No More Magic for Ludo Bagman

 

The magic ran out for Ludo Bagman on Thursday in race one on the Aqueduct inner track. Harry Potter fans know that this five-year-old New York-bred was named for a wizard that played a prominent roll in The Goblet of Fire, J. K. Rowling’s fourth book in the widely popular series. Sadly, the gelding had to be euthanized after sustaining two broken sesamoids in his left front leg as he exited the final turn and approached the stretch.

This gelded son of Closing Argument was making the 24^th start of his career in which he had won twice, with four seconds, and five thirds for earnings of $121,406. The Daily Racing Form chart described his last race, “LUDO BAGMAN hopped at the start, chased three wide in range of the leader, came under light coaxing three furlongs out, took a bad step approaching the quarter pole, was placed to a strong protective hold and pulled up in the upper stretch, then was subsequently vanned off.”

Ludo Bagman’s racing career began in the barn of Richard Dutrow Jr. His first start came on Dec. 17, 2011, on the same Aqueduct inner track, in a six-furlong $50,000 maiden claimer in which he rallied from eighth place to finish third. On Jan. 12, 2012, he continued to show promise when he easily won his next start on a muddy Aqueduct track in a state bred maiden race.

It would take two more years before Ludo Bagman would win another race. In that time there would be six more starts for Dutrow followed by six races for Rudy Rodriguez after Dutrow’s 10-year suspension had begun. In the summer of 2013, he would be claimed for the first time, for $20,000 by trainer Jeremiah Englehart in Saratoga. He would run six times over the next six months for Englehart.

On Jan. 13, 2014, Ludo was claimed out of a non-winners of two lifetime race at Aqueduct for a $20,000 tag by the partnership of Drawing Away Stable and David Jacobson. He was given six weeks between races and dropped down a notch to record his second and final career victory on March 1^st. Up to this point he had had no significant time off from racing, but after this win he would be away from the track for eight months.

Still in the Jacobson barn, Ludo Bagman returned to competition on Nov. 2, 2014, for the same $16,000 tag for which he had won in his prior start. The result was a fifth place finish and a check for $780. On Nov. 30 he was sent to Parx, entered for a $7,500 tag, where he made his only career start off of a NYRA track. The result was another fifth place finish with a DRF description of concern, “LUDO BAGMAN raced outside just off the pace, drifted wider and weakened.” He was not claimed that day, but the drifting out in the stretch had to be of concern.

Eleven days later, back at Aqueduct for a $12,500 claiming price and his third start in 39 days, Ludo Bagman made his final ill-fated appearance on his home racetrack. He was sent off at odds of 8.3-1, the second highest odds in the field of five.

To be able to run on the NYRA tracks every horse has to be cleared by the state veterinarians after an examination on the morning of the race. On a typical race day there are a few horses that are scratched by the vets. Clearly Ludo Bagman had passed his check-up, however up until these past three races, the five-year-old had run about once a month, never three times during that same time span.