Whisper it, but the ‘D-word’ is on our microshare owner’s lips as his pride and joy Caldera moves into the big league in Sunday’s Sunland Park Derby
No, hell did not freeze over, as far as I know. There have been no reports of pigs flying or ants singing opera either. Despite none of these things happening (a frozen hell is still on the table, of course) a horse in which I own a microshare under the MyRacehorse banner, Caldera, won a race.
I have, in earlier instalments of View From The Rail, shared my microshare ownership woes: zero-for-four, two horses sidelined for health issues, one sidelined for mental issues, and one posting a one-for-18 record, his lone win coming after the son-of-a-b … excuse me … the horse was claimed away from my stable.
Caldera broke his maiden third time out, at Oaklawn Park. Not that big a deal for most three-year-olds, except that the trainer in this case, Wayne Lukas, has been using the ‘D-word’ in connection with Caldera before he ever ran.
His belief is such that Caldera isn’t going in an obligatory allowance race but the $400,000 Sunland Park Derby at the New Mexico track on Sunday, a Listed stakes with 20 qualifying points for the slightly more famous ‘D-word’ race. Be still, my beating heart.
Hopeful? Optimistic? Heck, he’s only just broken his maiden, but I like this spot Lukas has chosen for him rather than the Rebel Stakes, which had also been mentioned. Caldera’s jockey Rafael Bejarano is committed to another horse in the Rebel, which thankfully takes place a week after the Sunland Park Derby.
There’s competition, for sure, but not a big field like the Rebel. Caldera is also coming out of the nine-hole with nobody to his right, just like his last race.
Fourth choice on the morning line
He is the fourth choice on the morning line at 5-1. The big favorite is 9-5 shot Getaway Car, trained (gulp) by Bob Baffert. That horse already has a G3 win under his girth, has run Equibase speed figures in the 90s all five starts since breaking his maiden, and his daddy is Curlin. They were thinking of the Saudi Derby for him but here he is in New Mexico.
Second-choice at 7-2 is Touchy, trained by Wesley Ward. I believe he’s getting support since it’s only been a month and a half since the horse was a two-year-old. (Serious punters know Ward’s genius with the babies.)
Third-choice is McKinzie Street, who worries me a bit. All four of his starts since breaking his maiden have been in graded stakes, including second place in the G1 Del Mar Futurity in September when he earned a 100 Equibase speed figure. Last time out in the G2 San Vicente at Santa Anita, however, he was last in a five-horse field.
Okay, so this is Caldera’s first stakes, but it’s not always what a horse wins as much as how he does it. I don’t know how many ‘hands’ he stands or what he weighs, but he ain’t small. He’s built like a football fullback who glides like a lithe halfback.
In his maiden special weight win at Oaklawn, a two-turn mile-sixteenth contest, he broke eagerly from the gate and beat everybody to the rail and the lead. He showed the way down the backstretch, striding easily while those close to him looked frantic to keep up. (Ownership can possibly produce exaggeration.)
He cruised effortlessly around the far turn, propelled by what looks like an abnormally long stride. Bejarano shook the reins at the top of the stretch just to get him into a higher gear, in case the pack began to close (not a chance) and maybe to prepare him for races against stiffer competition – such as Sunday’s Sunland affair.
Triple Crown speculation
Down the stretch, being all alone on the lead apparently agreed with him, and he galloped out like he wanted to go around the track again. It was the kind of romp to warrant Lukas’s Triple Crown speculation. Caldera led at every call and dusted the field by five and a half lengths going away.
I didn’t see a live broadcast of the race, and that’s probably divine protection for the sake of my health. Watching the replay, I was numb. Seeing a horse in whom I have a share crossing the line first was like a cow approaching a new gate or a dog with a new bowl. I saw it, but wasn’t sure about what to do.
I did have one reaction that will sound ridiculous. Way ahead of the pack down the stretch, Caldera decided to check out the dirt towards the middle of the track, going about as far as the three-path. Knowing both the outcome and the ways of youthful Thoroughbreds, I thought “how adorable, oh those crazy kids!”
That’s what a horse you own can do to you no matter the fraction of ownership, which, for me, is probably around 1/3000th of him. The performance made me a convert to belief in the law of averages applying to microshare ownership. Five horses?! One of them had to be able to run.
Caldera is a MyRacehorse purchase out of the Ocala Breeders’ Sale for two-year-olds in March 2024. The fractional ownership purveyor has been uncanny at picking horses. Most recently, Seize The Grey won last year’s Preakness, and he shares the same sire, Liam’s Map, with Caldera.
Portent of good things
Authentic, who won the Kentucky Derby and Breeders’ Cup Classic in 2020 and was Horse of the Year, is also a MyRacehorse buy. That kind of success is phenomenal when you consider MyRacehorse began as recently as 2018.
I’m just looking for a win, and I found a portent of good things in Caldera’s future when I took the liberty of using my media pass to walk over to the paddock with him for his first race at Churchill Downs. The good Lord took a little extra time with this horse. He’s a beauty, gray with a black mane and tail.
I noticed something, however, that seals the deal for me: mixed in with the black in his tail were some strands of gold. A gray that can run with gold in his tail will bag some gold in the future. Is not the trophy for the ‘D-word’ gold? I rest my case.
After watching him win that maiden with that fluid, unforced stride, I can visualize my horse winning on Sunday.
But what if he loses?
Not a chance.
• Visit the Sunland Park website and the MyRacehorse website
• View previous articles in our View from the Rail series
Ken Snyder: From little acorns grow mighty oaks – but never mind the Oaks, what about the Derby?
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