Remembering … Turkoman

I will never forget the afternoon that I first laid eyes on Turkoman. I really did not know much about him when he arrived to Saratoga back in the summer of 1985. It makes sense, really. He had only a maiden victory, and one allowance score on his win column. The promise was there. The improvement was there. But in nine lifetime starts, all in the state of California, the Gary Jones colt was in large part, unfulfilled potential. Still, his just miss defeat in the Swaps Stakes in his most recent start, combined with his penchant for finishing strongly, made him an interesting newcomer in the Grade 1 Travers Stakes.

Turkoman did not win that day, but he made an impression. Sent off at odds of 7-1 in the field of seven, Turkoman showed more speed than usual, and fought on gamely from the rail to finish a clear second-best behind the classy champion, Chief’s Crown. Considering that he was facing horses of true quality for the very first time, it was a very good result.

More than that, though, what I really remember from that first encounter, was the physicality of Turkoman. This son of the great Alydar, who was off to a flying start as a young sire, and a champion mare from Argentina, named Taba, looked like a million bucks, and then some. Tall, dark, and handsome is a phrase that fit the Travers runner-up perfectly. I can still remember vividly how comparatively small he made his opposition appear that August afternoon at the Spa. I was in awe.

The foal that would grow up into an amazing physical specimen was born on April 11, 1982. A little later than many, that factor, combined with his size probably had a lot to do with his late maturation as a top racehorse. He was bred in Kentucky by Corbin Robertson and owned by Saron Stable. As part of the Gary Jones stable, he made his career debut the week before Christmas in 1984. Somewhat surprisingly, as I sift through his past performances, Turkoman was a first-out winner. The big juvenile rallied to victory under Sandy Hawley on a sloppy track, six-furlong maiden race at Hollywood Park.

It would be his only sprint attempt for nearly a year, and no doubt green, he went wide, drifted in, and still won on class. He came back 25 days later, this time going 1 1/16-miles on a fast track at Santa Anita. Interestingly, he ran second that day to another young colt destined for big things. This would not be the last time Turkoman and Skywalker would tangle on the track. And so began the slow and steady ascent up California’s three-year-old division for the future multiple Grade 1 winner.

Turkoman was a horse I would not soon forget after seeing him in person and up close for the first time at Saratoga, but my great appreciation for him would only grow in the following months. In fact, his impression on me rose to a point of becoming a horse which I can never forget.

Sixty days after the Travers, Turkoman returned to the races. It was his first start at Belmont Park, and only his second try sprinting. It was a seven-furlong allowance field of five. Off his run in the Mid-Summer Derby, the impressive Californian was bet down to 1-2, but he was not the only nice three-year-old in the field. Purple Mountain was a solid horse for Wimpfheimer and Sedlacek. In fact, he would go on to win a Fall Highweight, among other stakes, in the next few years. Against the late-running power of Turkoman, though, he had no answers. The favorite won off by ten-lengths. He was, now in his eleventh career start, starting to put it all together.

From that allowance victory on a Wednesday afternoon, he became one of two horses I put my money on in a wide-open edition of the Breeders’ Cup Classic 2 ½-weeks later. Still without his first stakes victory, he was sent off at odds of 7-1 in the outstanding field of eight. Steadied on the far turn at Aqueduct, he would rally for third. Proud Truth, the winner, and Gate Dancer, the other horse I played, were better that day, but it was nonetheless impressive how far he had come since discovering him as the physically impressive dark horse out in the Saratoga backyard before the Travers.

His four-year-old season was destined for bigger things, but before that, he ran twice more back in California to complete his sophomore season. A failed turf attempt in his only try on the lawn in the Hollywood Derby was followed by an impressive win in the Grade 3 Affirmed Stakes at Hollywood Park. He came from way back that day to win going away at the wire over another horse I liked named Banner Bob. After an entire year of trying, he was finally a stakes winner.

His one-year career as an older horse began in spectacular fashion. In a matter of three weeks at Hialeah, he paired remarkable performances together. In the six-furlong Tallahassee, he came from hopelessly behind to inhale the field and win going away by nearly three lengths. His Hialeah Park encore came against a top field in the Grade 1 Widener. Again last early, he uncoiled a big move on the turn, and then kept going down the stretch to score a half-length victory.

The fact that he came from last to win these two stakes, one at six-furlongs, the other at ten, was impressive enough, but the final times of each give you more idea about what kind of horse this big, dark bay had become. The Tallahassee was clocked in 1:08 1/5, while the Widener finished in 1:58 3/5. Few horses ever began their four-year-old seasons better than did Turkoman.

The rest of that season was very good, but not quite what I thought we might see after Florida. He won the Oaklawn Handicap, for his second consecutive victory over Gate Dancer, but his late rally fell short in both the Met Mile, and the seven-furlong Forego Handicap. In both, he gave weight and was absolutely flying at the finish against excellent horses. I was there for the Met Mile, and I still believe it to be the strongest field for that great race from top to bottom that I’ve seen.

The next and final time I would see Turkoman in person was in September, where he faced another top horse in Precisionist. That one was coming in off a big win in the Woodward, and gave everything he had in the Marlboro Cup, but he simply could not match the stretch-running power of Turkoman, who was ridden by a young rider named Gary Stevens. Watch as these two excellent racehorses leave the rest far behind …

I believe that win on September 13, 1986 is how I will always remember him. It was vintage Turkoman. Of course, he did run twice more, and unfortunately, he could never get by a marvelous twelve-furlong horse, Crème Fraiche in the Jockey Club Gold Cup; nor could he ever reel in Skywalker, who ran the race of his life in the Breeders’ Cup Classic. Still the best horse of 1986, in my eyes, was rewarded with an Eclipse Award as top Older Male.

All told, Turkoman’s record was strong: 22-8-8-3, with over $2 million in the bank, but still I thought it could have been more with a little luck. He grew from big and immature to a true professional, under the patient care of trainer, Gary Jones. As a true closer, he was always at the mercy of the pace in front of him. He also faced a multitude of champions in his 23 months of racing. At his best, like that Marlboro Cup, he was a sight to behold. He was magnificent.

Upon his retirement, he first went to stud in Kentucky, before relocating to California. He met some success as a stallion, but never sired anything quite like himself. His life after racing is most remarkable for its longevity.

Pensioned back in 2008, Turkoman, with the help of the Our Mims Retirement Haven, lived out his days happily at E.A. Ranches, until passing on December 21 of last year, at the age of 34. As much as I loved him as a runner, it’s even better to know that he was well taken care of for three full decades of living after his retirement. The snowy photo above was taken by Marguerite Eliasson, a person instrumental to his well-being in all those later years. I remember you … Turkoman.

The above photo is courtesy of Ron Mesaros -- 8 by 10 prints are available by contacting him at rmesaros@msn.com