Nick Costa Talks with Winning Fort Erie Trainer, Nick Gonzalez
July 8, 2010
Nick Gonzalez Jr, & Nick Gonzalez. Photo Courtesy: Nick Costa
Hi everyone, On a sunny, hot and humid Sunday afternoon while American's were celebrating their July 4th holiday, Canadians were being treated
to royalty at a packed Woodbine Racecourse. The sport of kings, as thoroughbred racing is often referenced to, took a backseat to a queen. Not just any queen either, but, THE QUEEN. Her Royal Highness, Queen Elizabeth ll was in attendance to witness BIG RED MIKE capture the 151st Queen's Plate, the oldest continuously run stakes race in North America. Trained by Fort Erie's leading trainer, Nick Gonzalez and ridden by Eurico Rosa DaSilva,
BIG RED MIKE, sent off at 5-1 odds, broke from the gate and went right to the lead, set moderate fractions which put the rest of the field in a "try to catch me mode" which no opponent was able to do, allowing the 3 yr old to kick clear to a 1 1/2 length victory in the $1 million dollar race, which kicked off the Canadian Triple Crown. Morning line favorite, Hotep who was also sent off at 5-1 odds, chased the winner all the way around the track in 2nd, but could not overtake the leader. The filly, Roan Inish finished 3rd, while Giant's Tomb rallied up for fourth.
Photo Courtesy of Bloodhorse.com
Owned by Terra Racing Stable, BIG RED MIKE (Tenpins) was coming off a win in the Plate Trial, a race where he employed similar tactics, was passed briefly but re-rallied to win. The gelding has race exclusively at Woodbine and has never been out of the money in six starts, which now includes three wins. BIG RED MIKE was the 25th Plate Trial winner to win the Plate and the 3rd consecutive horse to do so. DaSilva garnered his second consecutive Queen's Plate win, having won last years edition with Eye Of The Leopard.
Next start for BIG RED MIKE is the Prince Of Wales Stakes at Fort Erie on July 25th.
Watch the Plate: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=URuv6KZ4XBw
Just a few days removed from winning the Queens' Plate with BIG RED MIKE, winning trainer Nick Gonzalez was kind enough to take time out from his busy morning to talk with me about the horse, the experience and a few other things.
Equine Niagara News (ENN)--Congratulations on winning the 151st Queen's Plate with BIG RED MIKE. Truly a remarkable accomplishment.
Nick Gonzalez (NG)--Thank you.
ENN--How long have you been a licensed trainer?
NG--I've been licensed since 1976.
ENN-- Was that the same year you saddled your first winner?
NG--Yes, actually I was lucky because the first horse I saddled won.
ENN--Do you remember the name of that first winning horse?
NG--A horse called Black Echo, at Commodore Downs. I got my first license in Erie PA. It was for $1500 maiden claiming, he won and I said to myself, "how easy is this game"?
ENN--Besides Fort Erie & Woodbine, have you been stabled at other tracks at on a regular basis?
NG--Not on a regular basis. We tried winter racing for a few short years at Tampa and then Gulfstream with limited success, so, we decided just to stay home. Actually what we've done in recent years is, we sent horses to other trainers, mostly to Scott Lake during winter racing time.
ENN-- How did Big Red Mike come into your barn?
NG--Well, I've been training horses for the Romeo's (winning owner Dom Romeo of Terra Racing Stable) for six or seven years now and over the past four or five years they have been sending us two or three babies every year. Big Red Mike came to us last year, he was broke at Pine Valley training center and he came to us last summer as a 2 year old colt and he was a real handful. After about a week's time we had to get him gelded and ever since that he has progressed nicely from there on. Trained him here (Fort Erie), breezed him three or four times, then sent him to Woodbine to finish him off for racing. He made it to the races late last fall, we got a couple of nice starts into him. Had a plan after that because we were seriously thinking about the Queen's Plate when he ran so good as a 2 year old. We took him to Ocala to my farm, turned him out for a month, put him back in training for another month and then I sent him to Palm Meadows training center with Brian Lynch for another month and he worked the horse three or four times for me and we sent him up to Woodbine and I guess the rest kind of speaks for itself.
ENN--Big Red Mike won the Plate Trial on the lead & was the only horse in the Queen's Plate field that had ever raced in front. The others were pressers, mid-pack runners and closers.So, you had to expect your horse was going to be on the lead once they left the gate, right?
NG--Well, it's funny that those events turned out like that because, really when we were thinking of the Plate Trial and the Queen's Plate down the line, we knew what kind of speed he had, we thought we had to have a horse that was rateable. In the mornings during his training and his workouts, we were putting him in behind horses getting him to relax and breezing him like that. We were prepared to do that in the Plate Trial and Queen's Plate if necessary, but as you know, when the situation dictates itself, you've got to do what's appropiate and it looked like in the Plate Trial for example, it was a paceless race and we figured to be in front and he was there, set some moderate fractions and continued on, but he fought a very game race because he was passed in mid-stretch and came back on. That was his first time going a mile and an eighth with 126 pounds, so we were estatic. Then going into the Queen's Plate itself, it just looked like it was just another race where there wasn't alot of speed in there and we had been monitoring the early races that day and it looked like it was a speed favoring track and fortunately we had ran in the race before the Queen's Plate with another Terra Racing Stables horse, Daniel Be Good, and he went wire to wire. So, we were feeling real good about our chances going into the Plate when we knew MIKE had that tactical speed
ENN--Can you share with our readers your personal feelings the day of the Queen's Plate?
NG--It was a day of mixed emotions. You know, you try and mentally prepare yourself for it. I tried to in the upcoming days before the race, but as it turned out, it was nothing that I ever imagined because, - A) the excitement of winning the race was overwhelming to begin with and B) when we were fortunate enough to meet the Queen, that was just something that was beyond belief. I tried to imagine it in the days previous what it would be like, but it was something so different, that it was just a once in a lifetime thing that I'll never forget.
ENN--The Queen's Plate is to Canadian racing what the Kentucky Derby is to American racing, so it wasn't just another race, but was it just another race day?
NG--For preparation wise and the activity that went on in the barn, very much so. We were treating it like any other race day, we wanted a nice quiet day in the barn, the help went along at both tracks doing their work. We tried to stay as composed and cool and calm as we could and wanted that to rub off on MIKE because he's an excitable horse. We just wanted everything to go so smooth that day, we were over cautious and fortunately for us, everything did go good.
ENN--You met Her Royal Highness, Queen Elizabeth ll, Tell us what you can remember about that?
NG--You know, I've been asked that question so many times and even now when things have calmed down, I was trying to remember what I said to her and what she said to me. You know, if I made up a few sentences, I'd only be fibbing with you, so I'm just going to be honest and say, it's just a blur.
ENN--Physically, how did Big Red Mike come out of the Plate?
NG--No different then he came back in the Plate Trial. He did get a little overheated after the Queen's Plate, of course it was a tremendously hot and muggy day. We had to hose him down a couple of times and he didn't make the pictures in the winner's enclosure for the race. We got him back to the barn, cooled him out and an hour later when I was back at the barn, he was standing in front of his big fan, so he was happy. So, I'd say just as good, if not better than the Plate Trial.
ENN--So obviously the Prince Of Wales July 25th is next for Big Red Mike right here at your home base of Fort Erie, a place where you have trained for many years and have enjoyed much success. So, with many friends and family planning on being in attendance that day, having the race right here has to be a wonderful and special feeling for you?
NG--Well, I don't think there would be any bigger feeling than what we had, I don't know if we could get anything better than that by winning the Queen's Plate, but, I'll tell you one thing, and it should come as no surprise to anybody, you know we have very close ties to the track here in Fort Erie with our friends and our racing fans. It's where we really got our start, so you know there is a special place in our heart for the racetrack and this race. I'm sure there is going to be the same enthusiasm and I'm just happy that in some small way I can add to the continued success and the well being of Fort Erie racetrack.
ENN--Obviously, Big Red Mike loves the synthetic surface of Woodbine, having raced there exclusively with 3 wins and has never been out of the money in six starts. Are you comfortable that he can transfer that form to the Fort Erie dirt surface?
NG--I really am. Like I told you before, we started his training here and he handled the track quite well. We breezed him three or four times here and they were all nice breezes. Actually, he does the majority of his training on the training track which is a dirt surface at Woodbine, basically because it's alot quieter out there and he handles that well. When we breeze him, we breeze him on the synthetic track for obvious reasons because he was running on it, but, the next time he breezes before he runs in the Prince Of Wales, will either be here or on the training track at Woodbine.
ENN--Should Big Red Mike win the Prince Of Wales to take the first two legs, the third leg, The Breeders Stakes is back up at Woodbine on the grass. Your thoughts on another surface change?
NG--You know something, it's a grueling task for these young 3 year olds as you know. Not as taxing as the one in the United States which comes earlier with their Triple Crown, but, you know when your running these top notch races three weeks apart in the heat of the summer, and it's been extra hot during our early summer months, it's very grueling and taxing on these horses. Should we be fortunate to make the Prince Of Wales and go further on and say we run competitively or even win it.....well, I'd say if he didn't win it, I'd look toward not running in the Breeders Stakes, because it's three weeks later going a mile and a half on the turf, but however, you know the pressure that is on the trainers in the U.S. when they win the first two legs and I don't think it would be any different with us if we were God willing, fortunate
enough to win the Prince Of Wales here. I think the pressure would be tremendous for us not to go run on the turf in that Breeders Stakes
ENN--Having good horses helps, but, successful trainers like yourself can't be successful without excellent help. Can you talk about your top personnel which includes your wife Martha and your son Nick Jr. Tell us how important they are to your outfit?
NG--I've been to talking about the help at both crews over the past years. We have been successful and then achieving bigger and better heights over the last three or four years because it is a total team effort. When you have 70 plus horses, you need proper managements which I think my wife and I do a very good job. Then you need those assistants and all the grooms, hot walkers, excercise people and all the vets, the blacksmiths, jockey valets, gate crew, it all has to be a good working unit to get to where we got to today and because we have so many employees, so many owners that supported us, I'd be here for two hours thanking everybody for all they've done for us. It's just a total team effort. When we won our thousandth race a couple of weeks ago, I just couldn't have been any more happier, not only for Martha and myself and my son Nick, but, just for both crews who worked their butts off for us over the years that enabled us to get there.
ENN--Favorite non- Nick Gonzalez race horse of all time?
NG--Wow, I'll tell you what, it would probably be Seattle Slew. I remember going back and watching his races and the thing I admired about him the most was, I was always a fan of a horse with speed, but when you looked at a horse like him that had the tremendous speed he did, and I remember a race that he ran in New York against Exceller, and it was a mile and an eighth in the mud and he went : 23, :46, 1:09 and Exceller was twenty lengths behind, made up those twenty lengths on Seattle Slew, engaged him and and looked like he was going to blow by him when they hooked up together at the eighth pole, and any other horse after carving out them fractions like that in the mud would have caved in, but Seattle Slew just dug in and the two of them went head to head and Seatle Slew out bobbed Exceller at the wire to beat him and broke the track record. That's one of the most unforgettable races I ever saw in my life. To go along with all his other accomplishments, that probably cinched it as far as I'm concerned about my favorite horse.
