Flashback: Holy Bull refused to lose the 1994 Travers Stakes

It sounds like the opening line of a joke: “a Bull, a Cat, and a rabbit meet at Saratoga.” But it’s actually an apt description of perhaps the greatest Travers Stakes (G1) ever run. The animals, it turns out, were actually racehorses. And the punchline? Definitely more dramatic than comedic.

The meeting ground was the historic Travers Stakes at Saratoga, the Mid-Summer Derby that so often serves as a showdown between the best 3-year-old Thoroughbreds in any given year. Certainly the race lived up to its billing in 1994, when Hall of Fame trainer D. Wayne Lukas — in an article by award-winning turf writer Jennie Rees — became the first to describe the Travers as a meeting between “a Bull, a Cat, and a rabbit.”

The “Bull” was Holy Bull, the sensational 3-year-old who had rattled off victories in the Metropolitan Handicap (G1), Haskell Invitational (G1) and Florida Derby (G1) during an exciting 1994 campaign. Trained by Jimmy Croll, Holy Bull’s blazing early speed made him a front-running foe few challengers could catch.

The “Cat” was Lukas’ own Tabasco Cat, a legitimate challenger for division supremacy thanks to his classic victories in the Preakness Stakes and Belmont Stakes. A late-running colt, he would be joined in the Travers by his “rabbit” Commanche Trail, a longshot entered solely to duel with Holy Bull and ensure a fast pace favorable to Tabasco Cat. Longshots Concern and Unaccounted For completed the small but high-quality field.

The presence of a dedicated pacemaker figured to make things difficult for Holy Bull. Some doubted whether the gray son of Great Above could handle the testing 1 ¼-mile distance of the Travers; after all, Holy Bull had faded badly as the favorite in the Kentucky Derby, which marked his lone previous run over 1 ¼ miles. But Holy Bull’s regular rider Mike Smith — in the midst of an Eclipse Award-winning season — had confidence Holy Bull would overcome any and all obstacles.

“Holy Bull is a free-running kind of horse,” Smith remarked in The Ithaca Journal. “I just stay out of his way. Whether there’s a rabbit or not, it doesn’t bother me one bit… I’ve never ‘sent’ this horse. He’s there [on the lead] because he can be. He has an extraordinary stride. It’s amazing the reach he has. I just break and sit there.”

But Smith didn’t anticipate how tricky Holy Bull’s trip in the Travers would become. When the gates opened, Holy Bull broke alertly, but Commanche Trail — hard-urged to challenge for the lead — quickly raced up alongside, with Tabasco Cat following close behind. Suddenly, the possibility loomed that Holy Bull could become boxed in behind Commanche Trail and inside of Tabasco Cat, so Smith quietly allowed Holy Bull to accelerate and match strides with Commanche Trail.

If Holy Bull could have cleared the rabbit, he might have escaped with a relatively easy setup, but Commanche Trail wasn’t ready to throw in the towel and maintained a half-length advantage over the heavy favorite around the first turn. This forced Holy Bull to guard his position by staying engaged through fast fractions of :22.83 and :46.35.

Lukas’ strategy had worked. Through complex race dynamics, Holy Bull had been forced to duel for the lead, leaving Tabasco Cat in the driver’s seat three lengths off the pace and seemingly ready to pounce.

But then Smith played a wildcard and turned the race upside down. As Commanche Trail began to tire, Smith made no effort to rein in Holy Bull. Instead, he allowed his colt to stride out strongly, turning up the pressure on his pursuers while sprinting six furlongs in 1:10.43. Suddenly, Holy Bull was three lengths in front, and Tabasco Cat was the one who cracked, dropping back steadily as the pace intensified.

Committed to a front-running gambit, Holy Bull extended his lead to four lengths through a mile in 1:35.97, but the intense pace had sapped his stamina. He was shortening stride at the top of the stretch, leg-weary from his efforts, and there was still a quarter-mile left to run.

Meanwhile, the unheralded Concern was gearing up with a menacing rally. Fourteen lengths off the lead following the first half-mile, the future 1994 Breeders’ Cup Classic winner was ready to capitalize on the destructive early pace. Roaring past Tabasco Cat with a huge move, Concern set his sights on the front-running Holy Bull, prompting track announcer Tom Durkin to famously warn “There is cause for Concern! Concern comes on, second on the outside!”

Sensing the onrushing challenge, Smith urged Holy Bull to keep going, riding low in the saddle while working to keep the great gray on a straight course. It seemed like an impossible task; Concern had all the momentum, Holy Bull was weakening, at the sixteenth pole Concern had already reached Holy Bull’s flank.

There was nothing left for Mike Smith to do except wave his whip alongside Holy Bull, encouraging his mount to stay focused and fight back. The outcome would rest wholly on Holy Bull’s tired shoulders. He was running on empty, but deep down inside, part of him refused to lose.

Holy Bull battled back.

“It’s still Holy Bull, desperately trying to hold, Concern a final threat!” Tom Durkin roared. “But it is Holy Bull, as game as a racehorse can be coming down to the wire!”

Concern’s head bobbed past Holy Bull’s saddlecloth. He pulled within a neck of the lead. But his bid was too late, and Holy Bull too gallant. When they flashed under the finish line, Holy Bull — exhausted but triumphant — was the winner by a neck in 2:02.03 seconds.

“Holy Bull wins!!” Durkin shouted. “What a hero!”

Seventeen lengths behind, Tabasco Cat crossed the wire third over Unaccounted For, while Commanche Trail was eased from the effort of sprinting with the now-undisputed division champion.

“I think he kind of proved to everybody that he’s a real racehorse,” Jimmy Croll commented in the August 12, 1994 edition of The Des Moines Register. “He really had no breaks today. They chased him the first half-mile and then Concern came running at the end. He proved today he was all heart and he did it the hard way.”

“He ran a tremendous race,” agreed Smith. “Not only did he answer the pressure, he showed he’s a champion.”

Merely a champion? That’s an understatement. Holy Bull’s talent and tenacity secured him not only the 3-year-old title, but Horse of the Year honors as well. Not to mention an indelible place in the racing history books.

J. Keeler Johnson is a writer, videographer, handicapper, and all-around horse racing enthusiast. A great fan of racing history, he considers Dr. Fager to be the greatest racehorse ever produced in America, but counts Zenyatta as his all-time favorite. You can follow him on Twitter at @J_Keelerman.