Page 13 - March 2008 The Game

Canada’s Thoroughbred Racing Newspaper rade, but on this day, he didn’t. I knew then that he would run a big one.”
At odds of 2-1, Attard rated Bompago off the early pace set by jockey Richard Dos Ramos and Sir Khaled, then eased his charge into the lead as the eld raced out of the backstretch, into the far turn.
“I knew we had a good shot to win it,” offered Attard. “At the 3/8ths pole, I knew there was no way anyone was going to beat him.”
Bompago gradually widened his advantage and at the wire he was four and a half lengths in front. Sir Khaled was second and Rockcliffe was third.
The victory was worth $151,386, a record for the race at the time. But
money wasn’t on Cardella’s
mind as he led Bompago to
the winner’s circle.
“I thought to myself,
‘I’m just an ordinary guy who has a horse anyone would love to have,’” said Cardella. “I remembered Frank Merrill telling me what a powerful looking monster he was the rst time he laid eyes on him. It was like time had stood still after the Plate.”
A race later, Bom-
pago, who would go on
to take Sovereign Award honours as Canada’s champion three-year-old male of 1983, bowed a tendon and was put on the shelf for the year. In his rst start of 1984, he bowed a tendon in his other leg and was put on the shelf.
Fourteen months later, Bompago resurfaced and nished second on August 7, 1985. But after two
more races, a win and an eighth-place nish, Cardella retired the earner of nearly $300,000.
Whether it’s the photographs that hang on his of ce wall in Barn 8 on the Woodbine backstretch, or the press clippings
that ll the pages of the scrapbook at his home,
a stone’s throw from the racetrack, Bompago is still never far from Cardella’s thoughts.
So, in his mind, the very least he could do was open his cheque book.
Pappas and LongRun are glad he did.
“Something we try to do is put people in touch with one another to see if things can work out,” she said. “In this case, it did. It was wonderful of John to step
up and show that he cared.”
“I always told people I would do whatever I
could,” said Cardella. “One time, my wife and
I went to see him at the Royal Winter Fair. The day we were there, he nished third in an event. We brought some peppermints for him – he loves them – and I swear, when he looked at me, he knew who I was.”
In sport, where former stars are often forgotten and their exploits glossed over, Bompago was not ignored.
“I think about him almost every day and sometimes he brings a tear to my eye,” admitted Cardella. “I’ll never forget him. How could I?”
The Game, March 2008 13
Did You Know....
That the world’s two winningest jockeys, South America-based Jorge Ricardo, 46, (reached 10,000 career wins on January 9) and North America-based Russell Baze, 49, (reached 10,000 career wins on February 1) will meet each other for the rst-time at Ascot on August 9 as they will be teammates in the Dubai Duty Free Shergar Cup international jockey competition.
The pair will ride for a 3-man
Rest of the World Team which is expected to be captained by Japan’s Yutaka Take.
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