By Steve Haskin
Updated: Saturday, November 14, 2009 2:13 PM
Dr. Joe still would have been proud
Dr. Joe Rauch, co-owner of Capt. Candyman Can, loved the Captain as much as any
owner could love a horse, and he was counting the days to the Breeders’ Cup
Sprint. Sadly, he passed away a week before the race. Here are some of his
thoughts and dreams throughout the year as he embarked on an unforgettable
journey with his horse. They are a tribute, not only to a giving Thoroughbred,
but to the sport.
February -- “I have experienced a love of racing
that has extended from my first bet (Promoter's Crash), $34 to win at River
Downs, to owning my first race horse (Code Blue, bought from John Galbreath in 1971), to co-breeding and racing my dream
horse after almost 40 years of trying, a Candy Ride gelding named Capt. Candyman Can. Nothing can explain the pure exhilaration,
the joy, the heartbreak of this game we are addicted to. As I dream of the
Captain's next race, I got news of his half brother weanling by Purge
fracturing a carpal bone in a paddock accident. The joy with tears, the sorrow
with tears, are all what make up this labor of love we call horses. If we were
to make it to the
August -- “Nine more days and it will be Travers
and Kings Bishop day. We are all ‘bouncing off
the walls’ because we are so excited. I keep playing the race in my
mind. Big Drama up close behind ‘Carlos’ and ‘Hero,’ Vineyard Haven
right there because he will be fresh, Munnings
pressing a bit in front of us, and the Captain coming up behind a
wall of horses at the quarter pole. Can he go wide and get around them, or will
a hole open up for him to get through? Is he
good enough?
That's when I wake up from my dream and wonder
how it will end. That fishhook in my stomach from all those years ago has
come full cycle and is still firmly attached. It just won't let go. What a
wonderful addiction. My life has been full of memorable experiences, but
this is as exciting as it gets.”
The day before the King’s Bishop, Joe leaned up
against a railing outside trainer Ian Wilkes’ barn and stood there almost all
morning just staring at the Captain grazing. After the colt’s victory in the
King’s Bishop, his first grade I score, Joe, his faced
flushed with excitement, gave everyone a huge hug, not knowing where to turn
next. It was a surreal and scintillating moment he would always cherish.
Joe could not sleep in the weeks leading up to
the Breeders’ Cup, he was so excited. Capt. Candyman
Can unfortunately did not take to the Pro-Ride and was never a factor in the
Sprint, the first time in his career he failed to fire. Joe would have been
proud of him anyway and would have been overwhelmed just to be a part of the
experience. The Captain will live to fight another day. In many ways, so will
Joe.