Rare Twins Mr. Ping and Mr. Pong Continue Victory Chase

Nearly three months after their synchronous debut made global headlines, the rare Thoroughbred twins Mr. Ping and Mr. Pong are still in search of their first victory. The journey continues June 24 when Mr. Ping makes his third career start in a maiden claiming race at Mountaineer Casino Racetrack & Resort.

The West Virginia-bred sons of Denis of Cork out of the unraced Domestic Dispute mare Washingtonian reside on opposite sides of trainer Larry Curtis' barn at Middleburg Training Center in Middleburg, Va., part of a 16-horse string the trainer keeps in his hometown. The flashy chestnuts have three combined starts to date.

Two of those starts came during their highly anticipated April 6 debut in a West Virginia-bred maiden claimer at Hollywood Casino At Charles Town Races, where Mr. Pong edged his brother by a half-length to avoid finishing last for owner/breeder John Casey.

In the especially rare event that Thoroughbred twins are carried to term and survive the foaling process, one is often further developed than the other—Mr. Pong in this case. 

Mr. Ping remains the smaller of the two, after requiring months of careful monitoring as a foal while he faced a series of potential life-threatening complications. However, in the middle of their 3-year-old seasons, Mr. Ping is poised to have three starts to Mr. Pong's one. Curtis also described Mr. Ping as the better-conformed of the two.

After his debut, Mr. Ping returned to Charles Town for another state-bred maiden claiming race June 2, where he ran greenly to finish last again in a field of 10. His two races were at 4 1/2 furlongs, and Casey said prior to their debuts that both geldings would likely prefer more distance. The trainer said he saw enough from Mr. Ping's latest start to try him in Sunday's six-furlong race at Mountaineer, where he will be in for a $4,000 claiming tag.

"It's a little farther," Curtis said. "The last time he ran, he closed ground. It's an easier spot for him. I would like to win a race with one of them. He's the less talented of the two, but we'll see."

Mr. Pong has not raced since facing his brother in April. He was given some time to recover after coming out of that effort with a cough. 

"He'll probably run next month," Curtis said. "He's over it. He's OK now. We just had to treat him with antibiotics and give him some time off."

Despite their similar upbringings and identical pedigree, Curtis said the two horses had markedly different dispositions. 

The trainer also noted that while the geldings have matured from their initial greenness, he has set a course for them to transition into second careers if their on-track performances do not pick up.

"(Mr. Pong's) got a real good disposition, and the other one is much more difficult," Curtis said. "I think (Mr. Pong) would make a kid's horse or someone's hunter, and the other one would make a polo pony or something like that. He's not quiet enough to be just a pleasure horse."

Curtis, a steward for the National Steeplechase Association, has had success with his placement of off-track Thoroughbreds. Chief among them is Old Tavern, an unraced Curtis-bred filly he sold to rider and trainer Charlie Caldwell of Coldwater, Tenn. Caldwell repackaged Old Tavern into a polo prospect, and she earned the "America's Most Wanted Thoroughbred" title at the 2017 Retired Racehorse Project Thoroughbred Makeover in Lexington, Ky.

Mr. Ping will likely have a chance to follow that path himself. "America's Most Wanted Thoroughbred" is based on a fan vote, with the ballot consisting of the winners from each of the competition's disciplines. A horse with a large following like his could become the next high-profile success story for Curtis and Caldwell if the gelding goes to the event and shines.

"I've already talked to them about it when he's done racing," Curtis said, "which won't be long if he doesn't show something."