by Greg Thompson, Stallionesearch.com

RUIDOSO, NM—AUGUST 15, 2017—Quarter Horse racing fans, we can all agree that these seem like tumultuous times currently playing out in the sport. The daunting headlines within the passing month have not enhanced the aura or ambience that surrounds ‘our’ magical time of the year leading up to the yearly-pinnacle of Quarter Horse racing calendar in Ruidoso on Labor Day.

The fact is…we are on the verge of what could be a historical year in our sport. Eagle Jazz has won two-thirds of the Ruidoso Triple Crown, and is going into the trials this Saturday with the chance to become only one of two horses ever to pull off such a feat.

Stated very simply, I (Greg Thompson) am excited about the possibilities that this horse brings to the table going into the trials on Saturday. It has been since 2005 since the sport has even been in this position to see if a horse could pull of the unthinkable in Quarter Horse racing.

It is my opinion that Quarter Horse racing NEEDS the positive headlines a Triple Crown winner would bring to our sport, regardless of the turmoil that involves Eagle Jazz’s former trainer Judd Kearl. Kearl is now serving a suspension, and I have spoken to him concerning the topic at length.

A Triple Crown victory did wonders for the sport of Thoroughbred racing, who had been seeking a winner of all three since 1978. That was until American Pharoah pulled off the visually miraculous feat in 2015. The Triple Crown winner of 2015 made headlines everywhere, and gave the sport essentially a breath of fresh air with the popularity of the undefeated colt. It was not only good for Thoroughbred racing…it was good for all of horse racing.

I am not naïve enough to think that Eagle Jazz’s potential Triple Crown win, if it happens, would bring the same amount of publicity or attention that American Pharoah’s win generated. But isn’t it entirely possible that it would interject a resurgence of interest from those who were marginal in their following of Quarter Horse racing to come out of the woodwork to see if this sorrel gelding can pull off such a tall feat?

Witness To History

It has been 36-years since Special Effort murdered the field along the outside in the 1981 All American Futurity (G1) to capture the sports one and only Triple Crown. Only four two-year-olds, including Special Effort, in the history of this sport have been in this position.

As a 9-year old child on vacation in Ruidoso with my family, I witnessed Special Effort in his qualifying effort in the Rainbow Futurity (G1) trials. I can’t recall exact details about the trial race other what seemed to a 9-year old boy to be an extremely lopsided victory. I can claim that I saw Special Effort the runner, but certainly can’t stake the claim that I witnessed the Triple Crown feat.

With the dynamics of the staff at Stallionesearch.com, the usual routine is that I attend the finals of all three ‘big’ futurities, and bypass the trials. It hit me like a bolt of lightning this past weekend that I needed to make sure I was at Ruidoso to witness what could be a truly historical moment this coming Saturday.

What if Eagle Jazz destroys the field by five-lengths in route to posting the fastest time of the day on Saturday, and I am not there to capture it all on film? Twenty-five years from now, will I be able to say “yes, I was there when Eagle Jazz qualified for the All American” or would I regret not taking all of the footage I could of this horse on his way to a date with destiny? That is if he overcomes the hurdle of Saturday’s trial race to qualify for the All American.

If we knew then what we know now, it is conceivable that there would have been absolute overflowing crowds in 1981, with people parked on the highway and standing in the back of their pickups, just to see Special Effort eclipse the feat of the triple. I would not miss out on having a chance of going back in time to witness Billy Hunt aboard Special Effort that rainy Labor Day in 1981.

A New Trainer

With the suspension of Kearl that began not long after the running of the $1 Million Rainbow Futurity (G1), owner Juan A. Medina was in need of a trainer for the nearly undefeated gelding. The training duties were handed over to trainer James B. “Jimmy” Padgett, II, who sought and received approval from the New Mexico Racing Commission to obtain the horses that are now in his care.

“Eagle Jazz is doing amazingly well for a two-year old that has had eight races this year,” said Padgett. “He is just such a chilled and relaxed horse, and nothing seems to bother him. He seems to sleep 20-hours in a days period of time, which is a testament of his personality. I think God everyday to be associated with such a horse, and I look for him to continue to run well.”

The March To Labor Day

Eagle Jazz’s possible wining of the Triple Crown has other far-reaching implications within our industry. His dam, Baja Jazz, would likely see a sharp increase in her value if perhaps the winner of the 2017 All American Futurity (G1) is Eagle Jazz. Her foals would most likely sky rocket in value if the feat of the triple is accomplished.

As an example, legendary horse agent Don Tyner brokered a deal with breeder Allen Moehrig for the dam of Special Effort, Go Effortlessly, for a reported $1 million price tag off of the success of her champion running son. That was $1 million in 1981.

Eagle Jazz’s sire, One Dashing Eagle, who stands at Lazy E Ranch in Guthrie, Oklahoma, would become the father of the all-time highest earning runner in the sport if perhaps the Triple Crown is achieved. The positive upswing that would accompany a victorious Labor Day for Eagle Jazz would be significant in the young sires career. He stood at Lazy E Ranch for $6,000 for the 2017 breeding season.

The owner, Juan A. Medina, would also be in for a financial windfall. The gelding has earned $900,449 thus far in his two-year old campaign, and the win on Labor Day brings with it a $5.5 million payday. The colts lifetime earnings will skyrocket to the all-time mark of $6.4 million.

The Quarter Horse racing fan base overall would love to see a Triple Crown winner. They would love the headlines that such an effort would produce, as well as the end of a drought that I myself had said would never be overturned. Regardless of the turmoil that swirls, the hopes for the horse and the sport comes first in this situation as it pertains to me.

If you look at it from every angle, Saturday is nothing short of a historical day in Quarter Horse racing. Those in attendance will be able to say one of two things. One possible take away from Saturday could be that they witnessed Eagle Jazz’s amazing effort to qualify into the field, thus furthering the hype leading to his march towards Quarter Horse racing immortality. The other possible take away would be that we witness Eagle Jazz join the list of three others who tried and could not accomplish what transpired in 1981.

If you analyze the Rainbow Futurity (G1) victory, you will see a horse under constraint by jockey Rodrigo Vallejo in the attempt to try to keep him from lugging in during the deep stretch portion of the 400-yard event. If perhaps he kept to a straighter course during the race, the margin of victory would have been larger and more devastating as it already visually appeared to be.

I bring this up to point out how overwhelmingly talented this horse, Eagle Jazz, has shown to be. He easily falls in the category of what racing lore would refer to as a ‘freak’. His obvious level of talent puts him in a category shared by only a select few. This is a horse that has done almost everything right. He is stayed sound throughout this tough campaign, and he has shown an amazing turn of foot that has made most doubters into believers.

He is a horse that should be observed and enjoyed, and recorded for his feats he is accomplishing. If he goes on to win the Triple Crown, he will meet my hopes that I have for him. If he goes onto to win, he will meet the hopes that I have for this sport to have a positive light put upon it.

Derived from the discussion with Kearl, I can assure you that the suspended trainer agrees whole-heartedly with this the sentiment that I am about to put forth. The sentiment is that this Triple Crown pursuit is not about Kearl. The march towards a potential Triple Crown is solely about Eagle Jazz.

Either way, Saturday at Ruidoso Downs is a historical event in the story of Quarter Horse racing. I will be in the grandstand watching with baited breath on Saturday to see what kind of a Labor Day weekend it will be in Ruidoso for 2017.