Calvin Borel couldn’t get much higher in his praise after the 3-year-old Greeley and Ben’s 4 1/4-length victory over Curlins Vow in a $41,000 allowance race Saturday at Ellis Park than this:
“I’m talking about a Street Sense-kind of horse,†Borel said, referring to his first of three Kentucky Derby winners who also was the 2006 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile victor and champion. “I’m telling you, we just had a little bit of bad luck and one thing after another and finally have him what — maybe halfway? — maybe halfway right now. He’s not even there. And we know we just have to run him, do something with him. Got him going pretty good now, so we’re happy.â€
Greeley and Ben, trained by Gary Thomas for long-time client and breeder Millard R. Seldin Revocable Trust, led all the way to cover the mile in 1:36.22 and pay $26.80 as the sixth choice in the field of nine. But it was no upset in Borel’s mind.
“And he’s a lot better than that,†he said.
In fact, Greeley and Ben was intended for a Kentucky Derby campaign, getting off to an extremely promising start when in his debut at Keeneland he broke slowly and came extremely wide and from far back in a field of 11 to lose by only a head. In his second start, he battled for the lead throughout en route to victory at Churchill Downs over Hence, who this year won the Sunland and Iowa Derbys.
Unfortunately, Greeley and Ben proved the old racetrack saying “no foot, no horse,†with a sequence of hoof issues sending the colt to the sidelines. The Ellis Park allowance race was only his fourth lifetime race and his first start in more than four months since finishing a respectable fifth off another four-month layoff in an Oaklawn Park allowance in which the third-place finisher was Indiana Derby runner-up Colonelsdarktemper.
“Second time in his life he beat Hence. This horse had quarter cracks on both feet,†Thomas said. “We knew he a good horse, just give him a little chance. This spring he got a quarter crack and couldn’t run. I patched another one this morning early. It wasn’t bothering him. The older one kind of got abscessed in there, because it was in there a long time before it busted out.â€
While defeating older horses in the allowance race, Greeley and Ben earned a very solid 90 Brisnet speed figure, continuing the pattern of improving his handicapping number each time he’s run. Thomas now will look at the remaining opportunities to run for big money against fellow 3-year-olds, mentioning Louisiana Downs’ Super Derby and Remington Park’s Oklahoma Derby. Thomas won the 2008 Oklahoma Derby with Golden Yank, the Seldins’ near-millionaire who is from the same female family as Greeley and Ben.
“I don’t know. I’ve got to see,†Thomas said of Greeley and Ben’s next start. “Heck, I spent six months getting to this spot.â€
Saturday at Ellis was a good day for Thomas’ family as his son in law, Buff Bradley, trains Upset Brewing, winner of a 2-year-old filly maiden race by 9 3/4 lengths two races earlier. Thomas is no relation to Chester Thomas, Upset Brewing’s owner.
(Photos: Greeley and Ben winning Saturday’s allowance race at Ellis Park under Calvin Borel. Headshot of trainer Gary Thomas. Credit: Coady Photography)
