A Four-Peat for Jersey-Bred Star He’spuregold

By Bill Finley

   He’spuregold, a six-year-old bred and owned by John Bowers Jr., isn’t going to make the Hall of Fame or win an Eclipse Award. That’s fine by his trainer, Kelly Breen. With his class, his determination and his durability, he has won over his trainer, who calls him one of his all-time favorites. How can you not love a horse who is so honest that he won the same stakes race four years in a row?

   That’s exactly what happened when the son of Vancouver won the July 7 Irish War Cry Handicap at Monmouth. It was his fourth straight win in the Jersey-bred stakes run at a mile on the turf.

   “He’s such a nice horse. I can’t stop thinking about him,” Breen said. “He is something else. I’ve been thinking about this all day, that he is such a nice horses. I actually feel like I have a connection with the horse. 

   “I have been consulting with Patty Hogan the last couple years so far as keeping him sound and dealing with certain issues. He has his issues. But he is so classy, so nice to be around. When I first got him his legs weren’t in the best shape, which makes it even more remarkable that he could do this four years in a row. It’s beyond my imagination so far as what a horse can handle and keep on running . He is the epitome of a war horse.  He’s had surgeries and he is still just a warrior. He comes back year after year. I’m so proud to train him.”

   Breen has only been training for Bowers for about five years. The first horse bred by Bower that Breen trained was Valedictorian, who is a half-sister to He’spuregold. That mare won five stakes races for Bowers and Breen, including the GIII Eatontown Stakes and the GIII Suwanee River Stakes.

   “She was claimed from John and the woman, Harriet Sawyer, had her with another trainer,” Breen explained. “She found me out and said I have a Jersey bred, will you take it to Monmouth Park with you? That was actually the first horses bred by John Bowers that I ever had. We won multiple stakes, open stakes. From there I started picking up Mr. Bowers’s horses here in New Jersey.  Valedictorian was one of the key things that introduced me to Mr. Bowers. I wish I trained for him 20 years ago. Since we’ve been together for the past five years or so we’ve won a bunch of stakes races together, Jersey-breds and open stakes. He breeds a really nice horse and he takes pride in what he does.”

   Bowers also owned the dam of He’spuregold and Valedictorian, the Smart Strike mare Smart N Classy. She was a two-time stakes winner who also won the GIII Eatontown Stakes. 

   Bowers is wrapping up his breeding and racing operation. Breen said that he has retired many of his mares and is no longer buying new ones to replace them.

   “He is not young and he is ready to move on to a new chapter in his life,” Breen said. “His broodmares were passing away and he did not replace them.”

   Courtesy of He’spuregold he’s likely to have something motr to cheer about for quite some time.

   After last year’s Irish War Cry, Breen couldn’t find another Jersey-bred stakes for He’spuregold and ran him in four open company races with mixed results.

   “We don’t have many options left so far as Jersey bred races go, so I’m sure there will be some races for him out of town in the near future,” Breen said.

   He’spuregold is a seven-time winner from 22 career starts. In addition the Irish Way Cry he won the Charles Hesse III Handicap in 2022.

   “He is such a cool horse,” Breen said. “I’m so happy for John Bowers. He has been a great supporter of Jersey breds for a long time. I get sentimental with this horse. He’s a Jersey-bred, just like me. I’ve been going through a lot lately. I had surgery last year and I’m not walking well. This horse has helped. I take everything he has done to heart.”