Finnick the Fierce Forges Path to Kentucky Derby

Though he may be just a 3-year-old, Finnick the Fierce has made a habit of defying the odds. It's a trait that, while born of physical necessity, is one his connections will be banking on when he enters the gate Sept. 5 in the Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve (G1) at Churchill Downs. 

"Every time he's hit the board was when he's had the long odds," breeder Paige Gilster said. "I think he likes defying expectations as much as we like watching him defy expectations." 

 A Kentucky-bred son of Dialed In , Finnick the Fierce was born at Millennium Farms April 22, 2017, to Gilster's mare Southern Classic (by Southern Image). As it happened, Gilster, who was a senior at Iowa State University at the time, was on a class trip to Kentucky when she got the call that her new foal was on the ground. 

"The mare was like a month late, so it was a crapshoot, but I was very lucky," Gilster said. "My good friend from school and I went out to see him the next morning, and that was when I noticed the problem with his eye and I immediately thought the worst." 

Gilster called Hagyard veterinarian Dr. Arnaldo Monge, who came out to the farm immediately and determined that the foal had a rare congenital cataract in his right eye.

"My first impression was, 'Wow, this is a nice baby,'" Monge said. "He had big bones and was muscular and tall. He caught my eye immediately. But when I did my exam, I noticed the congenital cataract, which broke my heart for Paige because I knew she wanted to sell the baby in the future. That was going to be a deal killer." 

Finnick the Fierce's bad eye was eventually removed by Monge's Hagyard colleague Dr. Dwayne Rodgerson. For several months, Gilster, who had planned to sell the foal commercially to help pay off student loans, continued to pursue the idea that she could enter him in a sale.

"A few months after he was born I talked to a couple bloodstock agents about putting him in the (Keeneland) November (Breeding Stock) Sale," Gilster said. "I asked them, 'Would you buy a one-eyed horse?' So many said yes they would, but if they have four or five other horses on their shortlist, a horse with one eye is an easy one to rule out. That's when I decided to call Dr. Monge."

Knowing the cataract and ensuing excision of the eye would dissuade most buyers, Monge floated the idea to Gilster shortly after Finnick the Fierce's birth that he would like to buy him for his own racing stable should she decide to sell privately. After brief negotiations, the pair reached a deal. Monge would buy Finnick the Fierce for $3,000 and board his dam, Southern Classic, at his 20-acre farm in Nicholasville, Ky., for free for one year to help offset extra costs.

"My biggest goal for him at that point was for him to go to a great home that would give him every chance to make it on the track," said Gilster, who now runs Blu-Sky Stables in Lexington and serves as assistant manager for Timber Town Stables. "It has since blossomed from a vet/client relationship to more of a family relationship. I consider him and his wife (Thena) to be like second parents. They've been wonderful keeping me in the loop with (his) training." 

Monge introduced Finnick the Fierce as a yearling to trainer Rey Hernandez, who was also impressed with the horse's physicality. After the breaking and training process began, Monge sold half his interest in the gelding to Hernandez for the same price he paid—$3,000. 

Early Promise and Consistent Results

Finnick the Fierce broke his maiden on debut at 2 and made his first step up to stakes company two starts later in the Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes (G2) at Churchill Downs. He finished second in the 1 1/16-mile event on a sloppy track, ironically defeating heavy Kentucky Derby favorite Tiz the Law in the process. 

"He has always shown a lot of talent, but we didn't know he was that good until he won the first time out," said Hernandez, adding that Finnick the Fierce was the first one-eyed horse he'd ever trained. "That was a five-furlong race but he was flying and that gave me a really good feeling that he was good horse." 

His sophomore campaign got off to a slightly slower start. The gelding finished fourth in the Jan. 18 Lecomte Stakes (G3) at Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots before running off the board next out in the Feb. 15 Risen Star Stakes Presented by Lamarque Ford (G2) at the same track. He bounced back two months later to win an allowance optional claiming race at Oaklawn Park, ran third in the May 2 second division of the Arkansas Derby (G1), and third again in another allowance optional claimer June 13 at Churchill. He finished off the board once more in his most recent start, the July 11 Toyota Blue Grass Stakes (G2) at Keeneland. 

Though his racing record is consistent, in any other year Finnick the Fierce would lack the points to qualify for the Kentucky Derby. But with the race postponed by the COVID-19 pandemic and several sophomores unwilling to enter or unable to maintain their form ahead of the American classic, his connections decided to take a risk on their slightly myopic marvel. 

During the Sept. 1 post position draw, Finnick the Fierce drew the oft-dreaded rail for the 146th Kentucky Derby. He will partner with jockey Martin Garcia, and his morning-line odds are 50-1. 

Though only eight horses have won from the rail in the race's history, Monge said he thinks the position is exactly where his horse wants to be. 

"It's a long race," Monge said. "But the trainer that broke Serengeti Empress, Mort Shirazi, said to me one day when we were trying different bits for him, that if you look at the Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes and you see the head-on picture, (jockey) Sonny Leon was pulling Finnick the Fierce's head out. He was leaning in and Leon was afraid he would hit Silver Prospector. The horse lost momentum in that moment when he had to be jerked away. Mort said to us that he thinks the horse is trying to tell us that he likes the rail, so maybe it's a blessing that he drew that post. Maybe he feels more secure.

"What I do know is that if he makes his move on the turn and if he has a free path where he can accelerate the way he does, I think this is a horse to reckon with in the Kentucky Derby. It's a long stretch, but he can really accelerate." 

"Obviously, it's not the most ideal post, but he had the 1 hole in the Arkansas Derby and ran strong there," echoed Gilster. "He's come out better from each of his races. With the new gate being not so tight to the rail and with Churchill using post positions 2-19 for the 18 horses in the field, I'm not concerned. He'll run his own race regardless of where he is at. That's him. He's very consistent about how he runs. He takes his time and then he takes over." 

As an added bonus, the decision to exclude fans from this year's Kentucky Derby may work in Finnick the Fierce's favor, as his connections have noticed a tendency to get distracted by noises and large crowds.  

"It might be better because he is always trying to look with his good eye to the outside," Monge said. "He wants to cock his head and he can lose momentum, but maybe now that there is no crowd, it will work for us." 

"I know that he will be fine. The less noise he hears, the more relaxed he'll get," said Hernandez. "It's just amazing to be here. It's a dream that we all carry and I'm very excited." 

Finnick the Fierce will be the fifth recorded horse to run in the Kentucky Derby to have either been missing one eye or be blind in one eye. The first to run with one eye was Cassaleria, who injured his left eye in an accident when he was a foal. Contesting the 1982 Kentucky Derby, the horse finished 13th. Next to run was Pollard's Vision, who contested the 2004 renewal. Blind in his right eye from birth, he ran farther back in 2004 and landed in 17th. 

Blind in his right eye from birth was Storm in May, who finished 16th in the 2007 Kentucky Derby. The most recent runner physically missing his left eye was Patch, who finished 14th in 2017. 

Outcome and ocular defects aside, Monge, Gilster, and Hernandez are looking forward to cheering on their once-in-a-lifetime horse in what is sure to be a once-in-a-lifetime experience. They like their odds. 

"This isn't just a big race, this is a race that people spend years and years and millions of dollars trying to make it into and we're here. We get this chance," Gilster said. 

"We're enjoying every moment of this. God blessed us to be here, and we are going to make the best of this," Monge said. "We drew the No. 1 post, and we'll be watching in suite No. 1. Maybe that means we will come out No. 1 in this race. You've just got to dream big."