First Turn Stable bounces back with Aeterna’s Choice
by James Platz
The business of racing journalism focuses squarely on the winners, and rightly so. That said, as a writer I’ve had my share of conversations with drivers, trainers and owners that didn’t make it to the winner’s circle on a given night. Sure, there are some that are severely disappointed. That’s to be expected. But there are also moments when the connections are ecstatic to have hit the board. They savor the moment as much as those hoisting the hardware in front of the grandstand.
Wednesday night (July 16) I found myself in a similar situation as a member of Harrah’s Hoosier Park’s First Turn Stable. Our newest acquisition, Aeterna’s Choice, didn’t cross the wire first in his debut for trainer Patrizio Ancora, but his on-the-board finish was a satisfying first act as the stable is back in action after a detour this summer.
As a quick recap of how the season has unfolded with First Turn Stable, we began the year campaigning pacer Robertsgladerunner. The gelding had mixed results for the group but sustained a tendon tear that forced him into retirement. His last start for the stable was a 10th place effort on May 16. The decision was made to send Robertsgladerunner to New Vocations, and he arrived there during the third week in June. For his career, “Bob” as he was known among the First Turn community, finished his career with a 24-24-26 record from 220 starts. He took a mark of 1:52.1 at Hoosier Park in 2022. During his career, which spanned eight seasons, he banked $215,627.
When I signed on as part of First Turn Stable, I envisioned how some of the experience might play out. Retiring a horse due to injury certainly didn’t figure into the equation. But that, as they say, is racing.
With Robertsgladerunner transitioning into his next career via New Vocations, the question became who’s next? How long will it take to claim the next horse for the stable? At one point I texted Jacob Rheinheimer, the track’s race marketing manager, on the side just to see if First Turn had zeroed in on any potential candidates. A week later, the group was back in business, although with a different horse than I expected.
On Wednesday (July 2), Aeterna’s Choice was claimed and became the new face of the stable. The gelded son of Beachtrea—Aeterna Deo came to First Turn with 10 wins to his credit and just over $60,000 on his card. The 6-year-old had already made seven seasonal starts, winning at Hoosier Park on June 21. In the announcement to stable members, Ancora noted the change in strategy when acquiring Aeterna’s Choice.
“Incidentally, the horse we originally wanted to claim was not entered this week, but the more we started to look at Aeterna’s Choice, the more we liked him,” Patrizio and his wife, Rebecca, noted in the email. “We like that he is a younger horse at age 6 with less wear and tear than most at that level, and think he is a horse that could take a step forward with some TLC. He’s a little leaner than we would like for this time of year, and his feet might need a little work, we will get straight to work on those issues and hopefully the results will show on the racetrack!”
Two weeks after being claimed, Aeterna’s Choice made his debut for First Turn Stable. In the morning line for Wednesday’s third race, our entry was one of three in the event carrying 20-1 odds, the longest in the field. It was hard to know if that was justified or perhaps an underestimation by the oddsmaker. We would find out Wednesday night.
Two months since our last start with Robertsgladerunner, First Turn Stable had a racing interest lining up behind the starting car. With Jordan Ross in the bike, Aeterna’s Choice was slotted in post 6 in the field of eight. When the gate folded, Ross settled in along the pylons next to last and sat through fractions of :27 and :56.1 while Persistent Threat A, one of the winningest horses thus far in the Hoosier Park meet, led the field.
As the group raced into the second turn, Ross abandoned the pylons with the 6-year-old, and once in the stretch, the gelding dashed home in :27.4, the second fastest last quarter in the field. While Persistent Threat A was the clear winner for driver Marcus Miller, Aeterna’s Choice fought gamely late and nearly edged second choice Caribbean King at the wire. The gelding was timed in 1:53.4.
It wasn’t a win, but that wasn’t as important as the bigger picture. It was a gratifying performance. After nine weeks without a horse to cheer on, we had one that finished in the money and even hit the board. With another stride or two he would have finished second. Like those connections that I have interviewed in the past, this was as good as a win because of what it represented.
In the day-after missive from Rheinheimer that summarized Wednesday’s contest, the Ancoras were equally excited about the performance.
“We were thrilled with his effort last night,” they said, “He finished the mile incredibly well and just missed second. We hope we can keep building on this moving forward!”
And that is the challenge. Can Aeterna’s Choice continue to move forward? It will be exciting to see how the next few starts play out. The good news is, we’re back in the game.
