. They really get attracted to the horse and his name. In most sports, (the stars) stick around. Derek Jeter had a great career, right? In horse racing, that doesn’t happen. Your stars disappear, and every year you’re looking to create the next star.”
Bonomo said circumstances surrounding his horse — such as the catchy name and the story of neighborhood buddies getting together to buy horses — should attract fans.
And if Always Dreaming can keep his Triple Crown hopes alive with a victory Saturday, Bonomo thinks the interest in his horse will increase.
“The name, I think, is catchy,” Bonomo said. “Hopefully the name will attract young kids. What are we doing every day in life? We’re always dreaming. For us to be here and say sometimes dreams do come true, it’s a great story.”
Stories of Dad:
As a consultant to Gunnevera trainer Antonio Sano, former trainer Larry Kelly has relished the opportunity this week to tell stories about his late father, T.J., a Hall of Fame trainer who grew up in nearby Pikesville, Md
T.J. Kelly died in 2013 at 93. He trained such notable horses as King ’s Bishop, Noble Dancer II and Plugged Nickle and saddled six in the Preakness, including 1961 runner-up Globemaster.
“The quickest way to the Maryland Country Club, where my dad was a caddie, was to jump the fence at Pimlico,” Larry Kelly said. “He and my uncle (Eddie) were put to work as hotwalkers. Their father died young, and they had to support the family.”
Larry Kelly started a horse transport business once his training career ended in 2000, and Sano became one of his clients. Kelly was at the wheel last August when Gunnevera traveled to New York for the Saratoga Special. Since then, Kelly has been a stable representative for Sano.
“It’s been talked about that I’m a consultant, but I don’t think it is as much that as being familiar with the different tracks, which, in some cases, trainers might not be,” said Kelly, who served in the same role at Churchill Downs before the Kentucky Derby. “Track surfaces, vets, places to stay — everything that is included in a move — I help with.”
Big Friday:
Friday’s card at Pimlico includes four graded stakes, led by the $250,000, Grade 2 Black-Eyed Susan (4:50 p.m. ET post time) for 3year-old fillies. Todd Pletchertrained Moana is the 4-1 morning-line favorite. She’s 1-1-0 in two career starts, breaking her maiden in her last start April 14 at Keeneland.
The $300,000, Grade 3 Pimlico Special (2:39 p.m. post) for 3year-olds and up will feature 4-5 morning-line favorite Shaman Ghost. Trained by Jimmy Jerkens, Shaman Ghost enters off a victory in the Santa Anita Handicap on March 11.