Where’s Waldo? And Bernie?

This year’s Breeders Cup races are over. Only a few key races are still to be run this year.  And yet many of this year’s Eclipse Awards remain up for grabs, especially three-year-old of the year. Breeders’ Cup Juvenile winner Storm The Court, who won that race at 49-1, was listed at 90-1 to win the 2020 Kentucky Derby in the betting futures before the Juvenile, but he’ll likely soon be among the favorites for next year’s Run for the Roses. The hopes and dreams of thousands of thoroughbred owners will be realized, or not, when the awards are announced in January.

Back in 1996, another three-year-old, Grindstone, won the Kentucky Derby. My horse, Monsieur Leclercq, was then 4 years old and still had not won a single race, though he had finished second twice. But that fact could not deter us from hoping, and believing, that he could eventually break his maiden.

Then in April 1996 we ran him three times. In each race, he only beat one horse. Needless to say, our spirits were beginning to dampen. As an aside, during the 1990s I had begun a relationship with a wonderful woman whom I met in San Diego while visiting my brother and sister-in-law. For several years, I had been seeing her monthly, flying out from Cleveland on weekends or holidays. That was the case in May 1996; I was in San Diego, visiting, when the gray dog was again entered, going off as the 4th choice at 7-1. On a muddy track, he jumped to the front, but on this day, he did not give up the lead, as was his wont, and held on to win by a length and – finally! – break his maiden. The thrill I experienced was not as intense as I had imagined it would be, since it took him 14 starts to accomplish this feat, but nevertheless, I was very happy and more than a little thrilled, even if, since I was in California, I wasn’t able to be in the winners’ circle photo. Instead, my friends Gary and Al, Al’s partner Anne, Anne’s father and our trainer Andy stood smiling in the picture with the Gray Dog, our faith in our little horse finally rewarded.

Our confidence was boiling over. Maybe, finally, the Monsieur was becoming the horse we’d all hoped for. So we entered him in a higher-class claiming race. Now facing winners, he reverted, again beating only one other horse. In June we dropped him back to a bottom claiming race. He again disappointed, finishing second to last. Another effort in June saw the Monsieur finish fifth after going off at 37-1.

Then in July, one of our partners, the Monsieur’s breeder, came out to Ohio to see the gray horse run. Going off at 13-1, he jumped to the lead, fought well, and finished second, beaten only by the favorite. Wow! Another check to help pay the bills, and our partner was happily able to see his horse run for the first time in person before returning to California.

Due to his big effort in the last race, the Monsieur was bet down to 5-1 in his next start later that month. While I was again in San Diego, several of my friends decided to attend the races that day. The gray dog once again led as the field turned for home, but instead of fading, as we’d become accustomed to him doing, he increased his lead over the field and won by 5 lengths, going away.  Joy and happiness filled the grandstand, our partnership, and our bank accounts. Of course, I was once again not there to celebrate in person – was the Monsieur trying to tell me something? – as my friends Jim, Ed, John and Andy, along with Anne’s father, filled in for me in the winners’ circle photo.

After a short rest, we entered him again. He was at the top of his game, but, as Andy always said, it is difficult for cheap horses to retain their form. It was then August – just enough time for a quick trip to San Diego before returning to school.

As I watched the race on TV in California, our little gray horse went off at odds of 3-1 and led by 4 lengths turning for home, but down the stretch he again began to tire. But as his lead shrunk, he suddenly showed us the heart that we’d all hoped for, and he dug in, fought off the challenger, and won for the second time in a row. The winners’ circle photo again included Jim and Ed, trainer Andy, and this time my son Brad. Finally, some personal representation. And a fabulous picture, but no Waldo, or Bernie, again. It became a joke – if Bernie’s at the race, don’t bet on the Monsieur, because he only wins when Bernie’s not there. He didn’t win again that year; when he finished last at odds of 2-1 in late September, his year was over.

The Monsieur ran nine times in 1998 and finished out of the money every time, not even managing a third-place showing. By August, we’d decided to retire the little guy. All told, Monsieur Leclercq ran 31 times for our crew in Ohio, with 3 wins, 3 seconds, and a third. Our California partner, wanting to see if the little gray had any more run in him, said he would try racing the Monsieur in Arizona before bringing him back to San Diego to live out his years in the sunshine. The Monsieur, already beginning to turn white with age at age 5, ran a couple of lackluster efforts at Turf Paradise in Phoenix, and that was that.

There is always a dilemma about what to do with thoroughbred racehorses when their racing careers are over. Since this was my first horse, I was happy that he retired sound and had a place to go after he could no longer race. I was surprised to later learn that, instead of shipping him back to San Diego as originally planned, Bernard, our California partner, donated the gray dog to the mounted division of the Phoenix police department. Years later, we were told how much they loved the Monsieur, who quickly became a specialist in crowd control. They said when he charged, everyone scattered.

The Monsieur was my first racehorse, my first winner, my first experience in the game as an owner. I knew it would not be the last. Several years later, after I had owned a dozen or so horses, I got a call from my French former partner, who said he’d bred a horse I might want to get involved with: a little gray colt who, incidentally, was a half-brother to Monsieur Leclercq. You can imagine my answer.

To be continued…