Hardest Core Rested, Prepping for BC Turf
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No moment was more memorable at the 2014 Arlington International Racecourse meet than watching the feel-good story of the year—Andrew Bentley's against-all-odds gelding Hardest Core crossing the wire first in the Arlington Million (gr. IT) over Irish import and Breeders' Cup champion Magician.
It was a score for the little guy: the small stable from a remote Pennsylvania town with an owner whose tale was as heartwarming as that of the death-defying equine athlete himself.
The story continues on no other stage than the grandest of all in American championship racing—the upcoming Breeders' Cup World Championships at Santa Anita Park.
Hardest Core will train up to the $3 million Breeders' Cup Turf (gr. IT) off his driving victory at Arlington Aug. 16 and enter 11 weeks fresh for trainer Eddie Graham. The Million victory garnered him a "Win and You're In" qualification into the Nov. 1 event, guaranteeing the son of Hard Spun not only a spot in the starting gate, but also a healthy travel stipend in order to get there.
Such luxuries might seem inconsequential to the larger, multi-million dollar Thoroughbred conglomerates who had planned on making the trip regardless—like the powerhouse Coolmore partners who own Magician—but such a break is a huge deal for a meager team hoping to display the talent of their prized pupil on the world stage.
The significant rest following Hardest Core's explosive Chicagoland conquest was by design for the 4-year-old gelding.
"After his race, I just let him relax and played with him to keep him happy and make sure he bounced out of the race well," Graham reported. "He got a month off and just got back to work last Monday with a work on the hill, going seven furlongs, twice. It's a rolling uphill gallop with a turn on it and he does it two times. He's doing fantastic, knock on wood, and is in full swing right now working toward the Breeders' Cup.
"My gut feeling—and after talking to the owners—was that it would be good for him to come in (to Santa Anita) fresh," Graham continued. "A lot of those horses who ran last year at Belmont (in the grade I Joe Hirsch Turf Classic, a logical prep option) before going to the Breeders' Cup didn't bounce back that great. He ran back-to-back this summer pretty quickly between Philly Park (Parx Racing) and Delaware and then ran back at Arlington quickly after that. We like to keep our horses fresh and I'm glad we do because he's doing really well."
The unique training style has worked to perfection for Hardest Core, who is out of a half sister to sprinter/miler and champion juvenile Gilded Time, a grandson of champion sprinter Housebuster. Bred to run no farther than a mile on the dirt, he has bucked many a bloodstock agent's logic and excelled long on the grass. He won the Cape Henlopen at Delaware Park going the 1 1/2 miles of the Breeders' Cup Turf distance—all while looking like he could run even farther.
"I pretty much train him like a steeplechase horse," Graham explained. "He never goes too fast in his works and just focuses more on endurance. I really don't put speed in my horses. I let them do things in hand and I don't like bullet works. He'll stay steady for the five weeks leading up to the (Breeders' Cup)—working on the Sundays or Mondays—including this week, and he'll work the Sunday or Monday before the race and fly out probably on Tuesday that week."
Speed is not in question for the rangy bay, who successfully closed his final quarter in the Million in approximately 23 seconds. Neither, for that matter, is shipping.
"He handled shipping 13 hours to Chicago really well and flying across the country shouldn't be a problem," said Graham. "The day we arrived at Arlington I put tack on him and he seemed well and good. He's pretty classy like that. I think we'll be fine. I ship a lot to the gallops with my horses and he is on the trailer many days a week. My horses are used to shipping."
After traveling halfway across the country and beating some of the best in the world, including group I winners from five different countries, Hardest Core will try new challenges like Santa Anita's notoriously firm turf course and new contenders from both American coasts and Europe.
"I'm not sure how he'll handle the turf until he runs on it, but he definitely likes the grass firm and it was pretty hard when he ran on it at Delaware and Arlington," Graham said. "I am not worried too much about the competition—just trying to get my horse there—but if I had to say there is one horse to worry about, it's Graham Motion's Main Sequence. I'm hoping he gets a tough race at Belmont; he's very talented.
"Still, I'm just concerned about my horse. I'm a little more nervous because it's the opportunity of a lifetime. He's my one big horse and you just try to do everything right leading up to the race. Right now we're just trying to get the job done. He's a special horse."