The Pizza Man and Rossi Gold: Chicago Stars and Stripes

Rossi Gold. Just hearing the name puts a smile on my face after all these years. If you didn’t follow Chicago racing and don't go back nearly four decades, you may be at a loss for who I am talking about. I can tell you he was actually a bit of a racing legend around the Windy City back in the day. A hard trying horse, Rossi Gold made his presence felt summer after summer on the local turf scene. Of all his Arlington Park accomplishments, it was his record in the Stars and Stripes Handicap that stands out the most. In four consecutive years from 1980-1983, the fan favorite finished second, dead-heated for first, won, and won. Now, a third of a century after his final go in the summertime staple at Arlington, the new star of Chicago racing, The Pizza Man will look to join him as just the second horse to win the race three times in a row.

That’s it. That’s the list. Saturday will be Stars and Stripes #85, and The Pizza Man looks to join only Rossi Gold as a three-time consecutive winner. In remembering Rossi Gold, and as I look forward to the next chapter in the career of The Pizza Man, I realize that the two, separated by 33 years, have more than just a little bit in common.

All told the son of Taj Rossi, foaled in 1976, won 16 times with a large majority of those wins coming over the old Arlington Park turf course. Likewise, The Pizza Man has 16 lifetime wins, also in large part due to his sparkling record on the grass at the Arlington Heights oval. He will look to better a mark of 13-10-1-1 on Saturday.

The Pizza Man is the new version of the beloved Chicago turf star, but at seven-years-old, he is far from a spring chicken. He is, however, the same age now that Rossi Gold was when he earned his third and final victory in the Stars and Stripes. The Pizza Man also will be taking his fourth shot in the Stars and Stripes, just as Rossi Gold did when he capitalized back in 1983.

As budding stars of the Chicago turf, both horses earned their first stakes victory at Arlington Park as three-year-olds, but only became better with age. Both would also go after the riches of the big one. In fact, Rossi Gold attempted the Arlington Million three times, which were the first three editions of the great race. Each go, he was respected as the top local, but could not overcome the classy invaders such as John Henry.

While Rossi Gold may be a name that becomes less and less remembered with each passing year, the annual running of the Stars and Stripes is an opportunity to remember the excellent turf horse again, or for many, the opportunity to learn about him for the first time. Going to Arlington Park in the early eighties pretty much meant you were a fan of Rossi Gold. He was that popular locally.

Meanwhile, and more than 30 years later, Midwest Thoroughbreds’ The Pizza Man has carved out his own place in the hearts and souls of Chicago race fans. An Illini-bred through and through, the strapping son of English Channel has become a fixture on the lush Arlington Park turf course, much in the way Rossi Gold did. While his Chicago Turf King predecessor was never able to bust out and win the big one, The Pizza Man did just that with a thriller on Million Day.

Much to the delight of a large Arlington Park crown, and Chicago race fans everywhere, the good looking chestnut gamely raced to victory over the soon to be champion, Big Blue Kitten. In so doing, he became the first horse bred in Illinois to win the state’s biggest race.

2016 has not yet brought the same success for The Pizza Man as in previous years, though. Two starts in, and the Roger Brueggemann trained star has yet to connect. Neither effort was what we have come to expect from the veteran, but certainly just a little bit of improvement makes him a horse to beat on Saturday. A third win in the Stars and Stripes would be something his fans would love to see, and for those of us who remember Rossi Gold, it would give us a chance to celebrate both Chicago turf stars one more time.