Former Goresbridge Topper Living Good Life In The U.S.

In May of 2017, fresh off a win at the Breeders' Cup in his debut year with runners, American owner Bob Edwards set his sights on racing across the Atlantic. He charged Eamonn Reilly with picking out a 2-year-old at the Goresbridge Breeze-Up Sale, and they subsequently landed on a bay colt by Bated Breath (GB) which topped the sale at €210,000. Donning the green and purple silks of Edwards's e5 Racing, the colt named Landshark (GB) made his debut for trainer Jessica Harrington about 10 weeks later, winning a Leopardstown maiden by a half-length. He showed promise 10 days after that when running second to U S Navy Flag (War Front) in the G3 Round Tower S. but, plagued by physical issues, he was out of sight the rest of the year and made just two more starts at three, finishing off the board in both.

Landshark, however, still has plenty of good days in front of him. Now in Lexington, Kentucky, he was rehabilitated by Edward's daughter Casi, equine manager for e5, who explained that the horse's career was cut short by carpal chips.

“He had some time off after the [Round Tower] and that's when he first started having issues with carpal chips in his left knee,” she said. “He had some time off over there and my dad tried to run him back over there but he just didn't do so well. So he decided to ship him to the U.S. and try him over here. He went to Stonestreet [training facility in Florida] and was training really well there, and then he went to Chad Brown. Chad Brown had him in training but noticed one day walking down the shedrow that he was lame.”

After two surgeries to attempt to correct the problem and alleviate the pain, Bob Edwards decided to retire Landshark.

“My dad decided to retire him because it was the best thing for the horse,” Casi Edwards said. “He knew ever since he'd purchased the horse that I wanted to keep him in the family, so he did offer for me to take him. We did the whole rehab process at Indian Creek [in Kentucky] and then he came to me at the farm where I keep my other off-track Thoroughbred.”

Edwards said she rode Landshark twice before leaving Kentucky for Florida for the winter late last year, and described him as a “complete gentleman.” She is focused on jumping with her other off-track Thoroughbred, a mare adopted from New Vocations that she plans to show at the Retired Racehorse Project in the fall, and said that Landshark will stay on the flat.

“I wouldn't risk jumping him,” Edwards said. “If I can keep him on the flat and happy, that would be the best-case scenario in my opinion. He's a kind horse with a great brain and a really lovely mover. All in all he's a perfect horse; I'll never be able to compete in jumpers with him but when I go back [to Kentucky] I'm going to work with a trainer and maybe dabble in dressage, hunter flat classes; he may even make his off-track debut at New Vocations later this year.”

As an indication of Landshark's affinity for his new discipline, Edwards said she completed an 'around the world'-a 360-degree turn while seated on the horse's back-on just their second ride.

“He has a great brain and I'm able to throw anything at him and he'll just stand there and do what I ask,” she said. “It's really nice to have a horse like that; he's the easiest horse I've had so far. Under saddle he's a complete gentleman; when I tack him up he just stands there–I don't have to cross tie him or anything. He's a great horse; I'm excited to do something with him.”

And Landshark won't be the last horse to carry the e5 silks on the Irish turf. The Edwardses currently have a 2-year-old colt by Showcasing (GB) in training with Joseph O'Brien.