11th-hour Breeders' Cup qualifier is 'a shock' for connections

Chris Walsh thought the race was over. From her seat, which she thought was directly in front of Keeneland’s finish line, she leaned over to her husband Alan. She said she thought California Angel had finished second in the $200,000 Jessamine (G2) on Oct. 13.

Walsh went back to paying attention when the crowd behind her continued to roar. By the time she figured out what was happening, she had become a grade-stakes-winning owner for the first time in her career, just like the 2-year-old California Chrome filly

“Oh, the finish line is up there,” Walsh recalled thinking. “And when she did it (won), we were just over the top.”

The unexpected victory from the filly also came as a first graded-stakes win for trainer George Leonard III. Leonard, who had been training since 1991, had brought California Angel to Keeneland from his headquarters at Indiana Grand.

For the Elton, La., native, the win also represented the chance at something even bigger. The man in the cowboy hat would have the opportunity to enter the Breeders’ Cup.

“It’s kind of like a shock,” Leonard said. “We didn’t buy this horse for $100,000 hoping to run in a stakes. We bought her just hoping to have a nice horse, and things turned out extraordinary.”

‘This should be fun’

Leonard's father, George Leonard Jr., trained at tracks across Louisiana, including Delta Downs and Evangeline Downs. His son grew up around the animals and quickly fell in love.

The younger Leonard knew from his earliest days that he wanted to train horses, but he tried other things first, attending college and doing “a few little jobs” outside the industry.

“I realized nothing made me happy,” Leonard said. “So I decided to pick up a job and try to train horses.”

After working as an assistant trainer for a bit, Leonard struck out on his own, running the first horse in his own name in 1991. In the early years it was slow going for the new trainer, but he gradually picked up horses and started to make a living out of it.

In the mid-1990s, Leonard followed other trainers from Louisiana to Hoosier Park. He was there when Indiana Grand opened in 2009 and has remained there ever since.

Leonard has won more than 500 races during his career. Along the way he met Chris and Alan Walsh, who own a string of horses in Indiana.

“Just some friendly people,” Leonard said.

The couple got into horse ownership though quarter horses before moving in 1989 to Brown County, Ind., a little more than an hour drive from Indiana Grand. Eventually, the couple had a neighbor tell them they should check out the Thoroughbred program in the state, inviting them to an auction.

“They came home with five mares,” Chris Walsh said. “It was like ‘well, this is a new adventure, this should be fun,’ and then we started breeding.”

Now the Walshes own nine horses. Until California Angel, their most successful racer had been Serena Beck, an allowance-level filly trained by Antonia Duran. She remains active and has earned $159,835.

The Breeders’ Cup-bound filly, owned by Chris because Alan does not have a Kentucky owner’s license, represents their biggest adventure yet.

“We’ve had some nice horses, allowance horses and a few stakes horses,” Walsh said. “But nothing that took us to this level.”

The Walshes knew Leonard from the track but had never placed a horse in his care until recent years.

“We’ve met George over the years and always admired him,” Chris Walsh said. “I know my husband had said, probably four years ago, 'I’d really like to have a horse with George at some point.’ ”

In 2020, the couple sent Leonard a 2-year-old, but she got hurt. Still, the desire to work with the trainer did not go away.

When an Ocala sale came around in June, Leonard was going. The couple sent him a budget and instructions to buy something.

“George is very frugal,” Chris Walsh said. “He did not go over our budget. In fact, he went below our budget.

At the sale, Leonard came across California Angel, out of Sea Mona by Tiz Wonderful. The filly was being consigned by Little Farm Equine.

The trainer immediately took a liking to her.

“Just a good looking, athletic-looking filly,” Leonard said. “Very well-bred. I like the way she walked. Her eyes. She just has a presence about her that I liked.”

When it came time to buy her, California Angel was had for a mere $5,500. Leonard said he was surprised she went so cheaply.

“She had a sister, a full sister who didn’t do much running,” Leonard said of how he was able to get such a bargain.

When he sent word to the Walshes, Chris was shocked at how well he had done.

“I said, ‘Holy cow, you actually got a California Chrome filly, a nice one, for $5,500,” Walsh said. “He said, ‘Now if you don’t want her, you don’t have to take her.’ ”

Walsh quickly accepted the filly, and Leonard took her to the track.

‘She could explode'

After he saw California Angel at Indiana Grand several times, Leonard quickly knew he was on to something unexpected. The filly was blowing away her workout company.

Beyond that, she was doing it easily and impressing her trainer with a professionalism rare to find in a juvenile.

“She could explode and open up five or seven (lengths) on him in one jump,” Leonard said. “She’s just above and beyond what I would normally see in a racehorse.”

Her owner also was impressed by what she saw.

“Sometimes the 2-year-olds, especially the fillies, can be a little bit of drama, a little bit precocious,” Walsh said. “She just takes everything in stride. Just quiet and does her job.”

Having that calmness at such a young age could serve the filly well in the Breeders’ Cup, where she will face having to ship to unfamiliar surroundings.

“They’re supposed to be looking around and green and a little silly,” Leonard said. “That’s not her. She’s extremely professional. I’ve only had her since June, and it’s unbelievable how everything has just went together perfect. I’ve had no bumps in the road with her.”

Leonard realized California Angel had potential beyond his initial plan to have her as a solid allowance filly around Indiana, so he pointed her toward a maiden race at Kentucky Downs.

She was overlooked by bettors for the one-mile race, leaving the starting gate at 28-1. Coming out of the gate she got bumped and left slowly, falling far behind the field down the backstretch.

Midway around the turn the filly caught up and then began to cruise past horses from the outside. For a moment she raced neck and neck with Under One Sky before getting clear with less than a furlong to go and rolling to victory.

The win at Kentucky Downs was the moment Leonard knew the filly might have a chance at a Breeders’ Cup berth.

“Before that we had no future plans,” Leonard said.

Walsh did not consider the Del Mar event immediately after the race ended. After the race she spoke with jockey Rafael Bejerano, who had ridden the filly to victory.

“If ever I’ve been on a Breeders’ Cup horse, this is it,” Walsh recalled Bejarano telling her.

After a late-running, third-place finish on dirt at Churchill Downs in September, Leonard pointed the filly toward the Jessamine. California Angel would have a chance to qualify for the Juvenile Fillies Turf.

‘Just a little luck'

Ahead of the Grade 2 race, California Angel once again was being overlooked, going into the race as a 17-1 long shot. The full Jessamine field included Turnerloose, who had twice won on turf, and Dressed, who had found the winner’s circle in an allowance race at Kentucky Downs.

Though she once again faced long odds, Leonard had some idea that she might have a chance.

“In my mind I won the race 100 times,” Leonard said. “I played the race over and over and over again, and I knew that I could win the race with just a little luck.”

As is her habit, California Angel settled in well of the pace to start the 1 1/16-mile Jessamine and remained at the back of the pack, well behind leader Turnerloose, until the late going. Entering the stretch, she was in eighth place.

Despite hanging on her left lead until late, the filly mounted a furious rally from the outside, flying through the final furlong to get the win in a photo finish.

“I could have gone inside, but when I saw it was kind of tight I wanted to get her clear and let her run,” said Bejarano, who will be in the irons for the Breeders’ Cup. “I know she was going to come running at the end. She did. She proved it today.”

The unexpected winner earned her share of social-media attention after the race as did her trainer, who appeared in his television interviews wearing a dark gray cowboy hat over his blue-checked suit.

Leonard said he owns “five or six” of the hats. He has worn them to the races as long as he can remember.

“Growing up I’ve always had cowboy hats, I’ve always just worn cowboy hats,” Leonard said. “That’s just my thing.”

The trainer had not picked out a hat to wear on Nov. 5 at Del Mar and said he might buy a new one to mark the occasion. Walsh said she did not recall ever seeing Leonard without one at the races.

She also encouraged him to treat himself for the Breeders’ Cup.

“I said, ‘You’re deserving George. You can do that for yourself.’”

‘We all deserve this shot'

Immediately after the race Leonard did not completely commit to sending California Angel to Del Mar, saying he would check on her health before making a final decision. After the filly came out in perfect order, Leonard confirmed she will be using her “win and you’re in” berth to the Juvenile Fillies Turf.

She will face a tough crowd in the event with probables that include a host of European invaders plus Consumer Spending, who won the Miss Grillo (G2) for trainer Chad Brown.

The question also remains how well the closer will take to the faster turf course at Del Mar. Despite knowing it will not be an easy win, Leonard remained optimistic.

“I know the race at Del Mar is going to be tougher,” Leonard said. “There’ll be a lot better horses, but I think she can rise to the occasion. If everything goes well, we could get lucky.”

Given who her sire is, California Angel and company will have plenty of support when she gets to Del Mar. That fact was not lost on her connections.

"Trust me, they really let you know," Leonard said. "She's got a fan base behind her with the Chromies. They're all over this."

Leonard never has raced a horse at Del Mar, and neither he nor Walsh has been to the track. Walsh said she is thrilled for the trainer, whom she called a “southern gentleman,” and the horse, calling herself and her husband “the undercard.”

The two families have become friends away from the races. Walsh said that is one of the perks of operating at a smaller track with trainers who do not have gigantic operations. Leonard trains 19 horses.

She speculated that in a bigger stable, California Angel might not have come this far.

“She’s a big fish in a little pond vs. being one of 100 horses maybe at a larger barn,” Walsh said. “And who knows? George just liked everything about her. Had she been with somebody else, she might have been overlooked because she was a cheaper horse.”

Both Walsh and Leonard have fielded offers to buy the filly for “wonderful money,” but the owner said she did not plan on selling, motivated in part by loyalty to Leonard.

“From the business perspective we probably should have said yes,” Walsh said. “But from the emotional perspective and the fact that this is a wonderful opportunity for George as well. Anybody who pays that kind of money is going to want their own trainer, and we feel she’s just as much George’s as ours and we all deserve this shot.”

The filly will ship to Del Mar on Monday. Leonard said he will travel with his wife, Isabel, to the race, while Walsh will be joined by Alan, her  brother-in-law and sister-in-law, her son and his wife.

Walsh said she hopes the connections would be able to relax and enjoy the experience, although she was excited and nervous at the same time. Leonard said he was just focusing on the race.

“We’re not just running because we qualified to be in the race,” Leonard said. “There’s a potential we can win with some luck. That’s the most exciting thing for me is not just to be there, but we actually have the chance to win.”