They called him the Mad Genius for his unconvental ways of training horses. He gave some of his horses fresh farm eggs and Guiness (as in the beer) with their feed. Michael Dickerson was a different kind of a trainer, but it worked. One of his most famous charges was a Gone West gelding named Da Hoss. However, before we talk about his two wins in the BC Mile, we need to go back to 1995.
Coming off a second place finish in the Pegasus Handicap, 3yo Da Hoss was entered into the Breeders' Cup Sprint. This was dispite winning the Jersey Derby and Del Mar Derby on turf earlier that season. He would be facing eventual champion sire Mr. Greeley, Personal Ensign's son Our Emblem (future sire of War Emblem and Private Emblem), You and I (future sire of You) and the late closing Lit de Justice. Unfortanlly for all of them, the filly Desert Stormer was able to pull the upset. Mr. Greeley finished in second with Lit de Justice finishing in third (the next year he would win to make history for his trainer, but that will come in a future BC Vault entry). Not Suprising who finished 4th as the favorite won the Eclipse Award for Champion Sprinter. Da Hoss will bring up the rear in finishing last.
That would be his final start on dirt. The next year, he would be running strictly on turf. He entered the 1996 Breeders' Cup Mile off a second place finish as the favorite in the Kelso to Same Old Wish who was not only a longshot in the Kelso, but in the Breeders' Cup as well. Da Hoss entered the Mile as a horse with a chance, but with the Europeans it was going to be a diffacult road to win. However, Da Hoss was able to upset the field which included runner up Spinning World who would go onto win the Mile the next year. Here is video of that win:
As a gelding he couldn't stand at stud, so you would expect that he would be back to try to defend his Mile title the next year? That's when things would turn horribly wrong. Injuries had forced Da Hoss to miss his 4yo season. One would think he would never return to the form that he had as a 3yo. Then again Michael Dickerson is called the Mad Genius for a reason. Da Hoss entered the 1998 Mile at Churchill off a win at Colonal... his first start since his Mile win at Woodbine in 1996 (in the Colonal race he defeated John's Call a hard knocking gelding himself who would win the Sword Dancer and finish 3rd in the BC Turf 2 years later at 9 years old). That's right, Da Hoss had 1 start in between the 1996 Mile and the 1998 Mile. This time with John Velazquez in the irons, Da Hoss would do something no other horse could. Win non-consuctive Breeders' Cup races. He held off a very game Hawksley Hill, and also left in his wake Cape Cross (future sire of fellow non-consuctive BC race winner Ouija Board (F/M Turf) and Arc winner Sea to the Stars), and defending Horse of the Year Favorite Trick who was the beaten favorite in the Mile. Here is the 1998 BC Mile:
In a way it's fitting that Da Hoss won the Mile multiple times, of all the Breeders Cup races it's the one who has the most mulitple winners with four (Miesque, Lure, Da Hoss, Goldikova). Da Hoss now lives at the Kentucky Horse Park in the Hall of Champions. Here is a fantastic article from Steve Haskin about Da Hoss' 1998 Mile win.
Next week: 1989 Distaff
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