BackTrack: Affectionately Overcomes Unkind Weight

Hirsch Jacobs saddled three mares for the Vagrancy Handicap at Aqueduct Racetrack. Bobby Ussery was three pounds overweight at 115 on Treachery. Jimmy Combest was two pounds over at 113 on Petticoat. Walter Blum was able to make the weight on Affectionately. She carried 137.

When the weights were announced for the seven-furlong Vagrancy and racing secretary Tommy Trotter had put 137 on Affectionately, there was much rustling through the record books to find when a mare had carried such an impost. There was talk of Pan Zareta and Yo Tambien and that was a long time ago. And, as Jacobs said, you cannot be certain today that they carried all that was assigned them. Racing at Juarez was inclined to be a little informal a half-century ago.

Affectionately won the Vagrancy and this was something special for the Jacobs family and for the 5-year-old mare's thousands of admirers at the Big A. Aqueduct's "victory lane" is used only for the most historic stakes—the Belmont, the Coaching Club Oaks, the Futurity. A month ago when Affectionately won the Top Flight, her first victory at more than a mile, Patrice and John Jacobs were heard urging their father and mother to lead their plump dark bay mare down the lane. Jacobs did so somewhat diffidently.

After the Vagrancy, Hirsch and Ethel Jacobs were awaiting Affectionately at the top of the lane and Jacobs, a broad smile on his face, led her into the court for the presentation ceremony. This time there could have been no doubt in his mind that his mare had won the right to whatever additional accolades were available.

Each win by Affectionately now creates a flood of statistics. The Vagrancy was her sixth stakes victory of the New York season, the 18th of her career. She has won $528,750 and ranks second to Cicada among fillies and mares. All these figures, however, were overshadowed in the Vagrancy by her 137 pounds.

"She's raced herself out of the filly and mare handicaps," Jacobs said. These were pleasant words to Trotter, who, although clean shaven, was taking on the aspect of a Simon Legree for persecuting this mare.

"I'm considering the Suburban," Jacobs said. "Of course it depends on the weights. What did Gun Bow carry in the last race, 130? Well there would have to be a bigger spread than that, at a mile and a quarter."

In the one-mile Metropolitan, Gun Bow carried 130 and Affectionately 121. Gun Bow beat her by a little more than three lengths, with Chieftain, to which Affectionately was giving four actual pounds, second. Since the New York season opened, Affectionately has been beaten only by males—Gun Bow and National, with Chieftan second each time. She gave weight to all but Gun Bow and as Jacobs has said, she cannot give weight to the best male horses.

She can give it to those of her sex though. The only one to make it close here this year was Sought After, which was just a head back in the Vagrancy and gaining a head at each stride. Sought after was getting 26 pounds.

Affectionately arrived in the paddock for the Vagrancy her usual, calm self. "No matter how hot it is, there's never a wet spot on her," John Jacobs said.

Affectionately's back-breaking impost had encouraged rival trainers, and in addition to Jacobs' troika, there were 10 other starters. Jacobs watched them arrive in the paddock and told the groom, "We'll put the saddle on her right when the others do."

He could have saddled Treachery and Petticoat and then dawdled around a bit to save a few minutes for Affectionately but he is not that kind," We don't want any extra edge or anything," he told the groom.

Jacobs agrees that dead weight is a little harder on a horse than live weight. Blum can ride at 112 so there was 25 pounds of dead weight on this medium-sized mare. There is also the feeling that dead weight hampers the fast-breaker and Affectionately breaks fast.

Coming out of No. 1 post position, she broke quickly, although not as fast as usual. Although establishing a clear lead, she did not draw away as she often does. Beautiful Day stayed almost with her, with Bold Queen close, and Petite Rouge pushing them.

At the quarter pole, with Beautiful Day and Petite Rouge looming menacingly, Blum gave Affectionately a good whack on the shoulder. She took off and opened a six-length lead. At the head of the stretch it appeared a runaway.

Then the weight began to tell. The six furlongs had been run in 1:09 1/5, but Affectionately began to labor. Blum hit her once more at the eighth pole, but she was so obviously doing her best he only showed her the whip from then on. Sought After, Face the Facts, and *Snow Scene II all were coming on, but only Sought After was a threat. Fifty yards from the wire it appeared she had no chance. Ten yards away, with Hedley Woodhouse whipping strongly, it appeared she might make it.

It was a very tired Affectionately which got her nose on the wire first. Sought After probably would have had her in another stride or two. Face the Facts was another length and a half back with *Snow Scene II fourth.

"I was limp at the finish," Jacobs said.

Affectionately, though tired, came out of the race apparently in perfect condition, which led her breeder-trainer to think of the Suburban, only nine days away.

"They're made to race," Jacobs says of his horses. "I'm more afraid of a six-furlong work than a race. The boy held her a little too hard the other day and she nicked herself. Sometimes the horse gets a little careless in a workout."

After it was all over, Trotter asked Jacobs how Affectionately stood in his affections with all the other fine ones he has trained.

"Oh, my favorite is Stymie," Jacobs said with no hesitation. "Then Hail to Reason and this one, together."

Jacobs had indicated some time ago that Affectionately probably would race again as a 6-year-old, like his other best broodmares did. He was asked if he had thought about which stallion, eventually, she would go to."

"To Hail to Reason, of course," he said. "They're different families."

Meanwhile, there is a lot of racing left in the old mare, so how about Affectionately for consideration as Horse of the Year? Twenty years ago a filly, Busher, edged Stymie for that honor. Affectionately? Why Not?