WON: Never Ready Sprint(G1) Scrape The Barnacles Stakes(G1), Because I Said So Stakes(G1), Snow Phantom Stakes(G2), Cane Toad Stakes(G2), Booty Call Stakes(G3), Hugo De Pero Stakes, Hulk Car Special Stakes

2ND: 2000 Guineas Stakes(G1), Newmarket Rivalry Stakes(G1)

Matinee Idol Earns His Second Statue

By- Kingab

After the over-whelming success of his two-year-old campaign (which resulted in ‘The General’ being voted the Eclipse Award as the best two-year-old colt on the turf), the prospects for an outstanding career couldn’t have been brighter for the diminutive son of Gone West. This champion appeared to have it all. He was blessed with faultless conformation, all the intelligence a horse could possess, a lethal turn of speed that very few horses ever attain, and one of the sharpest trainers around. The whole package was supported by a pedigree that is second-to-none. The only nagging thoughts in the back of trainer Snowchief’s mind was that many very good two-year-olds become average three-year-olds, and the fact that her little champion had yet to win over a distance of ground.

Making his first start in almost two months, General’s Chariot quickly put to rest his trainer’s concern of whether he was as good at three as he had been at two. She selected the G3 Booty Call Stakes for his first sophomore start, and a field of nine challengers showed up to take on the champ over six and one-half grassy furlongs. What amazed Snowchief and the track’s operators was the size of the huge crowd and the over- whelming love and support the fans obviously had for the gorgeous little colt.

Snowchief had never raced The General in France, but his reputation and charisma brought out a flood of fans, many of them first-time race goers, who wanted to see if this little horse was as good as advertised. When The General was brought into the paddock and his blanket removed, there were gasps at his size and build. He had gained very little height from his two-year-old season, but his body had filled out and he looked like a piece of iron. Muscle upon muscle rippled in the bright sunlight. The white star and stripe on his head made him even more appealing to the crowd, and they sent him postward as the solid even-money favorite. He didn’t disappoint them. He raced in mid-pack until the field turned for home before unleashing a scorching stretch run that carried him home four-lengths clear of his nearest competitor. At no time was he ever asked for his best, or even shown the whip. The festive crowd responded with a rousing ovation upon his return to the winner’s circle. It was a great start to the new year.

Five weeks later The General was back in the States and slated to try a two-turn mile over the turf at Eastern Kentucky. The event was the Hulk Car Special Stakes, and although upgraded, it was at a mile and Snowchief really wanted to find out if her little guy could win at the distance. Several stakes winners, and even a couple of graded-stakes winners, showed up to take on The General. Jockey J. Caves rode a masterful race as he waited until almost the eighth pole before giving The General his cue. With a flash of speed not often witnessed on the track, he went from third to first in less than a hundred yards before coasting home by three lengths. It was his first victory at a distance of ground, and Snowchief was now brimming with confidence that her beautiful brown colt could become a top turf miler.

After another five week freshening, Snow and The General found themselves in Japan for The Hugo De Pero Stakes, a non-graded race over the extended sprint distance of seven and one-half furlongs. It was to be the last time that The General would race in a non-graded stakes, but the race served several purposes. It was four weeks before the very prestigious G1 2000 Guineas, which would give Snowchief’s colt the exact amount of time she wanted between starts, and it was more than the usual sprint distance, which was what she also wanted for him. The race itself took very little out of her champion as only five opponents showed up to try and lower The General’s colors, none of which were considered top shelf. Bet down to the ridiculously low odds of one-to-five, The General loped along in second place for the first quarter mile before merely galloping to the front and opening up an almost five-length lead. With his rider almost standing in the irons the last sixteenth of a mile, he coasted home two lengths the best. It was a very professional and a dominating performance.

He next flew to Newmarket for the G1 2000 Guineas, a one-mile test that draws the best three-year-olds in training, and is considered one of the most prestigious races in the world. It was also the race that once again put the seed of doubt in Snow’s mind as to whether her colt was at his best outside of sprint distances. The field was loaded with top colts such as N2racing2 Stable’s Niner Connection and Tigerman Stable’s Manifest Destiny, along with eight other graded-stakes winners. The racing world was watching and the winner would be considered the top three-year-old miler in the world. The General was sent off as the crowds’ slight favorite, and he was given a flawless ride by jockey I. Jones; but this time, it wouldn’t be enough. Laying third and just in front of Niner Connection going down the backstretch, General’s Chariot made his run with a half-mile left in the race. Niner Connection had made his move a split second before The General, and held a half-length lead over him as they bounded down the stretch. With the crowd at fever pitch, ever so slowly The General gained on him and with a sixteenth of a mile to go he poked his head in front. That is about the time that he hit the wall. Suddenly his momentum gave out and Niner Connection re-passed him and was drawing away from him at the end. The General finished second almost two lengths behind. It was a heart breaking defeat for Snow and all of The General’s fans.

Twice more Snow tried her little brown champion at eight furlongs against the best three-year-old turf milers in the world, and each time The General came up short. At Ascot in the G1 St. Tavern Stakes he ran perhaps his worst race ever and finished fifth, beaten over three lengths by Itsalock Stable’s Giant’s Banjo. Next he traveled back to Newmarket to once again face the best of his generation in the G1 Newmarket Rivalry. He ran a great race that day, turning the tables on Niner Connection and Giant’s Banjo, but after gaining the lead deep in the stretch he couldn’t hold off longshot Dubeye of the paceman2 Stables and lost by a heartbreaking half-length.

With the year more than half over, Snowchief made possibly the best decision she has ever made as a trainer. I ran into her just before Saratoga opened and we had dinner together. She told me, “Larry, I have been asking this colt to run farther than he wants to, and that’s just not right. From now on, he will run exclusively in sprints. It’s the right thing to do, and I always want to do what’s best for my horses. If he can’t win any championships doing this than so be it. I love this little guy and it’s breaking my heart watching him trying to do more than he is capable of doing. No more. He is a sprinter and I accept that.” She was right and wrong in her thoughts. She was so right in keeping him in sprints, but so wrong in thinking he might not win any more championships.

He next appeared in the entries at Longchamp in the G1 Never Ready Sprint Stakes. It only took him 1:09 flat to humble 13 rivals in the six-furlong sprint. Three weeks later he took the measure of thirteen more very good sprinters, including older horses for the first time, at Queensland in the G2 Cane Toad Stakes, again at six-furlongs. A month later he was back home in the States in Iowa as he attempted to stretch out to seven-furlongs in the G2 Snow Phantom Appreciation Stakes. Ten rivals showed up to test him and it was no contest. He blistered the turf in a lightening fast 1:21:2 as he drew off to an almost two length score. He set or threatened attendance records at each track where he raced, and his legions of fans continued to swell. He was nearing cult hero status as the legend of his sprinting prowess continued to grow.

Then it was time for the year’s biggest test. There is no Breeders Bowl turf sprint race, but a $500,000 six-furlong G1 turf sprint was carded on racing’s biggest day. The race was somehow given the horrible name of the G1 Scrape The Barnacles You Alky Special Stakes, but the name not withstanding, every top turf sprinter in the world showed up. The outstanding field included ten graded stakes winners and five millionaires. The field was so evenly matched that nine of the horses went off at ten-to-one or lower. However, the huge New York crowd and racing fans around the world betting at all of the simulcast outlets sent The General off as the six-to-one favorite. I doubt that any big race in history was more exciting than this six-furlong dash turned out to be.

I remember the race like it was just run, and how thrilling it was. It was the third race of the day and at the time I was sitting at a table in the exclusive owners’ boxes with Roys, Topicount, and Revelation as the horses were paraded to the post and placed in the starting gate. Roys looked over and said to us, “I hope Snow’s colt has good racing luck and gets a chance to show how great he is.” Just as I looked back at the gate the doors popped open and off they went. From his outside post Zewango2 Stable’s Diggin The Grave flew to the lead and quickly opened up several lengths on the field. I heard Revelation comment that the big dark grey was “on his game today” and that he would be very difficult to catch. The four-year-old son of Silver Ghost flashed the first quarter in a blistering 21:1 as Gdfarm Stable’s Kiki’s Solid Rock and Duke Stable’s In The Evening gave chase, noses apart, about three lengths behind the streaking grey. “Where’s The General,” cried Topicount. “I don’t see him.” At that moment neither did I. Finally, as the field was coming to the top of the stretch, I found him. He had been hidden behind larger horses and couldn’t be seen from the side angle. He was just now finding his best stride, but it truly looked like he was too far behind and had too much to do. The field straightened into the stretch as they flew past the half in a scorching 44:1. The big grey showed no signs of slowing up, and The General was still more than six-lengths behind. Just outside the eighth pole Diggin The Grave begin to tire from his early Herculean efforts. He wasn’t stopping, but he was beginning to shorten stride. In The Evening was slowly making up ground, but Kiki’s Solid Rock had flattened out and the only other horse with any kind of chance was The General, who was still three lengths behind. The crowd roared as they swept passed the sixteenth pole and General’s Chariot suddenly hit a new gear, giving his fans one last glimmer of hope. With twenty-five yards to run, In The Evening finally caught up with Diggin The Grave and as that pair lunged for the wire, The General gave one last surge and looked like he might have nailed them both! Had he won? From our vantage point I wasn’t sure. Roys was screaming, “He did it! He did it! He did it!” I wasn’t positive, but it looked to me like he might have caught the leading pair. Topicount said she wasn’t sure, but she did murmur a little prayer for The General. The photo sign was up for the longest time before the numbers finally flashed up, confirming that yes indeed, General’s Chariot had won. Revelation looked over and grinned as he laughed and said, “ I have a ton of tickets to cash.” We were all so very happy for our good friend Snow and her remarkable little horse.

The season wasn’t over for the little brown bomber and he next flew to Epsom for the six-furlong G1 Because I said So Stakes. The field was every bit as deep as the race on Breeders Bowl day, and he had a lot more trouble. To me it turned out to be the most remarkable race he ever ran. He broke slowly, and appeared to have trouble getting hold of the long grass on the Epsom course. With less than three furlongs to run he had only two of the fourteen horses in the race behind him. In twelfth place as the field hit the top of the stretch, I shook my head and said to myself, “Not your day General, just not your day.” He won by a length and stopped the clock in 1:08:4, earning him a 111 speed figure, the highest he ever recorded. It was the most amazing stretch run I had ever witnessed, and the crowd was simply stunned. Some were speechless at what they had just seen, while others were screaming with joy. The roar he received upon returning to the winner’s circle was deafening. It seemed as though he had reached rock star status.

Snowchief raced him once more before the year was out, even though she really didn’t want to. The pressure from so many fans to run him on Del-Penn’s prestigious day was more than she could say no to. The colt had appeared tired and a little listless in his final work coming up to the race, and it showed on the day of the race. He tried as hard as he could, but his furious close only netted him a fourth place finish, a length behind the winner.

So that was it. The year was over, and what a remarkable year it was. Eight wins from twelve starts, and only one loss in eight sprint starts. Six graded stakes wins including three grade-ones in a division where there are very few grade-one races. He earned $1.7 million for the year, his second straight year to earn more than a million dollars. There is no way of knowing for sure, but I doubt there has ever been a more popular horse in the sim. He has now picked up his second Eclipse Award, and has just now turned four years old. No horse in sim history has ever won an Eclipse Award in three different years. Want to bet against The General being the first?