BackTrack: Relaxing Tops Males in 1981 John B. Campbell

An hour after the last race of Bowie's winter meeting had been run March 14, night was falling fast and the bleak backstretch was even bleaker and more deserted than usual. Most of the stables already had shipped out to Pimlico Race Course, which was to open March 16.

A few lights flickered dimly in the stakes barn, where Skipat, Peat Moss, Gasp, and other survivors of the John B. Campbell Handicap (G2) still were being ministered to. In a stall midway down the shedrow stood the winner, Ogden Phipps' Relaxing—and she was doing just that. Showing no outward signs of distress from her three-length win over Malcolm H. Winfield's fine colt, Irish Tower, she stood deep in a bedding of wood shavings. A blanket covered her, and her legs were snuggly wrapped in white cotton and fresh black standing bandages. She strained against the door webbing trying to force her rubbery muzzle into a box of sugar dots which groom Christine Collins held in one hand.

"She deserves it," said Christine, her eyes shining excitedly. "We call her 'Sugar Mouth.'"

Of the many runners in the Phipps stable, she confided, Relaxing is the owner's favorite. Small wonder. The 5-year-old daughter of Buckpasser amply has rewarded the patience of Phipps and trainer Angel Penna, coming into her own in recent months in a big way. The $136,600 Campbell Handicap at 1 1/4 miles marked her sixth consecutive victory and her fourth consecutive stakes victory, her last race having been the Assault Handicap at Aqueduct two months ago on Jan. 10.

The 27th and richest running of the Campbell unfolded in interesting fashion. With three consecutive Aqueduct stakes victories under his girth—including most recently the Grey Lag (G3) on Feb. 21—the Maryland-bred Irish Tower went postward under jockey Jeff Fell the 9-10 favorite carrying high weight of 128 pounds. With her five-pound sex allowance, Relaxing was co-highweight with 123 pounds, including jockey Angel Cordero Jr. The second choice in the nine-horse field, she was to pay $7.60.

Constantine P. Beler's Skipat, the other mare in the race, proved to be an unwitting accomplice in Relaxing's triumph, softening up Irish Tower for the kill. Skipat was running back after a spectacular win a week earlier in the Barbara Fritchie Handicap (G3) at Bowie, despite earlier announcement of her retirement. She was sent straight to the front by jockey Kenny Black after quickly recovering from a bad start out of the No. 2 post.

Jockey Fell sent Irish Tower after the big mare, and when they thundered past the stands the first time, the dark bay colt was running under restraint just behind and to the outside of the 7-year-old chestnut. Back in the pack, Cordero allowed Relaxing to settle into stride, as is her want, and found position along the rail down the backside, where he started to move up.

Skipat and Irish Tower took turns on the lead while the Teletimer blinked leisurely early fractions of :24 1/5, :48, and 1:12 2/5. On the far turn, Skipat began to tire. In mid-turn, Cordero had Relaxing out in the middle of the track and with a sudden, looping right-hand swing of the whip, he sent the mare after the leaders. She responded with a lightning-like run, bursting out of the pack to the outside, Cordero looking back over his shoulder at one point to be sure that she was in the clear.

Relaxing seized the lead from Irish Tower leaving the three-sixteenths pole and was taken in hand through the stretch, winning by three lengths in 2:04 3/5—just three-fifths of a second slower than the track record.

Murray P. Garren's Peat Moss, an 18-1 shot with Eric Betia up, finished 2 1/2 lengths back in third place. It was another length back to Skipat. Then came Mile High Club, Majesty's World, Gasp, Grumblethorpe, and Skipper's Friend, in that order.

Last year Relaxing finished behind The Very One in two races and behind Just A Game in three races before finally hitting her stride in an overnight at Aqueduct on Nov. 9, following up with another overnight on Nov. 27. Thereupon, she won the Firenze Handicap (G2) at 1 1/8 miles on Dec. 6, the Gallant Fox (G2) at 1 5/8 miles a week later, and the Assault at 1 1/8 miles on Jan. 10 of this year.

Including the Campbell, she has been to the post a scant 23 times with 11 wins to her credit. Unraced at 2, she was sent to England at 3, where it was thought that the softer going would be more suitable for her then-sensitive feet. There she ran nine times, winning three times and finishing second once.

Back in this country last year at age 4, Relaxing ran 12 times, winning five, finishing second once and third three times. Including her $90,090 share of the Campbell, her career earnings now total $323,098.

Penna said that the mare has run so well of late that Phipps has abandoned any thought of retiring her to the breeding farm this year.

"Mr. Phipps said we'll try to have a lot of fun with the filly," declared the trainer who was, however, vague about where and when the fun will take place next.

"She has never run a bad race," he asserted. "She has never lost to the colts."

At 5 o'clock in the morning after the Campbell, Relaxing went aboard a van with groom Collins and assistant trainer Juan Ortiz, headed to Belmont Park whence they had come for the melon-cutting at Bowie. "Sugar Mouth" was obviously in competent and tender loving hands.

Collins is a recent graduate of Colgate University who forsook a chance to take an advance degree in geology in order to seek her fortune on the race track. Her fortune, she said happily, is building, for Penna gives her 1% of Relaxing's earnings.