It’s been almost 30 years since Bill Gale boarded a flight en route to the 1986 Breeders Crown to drive Sunset Warrior. We relive the unforgettable moment in time with the new Hall of Famer. By Perry Lefko
VETERAN HORSEMAN BILL GALE IS ON A JET plane feeling nervous, flying from Detroit en route to Washington, D.C. He’s headed to Cherry Hill, New Jersey for the 1986 Breeders Crown, taking place at Garden State Park. He’s not nervous because he’s driving in “The Crown” for the first time, although that is certainly on his mind. It’s more to do with flying on a commercial flight. Being a passenger aboard an aircraft flying 30,000 feet above the ground provides him considerably more anxiety than sitting in a race bike steering horses at high speeds and navigating through tight quarters. At least he can control that, but being a passenger in a huge aircraft makes him feel like he has no control. He doesn’t mind small planes because he has a greater understanding of them, but he becomes a white-knuckle flyer on these big birds. He will only feel at ease once the plane has landed safely, and then he can focus on what will turn out to be a historic moment in his career.
The 38-year-old Toronto native, who is a star at Windsor Raceway, has been enlisted to drive Sunset Warrior in the two-year-old male pace for trainer Bob McIntosh, who is also making his debut in the Breeders Crown. This is the third year of the event, but the first time it will feature four separate championship races at the same track, and Garden State Park, which resembles a castle with all its structure, is playing the role of proud host. Gale is taken aback by it all because he’s never been to the opulent mile oval before, and neither has McIntosh. The track’s management has promoted the event, and there will be a huge crowd of racing fans and considerable media attention, including ESPN, which will be televising all of the races live. This is a big deal for the sport and, in particular, for Gale.
The Two-Year-Old Colt Pace drew enough entries to require two heats, in which the top five of each field will advance to the final later that same night. The purse of the final will be $614,700.
Sunset Warrior, by Sundance Skipper out of the Volstadt mare Miss Volstadt, is a homebred owned by Joe Gerrity, who along with his wife Phyllis race under the stable name Little Farm and are based in Loudonville, New York. Through a mutual connection, horse racing writer Jay Bergman, McIntosh had been sent the colt. It became apparent to McIntosh the colt had quickness and a good attitude, and six weeks into training the horse, McIntosh bought a 25 percent interest off of Gerrity.
McIntosh is coming into the race with a lightly-raced horse. Sunset Warrior has only had six previous starts, four of which he has won. A week before he won an $88,830 New York Sires Stakes race, leading all the way and finishing three lengths to the good. But there is not much focus on him from the media. Redskin is drawing all the attention. He has won 10 of 20 starts and has a five-race win streak, including the Governor’s Cup, which had a purse of more than $1.5 million, three weeks ago at the same Garden State Park. He’s driven by Bill O’Donnell – the Magic Man – who’s had considerable success since the Breeders Crown began in 1984. With divisonal leader Jate (The Great) Lobell, undefeated in 15 starts, ineligible for the Breeders Crown because he wasn’t nominated, it’s expected to be an easy night for Redskin, who is chasing Nihilator’s single-season record for the most money won by a two-year-old pacer. Redskin is bred and owned by Jerry Smith, who along with his wife and two daughters runs a small family stable in Michigan. They are literally a Mom and Pop operation, so it would make for a compelling story if they win with their homebred. Gale has raced against big-name horses, but the hype machine has been ratcheted up tonight because of the race and the money. In the driver’s room, Gale is watching ESPN’s coverage, and not much is being said about Sunset Warrior.
Gale is a little intimidated by the atmosphere, but he’s had experiences in big races before. He has also received a warm reception in the driver’s room, welcomed by many drivers, some of whom he doesn’t even know, having never driven against them. This is fraternity of horsemen who are all out to beat each other on the track, but inside the room they are friendly and enjoy each other’s company, some passing the time playing cards. Gale has faced many of these big-name drivers before, at various North American tracks, in a career that has already spanned some two decades. Canada has spawned many of the sport’s current stars – O’Donnell, John Campbell, Michel Lachance, Ron Waples and Buddy Gilmour, to name a few. And now Gale has started to make a name for himself as the latest Canadian to break through. But it is one thing to do it in the Windsor/Detroit area; it is quite another to do in the Breeders Crown, where reputations can be made – both good and bad – in a race that takes less than two minutes.
McIntosh, who is another rising star on the Windsor scene, turns the lines over to Gale for the first heat and tells him the horse has warmed up well and is ready to fire. McIntosh offers little else in the way of instructions before the race – he rarely says much to the drivers in terms of strategy – and it’s now in Gale’s hands. Gale has driven the colt in his last two races and has been impressed. Sunset Warrior is in against Redskin, and the aim is to simply do well enough to qualify for the final.
Gale has pre-race jitters, which are normal, but they go away once he’s on the track, and he’s focused on the task at hand... getting his horse ready and eyeing the others to see if he spots something. Mentally, it’s like a qualifying race in the morning, albeit with considerably more at stake; much, much more at stake. Sunset Warrior has drawn the seven hole in the field of 10 and is considered a long shot by the bettors, going postward at odds of more than 17/1. Gale knows he has a handy, relaxed horse, capable of leading or coming from behind, and off the gate he decides to take back toward the rear. He isn’t asking Sunset Warrior to do much for the first half of the race, simply allowing him to find his stride, but after three-quarter pole, Sunset Warrior is on the move, advancing from seventh and picking off horses one by one. At the top of the stretch, Sunset Warrior is fourth by 6½ lengths. He powers down the lane to finish third by three lengths with a solid final quarter of 27 and change – and he’s done so without Gale moving his hands or even chirping to him.
Redskin, who drew the rail, had the lead after three quarters of a mile and coasts to a 1½-length win, stopping the teletimer in 1:56.1 and satisfying the bettors who hammered him down to 1/5 odds.
Approaching the final, the winners of both heats, Maximilion Hanover, who was placed first in his heat because Track Robbery broke stride near the wire, and Redskin, will be given either the rail or two-hole after a draw by lot. Redskin draws the inside spot, which basically will allow O’Donnell to determine whether he wants to grab the lead and play catch-me-if-you-can or settle a bit further back.
Sunset Warrior has drawn the four-hole and Gale is happy. He likes his chances with a fit, fresh and sound horse.
As the horses head to the gate, Sunset Warrior is second in the betting at just under 6/1 odds. The wise-guy bettors like the way he finished and had something left, but Redskin is the odds-on choice at 1/5. Unlike the elimination race, Gale wants to have his horse closer to the front. He leaves aggressively from the middle of the pack and is parked four wide going around the first turn. Maximilion Hanover, driven by Dale Insko from the two-hole, has the lead after an opening quarter mile in :28. Gale tucks his horse in second, 2¼ lengths behind, opting for a conservative strategy instead of using up more horse to get the lead. Savage Breeze is now hustled to the front by Ben Webster, and leads after three-eighths of a mile, but Gale decides to tip out from third and brushes by the top two en-route to gaining the lead by 1½ lengths after a half in :56.3. Gale is loping along at a fairly easy pace and reaches the three-quarter marker in 1:26.4, following a leisurely :30.1 clip and leads by 1¼ lengths past that post.
As he turns for home, he takes a peek to his right, expecting Redskin, whom O’Donnell has taken off the rail and is making a three-wide move with. Sunset Warrior, who still hasn’t been used, leads by a length at the top of the stretch, but Redskin is gaining on him. Gale pops the ear plugs on the colt, something he didn’t do in the elimination, and Sunset Warrior responds well to it. The pilot then goes to work on the horse with a right-hand whip.
Gale isn’t one of those drivers who feels the need to hit a horse hard, and usually only leaves a slight mark or two on the flank. It’s something he has learned from his former boss, Morris MacDonald, a Strathroy, Ontario horseman whose belief was if you have to hit a horse more than three times, you might as well throw it away because it’s not doing you or the horse any good. Gale has always kept that in mind, but this is one of those last-resort type of situations with a purse of almost $700,000 on the line and he’s just an eighth of a mile from paydirt.
Sunset Warrior is unrelenting in yielding to Redskin and wins by three-quarters of a length, pacing his final quarter in :28.4, and recording a new speed badge of 1:55.3. Gale is happy, but isn’t waving his whip or grandstanding. That’s just not his thing. O’Donnell, the class horseman that he is, and also a friend of Gale’s, congratulates him on the win. It’s a big deal for Canadian racing, in particular horsemen around the Windsor area, to win one of the biggest stakes events in the U.S.
The winner’s circle is crowded with media and an entourage of people. McIntosh greets Gale and says, “Congratulations, Jock, we got the job done.” He calls drivers Jock, something he learned from Buddy Gilmour, who also drove in the race and finished fifth with Meadowbranch Bret. Gale’s wife, Janice, who flew with him, gives him a huge hug and congratulates him. It’s an emotional moment for everybody. Gale and McIntosh are taken immediately after to talk to the media situated in the press box, which requires an elevator ride to the top. They are still in their colours.
Gale and McIntosh stay overnight because there is no way they could catch a flight out the same night and instead they celebrate at a party for all the horsemen. The liquor is flowing freely, and Gale, McIntosh and the other Canadian horsemen are the last to leave – as is usually the case. The next morning, both Gale and McIntosh are feeling groggy from the previous night’s libations and have to prepare for the flight back to Detroit, and those feelings of anxiety are starting up again. On the approach to land, when Gale is just about to welcome the wheels hitting the strip, the pilot makes a sudden change and starts to take the craft upward again. About 30 seconds later, the pilot announces he had to change plans at the last second because of another plane that was on the runway. This will be a moment Gale will always remember vividly from that flight.
Upon arriving home, Gale’s son, Jason, 12, and daughter, Jennifer, 10, greet him and congratulate him on the win. They are not really into horse racing, but they are proud of their father.
A couple of days after the win, the feeling that he has won the biggest race of his career finally hits him with a rush of energy and satisfaction, and he is able to savour it. Gale had flown under the radar, so to speak, on his way to the Breeders Crown, but just like an airplane, his career was suddenly taking off; and it felt good. Really good.
