Page 15 - August 2019 Thoroughbred Highlight

and he was training forward and I was very pleased and had no concerns of running him back at the point that I did.”
He would later comment on the situation on Facebook that it was divine intervention that led to the horse surviving his brush
with death.
“The devil tried to take him, but God said no, you’re not taking him,” Albu said on Facebook.
“At that point when I knew everything was cool and he was okay, we had moved forward.”
“I don’t know if it was a miracle, but it was scary and wonderful at the same time,” Passero said.
The news that he would
be running on Prince Of
Wales day added to the
story, but Albu continued to
refuse interview requests.
There had been some
suggestions the Fort Erie
management had asked him to play down the story because it would have taken away from the pomp
of the track’s biggest race day of the year, but Albu just wanted to focus on running his horses. He had two in back-to-back races on the card. While he was saddling Mr. Changue, he heard encouragement from people wishing him luck but didn’t let it affect his concentration.
“I just kind of tone down stuff like that,” he said. “I’m focused on what I’m doing. On race day I’m kind of a basket case. I don’t say too much or do too much. I wasn’t really focused on the people.”
With the crowd cheering, Mr. Changue, who was the 7-2 second choice in the morning line and co-favourite at just under 5-2 with Ratface MacDougall, stalked the pace and won by three quarters of a length.
“It showed me he was back and okay,” Passero said. “It was always in the back of my mind (there may be) some internal thing. Everything seemed okay, but you never know.”
As the horse was brought back to have his photo taken with the horse’s connection, it was as if Mr. Changue had won the Prince Of Wales. Fans were chanting his name and cheering and it was only then that the enormity of the moment clicked in for Albu.
“I didn’t realize how many people actually knew who the horse was and how big of a deal it was,” Albu said. “It was unbelievable.”
Several members of the starting gate who helped
to rescue Mr. Changue joined Albu, his wife, and Passero in the photo. Overall, Passero described it as “a great feeling.”
Albu quickly left the area to saddle Drena’s Bullet, owned by Patrick
Mr. Changue after winning the 4th race at Fort Erie Race Track on Prince of Wales day July 23, 12 days after being rescued from a sinkhole on the backstretch
Dennahower, for the next race. The four- year-old gelding was the 7-2 second choice in the morning line for an allowance race of about seven furlongs on the grass.
Drena’s Bullet took off in the race and opened up a huge lead, just as he had done in his previous outing when he nished second by a head. This time he nished third by four lengths.
But tragedy struck during the race when Mo Cion Daonnan, the 8-5 race favourite, fell down in be euthanized. The three-
midstretch and later had to
year-old lly was owned by groom Corey Beddoe. It was gutwrenching for all horsemen, but even more so because it was Beddoe’s only horse. Albu said Beddoe owned the horse since she was a baby and treated her like gold.
“There are highs and lows de nitely in the racing business,” Albu said. “It was just kind of an unfortunate situation.”
After the card ended, Passero returned to Albu’s barn and drank a couple beers and relaxed.
“Until then I was kind of excited and worn out,” he said.
Albu entered Mr. Changue in the $35,000 Bob Summers Memorial Cup Stakes on August 13 and he nished a distant last of nine horses.
Whatever happens from here, Mr. Changue has already endured himself to his connections.
“He doesn’t owe anybody anything,” said Albu, who has been training horses since 2001 but has only been conditioning Mr. Changue for a year. “Sam just loves the animal and it’s not about the money. He just loves to come in and be around this horse. He’s got horses in other places, nicer horses, but just absolutely loves this horse. It’s unbelievable how much he likes this horse.”
Thoroughbred Highlight - Page 15 - August 2019