Riva Way enjoys retirement at Old Friends

Riva Way keeps the legacy of Meadow Stables alive at Old Friends, with both Secretariat and Riva Ridge on both sides of his pedigree.

Officially, Riva way is by Tinners Way-Yia Yia, by Riva Ridge.

So, on one side of Riva’s pedigree is Secretariat. Riva’s sire, Tinners Way, who is a retiree at Old Friends, is by Secretariat, the 1973 Triple Crown winner.

On the other side of his pedigree is Yia Yia, who is by Riva Ridge, the 1972 Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stake’s winner.

In his career, Riva Way won 11 races, mostly claiming races in the New Jersey-Philadelphia area. In all, Riva finished second three times, eighth eight times and earned $109,915 in 56 career starts.

According to the Old Friends website, “Riva's wins included, three consecutive triumphs at Monmouth Park in 2003.

“... (However), when injuries prevented Riva Way from again racing competitively, he was acquired for Old Friends by Maya de Rosa.”

Now, Riva Ridge, who is my all-time favorite horse, is the reason I originally went to visit Old Friends back in 2008. I went specially to see Riva Way.

In a funny story, on my first visit to Old Friends, Riva Way’s sign was posted on a fence where five geldings lived. Since Riva was the reason for my visit, I asked, “Which one is Riva Way.” The tour guide who was there that day (and who is no longer at Old Friends) said, “I’m sorry. I don’t really know. But, he’s one of those,” and she pointed out to the field where those five horses were grazing.

Two weeks later when I returned to meet Michael Blowen, the founder and owner of Old Friends, he said, “Oh, Riva’s not in that field. He’s down the street at Dr. (Doug) Byar’s farm,” and he then took the time to drive me down the street, where I got to meet Riva, a beautiful chestnut horse who came trotting up to the fence when Michael called his name.

At the time, Riva lived in a huge paddock at Dr. Byar’s farm with two other horses, Cappucino Kid, who currently lives in one of the big paddocks at the back of the main farm, and another sweet little gelding, Bingo, who has since passed away.

No question, Riva is still one of my favorite horses at Old Friends, and I try and make sure that I go visit him as many times as I can when I go up to the farm.

Yesterday, Sunday, Sept. 13, 2015, was one of those days. It was a beautiful, sunny, cool day and I walked up to his paddock and called his name. The grass was extra sweet yesterday, because it took him a little longer to break away and come over to the fence for a visit.

I gave him a few face rubs, a couple handfuls of grass from “the other side of the fence,” and then he went back to his grazing, while I took a few photos, a few of which are shown below.

The four below are from yesterday (Sunday), and the one at the top of the blog is from last year when he was at Nuckols Farm with 20 other geldings while his new paddock was being fenced in.

That photo is one of the best ones I ever took of him and was selected for the cover image of the 2015 Old Friends Calendar – my very first calendar cover photo – which I thought was very fitting since  Riva Way was the horse that originally brought me to Old Friends six years ago.

Hope you will enjoy the photos.

Wise Dan, two-time Horse of the Year, has been retired

He will go down as one of the greatest Thoroughbreds of all time.

Wise Day, two-time Horse of the Year, has been retired, according to an announcement by his trainer, Charlie LoPresti on Monday, Sept. 7, and in articles on BloodHorse.com on Monday and Tuesday, Sept. 7 and 8.

Wise Dan's last race, and his last win, was in the Shadwell Turf Mile (G1T) on Oct. 14, 2014.

Wise Dan runs to victory in the 2014 Shadwell Turf Mile (G1) at Keeneland on Oct. 14, 2014. As history will record, that win turned out to be the final win of his brilliant career. It was announced on Monday, Sept. 7, 2015, that the two-time Horse of the Year has been retired. (Photo by Wendy Wooley/EquiSportPhotos.com)

Then, while preparing for his next race, an injury was detected and he had been sidelined ever since.
Recently, as the injury healed, and the veterinarians gave the okay, LoPresti put the 8-year-old gelding back in training and was slowly working him towards a start in the Woodbine Mile, a race he had won twice on his way to Horse of the Year honors in 2012 and 2013.

The ultimate goal in his comeback was the Breeders' Cup Mile (G1T), a race he had won two times and which would be held at Keeneland, his home track, in October.

Over this past weekend, however, while giving the champion a bath, swelling was detected in his leg that was ultimately diagnosed as a tear on the outside edge of his tendon.

With nothing left to prove, it was decided to retire Wise Dan and not risk any further chance of an injury.

"He's been training lights out," said LoPresti in a BloodHorse.com article on Monday, Sept. 7. "But, we noticed some filling in his tendon this morning when we were giving him a bath. The vet suggested we scan it and it turns out he has a tear on the outside edge of his tendon.

"Mr. (Morton) Fink (owner) and I talked about it and we've all decided he should be retired at his age. There's no point trying to bring him back again. I expect he'll retire to our farm here in Kentucky. He'll be turned out with his brother Successful Dan."

Wise Dan, who is by Wiseman's Ferry-Lisa Danielle, by Wolf Power (SaF), ends his career with 23 wins, two seconds and $7,552, 920 in earnings in 31 career starts. That's a 74 percent winning average.

As for awards, he has many.

In 2012 he won Eclipse Awards as Horse of the Year, Champion Grass Horse and Champion Older Horse. Then, in 2013, he was the repeat winner of all three of those Eclipse Awards.

In both years, he capped those two seasons with wins in the Breeders' Cup Mile (G1T), which were both held at Santa Anita Park.

He also won numerous graded stakes races in his career. They included:
* 2010: the Phoenix Stakes (G3) at Keeneland.
* 2011: the Firecracker Handicap at Churchill Downs, the Fayette Stakes (G2) at Keeneland, and the Clark Handicap (G1) at Churchill Downs.
* 2012: Ben Ali Stakes (G3) at Keeneland, Fourstardave Handicap (G2) at Saratoga, the Woodbine Mile Stakes (G1) at Woodbine, the Shadwell Turf Mile (G1) at Keeneland, and the Breeders' Cup Mile (G1) at Santa Anita.
* 2013: Maker's 41 Mile Stakes (G1) at Keeneland, Woodford Reserve Turf Classic Stakes (G1) at Churchill Downs, Firecracker Stakes (G2) at Churchill, Fourstardave Handicap (G2) at Saratoga, Woodbine Mile Stakes (G1) at Woodbine, and the Breeders' Cup Mile (G1) at Santa Anita.
* 2014: Maker's 41 Mile Stakes (G1) at Keeneland, Woodford Reserve Turf Classic Stakes (G1) at Churchill Downs, the Bernard Baruch Handicap (G2) at Keeneland, and the Shadwell Turf Mile (G1) at Keeneland.

Between the Woodford Reserve Turf Classic and the Bernard Baruch Handicap at Saratoga, Wise Dan suffered a bout of colic. He recovered well and went on to win the Bernard Baruch in his return race.

He then trained well and won the Shadwell Turf Mile before a leg injury sidelined him one again. Then, as noted previously, he recovered, and began to train again before another leg injury sidelined him and ended his career.

No question, Wise Dan is one of the great gelding Thoroughbreds of all time. Now the clock begins to tick to see when he will be enshrined in the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame in Saratoga.

Personal Note

During Wise Dan's amazing racing career, I had hoped to get to see him race at least one time. I mean, he was always right down the street from me at Keeneland. He lived in LoPresti's barn right off Rice Road there, and some of his greatest wins were achieved at the track.

Still, because of my job, my schedule always blocked any chance I had of seeing him race.

Then, last year, on Oct. 4, 2014, I noted that Wise Dan was once again running in the Shadwell Turf Mile, but once again, my schedule interfered with going to the races that day.

For some reason though, I had a gut feeling this just might be my last chance to see him race, so I changed all my plans and headed to Keeneland to watch Wise Dan run.

I got a prime location in the stands, which turned out to be directly across from the starting gate for the race, and when the gates opened… Wise Dan stumbled a bit and ended up far behind the field.

My first thought, being very superstitious about these kinds of things, was: "Oh great. I finally get to see Wise Dan run and I cause him to stumble."

But, then, Wise Dan did what he always did. He dug down deep like the champion he is, and caught up to the field by the middle of the first turn.

From there, and all the way down the backstretch, he began to pick off horses one at a time, and by the far turn, his jockey, Hall of Famer John Velazquez, had him in position to make a charge for the front.

And, oh wow, what a charge it was. Coming from seventh place around the turn, he ran wide into the stretch, charged down the lane, finally caught up to the race leaders close to the wire, and then won it by a length over Grand Arch and Sayaad at the wire.

Wow! Wow! Wow! That was all I could think after seeing such a great race run by a great champion. I was so glad I had ditched all my plans and came to the races.

For sure, it was another great win for Wise Dan. But, who knew then, it would be the final time anyone would see this great horse run in a race.

As we all know now, that was Wise Dan's final race. I am sad to see his career come to an end because I believe he still had a lot of good races in him.

Having said that, I am also very glad he has an owner in Morton Fink and a trainer in Charles LoPresti that put the health and welfare of their horse first and let him retire a champion and in good health.

For me personally, I am so very glad I took the day off and got to go see him run. It's something I will never forget. From last to first, a great comeback, and a great win right into the history books.

Funny side story

My friend, Steve Blake and I, travelled to Saratoga last August, 2014. I had a book signing at the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame in Saratoga (self-promotion here) for my book, "History of Old Friends: A Home for Retired Thoroughbreds."

It was my first trip to Saratoga and I wanted to see as much as I could.

One of the first things we did was head to the backside and had some breakfast at the concession stand. Then, after that, I wanted to see if I could find Wise Dan.

While I did that, Steve, who is a great photographer (see his work at multiexposures.com), wandered over to the track and started taking photos.

Now, a couple of things you should know about Steve. He is a retired Lexington fire fighter and fire chief. He knows nothing about horse racing, yet he currently works as an EMS person and is one of the folks that drives the ambulance around the Keeneland track behind the horses during races.

So, while I began my search for Wise Dan, Steve took photos of some of the horses working out on the track.

Well, I never did find Wise Dan's barn, but in the end, Steve and I had a great day enjoying the track, the races, our lunch, the Hall of Fame, and a lot of other things we managed to do that day.

A few days later after I got home, I decided to check out Steve's photos that he took at Saratoga. I went to his website, opened his folder with his Saratoga photos and… just started laughing my head off.

One of the first photos he took while I was out wandering around looking for Wise Dan in his barn were of– you guessed it – Wise Dan jogging out on the track on that beautiful, sunny Saratoga morning. Now how funny is that?!?

Here is one of the photos he took that day.

Wise Dan out for a jog on a beautiful, sunny morning at Saratoga in Aug. 2014. (Photo by Steve Blake/MultiExposures.com) --- (For more of Steve's photos at Saratoga, go to the Equine folder and then look for the Saratoga folder.)

Rachel's Valentina scores Grade 1 win in Spinaway Stakes

Running in only her second career race, Rachel's Valentina, under Hall of Fame jockey John Velazquez, scored big time, as she took the lead near the sixteenth-pole and went on to a one-length victory over Tap to It in the $350,000 Spinaway Stakes (G1) at Saratoga on Saturday, Sept. 5, 2015.

Rachel's Valentina, the daughter of Rachel Alexandra, put in an impressive performance under Hall of Fame jockey John Velazquez, to capture the $350,000 Spinaway Stakes (G1) at Saratoga on Saturday, Sept. 5, 2015. (Photo by Coglianese Photos)

Finishing third in the six-horse race for 2-year-olds was Constellation.

"Today, she knew what it was all about," said Velazquez. "She was on the bridle, and she knew what she was supposed to do. I didn't have to do anything down the lane, just keep her mind on running, and she got it done. She's one of those horses that the farther she goes, the better she gets. Before she ran I thought three-quarters might be a little too short and she still got up there. She's pretty good."

Added winning trainer Todd Pletcher, "I thought she ran fantastic. Actually, she put herself into the race a little more than I thought she would, but she seemed to be handling tracking those horses well, and getting a little dirt well. I felt like turning for home, knowing her style and watching her train, that she was going to keep coming. I've always felt like the farther she goes, the better she gets."

Rachel's Velanetina has a big following, as she is the daughter of Rachel Alexandra, who's legacy was cemented at Saratoga with her courageous win over the boys in the 2009 Woodward Stakes (G1).

Rachel's Valentina, who's full pedigree is Bernardini-Rachel Alexandra, by Medaglia d'Oro, ran the seven-furlong race on a dirt track rated Fast in 1:23.10.

Owned by Stonestreet Stables, Rachel's Valentina now has two wins in two career starts and $259,800 in earnings.

The Spinaway was also a Breeders' Cup "Win and You're In" race, which gives the filly an automatic berth into the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies (G1) race. The Breeders' Cup will be held at Keeneland on Friday and Saturday, Oct. 30 and 31.

Rounding out the order of finish in the race was Anna Rae fourth, followed by Tonasah and Banree.

(Information provided by EquiBase.com, BloodHorse.com, and Brisnet.com)

Liam's Map cruises to Woodford Stakes victory

He made it look easy.

Liam's Map, ridden by jockey Javier Castellano, took the lead out of the gate and then went wire-to-wire to win the $600,000 Woodward Stakes (G1) at Saratoga on Saturday, Sept. 5, 2015, by 4-3/4 lengths over second-place finisher Coach Inge. 

Liam's Map, with jockey Javier Castellano riding, went gate-to-wire to win the $600,000 Woodward Stakes at Saratoga on Saturday, Sept. 5, 2015. (Photo by Coglianese Photos)

Finishing third in the eight-horse race for 3-year-olds and up was Wicked Strong.

The victory for 4-year-old Liam's Map was the first Grade 1 win in his career and helped make up for his very tough loss in the Whitney Stakes (G1) at Saratoga on Aug. 8; a race in which he also led from the start, but lost at the finish to Honor Code.

"The Whitney was as tough a loss as you'll experience," said Todd Pletcher, Liam's Map's trainer. "He ran an unbelievable race that day and everything he indicated to us from that time until today was that he was ready to come back over and put forth another big effort. I'm just happy to see him get that Grade 1 that he deserves so much."

Liam's Map, who is by Unbridled's Song-Miss Macy Sue, by Trippi, ran the 1-1/8th-mile race on a track rate Fast I 1:47.44.

The win continued the successful Saratoga meet for Castellano, who has been on a roll lately and is ranked second in the jockey standings at the track this year.

Castellano also rode Honor Code to victory in the Whitney Stakes (G1), and also rode Keen Ice to the upset win over American Pharoah in the Travers Stakes (G1) last week. He also won the Alabama Stakes (G1) aboard Embellish the Lace as well. In fact, he is the first jockey ever to win the Whitney, Woodward, Travers and Alabama in the same Saratoga meet.

"I'm very lucky and very fortunate to be in that spot," said Castellano. "I expected to have a great meet, but I think I was in the right place at the right time and everything fell into place. I had a lot of support; from owners and trainers and my agent."

Owned by Teresa Viola Racing Stables, Liam's Map now has five wins, two seconds and $808,940 in earnings in seven career starts.

Pletcher also trained second-place finisher Coach Inge for owner Mike Repole, and was pleased with that horse's run in the race as well.

"I'll tell you, Coach Inge ran unbelievable," said Pletcher. "It was a super, super effort. Good enough to win a lot of Woodwards."

Rounding out the field was Wicked Strong in third, followed by Effinex, Mylute, Bay of Plenty, Commanding Curve and Protonico.

There were also three other stakes races on Saturday at Saratoga. Here are the winners.

* Saranac Stakes (G3): World Approval

* Spinaway Stakes (G1): Rachel's Valentina (see story)

* Glen Falls Stakes (G3): White Rose

(Information provided by EquiBase.com, BloodHorse.com, and Brisnet.com)