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Hall of Fame - A Good Irish
Original article written by Nathan Klein posted 4 years 0 weeks agoKwa Taq Nuk was already a champion Appaloosa and a Hall Of Famer. However, he was way more successful as a sire with many great colts and fillies but there was one who stood out above the rest and managed to be even better than his father. His name was A Good Irish and he was the best Kwa Taq Nuk had to offer. On the track, A Good Irish was the complete opposite of his dad in running style instead of closing late in the final 100 yards like his father A Good Irish led from the beginning. He showed this off immediately when he took a field of maidens gate to wire in his first start winning by 1 length.
The race was won so easily that in his next start A Good Irish went into listed stakes company against Nez Perce. Who was also undefeated but unlike A Good Irish he was undefeated in 2 starts and had already taken the Selfish Stakes by half a length. Just like before A Good Irish got the jump and took the lead by 3/4ths of a length but with 100 yards to go, Nez Perce, began to come back with a run of his own gaining on A Good Irish making ground with every stride A Good Irish needed the finish line and fast. At the wire, they both hit the wire at nearly the exact same time. But by a hair's breadth, A Good Irish took his first stakes race and was now 2 for 2. After this, he would extend his streak to 3 in a row with a neck victory in the World Of Children Stakes.
But a rematch with Nez Perce quickly changed that. At the start, A Good Irish uncharacteristically didn't have the lead to himself this time. Frozen Assets had matched A Good Irish stride for stride never giving A Good Irish any chance to open up. Slowly Frozen Assets moved ahead gaining a small head advantage and on the far outside Nez Perce flew late. The 3 horses were all going to cross the wire close to each other neither giving each other a clear advantage. But at the wire, A Good Irish was just a head and nose too short. He would come in third with Frozen Assets in first and Nez Perce managing to pass A Good Irish in the final strides for second. It would be the first of 2 defeats for A Good Irish.
But the year wasn't over there was still one more start left in his 2-year-old-season and it would be the Grade 1 Steward's Cup Appaloosa Dash. This time A Good Irish would get the jump on Frozen Assets. This time A Good Irish was in control of the race Frozen Assets would be right at his neck but always a head behind. Nez Perce, as usual, flew late to try and defeat the two battling colts but just like before he would come up short by a head. This time not to Frozen Assets but to A Good Irish. Frozen Assets would be a head behind Nez Perce and settle for third. A Good Irish had reversed his previous result against Frozen Assets. But it would not be enough to win Champion Appaloosa 2-year-old-male he would lose the award to the then-undefeated middle distance champion Andretti.
The following year A Good Irish would rematch against Nez Perce and Frozen Assets individually. Defeating Frozen Assets by half a length in the Under Pressure Stakes. before taking the At The Moment Stakes and defeating Nez Perce in the Blue Fill Stakes. Easily stretching his winning streak to 4 straight races. But in the Apache King Stakes Guinness Beer a horse who had been second behind both Frozen Assets and A Good Irish in stakes company would get the lucky break and battle A Good Irish head-on at the start. The two were nearly in unison the whole race but by an unlucky nose bob, A Good Irish tasted defeat for the second and final time by the closest and most excruciating margin of defeat, a nose.
For the second time in a row, he would fail to win his final prep towards the Steward's Cup. this time the stakes were definitely higher than before. He would, of course, have to face off against Nez Perce, Frozen Assets, and Guinness Beer again. The only 3 horses to ever defeat A Good Irish. But he would also have to face off against a fellow Hall of Famer, Guns and Beer. Guns and Beer were the previous years champion 3-year-old and was riding a 9 race winning streak going into the Steward's Cup. Which included last year's Steward's Cup Appaloosa Stakes. It was a true race of champions but when the race began it was already over for Guns And Beer. A Good Irish had already taken the lead by half a length and easily held off Frozen Assets and a late close from Nez Perce. Guns and Beer could only rally up to second place and would have to end his career losing to A Good Irish. A Good Irish held him off by half a length and went on to take Appaloosa Horse of the Year, and Appaloosa Champion 3-Year-Old-Male.
As a 4-year-old A Good Irish got even better than he already was. Strolling through his first 2 race by 3/4ths of a length each time. Although he would barely win the Fin Stakes by a nose after that. He would also get redemption in the Apache King stakes with defending champion Guinness Beer coming home ninth, and his old rival Nez Perce would rally home third. Now all that was left to round things out would be defending his title in the Steward's Cup Appaloosa Sprint. This time he had no major horses to worry about it was just his old rivals Nez Perce and Frozen Assets. However, he broke off a step slow, despite that he still took the lead by a slight margin of a nose. After that, he continued to accelerate further and further opening a slow and steady lead no one was gonna catch him today by the finish line he won by half a length.
He would retire immediately afterword and go on to win Appaloosa Horse of the Year and Appaloosa Champion Older Male. In every way, A Good Irish was able to outdo his Hall of Famer of a father Kwa Taq Nuk. He was able to win the Stewards Cup Appaloosa Sprint twice, win 4 Simmy Awards and managed to be an even more successful sire. Siring legendary filly Feigned Ignorance who set the world record for most wins by an Appaloosa at 28 wins. As well as winning 13 of those races successively and just like her dad took home 4 simmy awards. Bottomline while A Good Irish was not actually Irish he was a great American horse and possibly the greatest Appaloosa sprinter ever to grace the Sim.