Georgie Boy, a three-time graded stakes winner and Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (gr. I) contender before suffering an injury in late March, has resumed training and is being pointed towards a return to the racetrack in October, his owner-breeder George Schwary said Sept. 19.
Schwary said Georgie Boy is currently in training at Santa Anita after spending several months at Del Mar recovering from a pulled back muscled he suffered a week prior to the April 5 Santa Anita Derby (gr. I). Schwary confirmed that trainer Kathy Walsh entered the gelded son of Tribal Rule in a pair of California Cup events Oct. 5 at Santa Anita, but it is doubtful that he will be ready by then. A race near the end of October is more likely, he said.
“He looks like his old self again,” said Schwary, who resides in San Fernando, Calif. “He’s been working in the mornings with Garrett Gomez and Iggy Puglisi and they are both impressed with him. Iggy said in his last work he really wanted to take off after about a half-mile but he had to pull him up.
“Kathy is being pretty cautious with him. She gave him a lot of time off, which was good because he really had a chance to grow. We’ll probably run him at Hollywood once or twice before the end of the year and then really let him go next year.”
Georgie Boy became a fan favorite in California after winning three consecutive graded stakes, including the Sept. 5 Del Mar Futurity (gr. I) in his final race as a juvenile. He then captured the San Vincente and San Felipe Stakes, both grade II events at Santa Anita. He was expected to be one the favorites for the Santa Anita Derby.
“He pulled the back muscle March 29 while training,” Schwary said. “It wasn’t too serious, but he kind of had a limp and it took a while for him to get back into shape. Kathy spent a lot of time with him on this high-tech machine that she bought.
“It was disappointing to have to miss the Santa Anita Derby and Kentucky Derby, but what can you do?”
Schwary said his disappointment was tempered by the birth of a full sister to Georgie Boy in February. “She looks just like him; same markings and everything,” he said.
Georgie Boy’s dam, Ippodamia, who Schwary also owns, is in foal again this year to Street Sense . The foal and Ippodamia are both currently at Brookstown Farm near Versailles, Ky.
As for the incredible popularity of Georgie Boy, Schwary is constantly amazed. “Everyone I know, they don’t even say hi to me anymore. They always ask, ‘How’s Georgie Boy doing.’ People really fell in love with this horse. Hopefully they'll have more to cheer about in the near future.”