“My late father Jim introduced me to the racetrack when I was a kid and we spent many weekends at Woodbine cheering the horses on. One year, the track hosted a jockeys autograph day. I was lucky to meet legendary riders Sandy Hawley and Avelino Gomez. What a thrill!
My dad sadly passed in April of 1984 and consequently, my interest in horse racing waned. I’d watch the Kentucky Derby once a year, but that was it.
Fast forward to 2002. I was working in the TSN (The Sports Network) newsroom, assembling highlight packs. In May, a feisty jet-black colt won both the Kentucky Derby and Preakness, and he immediately captivated me. I learned that he and I shared a birthday (Feb. 20). I also learned he had previously won the Illinois Derby and I was born in Illinois. The parallels inspired me to pursue a career in horse racing.
In March of 2005, I was lucky to land a job as a field producer in the Woodbine broadcast department, where I’ve had the privilege of working ever since.
“War Emblem is still there!!!! He’s pulling away, he’s got another gear.” - Kentucky Derby announcer Tom Durkin
My favourite War Emblem memory is his Kentucky Derby win, where he and jockey Victor Espinoza shocked the world, authoring a front running, 20-1 upset.
Trainer Bob Baffert had reportedly bought $200 win tickets for some of his friends, but many of them were cashed in before the race. In wiring a talented Derby field, War Emblem’s final time of 2:01.13 is the ninth fastest of all time in the ‘Run for the Roses.’
After winning the Derby, he went to Pimlico with a huge target on his back and was able to grind out a gutsy victory to set the stage for his ill-fated Triple Crown bid.
In the Belmont Stakes, War Emblem stumbled badly, showed tremendous heart to make the lead at the mile mark, but he was spent and finished eighth.
Still, two out of three is pretty good.
War Emblem was retired after his brilliant 3-year-old campaign, for which he won the Eclipse Award as champion 3-year-old. He was then off to stud in Japan and endured a troubled breeding career, before finally coming home to North America last fall.
Today, he resides at Old Friends farm in Georgetown, Kentucky, where he is safe and sound and free to be a horse.
He was recently gelded and has become a fan favourite among visitors. The now 17-year-old is still feisty and requires a double paddock.
But then again, War Emblem has always been noted for his nasty temperament. When Baffert took over training duties shortly before the derby, he successfully calmed the cantankerous colt, but quipped, “I still wouldn’t turn my back on that dude.”
I hope to someday visit War Emblem at Old Friends and thank him for inspiring me to seek a fulfilling career in horse racing.
That jet black son of gun... is the horse that changed my life.”
By Phil McSween, for Ontario Horse Racing
(C) Ontario Horse Racing 2016. All rights reserved. May not be reproduced without permission.
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