By T. D. Thornton
How often do you see a horse that once competed in the Breeders' Cup entered in a flat race restricted to apprentice jump jockeys at a steeplechase meet?
It happened Nov. 6, in a 1 3/8-miles non-betting training race on the Pennsylvania Hunt Cup undercard at the Unionville course, when Lawn Ranger (U S Ranger), drew off to a commanding 6 1/2-length victory over 10 rivals.
The win came a little more than two years after Lawn Ranger ran a game sixth, beaten only 2 1/2 lengths at 33-1 odds, in the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf at Santa Anita Park.
But it also came one year after the 4-year-old's original owners, a seven-partner Louisville-based syndicate called Turf Stable LLC, re-claimed the injured Lawn Ranger for $5,000 after having lost him for $50,000 in the summer of 2015.
“They kind of rescued the horse,” said Hall-of-Fame trainer Jonathan Sheppard, who agreed to take over Lawn Ranger's conditioning about three months ago after ascertaining the gelding was healthy enough resume running. “He was a very good 2-year-old. As you see, he ran in the Breeders' Cup. And then he got a little bit of a tendon issue…”
Rusty Jones, the owner and managing partner of Turf Stable, filled in the back story.
Jones bought Lawn Ranger for $50,000 at the 2013 Fasig-Tipton Kentucky July yearling sale. He turned him over to trainer Ken McPeek, who had conditioned other Turf Stable horses and had been Jones's fraternity brother at the University of Kentucky. Lawn Ranger broke his maiden over the undulating grass course at Kentucky Downs as a 2-year-old, then upset the GIII Dixiana Bourbon S. at 12-1 at Keeneland Race Course in his next start.
“We then had some success and a lot of fun at the Breeders' Cup, but he did get injured there,” Jones explained.
Ten months later, after Turf Stable believed the original tendon problem had healed, Jones said they tried to find “as easy a spot as possible” for Lawn Ranger at Saratoga Race Course for his comeback try. He finished eighth after leading most of the way Aug. 9, 2015, but was claimed for $50,000 by owner/trainer David Jacobson.
Over the next two months, Lawn Ranger plummeted through the class structure. After failing to beat a horse against both $50,000 and then $25,000 claimers, Jacobson entered the former Breeders' Cup runner in a $5,000 NW3L at Penn National on Oct. 23, 2015. Lawn Ranger ran fourth that night, and Turf Stable dropped a claim slip to get him back.
“We were tracking him, of course, and saw him in for a nickel at Penn National,” Jones said. “We didn't have a lot intentions [about ever racing] him again. We just said, 'Let's go back, get him, and take care of him.' He was good to us, and we wanted to do the same for him.”
So it was off to a farm in Kentucky for Lawn Ranger, where a Turf Stable partner had a family member who willingly took in the gelding.
“We just decided to put him out there and let him be a horse, not too many other designs for him,” Jones said. “And after about six months or so, we took a look at his injury and it looked like it was getting better. We gave him a little bit more time and scanned him, and everything looked pretty good.”
This summer at Saratoga, Jones was introduced to Sheppard. The two got to talking, and they agreed on a plan to ease Lawn Ranger back into training, again with no specific or overly demanding racing goal on the radar.
“That's the premise of giving him to Jonathan–take care of the horse first,” Jones said. “He certainly has a unique operation, something you wouldn't see at a racetrack.”
Jones made it a point to fly in from Louisville to see Lawn Ranger's Nov. 6 return to racing. He couldn't have imagined that a no-purse training race in Unionville, Pennsylvania, would be so gratifying. But under the circumstances, it was almost as good as Lawn Ranger's trip to the Breeders' Cup two years ago.
“He laid second or third, moved up to the lead about half a mile from home, and drew off and won probably with something left,” Sheppard said.
Now Turf Stable is facing another career-changing choice for Lawn Ranger: Keep him on the flat, or allow America's all-time winningest steeplechase trainer to try him over jumps?
“They said it was up to me,” Sheppard said. “He seems to have a lot of stamina. He's got a nice, long, smooth stride. And he seems to be able to maintain a good cruising speed over a long distance. He's quite athletic; not overly big. People tend to think that jumpers need to be big. But the big ones tend to be a bit awkward and clumsy at times.
“I mean, the jumping season's practically over,” Sheppard continued. “I'm thinking we might give him a run or two over the turf if we can find a race at Laurel before they pack it in for the winter. And if he runs well, who knows? Maybe we'll take him down to Florida and keep him as a flat horse. But I think he could have the potential to be a bit better than that as a jumper. We have jumped him a bit, but not quite enough to run him in a jumps race yet.”
Jones said neither he nor his syndicate partners have experience with steeplechase racing, but he's willing to keep an open mind about pursuing that prospect for Lawn Ranger.
“I'm just going to leave it up to Jonathan. Make sure the horse is happy, take that path, and see what happens,” Jones said. “I guess, as much as anything, we're just trying to give the horse the opportunity to be successful, to go back and see if he wants to compete.”
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