Feature Race | Auction | Breeding | General | Hall of Fame | Harness | Interviews | Mixed Breed | New Players | Racing | Site Updates | Steeplechasing | Steward's Cup | Triple Crown
With Kind Regards Lays Down The Law In The Classic
Original article written by Jack Meyer posted 10 years 1 week agoThe close of the SIM Triple Crown was staring us in the face Friday night as a field of 10 hopefuls made their way to the starting gate for the 1 million dollar Long Island Classic at Long Island Park in New York. There was a feeling of emptiness for race fans as the absence of Bronze Horseman loomed heavy as the field entered the gate, with only half of the winners of the first two legs running, how would the race take form, and would we see a newcomer take flight, and spoil the hopes of those who have fought through the grueling trail thus far.
Amaroq again got the lead as he wanted, and was allowed to open a lead of as many as 2 lengths, but he was setting an honest pace this time around, and wasn't allowed to set easy fractions the way he did in the Crown. Father of the Year and High Scoring gave chase of the leader, while With Kind Regards sat about 3 1/2 lengths off the lead and stalked the pace.
Pemberley and Extraordinary hung back in mid pack for the first half of the race, while Severus Snape, Ever The Same, Imagine Dragons , and Asgoodasimgonnaget took back and let the race unfold before making a charge at the end.
As the field galloped down the backstretch, Amaroq began to hear footsteps creeping up on him very quickly as With Kind Regards out the pedal to the metal and surged from 4th to 2nd with no hesitation. Father of the Year and High Scoring just couldn't keep up as they threw in the towel heading towards the far turn.
Extraodrinary and Pemberley started their mild moves around the turn, but Severus Snape and Ever The Same swept on by them for their bid for a piece of the Classic. Imagine Dragons was just too far back and not making up enough ground on the rest of the field to be much of a threat, while Asgoodasimgonnaget just never fired.
The Long Island Park stretch was Amaroq's worst enemy, as he was getting leg weary midway through it, and With Kind Regards was building up steam, and raced right on by. Ever the Same was chewing up ground with every stride as he moved from 5th to 2nd passing Amaroq, Pemberley, and finally Severus Snape. Imagine Dragons was putting his heart into it trying to run down the top 5, but wasn't doing so fast enough, as the rest faded into SIM Triple Crown memory.
The wire was within reach for With Kind Regards, as he crossed it, you could almost feel the relief of his owner Norman Architecture, as his colt finally got what he rightfully deserved, it just took his 3 races to get it. Ever the Same ran a game 2nd, but couldn't make up the 2 3/4 length deficit that ended up being the difference. Severus Snape ran a big race in the Classic, but he had a case of the 3rd's, just as With King Regards did in the Derby and Crown. Pemberley and Amaroq rounded out the top 5, as the grueling road through the Triple Crown had finally caught up to them.
As the Triple Crown ends, yet another year passes with three different winners in the three races, one begins to wonder, with all the talent that has found its way into the SIM, will we ever get to see another Triple Crown winner, or are the memories of Priceless Forever, Tremendous, Jet-Ski, Awake As I Am, and Maelstrom all we have to look back on to get a glimpse of what perfection looks like in the span of 4 weeks.
Jack Meyer