Ferdinand Pulls Away and Pulls Off Big Victory in Hollywood Gold Cup

When Ferdinand and his stablemate, Judge Angelucci, work together in the mornings, there’s usually not much difference in the outcome.

A week ago last Friday, trainer Charlie Whittingham had them out before dawn at Hollywood Park for a mile workout. Judge Angelucci hit the wire just a split second ahead of Ferdinand.

Then last Wednesday, in their final tuneup for Sunday’s $500,000 Hollywood Gold Cup, they reached the wire together, after going five furlongs in a swift :58 1/5.

“That’s all we can do,” Whittingham said, coming off the track with a knowing wink. “All we have to do now is wait for the bugler.”

The two horses might have been dead even Wednesday, and Judge Angelucci might have beaten Ferdinand by 4 3/4 lengths three weeks ago in the Californian, the only time they had run in the same race, but Whittingham knew who the best horse was.

“When they did that five-eighths the other day, Ferdinand could have run past the other horse if he wanted to,” Whittingham said Sunday. “He could have beat him by five lengths.”

There’s no money to be made in the gloamin’ at a race track, and Ferdinand seems to know that. The 4-year-old chestnut son of Nijinsky II came alongside the pace-setting Judge Angelucci in 1952998688then put him away with little urging from Bill Shoemaker, rolling to a 1-length victory in the Gold Cup before 43,308 fans.

Two of Ferdinand’s five career wins have come in two of the sport’s biggest races. He earned $609,400 for his owners, Howard and Elizabeth Keck, by winning the 1986 Kentucky Derby and, just when head waiters were asking what he had done lately, Ferdinand picked up another $275,000 Sunday, lifting his career total to $1.8 million.

“Before the year is over he’ll be an important horse,” Whittingham said later. “He’s already an important horse to me.”

The Gold Cup is an important race in the storied careers of the 74-year-old Whittingham and the 55-year-old Shoemaker. It was the eighth win in the race for both trainer and jockey--five of them together--and it was Shoemaker’s first Gold Cup win since Exceller in 1978. The Gold Cup in the 1980s has virtually belonged to Whittingham, with the trainer saddling the victorious Perrault in 1982 and Greinton in 1985 prior to Ferdinand.

Tasso, once near the rear, 10 lengths behind Judge Angelucci in the 1-mile race, rallied under Chris McCarron through the stretch to finish in a deadheat for second with Judge Angelucci, who was ridden by Gary Baze. Captain Vigors, with apprentice Aaron Gryder subbing for Pat Day, ran fourth, 5 lengths behind Ferdinand.

Ferdinand and Judge Angelucci ran as part of a three-horse Whittingham entry with Thrill Show, a grass horse who finished seventh in only his second start on dirt.

The heavily favored entry paid $2.80, $2.20 and $2.20. Tasso, the second choice in the betting at 4-1, paid $3 and $3.

Ferdinand, carrying high weight of 124 pounds, was timed in 2:00 3/5, not close to Quack’s record of 1:58 1/5 in 1972, or Greinton’s 1:58 2/5 over the reconfigured Hollywood track two years ago.

Indicative of the quality of the field, Ferdinand was top-weighted even though he was 0 for 6 this year and 1 for 9, with a win in the Malibu at Santa Anita last Dec. 26, since he had won the Derby as an 18-1 longshot.

Outwardly, Whittingham has been saying that Ferdinand has been a victim of this and that, but inwardly the trainer knew the horse needed a victory.

“This has helped the morale--his and mine,” Whittingham said in the winner’s circle. “It’s helped Bill’s morale, too.”

Shoemaker, after earning an estimated $700,000 last year--the best year of his life--went into a slump this season. The skid seemed to overlap with Ferdinand’s falloff and the virus that prevented Temperate Sil, the Santa Anita Derby winner, from running in the Kentucky Derby. Shoemaker had fallen off the jockey standings at Hollywood Park.

He rode Ferdinand brilliantly in the Gold Cup, a ride Whittingham admired as he watched a replay of the stretch run.

“See here,” Whittingham said, as Ferdinand ranged alongside Judge Angelucci inside the eighth pole, “Bill won’t let him go in front here, because he’ll prick his ears and ease up on you if you do.”

Whittingham never doubted that Ferdinand would pass his other horse.

“See,” the trainer said, still following the screen, “Bill’s not goin’ to ridin’ till they’re almost to the wire. Then, there it is, he’s pricking his ears again.”

By that time, however, Ferdinand had the race won. Tasso didn’t have enough left to close the gap and Shoemaker had to hit his horse only once with a right-handed whip to make sure he got there.

Ferdinand broke poorly, was too far back and had to settle for fourth in the Californian, which was an eighth of a mile shorter than the Gold Cup. On Sunday while Judge Angelucci, Stop the Fighting and Captain Vigors made up the first file going down the backstretch, Shoemaker had Ferdinand in fourth place, never more than few lengths back.

On the turn, Ferdinand, running outside the others, passed all but Judge Angelucci.

Baze thought Judge Angelucci had enough in reserve to hold on, but he wasn’t aware how lightly Shoemaker was riding Ferdinand.

“After the race, Chris (McCarron) told me that Shoe was just sitting behind me, waiting to go by,” Baze said.

“Once he got up to me, I knew he’d go by, because that’s the way Charlie was training these two together in the mornings. He’d let Ferdinand run up alongside Judge Angelucci, then go by late.”

Whittingham thought Shoemaker had perfect position with Ferdinand all the way around. On the turn, as Ferdinand began to inch up on the leaders, there was some crowding and Pat Valenzuela, riding Stop the Fighting, had to take up slightly.

“Once Ferdinand went by me my horse quit running,” Valenzuela said. Stop the Fighting wound up eighth.

When Hollywood Park closes in late July, Ferdinand will accompany the Whittingham contingent to Del Mar, where the Keck-bred colt ran eighth as a 2-year-old in the first start of his career.

Ferdinand may not even run at Del Mar, but Whittingham is more clear about the rest of the year, with engagements in the Budweiser-Arlington Million on Sept. 6 and the Breeders’ Cup at Hollywood on Nov. 21 on the drawing board.

The Million would mean another try at grass for Ferdinand, who has the turf breeding but who has been no better than third in two starts away from the main track.

“Arlington Park has a great grass course,” Whittingham said. “He should love it there.”

Whittingham has reason to know. He’s won the Million twice, with Perrault in 1982 and Estrapade last year.

Horse Racing Notes

Laffit Pincay, who like Bill Shoemaker went into Sunday with seven Gold Cup wins, could have ridden Tasso, but he decided to take the mount on Cryptoclearance in the St. Paul Derby at Canterbury Downs. They finished off the board as Lost Code won the race by 1 lengths. . . . Pat Day couldn’t ride Captain Vigors because of commitments at Arlington Park, so Aaron Gryder took over. . . . Shoemaker has 8 wins, 5 seconds and 3 thirds in 25 Gold Cup mounts. Lifetime, he’s won 976 stakes, 238 in races worth $100,000 or more. After winning with Exceller in 1978, Shoemaker had ridden in five Gold Cups, his best finish being second with Alphabatim last year. . . . Asked what he told Shoemaker before the race, trainer Charlie Whittingham said: “Screw it up and you won’t be riding for another 10 years.” Whittingham isn’t much for pre-race instructions anyway. “Most jockeys walk up that slant to the track and whatever you’ve told them runs right out of the backs of their heads,” he said. . . . Ferdinand was the first top-weighted Gold Cup winner since Perrault in 1982. . . . North Sider won the Vagrancy Handicap at Belmont Park Sunday.