His Mattjesty - 2CP
bay colt, by Matt’s Scooter
Last at the half. Those words can chill the spine of the staunchest owner, especially when pertaining to an important stakes race on your home turf, with half a million hanging in the air. The eight hole, the last slot on a gate stacked with inside speed, was bad enough. The gusting wind, rain-puddled track and zero visibility had to be dealt with by all the freshman Breeders Crown colt pace contenders, but only the 10 people comprising the Mattduff Group had to force hopeful smiles when their colt His Mattjesty came up last at the half at Mohawk Raceway on a night not fit for man or beast.
Getting there was hard enough. The top colts throughout the country gathered at Mohawk in mid-fall, with the Crown title and $700,153 on the line. To survive the eliminations, the 24 juvenile pacers, the most ever entered in a Breeders Crown event, had to be first or second. Metro winner Gothic Dream squeaked into the final as the third place finisher with the fastest time.
That the final field contained Carl Gregg’s Arturo was no surprise, as the first-crop son of two-time Breeders Crown champion Artsplace had just reeled off a three-race win streak that included the Garden State Pace and the Lou Babic. With Luc Ouellette driving, Arturo was rightfully made the favorite after a strong elimination win. Next closest in the wagering was Gothic Dream, whose length victory over The Big Dog in the Metro Stake still had trainer Jack Darling and his co-owners Dan and Audrey Smith floating on air. The Big Dog had been felled by a virus and did not enter the Breeders Crown, giving Gothic Dream one less obstacle in his path to bolster his chances for divisional honors.
The expertly managed Megamind from the Joe Holloway stable was also accorded some respect, as was Stone Dragon, a son of 1984 freshman Crown champ Dragon’s Lair, whose big floating gait matched that of his sire. Arlene and Jules Siegel saw both their entrants, Ramses Two and Park Place, miraculously make the final, as did Instant Offense from the Greg McNair stable.
Jack Moiseyev wasted no time in hustling Stone Dragon out for the lead, and he appeared unencumbered by the sloppy footing. Though it took a :27 quarter to defend the lead, Moiseyev then put his colt on idle, stealing a :30 quarter in an attempt to force the challenge of whomever felt brave enough under the circumstances.
The bid came from the favorite, Arturo, but it was not a confident one. He seemed to have trouble with the footing and his threat to Stone Dragon grew non-existent as they cruised past the three-quarters in 1:25.
Gothic Dream, driven by John Campbell, had worked out a decent journey with cover from Park Place. His Mattjesty was last at the half. And going nowhere. A desperate Doug Brown sought some reaction from his colt who was some three lengths off the cover being offered by Gothic Dream. Brown missed his chance and Megamind snapped up the proffered cover and the car ride back home was beginning to look long and dreary to the Mattduff Group.
Champions overcome obstacles. And His Mattjesty began to answer the call. He swooped past horses on the backstretch, and in the final turn his dramatic four-wide move may have been overlooked, as Arturo finally broke stride as he’d been threatening.
Moiseyev was counting the money. Stone Dragon had skipped into a three-length lead, and Moiseyev was confident no one would emerge from the sloppy tiring track and collar him, especially not after Arturo took himself out by galloping. But His Mattjesty had just overhauled Gothic Dream and had his sights dead on Stone Dragon, who wilted immediately at the challenge. Those anxious frowns worn by the owners and trainer Stew Firlotte became yelps of joy and encouragement as His Mattjesty skated under the wire a length ahead of the valiant Gothic Dream.
Though the time was a creditable 1:54.4, it belied the effort of the mile that had just unfolded. Horses do not come from last at the half, under adverse weather conditions, from an antagonistic post position, and win Breeders Crown races.
The Mattduff Group, consisting of principals Claude Incaudo, Scott and Clay Horner and Firlotte, were no strangers to frustration. Thrilled with the promise shown by their lateblooming two-year-old of 1995, Mattduff, they’d combed the sales to find a sibling only to discover a full sister had been withdrawn from the sale. A second choice was a threequarter brother to Mattduff, but a confirmation flaw (they’d been advised His Mattjesty stood slightly “back” at the knees) allowed them to purchase the son of Matt’s Scooter for a mere $31,000. His Mattjesty did not offer up delusions of grandeur in training. But he showed enough for Stew Firlotte, who knows promise when he sees it, to never lose faith in him. In fact it was Mattduff who could not regain the form of his freshman year, and ended up the disappointment.
Bill Perretti’s standardbred nursery annexed a fourth breeders credit; premier stallion Matt’s Scooter his first crystal trophy, with Mystical Maddy making it a pair before the Crown series was over. The team of Doug Brown and Stew Firlotte recorded their fifth win as a duo, and His Mattjesty was chosen as the O’Brien Award winner for the year.
His Mattjesty was inexplicably slighted by voters when divisional ballots were returned. Though he finished second to The Big Dog by three-quarters of a length in the Governor’s Cup, his trip in the Breeders Crown was easily one of the five most impressive miles of the season.
Purse $700,153
Mohawk Raceway, Campbellville, ON - October 18, 1996
Extras
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