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Sim Trainer Stats Sim Race Stats |
CALL OF THE WILD II Owner/Trainer: gipper8 Record: 36-3-5; $9,364,815
Win: Breeders Bowl Classic-G1, Sand Castle Classic-G1, New Hampshire H-G1, CA Classic-G1, Maryland Special H-G1, It’s My Birthday and I’ll Cry If I Want to S-G1, Bertrando H-G2, Toilet Scrubbers Anonymous H-G2, Seattle That Arc H Place: California H-G1, Courageous Ash H, Old Bluegrass Special S Show: Sand Castle Classic-G1, Movieland Shiny Cup-G1, Bob Woodward Memorial-G1, Princess Cup-G1, Phareta Wish (FR) Special S When gipper8 sent Mammoth Jess, a daughter of Nureyev, to War Chant, the hope was for a champion turf horse (War Chant is also the sire of Hall of Famer Allied Assault). Gipper8 got the important part of the equation right. Call of the Wild II (the II added because there was already an unsuccessful runner by the name of Call of the Wild), looked like he would live up to his breeder’s original goal, winning first time out with a 93 SF, racehorse time for any juvenile. It was late in the year, so Call of the Wild II would only make one more start that year, tiring in the stretch to finish second. The brown colt had shown real potential, and a pedigree that suggested the farther, the better. Hopes were high that the colt would pan out as a Guineas or Derby contender. The thought was that the colt’s need for the lead was more a result of greenness than anything else, so efforts were made to rate him. Call of the Wild II kicked off his sophomore year with an even third in the 7 ½ furlong Phareta Wish (FR) Special. It was decided to try to rate him one more time before giving up on the idea, so the colt next went postward in the Frio Frio Mile-G3. The colt dropped almost 11 lengths back, before unleashing a devastating kick, too late for the win, but had closed for fifth at the wire, and was in front just a handful of jumps later. He earned a 98 SF for the effort. Still, gipper8 was not completely satisfied, and decided to switch to the dirt for a race, just to see how the colt responded. It was no easy contest – the son of War Chant (who had won on both surfaces) debuted in the Vermont Derby-G2, a Derby prep race. Call of the Wild II did his best to live up to the challenge, grabbing third in the stretch before fading to fourth. His speed figure was a 105, better than any of his turf races. He would try a G1 race the next time, and could not repeat that effort, finishing seventh. A drop in class was in order, so the colt reappeared in a listed stakes. However, the race was more than listed quality, as Louisiana Derby-G2 winner Mountain Reef was in the field. After rating just off the lead early, Call of the Wild II grabbed the lead at the top of the stretch, but could not hold off Mountain Reef in the stretch, and lost to that rival by ½ length. The track came up good in Ontario, which would seem to better suit a horse that had won on turf, and so gipper8 sent Call of the Wild II to the Princess Cup-G1. It was an all-star case, featuring Bluegrass Derby winner Granhee, and Tuff Enuff, winner of the Middle Jewel and the New Yorker. As it would turn out, Call of the Wild II beat both of those horses, but still lost the racing war, finishing third behind Silver Canuck and Van Halen. Even in defeat, Call of the Wild II had still earned a 113 SF. The colt was still eligible for a non-winners of two, but had clearly showed talent. Gipper8 would roll the dice again, sending the son of War Chant to the It’s My Birthday and I’ll Cry If I Want to S-G1 in Kentucky. Favored in that race was Tricky Tony, who had posted a 124 SF in his last start, the Flat Land Derby. Once again, Call of the Wild II rated off the early fractions, and this time, when he hit the front, no one could catch him, the colt sweeping under the wire 2 ¾ lengths clear of the rest of the field. In capturing the grade one event, Call of the Wild II posted a snappy 117 SF, while posting a mild upset at 9-1. However, after that race, the colt went to the sidelines, and did not return to the races for more than four months, when the season was almost over. The compact brown colt clearly needed the race, tiring to fourth at a flat mile. Call of the Wild II had shown talent at two and three, but at four, he took it to a whole different level. Gipper8 believed the allowance race had sufficiently tightened the colt for a big effort. Between the It’s My Birthday and the end of the year, Call of the Wild II had finished growing, and dappled muscles filled out his frame. So, the colt’s seasonal debut came in the Toilet Scrubbers Anonymous H-G2. The colt was sent off at 7 to 1, as questions arose about his fitness, and his readiness to return to the graded stakes wars. Call of the Wild affirmatively answered those concerns, rallying for an easy 2 ½ length score with a 109 SF. Next came a match-up with the classy Silver Canuck in the California H-G1. The betting came down to those two, and so did the race, as a thrilling stretch duel emerged, with the crowd on its feet. Only a ½ length separated the pair at the wire. From there, it was on to the prestigious Sand Castle Classic, which attracted a full field of graded stakes winners. The riches, and the bragging rights, belonged to Call of the Wild II, who turned the tables on Silver Canuck, and also left Bone roaming and Wonderboy Cougar (IRE) in his wake. From there, it was on to Maryland, and the Maryland Special H-G1. This time, the colt went off as the favorite, and won like a favorite should, scoring by 2 ½ easy lengths, and looking like he could do it all again. Back to California, the brown colt once again could not quite get the job done, settling for third in the Movieland Shiny Cup-G1 behind Kissin Cousin II and Search and Conquer. Things usually happen in threes, but in his third California start of the year, Call of the Wild II got back on track, defeating his two Movieland rivals I the CA Classic-G1. With the Breeders’ Bowl Classic-G1 firmly in his sights, with the opportunity to win racing’s two richest races in the same year, Call of the Wild II’s final prep race was the rich Bob Woodward Classic-G1. However, the ageless and classy Unprecedented got loose on the lead and never looked back. Search and Conquer also finished ahead of the fast closing colt. At the Breeders’ Bowl, the fans made the colt the lukewarm 6-1 favorite, deciding that the extra furlong might have made the difference in the Woodward. It was a tough group, with the likes of Wonderboy Cougar (IRE), Macho Niner, Fly for Buda, Silver Canuck, Squal Me Halo, Tempest and Anticosti in the field. Once again, Gipper8’s pride and joy sat off of the early pace, biding his time. Pacesetter Macho Niner had dueled Fly for Buda into submission, and that was when Call of the Wild II made his move. The three year old could not withstand that late charge, and the Breeders’ Bowl Classic belonged to Call of the Wild II. He would race once more that year, finishing a dull eight in the Topicount Special-G1, but the five graded stakes wins, four of them in grade one races, including the Breeders’ Bowl and the Sand Castle, could not be denied, and so Champion Older Horse was added to his list of accomplishments. Such a season would be hard to duplicate, and for the most part, it was not. After a dull debut in the Glenn Handicap-G1, the colt was sent to Dubai in an effort to repeat his Sand Castle Classic victory. However, while Call of the Wild II ran a much stronger race than in his debut, it was not to be. The son of War Chant was a distant third behind Solar Song and Wonderboy Cougar II. Returned to the States, the brown colt defeated Not Bluffing and Anticosti in the New Hampshire H-G1. However, something went wrong after that, the colt was raced sparingly, but could not manage better than fourth in his next four starts. Sensing a physical problem, Gipper8 sent the champ to the farm for the remainder of the year, a disappointing sequel to the heights of 2005. After a break of almost four months, Call of the Wild II returned to the races, and reclaimed the winner’s circle, capturing the listed Seattle That Arc H. Once more, the colt would return to Dubai, but this time, was a dull and disappointing twelfth. Things were much better in his next start, the Bertrando H-G2. Call of the Wild looked like his old self, defeating Formulated Risk, winner of the Saints H-G3, as well as Wonderboy Cougar and San Pellegrino, and posting a 108 SF for the nine panels. Unfortunately, however, that was the last hurrah. Call of the Wild II would race seven more times, but never hit the board. He would retire with a bankroll of more than $9 million, which is still good enough for 11th on the all time list. His son, Horace Greely (by Gone West), is still racing, and at five, is in the best form of his career, recently posting a 107 against allowance company. He is no Call of the Wild III, but few horses could be. Call of the Wild II’s career was interrupted on several occasions, but when he was on, he was on, capturing six Grade 1 races, and the remarkable Sand Castle/Breeders’ Cup Classic double in the same year.
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