There is a statue of Seabiscuit outside his home track of Santa Anita in California, to commemorate one of the more unlikely careers in the history of thoroughbred racing. He was a cheap horse who came from nowhere to become a hero for a generation, a blue-collar warrior in the midst of the Depression, and there has scarcely been a career path since his 1930s heyday that stands much comparison.
On Saturday night, at the Breeders’ Cup in Los Angeles, Santa Anita could see the conclusion of a bottom-to-top story that at least comes close. It started in front of just 504 paying spectators at Wolverhampton racecourse on 1 November 2013, when a colt called Toast Of New York won a £4,000 race by 16 lengths. One year later to the day, the same horse will line up for the $5m Breeders’ Cup Classic at Santa Anita, the final and feature race on American racing’s most valuable card.
Rarely has the racing mountain been scaled so quickly or thoroughly, but it is not just the arc of Toast Of New York’s story that suggests a film script. There is an unlikely cast of characters along for the ride too. Jamie Osborne, the colt’s trainer, is an ex-jump jockey whose horses rarely venture higher than middling handicaps. Michael Buckley, his owner, is better known in jumps racing. And then there is Jamie Spencer, the jockey in the last-chance saloon, hoping for one more big winner before hanging up his boots.
It is two months since Spencer, one of the leading jockeys of his generation, announced his intention to retire at the end of the season at the age of just 34. He has not spoken publicly about the reasons for his decision and he was not doing so at the track this week either, beyond insisting that even a win in the Classic will not change his mind.
“No second thoughts,” Spencer said. “Once I commit to something, I commit to it. If he wins, I might just retire a bit earlier then. I’d be able to afford to.
“He’s got a real chance. Obviously the [dirt] surface is a bit of an unknown and we won’t know until he runs, but he’s got a nice draw that means he won’t get the full brunt of the kickback early. That gives me options and he should be fine. He came right back to form last time out and he’s right in there with a shout.”
Spencer, at least, is familiar with the sport’s grandest stages. Osborne, though, has spent most of his career doing what he can with average horses, in the hope that one like “Toast” might walk into the stable one day.
Osborne knew from early on that Toast Of New York was special and even his runs at lowly Wolverhampton were all part of the plan. “You wouldn’t be doing your job very well if you didn’t realise when you’ve got a good one,” the trainer says. “He clearly was, and he had the physique of a horse that looked like he might get better. He’s a good 30kg heavier now than he was in November last year and that’s just muscle and physical improvement. He’s big and strong, there’s some dirt in his pedigree too and he deserves to be here.”
Osborne announced his own retirement from the saddle out of the blue at the annual Lesters awards ceremony, also at the age of 34, but he too is puzzled that Spencer is about to quit the storyline. “It was different for me, I was in pieces,” he says. “Only he knows the real reasons and I wouldn’t be surprised if he came back one day, but he seems pretty determined for now.
“The next step for us with this horse is probably the [Dubai] World Cup and it’s going to be hard for Jamie to sit there and watch him. But, seemingly, he’s made his decision.”
Buckley will be nearly £1.7m richer if his horse comes home in front. “Leaving aside all the joy I’ll get out of it, if they can pull this off, I’ll burst into tears for them rather than myself,” Buckley said. “It would change Jamie Osborne’s life and a fantastic way for Jamie Spencer to finish.”
