Lexington Herald Leader Logo

Rarely a winner, Arlington Million long shot Finnegans Wake knows how to make bank | Lexington Herald Leader

×
  • E-edition
  • Home
    • All News
    • Business
    • Communities
    • Counties
    • Crime
    • Education
    • Lexington
    • Local
    • Most Wanted
    • Nation/World
    • News Photos
    • News Videos
    • Politics
    • Searchable Databases
    • State
    • Watchdog
    • Columns
    • Tom Eblen
    • All Sports
    • UK Sports
    • College Sports
    • Next Cats Recruiting
    • High School
    • Horses
    • Kentucky Speedway
    • Lexington Legends
    • Reds
    • MLB
    • NBA
    • NASCAR
    • NFL
    • Sports Photos
    • Sports Videos
    • Columns
    • John Clay's Columns
    • Mark Story
    • Next Cats Recruiting
    • All UK Sports
    • Next Cats Recruiting
    • Baseball
    • Basketball - Men
    • Basketball - Women
    • Recruiting
    • Ex-Cats
    • Football
    • UK Photos
    • UK Videos
    • More UK Sports
    • Columns
    • John Clay's Blog
    • Mark Story
    • Politics
    • Elections
    • All Entertainment
    • Books
    • Celebrities
    • Comics
    • Puzzles & Games
    • Events Calendar
    • Horoscopes
    • Movies
    • Music
    • Restaurants
    • Stage & Dance
    • TV
    • Visual Arts
    • Entertainment Photos
    • Entertainment Videos
    • News Blogs
    • Kentucky Weather
    • Photo Archive
    • Sports Blogs
    • John Clay's Blog
    • High School
    • UK Football
    • UK Men's Basketball
    • UK Women's Basketball
    • Lexington Legends
    • Entertainment Blogs
    • Walter Tunis on Music
    • All Opinion
    • Editorials
    • Joel Pett
    • Letters to the Editor
    • National Columnists
    • Op-Ed
    • Submit a Letter
    • All Living
    • Celebrations
    • Family
    • Fashion
    • Food & Drink
    • Fru-Gal: Deb Morris
    • Health & Medicine
    • Home & Garden
    • Paul Prather
    • Religion
    • Travel
    • Readers' Choice
    • Kentucky Obituaries
    • Obituaries in the News
    • Submit an Obituary
    • Customer Service
    • Contact Us
    • About Us
    • E-edition
    • Page Reprints
    • Photo Reprints
    • RSS Feeds
    • Special Sections
    • Site Information
    • Advertise With Us
    • Archives
    • Mobile
    • Mobile Apps & eReaders
    • Newsletters
    • Social
    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • Instagram
    • YouTube
    • Google+
    • Today's Circulars
    • Classifieds
    • Jobs
    • Cars
    • Homes
    • Homeseller
    • Legal Notices
  • Place an Ad
  • Mobile & Apps

Horses

Rarely a winner, Arlington Million long shot Finnegans Wake knows how to make bank

By Alicia Wincze Hughes - awincze@herald-leader.com

    ORDER REPRINT →

August 14, 2014 06:41 PM

It is common for people to decorate their workspaces with photos of those to whom they are most connected. So an image of a certain bay foal on trainer Dale Romans' phone and on owner Jerry Crawford's desk reveals the bigger impact Finnegans Wake has on them than past performances reveal.

Both Romans and Crawford say the baby version of the now 5-year-old horse didn't look special. Similarly, his statistics seem unremarkable with only three wins from 21 career starts.

A harder look at Finnegans Wake's page, though, reveals a runner with career earnings of more than $605,000. He's never blown anyone away in either looks or ability. But there is something endearing about a horse who keeps finding ways to keep himself in the best of company.

"He's the only newborn photo I have on my desk. It's been here since he was born, and it's because he didn't look like he would be much," Crawford, president of Donegal Racing, said of his homebred horse. "And so that makes his success even sweeter."

Sign Up and Save

Get six months of free digital access to the Lexington Herald-Leader

SUBSCRIBE WITH GOOGLE

#ReadLocal

When the morning line was made for Saturday's Grade I Arlington Million, Finnegans Wake was the second-longest shot in a field of seven, entered at odds of 12-1.

It would not be the strangest of outcomes, though, if the son of Powerscourt were to upset the likes of defending race winner Real Solution, Canadian champion Up With the Birds and reigning Breeders' Cup Turf winner Magician. It was over the Arlington turf that the bay horse ran second in the 2012 Grade I Secretariat Stakes, and it was on the same course last month that he finally notched his first graded stakes victory, taking the Grade III Arlington Handicap by a head over Grade I winner Admiral Kitten.

Fifteen prior times Finnegans Wake had run in graded stakes company, trying everything from dirt to turf to synthetic and back again. His last win before the Arlington Handicap came when he took a 11⁄8-mile allowance race on the turf at Churchill Downs in June 2012, but he kept picking up relatively fat checks, including for his fourth-place effort in last year's Arlington Million.

"... He kept hitting the board in graded stakes and making bigger checks than he would make winning allowance races," Crawford said. "And he kept looking like he was going to have a breakthrough race. So that (Arlington Handicap) was an emotional moment for me."

Romans cracked that when Crawford asked him to pick which stallion he should send Boat's Ghost to for the mating that would eventually produce Finnegans Wake, he picked "what's turned out to be one of the worst sires of all time in North America" in Powerscourt.

Lackluster as his impact has been in the shed, Powerscourt did win the 2005 Arlington Million, a vindication triumph considering he crossed the wire first in 2004 but was disqualified to fourth.

Not only does Finnegans Wake share his father's affinity for the Arlington surface, his Arlington Handicap win showed he had a different wrinkle to his game. Normally a runner who comes from well off the pace, Finnegans Wake sat second throughout the 11/4-mile Arlington Handicap and kept up his run despite being forced out in the lane by pacesetter Avanzare.

"We know he's going to be at a price and we know things have to go his way, but he couldn't be doing better," said Romans. "He's a neat, neat horse. I've got a picture on my phone of him two days old at the farm.

"He's not a great pedigree, and you could pick him apart on conformation and looks, but he's just a big old lug that's never had a problem. You've got to take a shot at it."

Finnegans Wake will have champion British jockey Ryan Moore in the irons.

  Comments  

Videos

Jockey nearly falls from horse but makes miraculous recovery

Breeders’ Cup trainer has a Kentucky football rooting interest

View More Video

Trending Stories

Festival with ‘A-list music’ coming to Keeneland via producers of Forecastle, Bonnaroo

February 20, 2019 10:59 AM

Principal of Kentucky high school charged after not reporting abuse of students, police say

February 20, 2019 12:32 PM

Lake Cumberland at level not seen in 20 years because of heavy rain. The dam is fine.

February 20, 2019 03:06 PM

Friendly exchange precedes fierce exchange as Kentucky survives at Missouri

February 20, 2019 12:44 AM

How UK could add more guards to its 2019 recruiting class (and a Keion Brooks update)

February 20, 2019 10:23 AM

Read Next

Latest News

Kentucky Derby, Preakness winner Silver Charm turning 25

The Associated Press

    ORDER REPRINT →

February 21, 2019 04:55 AM

Hall of Fame thoroughbred Silver Charm is celebrating his silver anniversary birthday, and Old Friends retirement facility is hosting a party for him.

KEEP READING

Sign Up and Save

#ReadLocal

Get six months of free digital access to the Lexington Herald-Leader

SUBSCRIBE WITH GOOGLE

MORE HORSES

Festival with ‘A-list music’ coming to Keeneland via producers of Forecastle, Bonnaroo

Fayette County

Festival with ‘A-list music’ coming to Keeneland via producers of Forecastle, Bonnaroo

February 20, 2019 10:59 AM
‘Top Chef’ Kentucky: Down the stretch they come at Keeneland

TV

‘Top Chef’ Kentucky: Down the stretch they come at Keeneland

February 20, 2019 12:12 PM

Sports

Jockey Craig Perret among 9 finalists for racing HOF

February 14, 2019 02:33 PM
As 2019 prep races heat up, which horses are the top Kentucky Derby contenders?

John Clay

As 2019 prep races heat up, which horses are the top Kentucky Derby contenders?

February 12, 2019 05:34 PM
Horseracing to resume in Britain after equine flu contained

Living

Horseracing to resume in Britain after equine flu contained

February 11, 2019 06:47 PM

Health & Medicine

New blow to horse racing as more equine flu cases announced

February 10, 2019 08:23 PM
Take Us With You

Real-time updates and all local stories you want right in the palm of your hand.

Icon for mobile apps

Lexington Herald Leader App

View Newsletters

Subscriptions
  • Start a Subscription
  • Customer Service
  • eEdition
  • Vacation Hold
  • Pay Your Bill
  • Rewards
Learn More
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Newsletters
  • News in Education
  • Archives
Advertising
  • Contact Us
  • Place a Classified Ad
  • Local Deals
  • Digital Solutions
  • Media Kit
Copyright
Privacy Policy
Terms of Service


Back to Story