A Final Farewell to The Pizza Man
Today was a bittersweet day for the many fans of The Pizza Man. Retired a few weeks ago, The Pizza Man and his connections were honored today at Arlington Park. Richard and Karen Papiese, who operate under the name Midwest Thoroughbreds, own The Pizza Man and were present. Trainer Roger Brueggemann and his staff were also on hand for the festivities as The Pizza Man made his final public appearance.
Making the short walk from his stall to the paddock, the son of English Channel looked like he was ready to run, and he probably thought he was going to run. As the horses for the fourth race were loading into the gate, a good number of fans were in the paddock taking pictures of The Pizza Man. His groom Mike stopped him several times in front of fans who wanted to take pictures, and The Pizza Man stood calmly and posed for anyone with a camera.
After the fourth race was completed, it was time for The Pizza Man to make one last walk through the tunnel and onto the racetrack. The connections followed behind, and as he emerged from the tunnel there was a huge roar from the crowd as track announcer John Dooley introduced the 2015 Arlington Million winner.
The connections gathered in the winner’s circle with their family and friends and watched a replay of the 2015 Million that was being shown on the infield display. It was quite a moment, and it induced many goose bumps. It felt like the race was being run live if you went by the reaction of the crowd as they cheered loudly as he crossed the wire first.
After being on the race track for a few minutes, The Pizza Man was led into the winners circle for the final time. He received many treats to eat, some apples and carrots. His picture was taken, and then he made his way back to his barn by taking a different route than what he took when he arrived. Led back onto the track and past the grandstand, the fans got one last look at this beloved horse on the Arlington racetrack.
An Illinois-bred, The Pizza Man was one of the best the state has ever produced. As the only Illinois-bred to ever win the states premier race, The Pizza Man also won five other graded stakes, including the Grade 1 Northern Dancer. He placed in five graded stakes as well. When all is said and done, though, The Pizza Man will always be remembered for what he did here at this track in the summer of 2015.
When I visited him back in his barn after today’s events, he was understandably full of energy, probably because he thought he was going to race. There were more photos, posing, and of course, treats. Gerilyn Brueggemann, who took care of this horse with her husband Roger since he came to their barn six years ago said, “It’s tough, they are all special to me, but I have been with him a long time, and when he leaves I'll be in tears”. She isn't alone in shedding a tear or two. The Pizza Man will be missed, but he retires healthy and happy, and that is the most important part of this story.
The Pizza Man will depart for Churchill Downs first, and then sent to the farm in Florida. Ironically, he could end up back at Arlington someday as a stable pony. His final career record stands at 36-17-3-3 with $2,158,941 in earnings.