Hot Rod Charlie brings a good-natured story to the opening of Santa Anita

The sound came from part of the mobbed track glue, just east of the finish line. It was the second day of the Breeders ’Cup in Del Mar, and it was approaching the time since the Classic, the biggest event in the event.

The voices were loud, clear and heard from the young people.

“Let’s go Chuck. Let’s go Chuck. Let’s go Chuck.”

It was the voice of a group of five former Brown University footballers who, in the interests of a minority, lived their dream of an affordable horse and brought vitality to a sport that was sorely needed. Their enthusiasm was contagious and those around them added to the noise.

“There were a lot of people joining that day,” said Reiley Higgins, who, along with Eric Armagost, Dan Giovacchin, Patrick O’Neill, and Alex Quoyeser, forms a racing syndicate called Boat Racing, named after the university’s beer drinking game. . When Hot Rod Charlie was purchased, they owned 25% of the horse along with majority partner Greg Helm of Roadrunner Racing and Bill Strauss of San Diego. Gainesway Farm, which takes the horse when it becomes a stallion, was purchased just before the Kentucky Derby.

Hot Rod Charlie or Chuck was one of the biggest welfare stories of the controversial race year. At the age of 2 in 2020, he surprised everyone by finishing second in the Breeders ’Cup Juvenile Series with a 94-1 difference. So they thought he was a Derby horse. He proved them right when he won the Louisiana Derby at the age of 3 and earned enough points to get into the Kentucky Derby.

“He fulfilled every dream of anyone who ever wanted to go to the Derby, except won it, of course,” said Doug O’Neill, who has trained two Kentucky Derby winners.

Hot Rod Charlie finished third in the Derby and fourth in the Breeders’ Cup Classic. Still, he is most remembered for his run at the Belmont Stakes, where he made very fast fractions in the 1 1/2 mile race and endured a tough stretch fight and finished second after Essential Quality. Some horse racing sites have called it the best race of the year.

In a race that some have called the best of the year, Hot Rod Charlie (4) finished second with jockey Flavien Prati with Essential Quality (2) rider Luis Saez at the Belmont Stakes on June 5 in Elmont, NY.

(Julie Jacobson / Associated Press)

“When he set those fractions, it was hard,” Higgins said. “I gave him very little chance of him going from one thread to another, but when we saw him at the top of the stretch – when Essential Quality originally passed him – he was still going and came back and made it a stretch fight. It was amazing. I was amazed at his heart and performance. .We knew we had a really fun horse.

Although Hot Rod Charlie is 3 years old until January 1, when all horses expire a year, his race on Sunday’s opening day in Santa Anita will make everyone look forward to his 4-year campaign. He’s a $ 2,200,000 San Antonio Stakes favorite on the day with six judged betting contests, three of which are 1st class.

This is the 85th time Santa Anita is holding its signing meeting. The track hopes for normalization after it had to close for a few weeks in 2019 due to death spikes and then two years after the coronavirus affected the fan experience and race schedule. Things have still not returned to normal, as fans must present a vaccination card or proof of a negative coronavirus test and wear a mask even when outdoors. The first message is at 11 a.m.

Hot Rod Charlie shares the spotlight with Flightline, which has won its only two starts in 26 lengths. The 3-year-old, who was bought for $ 1 million, is going on a $ 300,000 Malibu stake in Grade 1.

So far, name recognition and an improved resume belong to Hot Rod Charlie, who has earned about $ 2 million in seven starts.

“It was an absolutely amazing journey,” Higgins said. “A dream come true. Looking back, I couldn’t have imagined a much more fun year.”

Perhaps the hardest race for Hot Rod Charlie fans was the Haskell Stakes in Monmouth Park in July, his first race after the Belmont Stakes. He crossed the finish line first, which would have been his first Class 1 win, but was disqualified for harassment.

“It was obviously a blow when it happened, but looking back it wasn’t the worst thing that’s ever happened to us,” Higgins said. “It improved the story of Hot Rod Charlie and made him more lovable and fun to watch.”

Brown’s former teammates Dan Giovacchini on the left, Reiley Higgins, Alex Quoyeser, Patrick O’Neill and Eric Armagost stand outside the barn with Hot Rod Charlie – or “Chuck” as they call him – in Churchill Downs on April 28th.

(Charlie Riedel / Associated Press)

Hot Rod Charlie won his next race, the Pennyvania Derby, giving him his first class 1 win, which is considered essential to a profitable stallion.

The foal owners and coach hope to have another full year of racing on horseback, culminating in the Breeders ’Cup Classic in Keeneland on November 5th. Before that happens, he needs success as he starts collecting a lot of loyalty miles. He will be directed to the $ 12 million Dubai World Cup on March 26th.

“Ideally, if he comes out on Sunday in good shape, we’ll send him to Dubai in mid-January,” O’Neill said. “She is making preparations [race] there in February. We follow a model like California’s, ”which won Dubai in 2016.

So Sunday may be the last time we see Hot Rod Charlie in the U.S. until the summer or fall.

It would come as no surprise if some members of the Boat Racing Syndicate went to Dubai to watch Chuck run. If they don’t, they’ve invested some of their winnings in two other horses. One of them, the Franklin One Star, a $ 32,000 purchase, won its first race in Los Alamitos earlier this month.

How was the horse named?

Franklin One Star is a brand of table tennis balls that is often used in beer pong.