Two of the good trainers in racing are retiring this month. Larry Jones who retired on Breeders' Cup Saturday and Hal Wiggins who will be retiring at the end of the Churchill Downs meet. However, you know these two for their popular horses: Hard Spun and Eight Belles for Larry, while Hal was the orginal trainer of Rachel Alexandra.
Hard Spun started it off in 2007 with his runner up finish in the Derby behind Street Sense, 3rd in the Preakness and 4th in the Belmont. He also was runner up in the Breeders' Cup Classic and Haskell, and won the King's Bishop. Here is a video of his Lane's End win at Turfway,
The ill fated runner up of the 2008 Derby, Eight Belles showed that she had the heart to stay with boys. Before the First Saturday in May, she won the Fantasy at Oaklawn Park, here is a video of that race.
We all know that Rachel Alexandra won the Preakness, Haskell and Woodward, but all of those races where for Jess Jackson and Steve Asmussen. Before that Rachel was a member of Hal Wiggins barn where she had her smashing 20 length win in the Oaks. Here is her Martha Washington win and keep in mind this was only the second race that she had Calvin Borel on her back, before that she was ridden by Brian Hernandez Jr.
I just wanted to share some thoughts on their retirements, and that I'll miss them. Larry Jones may come back to train a few Hard Spun foals, but we'll have to wait and see, while Hal Wiggins seems content of retiring all together. Either way horse racing will be missing them and hopefully we see their former assisitants make names for themselves in a few years.
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