Shirreffs Gets Another Shot With Gormley in Belmont

It wasn't easy for trainer John Shirreffs to put it out of his mind, but he had to do it.

In the days and weeks after Royal Mo's breakdown at Pimlico Race Course, in his last timed workout for the Preakness Stakes (G1), it was difficult for the trainer to power forward, but the other horses in his care deserved his best.

"It was very emotional and it took a lot of wind out of the sails," Shirreffs said of the May 14 morning, when Royal Mo fractured a sesamoid and abruptly ended his racing career. "When things like that happen, it's hard to turn the page, but it's not fair to all the other horses you train not to turn the page. You turn the page, but it's still on your mind."

In that vein Shirreffs spoke sharply at Barn 17 on the Belmont Park backside June 8, when a connection was suggested between his current Triple Crown race starter and Royal Mo, who never got his shot at the series.

Gormley and Royal Mo are both owned by Jerry and Ann Moss, but how each is perceived should not be viewed through the same lens. It was apparent in Shirreffs' response that the emotion still lingers from that morning in Baltimore.

"Everything is separate. You've got to separate it," Shirreffs said of Belmont Stakes presented by NYRA Bets (G1) hopeful Gormley. "You can't attach Royal Mo and Gormley. It's very difficult, because you have to get enthusiastic, come to the Belmont, prepare the horse for the Belmont, and give him his fair share of enthusiasm. That's difficult to do, because you're still sad."

Jerry Moss got the call about Royal Mo three hours behind in California, be wasn't able to talk to Shirreffs until later in the day.

"Until I got him on the phone I was just thinking about John, because I knew how hard he was taking it," said Moss, who most famously had Hall of Fame runner Zenyatta with Shirreffs and still has most of his horses with the 72-year-old conditioner. "It bothered him for quite a while."

But bringing Gormley—the Santa Anita Derby (G1) winner who ran ninth in the Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (G1)—to Belmont has helped Shirreffs move on.

He compares the aura surrounding Triple Crown races to 2-year-old sales, where dreams and hopes abound. It's easy to get caught up in it, but in this case, it's not a bad thing.

"When we go to a sale, it's like a renewal. Suddenly there's the enthusiasm of the people selling the horses and the owners are dreaming about getting a Derby horse or a nice horse, so there's a lot of positive energy," Shirreffs said. "It's similar to these kinds of races. There's so much enthusiasm and positive energy, it reinvigorates you. As a trainer, you're here seven days a week and there's hardly any time for vacation, so you need those highs to carry you through the times of the doldrums."

Shirreffs may be able to separate the two colts out of necessity, but Moss does not.

"Royal Mo was doing so well, we really felt he was going to be a great part of John's bouquet," Moss said. "But this race really does mean more now, with what happened to Royal Mo. We came into the Triple Crown with two good horses. We always thought Gormley deserved the trip to New York, but after Royal Mo didn't get to the Derby (he was on the also eligible list) and then what happened at the Preakness, it adds a little extra."

Shirreffs had five colts come into his stable as 2-year-olds in 2016, so the fact that two ended up being classic types—considering the strike rate of others who prioritize the series significantly more in their programs—is an impressive feat.

"When they come in as a 2-year-old, you never know how far they're going to go or how they're going to develop," Shirreffs said. "To have two, actually three, precocious ones—remember, Conscripted won early, went in a stakes, got injured, and needed some time off—it's just nice to see things fall into place."

Gormley stood out from the start and showed it on the racetrack. At 2 he won his debut impressively late in Del Mar's summer meeting, then a month later took the FrontRunner Stakes (G1) at Santa Anita Park.

"Gormley was particularly brilliant," Shirreffs said. "He had that quickness to him and (Royal Mo), you could just see that he was a classic individual—that long stride and really great attitude. You could see him coming along slower."

Gormley's quick ascension flew in the face of Shirreffs' reputation as a trainer who takes his time with his horses and doesn't rush them to race early. Although he doesn't deny that distinction outright, he bristled at being labeled.

"People have very short memories," Shirreffs said with a laugh, in reference to his prior success with young horses like I've Decided, David Copperfield, and Swept Overboard. "I spent 10 years breaking yearlings, so actually my forte is 2-year-olds.

"People think I wait and wait and wait, but what trainers like to do is have horses train themselves. If you ask the horse to do it, how do you know where the horse is? You're asking them to do it. It's much better for the horse to do it himself to take you there."

With Gormley, Sherriffs feels he has just that—a horse who has taken him to Belmont, not because he was asked. For Shirreffs and Moss, it's a move they've made before. Ten years ago, the New York natives and California transplants had Tiago carry the pink-and-green Moss silks to a seventh-place finish in the Derby and then a third-place run in the Belmont behind champion filly Rags to Riches and Horse of the Year Curlin  .

"After 10 years, you really appreciate what it takes to run in the race," Moss said. "It's special to be a part of the race."