Page 13 - July 2008 The Game

Canada’s Thoroughbred Racing Newspaper
A Touch of Class
Tim B Quiet
with winning Jockey Paddy Head
The Game, July 2008 13
The expression, ‘if you can’t
beat ‘em, join ‘em’, was becom-
ing a refrain in my mind. Clean tactics weren’t getting me back into the winner’s circle. I had set the jockeys straight at Suffolk Downs with my ride on the appropriately named Bouncing Bessie, and I wanted to make the same statement here at Narragansett. But on what horse? The eccentric Argentinean colt, Cabtrail, wouldn’t be willing
to play bumper cars and my other mounts were barely sound enough to make it around.
shtailed as he struggled to stay on his feet, losing valuable ground. The two riders closed rank in front of me.
In this race, whips were in action from the moment Tim took over the lead in the backstretch. The jockeys literally rode the hair off their mounts and couldn’t get close. Tim and I passed under the wire seven lengths ahead.
Meanwhile, there was no more ‘clear sailing’ for newly licensed trainer, Juan Lescay. The night I won on the colt, Merisier, was the trainer’s rst and last visit to the winner’s circle.
with Juan, I was headed to the jockeys’ room. I set everything up exactly as
it had been on the night I won with Merisier—same clothes, same rituals.
my whip back, giving Tim the cue to turn it on. His stride lengthened as we bore down on the wire. Another glance behind assured me we were even further ahead. I stood up in the irons as we passed under the wire, just to show how easy it was.
‘Gansett bettors with good memo- ries picked up a big mutual and maybe even a $5604 trifecta payoff. The winner of the mile and 70-yard race— Tim B Quiet—still owns the track record for that distance. He opened
a clear lead down the backstretch
and prevailed by seven lengths under Paddy Head. When he set the record
in 1971, Tim B Quiet went in 1:40.1/5. On Wednesday, over a muddy strip, the 9-year-old was timed in 1:46.3/5.’
Now that’s class.
As I became familiar with his training methods, I wasn’t surprised.
We had drawn the 9 hole for the mile and seventy yards distance. Not the best position. I’d have to hustle to save ground on the rst turn. Tim had warmed up beautifully and I was sure I’d get a good position. The tote board ashed 20-1
as we were led
into the stall. I
seemed to be the
only one who had
con dence in this
classy old horse.
Once in the gate, we had a long wait for the 11 horse. The latches nally sprang open. Tim broke straight and clean. In the second stride, the horses on either side bore in and caught me in a vice grip. Tim
Juan didn’t have an organized plan to bring the horses to their peak. His day to day decisions were erratic and so was his choice of races. Merisier had been unsound since his winning effort and was out of training. Another horse in the barn, a gelding named Tim B Quiet, held the track record for a mile and seventy yards here at Gansett. At the age of 9, he was now running for bottom claiming. Juan had a special cocktail that he gave the gelding before each race and he didn’t seem to notice that the concoction dulled the horse rather than perked him up.
The replay of Tim’s race was completely different from my win on Merisier. In that race, the jockeys all had a snug hold on their mounts.
I kept a positive state of mind all the way up to the post parade.
Furious, I immediately took to the outside. Fuelled by my rage, Tim circled the entire eld on the rst turn. At the head of the backstretch, we were in the lead. I settled Tim into an easy stride and we moved effortlessly over the track. The ground we’d lost on the rst turn was saved as we hugged the rail into the homestretch. A glance under my arm showed us in the clear. I swung
The Daily Racing Form summed it up perfectly.
A Head at the Wire
A Series of Real Life Stories by Paddy Head www.paddyhead.ca
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Overall, I was making more money in the morning than in the evening. Several trainers remarked that I could tell them more about their horses after one gallop than the riders who’d been on them for months. No one offered to pay more for this wonderful service, however.
One morning, after a particularly good gallop on Tim B Quiet, I struck a deal with Juan. If he would give
me three weeks to sharpen the horse and bring him to his peak, I swore I could win on the horse. The trainer thought about it for a few minutes and then held out his hand. “One other condition,” I said, “no cocktail.” We shook on the deal.
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My con dence took a nose dive after a particularly rough ride the following day on a two year old lly. A combination of the inexperience of the ten juvenile llies and the rough riding of the jockeys left me bruised and battered. I was ready to pack my tack, drive to Suffolk Downs and just gallop horses until the meet opened. But a few days later, I took the two year old lly out to the track for a morning exercise. In spite of her rough trip in the race, she galloped boldly, ready for the next challenge. Her courage and resilience inspired me with renewed determination.
Twenty-two days after the handshake
The Game JULY 2008.indd 13
6/25/08 1:55:24 AM