The Week in Review: A Throwback, Letruska is Horse-of-the-Year Material

Apparently, trainer Fausto Gutierrez, whose main base is in Mexico, didn't get the memo. Top U.S. horses just don't run back in three weeks or start four times over the span of 85 days. They don't go from track to track and take on all challengers. Owned by St. George Stable, Letruska (Super Saver) is doing what just isn't done anymore.

Coming back in three weeks after winning the GI Ogden Phipps S., Letruska romped Saturday at Churchill Downs in the GII Fleur de Lis S., winning by 5 3/4 lengths. It was her fifth race this year and her fourth win, which may not seem like a lot, but is commendable in an era where the less-is-more theory of training a horse has been taken to ridiculous extremes. Mystic Guide (Ghostzapper), the top contender at present for Horse of the Year, has raced just twice and not since winning the G1 Dubai World Cup Mar. 27. Domestic Spending (Kingman {GB}), the best turf horse in the country, has also raced just twice. And not a single horse ran in all three Triple Crown races this year.

Not only has the 5-year-old mare stood up to the “punishment,” she has thrived. Entering the Apr. 17 GI Apple Blossom H., she had never run a triple-digit Beyer number, but did so when upsetting champion Monomoy Girl (Tapizar) by a nose to earn a figure of 102. She came back June 5 and got a career best 103 in her win in the Phipps. In the Fleur De Lis, she ventured into the triple digits once again, getting a 102.

Afterwards, Gutierrez would not commit when asked where Letruska would run next, but as long as he keeps the kid gloves off, the Aug. 28 GI Personal Ensign S. at Saratoga seems like a logical spot.

Wherever she starts next, she will be after her 16th career win from 21 starts and her sixth graded stakes win. All this from a horse who started her career in Mexico.

The combination of Letruska and St. George dominate Mexican racing. St. George is owned by German Larrea, who, according to Forbes, is worth $16.3 billion and is the second richest man in Mexico. She broke her maiden in a $3,400 race in Mexico City then won three straight allowance races worth a combined $13,700. After shipping to Gulfstream to win a race in the Caribbean Classic Series, she finished 13th in the 2019 Tropical Park Oaks in her first in the U.S. in open company. There was nothing to suggest what was to come.

With the year she is having and after beating Monomoy Girl at Oaklawn, she's the leading contender for the older filly and mare dirt championship. Gutierrez isn't ruling out a Horse-of-the-Year title, and why not?

“We know she's a really nice dirt horse and is supposed to win at different racetracks and different conditions for a possible Horse of the Year campaign,” he said. Gutierrez went on to tell reporters that a start in the GI Breeders' Cup Classic is a possibility.

Letruska may not be the very best horse in the sport and there may be some worthy Horse-of-the-Year candidates out of the dirt male or turf male divisions. But Horse of the Year is supposed to go to the horse who did the most from January through December and not the horse who ran four times and won some big races. If voters follow that criteria, Letruska should have a good shot at the sport's most coveted year-end honor.

Meadowlands Issues Its Own Ban For Driver Who Violated Whip Rules

As reported last week in the TDN by T.D. Thorton, harness driver Joe Bongiorno was fined $5,000 and suspended 20 days by the Meadowlands judges for over use of his whip. The judges ruled that Bongiorno's actions caused a spill that led to one horse being injured and euthanized. Unlike jockeys in New Jersey, harness drivers are allowed to use their whip to encourage horses, but there are severe restrictions placed on its use.

Bongiorno received a stay, but will nonetheless be sidelined. Starting last Friday, he began a 20-day ban put that was put in place by track owner Jeff Gural, who is never afraid to take matters into his owns hands. He was also banned at the two other tracks Gural owns, Vernon Downs and Tioga Downs.

Gural took action because he was concerned about an on-going pattern when it came to Bongiorno and the whip. The Meadowlands issued a statement, which read: “The Meadowlands, Tioga and Vernon Downs are excluding Joe Bongiorno from driving in races at any of those three tracks beginning Friday (June 25). This action is being taken due to track management's observation of Mr. Bongiorno's driving over a lengthy period of time. Most recently, in the seventh race on Saturday (May 29), Mr. Bongiorno was driving the horse Pat Stanley N when that horse fell while in contention in the very late stages of the race, resulting in a three horse accident where one of the horses suffered a catastrophic injury. Fortunately, the other two horses and all three drivers were able to walk away with minor injuries.”

Bongiorno can resume driving July 16 at the Meadowlands.

Rich Glazier, RIP

If you never paid attention to the simulcasts from Delaware Park and caught Rich Glazier's act, the loss was yours. Glazier, who worked for 30 years at Delaware Park as their TV host and paddock analyst, passed away Tuesday at the age of 73.

Glazier was much older than most racing talking heads and he was not nearly as pretty. But what this rumpled septuagenarian might have lacked in style he more than made up in substance. He knew his stuff, especially when it came to turf racing, but never took himself too seriously. He had his jokes and his shtick, all of which worked. He always reminded you of your favorite uncle who first took you to the track when you were a kid.

Mr. Delaware Park, Glazier was so devoted to his hometown track that he missed only one running of the Delaware H. (with the exception of the 1982 through 1985 runnings when it was held in Saratoga.) And he had a pretty good excuse–he was in Vietnam at the time. But that didn't keep Glazier from getting down a bet. For the 1968 Delaware H., he called his mother and told her to get to the local bookie and get a bet down for him on Politely. Politely won.

Chris Sobocinski, the track's morning-line maker and public relations director, worked alongside Glazier for years.

“He's almost synonymous with Delaware Park,” Sobocinski said. “I grew up with him being the replay show host for many, many years. In many ways, a part of Delaware Park died when Rich Glazier passed away.”

He loved horse racing like few others. One of the very best people I have ever come across in the sport, Glazier will be missed.