Tom's d'Etat Sets Sights on Churchill Downs

G M B Racing's Tom's d'Etat left it all on a muddy track April 11 when he returned to racing off an almost five-month layoff to take a strong edition of the Oaklawn Mile at Oaklawn Park. The win was the third consecutive score for the son of Smart Strike, a streak that trainer Al Stall Jr. hopes to keep alive even as the COVID-19 pandemic holds the racing calendar in limbo. 

"The narrative of most of the congratulatory calls that I got were all about him finding the bright spot. If he can keep doing that in these times that is fine with me," said Stall.

With increased earnings of just over $1.3 million, Tom's d'Etat has aged incredibly well. Since earning his first black-type victory for Stall in December 2018, the 7-year-old has performed consistently in graded company and ended 2019 with back-to-back scores in the Hagyard Fayette Stakes (G2) at Keeneland and the Clark Stakes presented by Norton Healthcare (G1) at Churchill Downs. 

"Churchill Downs is hopefully going to let horses come in on the 28th of April, which fit our schedule well as far as shipping," said Stall. "It's hard to map out a schedule right now but we're hoping for the best as far as racetracks being able to run. Whenever they tell us we can go somewhere we're going to go but the horse came out of the race in really good shape." 

For the time being, the plan for Tom's d'Etat will likely feature a next start in the May 30 Blame Stakes at the Louisville track. From there, the hope will be to start the horse to the June 27 Stephen Foster (G2), a race in which he ran third last year. A "Win and You're In" race, the 1 1/8-mile dirt test provides an automatic berth in the Breeders' Cup World Championships. 

But if there is one thing for certain in the age of COVID-19, it's that nothing is certain. 

"We definitely want to try and get into the Stephen Foster, whether they have the Blame or not. We could always send him somewhere else," said Stall. "But in these times, staying right where you are as much as possible might be best for everyone involved including the horse." 

Like all trainers faced with the continuous closure of tracks across North America, Stall is taking things one day at a time. Unable to make even contingency plans for his horses as races continue to change dates or are cancelled altogether, Stall said he's simply grateful to his owners for their patience, and to the tracks for their willingness to support horses in training. 

"It's been stressful but I'm fortunate that my owners have been really good. We have a few running at Oaklawn and we're grateful for that," said Stall. "We are hopeful that things will continue to get better in Kentucky and glad that Fair Grounds and Churchill Downs are nice enough to keep the tracks open for training so that horses are getting what they need on a day-to-day basis exercise-wise. 

"We're better than most so we're just waiting to get into Churchill and hopefully they will pick an opening day. There are others who are a lot worse off than we are so we're trying to make the best of it. Being from Louisiana, we're like New Orleans after Katrina or New Yorkers after 9/11. This virus has hit everyone in the world so we're all in this together and we're going to hang in there and do the best we can." 

As much as he can, Stall said he and his staff take comfort in the horses, which keep them busy in a time when so many are struggling to keep their jobs. 

"It's therapeutic to have the horses to keep your mind going," said Stall. "We're more fortunate than others like those that work in restaurant or hotels or airlines where their businesses have been completely shut down. We still keep the ball rolling. We're in this game for the love of the animals and I think that helps everyone mentally."