Patriot Spirit Rolls to Victory in Vosburgh
At the age of 75, trainer Michael Campbell has little interest in a large stable.
“My goal is not to just have horses. I don’t want a bunch of horses,” said Campbell, who has a string of 10 runners. “I want the right horses. I want horses that can run at big dances, and for a small outfit I don’t know anybody who wins more stakes races than we do.”
Campbell, who has been training since 1972, surely had the right horse Sept. 27 in George Mellon’s Patriot Spirit , who is poised to give his trainer’s stable 10% participation at the Breeders’ Cup.
By virtue of a 1 1/2-length win over Crazy Mason in the $200,000 Vosburgh Stakes (G3) at Aqueduct Racetrack, the 4-year-old son of Constitution earned a free spot in the $2 million Breeders’ Cup Sprint (G1) at Del Mar through the Breeders’ Cup Challenge Series: Win and You’re In.
“Frankly I was a little more excited the first time (at the Breeders’ Cup), even though I didn’t have a better chance,” said Campbell, who sent out Private Prospect to finish ninth at 68-1 odds in the 2014 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile (G1). “My son (Jesse Campbell) rode him and it turned out to be an amazing family event. It was very exciting. This will be very exciting too. But when you get to a certain age in racing, it isn’t so much excitement. It’s being professional. Having a good product and getting the most out of your horse. Those are more important factors to me.”
In giving Campbell the fourth graded stakes win of his long career, Patriot Spirit looked the part of a top contender for the Breeders’ Cup Sprint, even though the Nov. 1 stakes will be contested at 6 furlongs, 1 furlong shorter than the Vosburgh.
“Well, if I could change it, I’d make it 7 (furlongs), but I can’t,” said Campbell, whose horse posted a 1:08.12 6-furlong split in winning the 7-furlong July 26 Reigh Count Stakes at Colonial Downs by 4 lengths in his last start. “Very, very few horses can run a (1:08) especially when you want to moderate their speed. He could have gone (1:07) that day.”
Off the Reigh Count win and a 1:10 3/5 breeze Sept. 13, Campbell opted to run Patriot Spirit in the Vosburgh because of the Breeders’ Cup berth as opposed to Saturday’s $335,000 Ack Ack Stakes (G3) at Churchill Downs and headed to New York supremely confident.
“I expected this effort. I don’t want to sound like I’m pompous because I know it’s difficult to win a horse race,” Campbell said. “But on this occasion, in this spot, with this horse being that right, I didn’t think he could get beat.”
Campbell was right.
Patriot Spirit ($7.22), the 5-2 second choice, dueled with longshot Light the Way for the early lead. He spurted clear at the top of the stretch, only to be challenged by Crazy Mason, who rallied from seventh in the field of eight to draw within a half-length at the eighth pole.
But in the final furlong, the 4-year-old colt pulled away again under Javier Castellano and posted his initial graded stakes win in 1:21.84.
Donna Wright and Reeves Thoroughbred Racing’s Crazy Mason, a son of Coal Front trained by Gregg Sacco, was second by a half-length over LNJ Foxwoods’ Scotland , the 2-1 favorite and a Good Magic gelding trained by Bill Mott.
Bred by Blue Heaven Farm out of the Game Plan mare Mistical Plan , Patriot Spirit was bought for $235,000 from the Clary Bloodstock consignment at the 2023 Ocala Breeders’ Sales March Sale of 2-Year-Olds in Training. He has a 6-2-1 record in 15 starts and earned $531,210.
