The Player Returns Home to Bradley's Farm

"What do you see?" the familiar voice from behind the camera phone said to the chestnut peering out the window of the van that carried him on his his journey from Louisiana.

"Do you see it? Oh yeah, you see it. You know you're home."

"Home" for the 5-year-old horse known as The Player—or "Angus" if you're trying to get his attention—is trainer and co-owner Buff Bradley's Indian Ridge Farm in Frankfort, Ky. It's where Bradley and his late father, Fred, poured years of blood, sweat, and dedication into yielding such standouts as multiple Eclipse Award champion Groupie Doll and grade 1 winner Brass Hat. It's also where they pulled a son of Street Hero out of their mare Hour Queen on March 22, 2013, and auspiciously gave him a name befitting a rock star.

It's the place where The Player finally returned Sept. 21, nearly six months after an injury that claimed his career March 24 threatened to also take his life. As Bradley handed filming duties off to his longtime assistant Maria Kabel so he could lead his homebred charge onto the grass that will serve as his forever pasture Friday, he repeated the reality again—as much for himself as for the fans tuning into the livestream feature on his Facebook page.

"He's home," Bradley said with a tone of gratitude, fatigue, and relief all coming through.

The journey Bradley has been documenting over the last several months produced the moment Friday he was holding out for, ever since fear overtook him at Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots in March. After the horse spent months at the Louisiana State University School of Veterinary Medicine following surgery to repair fractures in two sesamoid bones in his right front leg suffered during the New Orleans Handicap (G2), The Player was released to Bradley's care Sept. 20 and arrived at his farm the following afternoon for an emotional homecoming that seemed improbable at various points during the recovery.

In the months since Hall of Fame jockey Calvin Borel pulled The Player up when he felt him go wrong after leading the opening half-mile of the New Orleans Handicap, the multiple graded stakes winner overcame a myriad of setbacks that could easily have taken his story on a turn for the worse. The initial surgery performed by Dr. Chuck McCauley went as well as you could hope, but complications in the weeks and months that followed included an infection in his leg, swelling in his tendon, and a partially broken screw in the repair site.

"Just wasn't sure this day would ever come," Bradley said. "There are ups and downs when you deal with these kind of injuries and the healing process. (There are) so many things you have to worry about, with infections and everything that goes along with it—complications and laminitis. You just have to get through every day. And I have to say, LSU, Dr. McCauley, and their staff were exceptional in taking care of him, and not only taking care of him, but keeping us informed of what was going on, what they were going to do, and what they have done.

"It was pretty emotional pulling into the farm and knowing that he's home, and he's going to be here, and this is where he's going to live."

By July, The Player was turning a corner in his healing—and inspiring the LSU staff in the process. In mid-August, with his X-rays showing no new issues, the process of reducing his antibiotics began. When he was off all medication by September, a final set of X-rays was taken on the fused ankle before the green light was given for Bradley and his crew to come get their boy.

"He should (be) fine living life as a normal horse," Bradley said. "He's always going to have an abnormal gait, but I can tell he's very comfortable with that. And when he stands, he stands squarely. We're always going to have to watch about shoeing him and his feet, but I think he's just going to be happy and satisfied with where he is with his movement. I think he seems very happy to me, and I can tell just the way he acts. He's pretty easy to read."

Sentiment has long run bone-deep with the Bradley clan and The Player.

In addition to being the product of a female family the Bradleys cultivated for two generations, he is one of the final horses Fred Bradley bred along with his son and their longtime partner, Carl Hurst, before his death in 2016. There is also the matter of The Player's endearing quirks that helped build his fan base, most notably his habit of sitting on his haunches like a dog.

He continued to give his people reason to spoil him with his on-track results. Included in his five wins from 14 starts were victories in the 2017 Hagyard Fayette Stakes (G2) at Keeneland and this year's Mineshaft Handicap (G3), where he prevailed in gate-to-wire fashion by 4 1/4 lengths Feb. 17.

Bradley said plans to hold an open house for fans to visit The Player are in the works, possibly for late October or early November. He wants a chance to personally thank all of those who have supported his team through a tremendous ordeal and give people a chance to see how science, faith, and an iron will can bring even the most fearful situation home in good fashion.

"There are so many people who have already requested (to come see him)," Bradley said. "It's either going to be late October or maybe Breeders' Cup weekend. Dr. McCauley, who did the surgery, may be there as well, so we can let people thank him for his efforts in this whole ordeal."