Alysheba - favorite of yore

Sad to see the passing of Jack Van Berg at 81. But he is somewhere in a better place. He was a colorful cowboy kind of trainer, tough but heart of gold guy, maybe out of Nebraska. He trained one of the first horses I ever fell in love with, so his passing conjures memories. He is seen in suit in picture above when he still had a bit of hair on his pate - seen with his great steed Alysheba. Ridden by Dorchester's own Chris McCaron.

I have to use Wikipedia and HorseRacingNation to refresh the old memory cells, but I guess the story was that Van Berg (who still rates as the 4th winning-est trainer of all time) trained Alyseba up to the 1987 Kentucky Derby with a run just 10 days before in the Bluegrass Stakes where the horse came in third. Van Berg had faith in the horse, which was sired by Alydar, had competed aggressively, and survived a throat encumbrance, but had only one a maiden race before the Run for the Roses. Still, Alysheba won that Derby - with a daring come-from-behind run topped by a stretch drive that saw leader Bet Twice jump out dead in his path causing the two to clip heels but Alysheba drove on undeterred - and the Preakness, with  Bet Twice coming in second both times. Then it was on to the Belmont Stakes. But a  Triple Crown was not to be for Alysheba - it was Bet Twice's turn (with Cryptoclearance, another great one, that Cecelia got a lot of place and show money on, coming in third), and Alysheba finished fourth.

Cecelia and I saw Alysheba live at that year's Travers Stakes at Saratoga. It was a stellar year for 3 year olds and a stellar field (Polish Navy, Gulch, Bet Twice, Cryptoclearance, others). It rained most of the day, and the sky opened up considerably just as the race began, and I am convinced to this day that hurt Alysheba's chances, and helped the winner. The race was won by Mack Miller's Java Gold, but Cecelia probably cleaned up anyway with Cryptoclearance, who came in second. She was not into picking winners, she liked, and still does, the place and show.

Alysheba lost that year's Breeders Cup to Ferdinand, a beautiful horse that ran for Charlie Whitingham. But in 1988, in his last race, Van Berg's horse beat Seeking the Gold and Waquoit (a horse stabled in Mass.) in the Breeders Cup on a wet track at Churchill Down, the site of Alysheba's first great triumph.