Derby Post #19: So Slew Me
What have I got myself into? Just three days back I was a happy man, an unemployed freelance journalist without a worry in the world. I was free to run naked through meadows, pick flowers with pixies and have conversations with mushrooms. But now look what has happened! I am in deep, deep trouble! And it all started with that damned early morning call:
“We need you” said the voice on the other line.
“Huh, who is this?” i replied semi-awaking from a deep slumber.
“We need you” came the soft sultry response once again.
Still in a daze i replied,
“I’ve told you i cant”
“Can’t what?” came the voice sterner now.
“I can’t play another season, im finished. Shaq’s too big and too fast i cant contain him” came my incoherent reply.
“What in gods name are you talking about? I just need you to write an article” she said, her voice becoming familiar.
“So you don’t want me to play ball?” i replied skeptically.
“No! It’s me Roys you fool! I need you to write a small article on a horse in the Derby. Don’t worry we here at the BTB all know about your creative limitations, so we’ve lobbed you out to post position nineteen. No good horse ever gets post nineteen. When the posts are drawn jot down its name, its owner and make up something about how ‘it has a real chance’ of winning, ok?”
“So no ball then?”
“Just do it! You’ve got till saturday.” Click.
I didn’t know it then but i was well and truly about to be dumped way over my head.
The day the post positions for the Derby were drawn started like any other. I awoke at the crack of mid-afternoon and hobbled to the answer machine, positive that this was the day i would get the call. Surely my numerous articles published in the now defunct magazine: Weevil’s Monthly had been recognised by some executive publisher and i would be whisked off my feet.
“When is it gonna be my time?” i shouted, scaring the rat at my feet; gnawing on yesterdays dinner.
I stared at the flickering red number. It pulsated at me, mocking me as if to say:
“One message?’ Blink.
“In six weeks?’ Blink.
“What a loser.” Blink.
“I bet its your mom.” Blink
“Oh wait she’s dead, i’m sorr….” My finger touched the new messages button, ending the machines insolence. Out came Roys voice:
“Your still in bed aren’t you? i bet you haven’t even heard yet! So Slew Me drew post nineteen! Did you hear me? S-O S-L-E-W M-E! Oh god my careers riding on this! On you! Are you getting all this? You better not screw….” I cut off the insults once again. Tired of the noise, tired of the whole answering machine and Roys conspiracy.
“They’ll get theirs” i told myself under my breath, passing the answering machine a menacing glance as i moved to pick up the morning paper.
And then it all clicked. “post position”, “article”, “So Slew Me”, “mushrooms”, “derby” the words all came rushing back to me. This wasn’t happening! I ran to the paper now, ripping it from it’s plastic coccoon and flung it open to the final page. There it was, spelled out in bold type. A lazy, un-talented word-smiths’ worst nightmare: “Big chance So Slew Me draws outside gate in Derby”. Oh crap! People are going to actually read what i write! I’ve got work to do.
SO SLEW ME #100249
http://derbyfever.com/hr/runtime/onehoss.asp?hossnum=100249
SO SLEW ME came into this world out of the under-performing but well bred mare NO MORE STORMS. With dam-side breeding as nice as this (Seattle Slew x Storm Cat) the temptation possibly would have been too much for others to spend big. An uber-expensive son of Mr. P perhaps? But no, to his credit owner/ trainer Richard (babyfarms) opted against following the fashion trend sweeping the horse racing world to go with what he knew. Belong to Me had worked before and he had an inkling he would work again. On the day of the colts birth his trainer reminisces:
“I knew i had something special from the start” and “He had a glint in his eye and an assuredness to his step that his mother sadly lacked”.
So Slew Me’s racing career began on a brisk morning back in April 2005. In the first race of the day with barely a punter to be seen Slew broke nicely, sitting just off the lead only to be run down by two horses who would disappear off the racing map as quickly as they appeared. What went wrong? Nothing says his trainer:
“I still hadn’t worked him out to this point”, “he needed some races under his belt to determine which direction we would go”, “beaten by a nose is far from discouraging first up”.
Fast forward to August 8th and Slew had hit the big time. Following two dirt victories at drastically different distances(4.5 and 8f), trainer Richard entered his youngster in the 8f Grade 3 – Pea Patch Juvenile in Kentucky. Richard explains:
“Up till then i had absolutely no complaints with him”, “Discarding his experimental turf run which in hindsight was a mistake he had two wins and a third, he deserved his chance” and “he had a whole bunch of energy before that race, pretty similar to how he is now actually”
Owner/ trainer kevoman recounts the race:
“My horse TICK AWAY broke beautifully. he sat nicely on the rail, shadowed by two peppy looking colts on his outside. At the halfway point mine began to tire but the two others So Slew Me and BLACK CLOWN blew past and continued the race on their own with Slew holding off Black Clown to claim top spot. I think thats as close as my horse ever got to the likes of those two! They just flew past like he was standing still!”
From there Slew went into the doldrums. For owner and horse alike the realisation that one Graded win doesn’t make a champion became apparent. Richard:
“we both got ahead of ourselves, both me and the horse”, “i thought he’d win everything after the Pea Patch”, “we were wrong, we both needed to work alot harder in training” and this “but i was never worried, he would be his best at three. i just had to find a way to contain his energy and then release it on the track.”
It took longer than expected but the right formula finally came about in March of this year. After a so-so run in the equinics, Richard entered Slew in the Grade 2 – Louisiana Derby:
“This was a huge test”, “it was a chance for the horse to prove me right”, “i was never happy with his run in the equinics. Whilst i have the utmost respect for J White he kept him too far back from the leaders, from there he had no chance.”
Slew wouldn’t win that day, but he came damn close. Beaten 1 and 3/4 lengths by TOXICSUPERFREAKOUT on the end of a three race winning streak. Richard comments:
“we beat some handy horses that race”, “once again we spotted the leader too much and failed to reel him in but the signs were there”.
On April 8th the Slew got his revenge. Almost a year to the day on from his first start Richard entered his blossoming young colt into the star-studded Grade 1 – California Derby.
“we weren’t assured a start in the big one just yet so i was hoping this race would allow us to keep our foot in the door”, “we expected ALASTOR and Toxic to be the main threats but HALF A WORLD AWAY stepped it up.”
Step it up he did, but in the end So Slew Me was too strong, he took the lead mid-way and continued to accelerate away. The late-swoopers? they didn’t even get close.
“we are delighted with that race”, “we couldn’t ask for a better lead up to the Derby”.
So Slew Me comes into the Derby as the equal third favourite (12/1), behind two of the big name 3yo’s in RHIBUS and Half A World Away who sit at slightly shorter odds of 11/1. He has some stiff company with PEACENIK and Alastor at similar odds and many others just behind. Is he up to the task? Richard gives his thoughts:
“he’s primed for this one, im real excited”, “i’ve had four or five derby horses in my time, but this is the one i’ve been most confident with”, “i expect a real big one, but if it doesn’t come it doesn’t come”, “there’s always next year”.
Next year? forgive me for thinking that next year is as far from Richards mind as good journalism is from mine. So Slew Me is in the Derby this year and he’s sure looking to take some scalps while he’s here…..
Good Luck