Owner Larry Best Pulls Instagrand Out of Training

There is nothing wrong with OXO Equine's undefeated Instagrand, according to owner Larry Best.

Nevertheless, Best is going to go against the racing mantra of "run them when they're ready" and give the 2-year-old Into Mischief  colt the rest of the 2018 racing season off.

The decision isn't entirely being made in a vacuum, specific to one horse. His reasoning reflects his worldview and comes with critiques of what he feels is standard operating procedure in the Thoroughbred industry.

"(Trainer) Jerry (Hollendorfer) feels our horse is ready to go. There's nothing wrong with the horse. ... It's safe to say Jerry and I don't agree with this. But I apparently have this funny attitude. I don't buy $200,000 horses," Best said of his several six- and seven-figure purchases, of which Instagrand is one ($1.2 million at Fasig-Tipton's The Gulfstream Sale). "I pick the horses myself, and other people pick the same horse. Market value is pretty hard, and I respect the investment I'm making. If I'm doing the investing, I should have some say when and where they run. And if I give them a break, it's because I want to give them a break."

For Instagrand—who last put in a timed work for Hollendorfer Sept. 10 at Santa Anita Park and is currently stabled at Taylor Made Farm in Nicholasville, Ky.—Best specifically pointed out how hard the colt ran during his sale breeze, in his maiden-breaking win, and in the Aug. 11 Best Pal Stakes (G2). The presence of stablemate and Del Mar Futurity (G1) runner-up Rowayton—owned by OXO Equine and trained by Hollendorfer—factors into the decision as well.

BALAN: Instagrand Romps in Best Pal at Del Mar

"I have two colts who both have promise. Why not separate them and run Rowayton in the American Pharoah (G1), Sept. 29 at Santa Anita) and give Instagrand some time?" Best said. "I'd like to see (Instagrand) have a strong 3-year-old run and perhaps as a 4-year-old. If you look at Instagrand and watch the races he's run—and this is my opinion, and I'm not an expert, but I tend to go with my opinion and my gut—he runs so powerful and so hard, and if I'm not careful, he'll hurt himself.

"When I bought him in the 2-year-old sale—if you go back and look at his breeze, he just pounds it. Go back and look at his races, and he just pounds it."

Best expects Instagrand to return to training in November to start his prep for a 3-year-old campaign, but if all goes well in the early 2019 season, don't be shocked if the colt doesn't run in the Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve (G1). And if he happens to race in the Kentucky Derby and win it, don't expect him to start in the other Triple Crown races.

"I don't believe in the Triple Crown. I'd rather have Instagrand win the Kentucky Derby and the Travers (G1)," Best said. "To me, that's treating the horse fairly and giving the horse a chance at 4. I just don't believe in the Triple Crown. I know that's sacrilegious, but it's only because I care about the horses and the money doesn't matter to me. ... And if he wins two (graded races) early in the year and I don't think he's 100%, I'm not going to run him in the Derby, either."

Best doesn't look too far back to justify his opinion on the classics. Five of the 20 horses who participated in the 2018 Kentucky Derby have not raced since the end of the Triple Crown—including Best's Instilled Regard, who is scheduled to go in the Sept. 22 Pennsylvania Derby (G1)—and six others have made just one start.

"Five months ago, the top horses were going into the Kentucky Derby," Best said. "How many horses are racing today? No, seriously. Let's count them. They went hard as 2-year-olds, hard as 3-year-olds. Where's Magnum Moon, where's Quip, where's Audible?

"I can go on and on and on. People want to ignore that. I don't want to ignore that. It's all because (young) horses are over-raced. Then, in their 3-year-old year, they don't even get to six months."

Best contends he is in racing for the long term, and he may clash with conventional wisdom regarding racehorse management.

"For a lot of horsemen, they think it's not a matter of if, it's when (a horse has an injury or setback). It could happen in training, so you run," said Best, who is known for his work with Boston Scientific and OXO Capital. "I just have a formula that works for me with all of my businesses. I built my businesses on gut instinct, and the horses I buy, I look forward to racing them at 3 and 4.

"People have come to me for breeding rights, and I've said no. It's not about the money. I want to give them a 3-year-old and 4-year-old career. I'm not driven by money. I want to compete. I did the same with companies. I ignored Wall Street, that only thinks about next quarter. At Boston Scientific, I thought five and 10 years out and not five months out like Wall Street wants.

"Long term, you’re going to win if you treat people right, and in this case, horses right. If you’re going for short-term gain, you better have a freak or you better be lucky. I believe—following this strategy over, say, 10 years—I'll be more successful than the average guy. I think you have to have a philosophy and be disciplined. That's what I'm going to do. Will it work out? We'll find out."