Coronado's Quest Once billed as the "bad boy" of racing, Coronado's Quest has redeemed himself with three consecutive victories, and is set on a course to establish that he is really the golden boy of his crop. Heading into the $1,000,000 Haskell Invitational (gr. I) for a showdown with Belmont Stakes (gr. I) winner Victory Gallop, Coronado's Quest attempts to prove that his erratic behavior is behind him once and for all.

All photos by L. A. Williams

"I'm hoping he's over all that stuff," trainer Shug McGaughey said. "I suppose I'll never really be certain, but he is acting a whole lot differently."

So differently, in fact, that the phenomenal patience of McGaughey has changed a rogue into the winner of the Wood Memorial (gr. II) in April, the Riva Ridge Stakes (gr. II) in June, and most recently, the Dwyer Stakes (gr. II) on July 12. The Dwyer win was the most impressive yet, as Coronado's Quest dueled with two other colts through fast early fractions, then pulled away to a five-length win in time 1: 42.49 under 124 pounds. What was going through the mind of that talented, but troubled colt who kept losing races he should have won in Florida this winter? Why was the embodiment of so many hopes and the culmination of generations of careful breeding acting like he belonged on the rodeo circuit rather than the finest racetracks in America?

Susan Manola crawled inside the mind of Coronado's Quest, and shares the story…

Once upon a time, there was a young, magnificent colt. He was bred to be a champion, bred to be a fighter like his daddy had been.

Much was expected from him. No expense was spared.

And so when he stepped into that historic paddock in Saratoga Springs last summer, still just a baby, he knew what he was supposed to do.

"Hey," he said, "look at me!" "I've got the best lookin' set of muscles you've seen in a long time. And I'm shining like a copper penny in the August sun. My daddy won here and I'm gonna win here too! Today, in fact. So you guys quit gawking at that skinny Affirmed colt and pay attention to ME, 'cause I'M gonna' win! Maiden, indeed!!"

And so he did. But something funny happened as he was walking back to the barn. Something felt "funny", and the beautiful colt who had had so much fun that day got a little scared.

Every day he trained. Other races he won. But something still felt "funny", and the colt didn't quite know how to tell them. And the funnier it felt the more scared he became. "My daddy was a fighter," he thought, "So, so, I'll just have to keep trying, I guess."

Then one day he got so scared that he "froze". "No," he said. "NO, NO, NO," said the colt shaking his head from side to side. "You can pull on my shank 'till the cows come home, but I WON'T do it again. Something feels funny and I'm SCAAAAAARED!"

Everyone knew something was wrong. Everyone kept trying to figure out what it was. Was it breeding? Was it a chemical imbalance? Or was he just a BAD boy?

"I'm not bad," he said. "I'm scared." Finally, he could stand it no longer. "NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO," he screamed, tossing his jockey and lashing out at his lead pony! "You don't understand," he said. "I know what I am supposed to do, really I do. I was bred to be a champion, my heart is a champion's heart, pulsing champion's blood through my veins. But, when I try, I, I, it feels, I, just can't catch… catch … oh, please let me throw my head up… I can't BREATHE!!!!!!"

And now we know. He was trying to tell us something the only way he knew how. Fixing his body will help. But his memory is long. He remembers what happened when… and the fright in his mind will take time to soothe. The Wood Memorial helped… a lot! And the wise decision to let the mind as well as the body "heal" will, in time, allow all of us to see the tremendous heart and talent of this beautiful son of Forty Niner live up to his regal breeding.

The bad memories will fade with time and love. Everything's okay now, Coronado's Quest. You're a good boy. Have a carrot.

Stuart Janney III, a third generation member of elite New York racing society whose father campaigned the great filly Ruffian did indeed breed Coronado's Quest (Forty Niner - Laughing Look, by Damascus) to be a champion. Janney's vision combined a champion with a multiple producer of graded stakes winners, who is by a Horse of the Year and millionaire back when that designation of money earned meant something. Janney campaigned Coronado's Quest as sole owner before selling part of the colt to Robert and Janice McNair's Stonerside Stable (the owners of 1997 Belmont Stakes winner Touch Gold) earlier this year. McGaughey has conditioned seven champions, including Personal Ensign and Easy Goer. In other words, Coronado's Quest has been in remarkable hands.

As many blue bloods are, he was unveiled last summer as a 2-year-old at Saratoga, where he appeared to be on his way to ultimate glory. He completed his juvenile season with a record of five wins in six starts, including setting a track record of 1:14.35 for 6 1/2 furlongs in the Cowdin Stakes (gr. II) at Aqueduct. He even won at 1 1/8 miles as a 2-year-old, in the Remsen Stakes (gr. II).

In Florida for the winter, his attitude deteriorated rapidly. Fractious behavior in the paddock became unruly, and finally dangerous. Exasperated, McGaughey tried everything from medicine to prayer, while jockey Mike Smith demonstrated courage and patience when the colt would suddenly "freeze", refusing to move, then bolt unexpectedly. Not even the famed horse communicator Monty Roberts could help. Onlookers lamented that a brilliant colt with so much promise had turned into a nutcase who was running second in the Hutcheson Stakes (gr. III) and the Fountain of Youth (gr. II) when he should be blowing the fields away. The final straw came in the Florida Derby (gr. I) in March , when on national television, Coronado's Quest's rearing and striking caused the race to look more like a rodeo. His antics led to a lackluster performance where he finished fifth, leaving McGaughey with the awful decision to bypass the Kentucky Derby, a race Coronado's Quest had been pointed for from the moment he was born. The thought of him seeing and hearing a crowd of 140,000 would definitely cause him to come unglued, and as much as his connections wanted to go to the Derby, there was no point in begging for trouble. Janney and McGaughey swallowed a big lump in their throats to stay home. In the meantime, the racing world sympathized with McGaughey's frustration, and pondered what was wrong with the colt.

Two weeks after his debacle in Florida, Coronado's Quest underwent routine surgery for an entrapped epiglottis. Training at home in New York seemed also to have a calming affect on the colt, who made his first win of 1998 an impressive one in the Wood Memorial at Aqueduct on April 11, the track where he won his last three starts of 1997. Taking the lead early, Coronado's Quest led all the way to score a 2 length victory over Dice Dancer in time 1:47.47. The only horse to run a faster Wood Memorial was Private Terms, who won the race 10 years earlier in time 1:47 1/5. Private Terms is a half-brother to Laughing Look, Coronado's Quest's dam, and was raced by Janney's father Stuart S. Janney Jr.

Coronado's Quest relaxed and worked well, with McGaughey and Janney waiting for the Preakness. Anticipation of the colt's chance to compete against top competition caused a buzz around Pimlico. Although he was expected to go off as the favorite, fate again intervened. An accident in training gave him a stone bruise on his hoof, and McGaughey and Janney again were disappointed to have to scratch him. Coronado's Quest missed enough training that even the Belmont Stakes was out of the question, a mile and a half race needing more preparation. Instead, Coronado's Quest ran in the seven-furlong Riva Ridge Stakes on Belmont day, and won easily.

The crowd of nearly 80,000 that watched the classic battle between Real Quiet and Victory Gallop also saw Coronado's Quest's class, and speculation about how the brilliant chestnut would fare against the titans of the Belmont began immediately. Hopes for a matchup between the top 3-year-olds waited while Favorite Trick, who beat Coronado's Quest by 15 lengths last year as a 2-year-old, opted out of the Dwyer Stakes and went to the Long Branch Stakes (gr. III) at Monmouth Park instead. Favorite Trick's race set up similarly to Coronado's Quest's, but his performance was much less spectacular, fueling admiration of the regally bred chestnut.

Was the breathing problem the cause of Coronado's Quest's unpredictable antics? Is he as good as many believe him to be? No one knows what was going on inside the fevered mind of this stunning, talented individual, but if his demons are under control, his fiery spirit will show up on the track rather than in the paddock. Coronado's Quest aims his three-race winning streak at the Haskell Invitational (gr. I) on August 9, when expected opponents Victory Gallop and Grand Slam will give the brilliant chestnut colt a chance to reward Janney and McGaughey's faith in him.