Flashback: Smith's patience key to Holy Bull's Hutcheson win

It was a strange sight as undefeated Holy Bull allowed another horse to pass him along the inside while racing to the finish line in the 1994 Hutcheson Stakes (G2) at Gulfstream Park.

Hardly anyone could have predicted this development. Holy Bull — a steely gray 3-year-old conditioned by Jimmy Croll — had won his previous four starts without ever being headed. He’d cruised to an easy 2 1/2-length maiden win at Monmouth. He’d dominated a Belmont allowance race by seven lengths. He had battled to a tenacious victory in Belmont’s historic Futurity Stakes (G1), and he’d waltzed to an effortless 7 1/2-length score in the Florida Stallion In Reality Stakes at Calder.

Four starts at three different tracks. Four victories by the combined margin of 17 1/2 lengths. When Holy Bull lined up against four rivals in the seven-furlong Hutcheson at Gulfstream Park, racing fans fully expected the son of Great Above to trounce his opposition. Never mind Holy Bull was returning from a layoff and toting 122 pounds, conceding as many as nine pounds to his rivals. Bettors shoveled money in his direction, establishing Holy Bull as the 1-2 favorite.

So you can imagine the feelings of shock when the unheralded Patton passed Holy Bull around the turn. Yes, Patton had won an allowance sprint at Gulfstream by 11 lengths, a strong performance that signaled his potential. True, he was carrying just 113 pounds. But no one could have expected Patton to make such a bold and potentially winning move.

No one, that is, except Holy Bull’s rider, Mike Smith.

Winner of the 1993 Eclipse Award for Outstanding Jockey, Smith knew Holy Bull was vulnerable in the Hutcheson. The speedy colt was eager to run in the early going, carving out blazing fractions of :21.78 and :44.10, and Smith suspected Holy Bull would grow leg-weary while running for the first time in three months. Rounding the turn, Smith could also see Patton rallying into contention. And that’s when he made a pivotal decision.

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“I’m sure I scared a lot of people by letting that horse through,” Smith told ESPN after the race, “but what was going through my mind was, I (saw) him back there, if I stay on the rail he’d only have one option, that’s to come outside me, press me, and hook me. My horse is coming off a layoff. I didn’t want to have to keep the grind going.”

Instead, Smith eased Holy Bull off the rail and allowed Patton to unleash his bold rally up the inside. At the top of the stretch, the upstart challenger led Holy Bull by at least half a length.

But Smith’s confidence in Holy Bull didn’t waver. Down the lane, Smith never resorted to the whip, merely hand-urging his talented mount to fight back. Holy Bull did the rest, smoothly reclaiming the lead and edging clear late to win by just under a length in the snappy time of 1:21.23.

By letting Patton make the first move, Smith noted “I could wait a little bit longer, see? And that’s what helped me to win the race at the end because [Holy Bull] kind of got a little tired.”

The passing of time revealed the quality of both horses. Patton proved his worth as a high-class sprinter by claiming the 1996 Gulfstream Park Breeders’ Cup Sprint Championship Handicap (G3). And Holy Bull? After winning — hold your breath — the Florida Derby (G1), Blue Grass Stakes (G2), Metropolitan Handicap (G1), Dwyer Stakes (G2), Haskell Invitational (G1), Travers Stakes (G1), and Woodward Stakes (G1), he was an easy choice for 1994 Horse of the Year honors.

All after Smith started Holy Bull’s season on a winning note.

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.