Azeri by M.E. Altieri
May 13, 2007
Azeri, the highest-earning female Thoroughbred in the history of the sport in North America, retired in December 2004 after a singularly spectacular career, during which she proved time and again that she's one of the greatest Thoroughbreds in the sport, ever.
In 2004, when racing fans realized that Smarty Jones had just won six Grade 1 races in a row—he was appropriately lauded. His handsome face appeared on the cover of every major American magazine. Smarty Jones, the colt with humble Pennsylvania beginnings, was a legitimate star.
A dear friend—race fan, Thoroughbred lover and former media maven—pointed out to me that, during her career, Azeri had won ELEVEN Grade 1 races in a row. And that her gorgeous horseface didn't appear on the cover of any magazines outside the world of racing. No sports, news or entertainment publication deemed her accomplishment worthy of their covers.
Think about that for a moment: Azeri won almost twice as many Grade 1 races as had Smarty Jones—and the achievement went by, virtually unnoticed.
The reasons why are myriad and complicated. We won't get into it in this piece; this article is about Azeri.
But we should, indeed, wonder why one of the greatest Thoroughbreds ever to walk the Earth did an astounding thing—and no one blinked an eye.
Azeri beat stereotypes and records at every turn (both on the track, and off). The old argument about retiring fillies before they're even old enough to become mares—the breeding shed calleth!—is a silly one. And, had her owner (J. Michael Paulson, as Executor of the Allen E. Paulson Living Trust)—had Michael listened to any of that conventional "wisdom"—Azeri would never have stepped onto a racecourse.
You see, Azeri was foaled (born) on May 6, 1998. She didn't race until November 1, 2001—just two months before she was considered to be four in the world of racing.* So a filly, almost four—who would have been tossed into the broodmares' paddock by most owners—was, instead, seen as a potential Champion. Michael knew that she could do something, and he suspected that it was something spectacular.
His instincts were dead-on. Azeri won, and won, and won. Under Michael's watchful eye, she got to the Breeders' Cup Distaff in 2002, and she won. Her race was the highlight of that Breeders' Cup: the Classic was a letdown by comparison.
That race clinched it for her to receive the Eclipse Award for Horse of the Year. (For those of you who may not know: the Eclipse Awards are the Oscars of Thoroughbred racing. To be named, Horse of the Year, is to get "the big Oscar," for Picture of the Year.)
Azeri won by unanimous vote. Everyone in racing knew that she was the best Thoroughbred in America. NOT the best filly in America. The award is Horse of the Year, NOT Female Horse of the Year.
Yes, she was criticized by some because she'd gotten there without racing against colts or older male horses. Renowned track announcer, Trevor Denman, said it best: she'd have been lowering herself to race against the males. No male on the continent was her peer, so why would she have raced against them? To prove something? When you're The Best—you don't have to defend yourself to anyone.
It's been stated by many that she could have won the Breeders' Cup Classic, instead of the Distaff, that day at Arlington Park. Volponi, the Classic winner, would have lost to the great chestnut filly, seeing only her dust and her big, perfect, red butt.
Azeri's story is long, fascinating, royal and victorious. She retired in late December, 2004; she foaled her first baby, a colt by A.P. Indy, on Valentine's Day, 2007. She's in the paddock with her little boy today, and she's a wonderful, doting Mother.
But I wonder often if Azeri, the great Queen, dreams at night about the days she won the Go for Wand; the Apple Blossom (thrice!) and scores of other races. You can take the Champion off the track, but you can't take the track out of the Champion.
Her tale is that of raw talent; sheer, brute muscle; immeasurable heart; record-shattering speed; her owner's faith and love; pure grit and determination. Hers is an amazing story, one that began in a stall in Kentucky and ends…well, the lore around her will never end. She'll be inducted into the Racing Hall of Fame in 2009, and generations of race fans will finally see her appropriately designated:
AZERI. One of the greatest THOROUGHBREDS of all time.
One of the greatest fillies and mares? Definitely.
But, in a world that still injects harmful qualifiers such as "just" into the lingua—we must work on our own daily language, to assure that the word, "Thoroughbred" is never replaced by the word, "filly" when the awards go around. Horse of the Year, Azeri, kicked down the barn doors, and shin-kicked stereotypes, for generations of fillies and mares to come, in countless ways. She will be remembered and loved dearly by millions of race fans forever: both those who saw her race, and those who got only as close as a video screen.
She will always be known as the Horse of the Year who happened to be a female Thoroughbred.
And…to read more of her stereotype-busting achievements…well, I guess you'll just have to read the book!
* In Thoroughbred racing, all horses are considered to celebrate their birthdays on January 1.
Altieri is the author of "GODDESS: the story of Thoroughbred Champion Azeri, and the Quest for Thoroughbred Perfection," due out in Autumn, 2007.
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