Patience, Perseverance, and Preservationist

[Wandering Eyes]

“Inside the Winner’s Circle, Presented by Keeneland” is a series showcasing graduates of the Keeneland September sale who have gone on to achieve success on racing’s biggest stages.

Patience and perseverance–both in the auction marketplace and on the racetrack–have anchored the Centennial Farms syndication strategy for nearly four decades, and that modus operandi paid off handsomely last Saturday when Preservationist (Arch) fought through Saratoga stretch traffic to win the GI Woodward S. by a gutsy half length.

The victory was even more impressive when you consider that Preservationist, a $485,000 buy at the 2014 Keeneland September yearling sale, is six years old, has only started 10 times, and two months ago had never raced in a stakes at any level.

Emory Hamilton, who bred Preservationist (and his first three dams; her grandfather’s King Ranch bred his fourth and fifth dam) said she’s followed Preservationist’s career closely, partly because his dam, Flying Dixie (Dixieland Band), died later in the same year after foaling Preservationist.

“I think what would strike anybody is the incredible patience Centennial has had with him,” Hamilton said. “He was a beautiful foal. Jimmy Jerkens has done an amazing job with this horse. I’m not sure anyone else would have kept the horse in training this long. Who knows where he might have ended up in other hands, and for that I’m eternally grateful.”

“Preservationist is a big guy,” Don Little, Jr., Centennial’s president and co-owner, told TDN via phone on Tuesday. “He’s got a lot of size in terms of bulk, but he’s very athletic. When you look at him in the paddock compared to other horses, he catches everybody’s eye. He’s imposing, but he’s well put together. He’s more like a football fullback than a halfback.”

Little said Preservationist’s light résumé is the result of a series of minor setbacks that the Centennial team always believed could be overcome with a wait-and-see approach.

“There was never anything of major concern, but being a rangy, athletic horse of his size, he just needed a little extra time,” Little said. “We always knew the potential was there. Some people could have pushed through [the minor issues]. And I wouldn’t be surprised that if this horse had been in another barn, they might have done that. But that’s not the way we approach it. We were very patient to do what we needed to do, and luckily, it’s come to fruition.”

Since its founding in 1982 by the late Don Little, Sr., the Massachusetts-based Centennial has opened the door for numerous owners to enjoy the sport through its partnerships. The syndicate’s strategy is simple, but not always easy to execute: Purchase high-class prospects at the most prestigious public sales, develop them into top-level racehorses, and retire them to successful stallion careers.

Little credits Centennial’s racing manager/veterinarian, Dr. Stephen Carr, and its trainer, Jimmy Jerkens, with identifying Preservationist as an auction prospect five years ago.

“Preservationist was on our list because he was big, attractive and athletic for his size. Great walk, great presence,” Little recalled. “He had a really strong King Ranch blue-hen type family. In the past, there were numerous times that we weren’t able to afford those types of horses.”

But by the time Preservationist, at Hip 643, came up for bidding, Little explained that “Dr. Carr had left the pavilion to look at other horses to keep ahead in the sale, and I was left to bid on him. I literally jumped in at one bid and was fortunate enough that it was $485,000. That was more than we initially going to [pay]. But the way the sale played out, we were able to budget it into the five-horse group that we bought, and when I told Dr. Carr we got him, he was absolutely elated.” Preservationist debuted as the 6-5 favorite the day before the 2016 GI Belmont S, ran second, then didn’t race for more than 18 months. He finally broke his maiden in career start number three at Aqueduct on Jan. 20, 2018, won an allowance race a month later, then was shelved again until early 2019, when he won consecutive 2X and 3X allowance conditions.

Preservationist Wins the Woodward | Sarah K Andrew photo

That upward trend warranted a Grade II start in the July 6 Suburban S. over 1 1/4 miles at Belmont, which Preservationist won by an emphatic 4 ½ lengths while on the lead for most of the trip under a heady ride by Junior Alvarado, a departure from the horse’s stalking style.

But did Preservationist really want to be positioned on the front end for subsequent graded races? That was a topic of shedrow debate between Little and Jerkens going into the nine-furlong GI Whitney S. at Saratoga. In that race, Preservationist was allowed to make the pace, but ended up getting collared by MGISW McKinzie, a ‘TDN Rising Star’ who was the odds-on favorite.

“In the Whitney, as Jimmy says, we didn’t quite agree on strategy,” Little said on Tuesday with a laugh. “You can say the horse was green going into that race, even though it’s hard to say that with a 6-year-old. But that was his first time in front of a big crowd in the Saratoga paddock, and he had never gone two turns [the 10-furlong Suburban at Belmont started on the clubhouse bend]. Coming back in the Woodward, it was obvious that he learned from it. That tells you how intelligent a horse he is.”

Preservationist was rated back into a ground-saving stalking trip in third for most of the nine-furlong Woodward. He was boxed and blocked for a good portion of the stretch between the quarter and eighth poles, then kicked clear with good energy to win.

“Jimmy pointed this horse in the right direction and made some adjustments, and when Preservationist is right, he’s an imposing individual, very competitive, and he rarely lets horses get by him. But he likes to have a target, that’s now obvious,” Little said.

The GI Jockey Club Gold Cup at Belmont on Sep. 28 is penciled in as Preservationist’s next likely race. Little said he would not commit to pointing ahead to the Breeders’ Cup at the moment.
In the meantime, Team Centennial is strategizing anew for this month’s Keeneland yearling sale.

“Last year we bought four horses and I think we’re on track to do exactly the same thing this year to try to come up with another Preservationist, Mihos (Cairo Prince), or Wicked Strong (Hard Spun),” Little said, alluding to two other Centennial stakes winners this decade that were purchased as Keeneland yearlings for $320,000 and $375,000, respectively.

“We’ve had great success there,” Little said. “And if it takes going into Book 2 or 3, which could very well happen, we’ll take our time to find the ones that we think will fit our program.”

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