2:26 PM Tue, Feb 06, 2007 | Permalink
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In the spring of 1991, I visited the Derby dreams of Tommy Valando.
Fly So Free was the first horse that the Broadway music publisher had ever purchased and he would be a star on the race track.
Valando was already a hit on Broadway. His company had published a dozen musical hits, including Fiddler on the Roof and Cabaret. And his first thoroughbred was an absolute show stopper.
Fly So Free won the Breeders' Cup Juvenile, was the two year old champion and came into the 1991 Kentucky Derby as second favorite to Hansel.
I found Tommy Valando and his trainer Scotty Schulhofer on the backside of Keeneland one chilly morning in April, and as the sun peaked over the barns, I met two met two men of quiet demeanor but big dreams.
Flint "Scotty" Schulhofer was a Hall of Fame trainer who left an indelible mark on thoroughbred racing before his death last year.
Tommy Valando died in 1995, but his Derby dream continues today. Fly So Free, like all the other Breeders' Cup Juvenile Champions, did not win the Derby, but today, Tommy's wife, Elizabeth continues to chase the roses.
Elizabeth is the owner of Nobiz Like Shobiz.
He's a colt that Trainer Barclay Tagg has called the most magnificent horse he's ever seen. And just on looks alone, Nobiz was thought to be the best two year old, who didn't run in the Breeders' Cup.
But on February 3rd, Nobiz captured his first trophy on the Derby trail and didn't miss a step. He handled a good field in the Holy Bull Stakes, including arch rival Scat Daddy and seemed to do it with ease.
And by the way, he posted a 98 Beyer, which is not bad for a three year old in February.
If Tommy Valando was still here, to chase his Derby dream in person, he would probably encourage me to interview his trainer. That morning in 1991, Scotty wanted me to interview Tommy. They both finally agreed to the interview, but they were both softspoken and gave credit to everybody but themselves.
They seemed a little shy, almost surprised by all the media coverage that comes with having a Derby contender. Fly So Free would finish fifth in the Derby, a nice performance for a horse that seemed not to be a true mile and a quarter horse.
But he later sired Captain Steve, who won the Dubai World Cup and 6.8 million dollars.
As I worked on that pre-Derby story in 1991, it was impossible to realize at the time, that Tommy and Scotty were setting the foundation for this Derby season and Nobiz Like Shobiz.
Tommy's wife, Elizabeth, stayed in the horse biz, even after he died and it all lead to this spring of high hopes for a magnificent colt in Florida. Nobiz Like Shobiz will have a least two more races before Derby Day, but he's going to be a futures book favorite.
And it all started with one man, and one horse, 17 years ago.
Now comes another horse who can also fly.
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