Here’s today’s Cup of Coffee from The Saratoga Special.
Have horse, will travel
“Where he sends horses, I go.”
That’s about as simple as Chris Connett can make it on his role as Charlie Appleby’s traveling assistant. The 41-year-old ventured to Saratoga with Godolphin’s El Cordobes and Nations Pride for Saturday’s Sword Dancer. First and third in the Grade 1 stakes, the duo made it easy for Connett.
“That was fantastic, absolutely fantastic,” Connett said, throwing a Godolphin backpack over his right shoulder and clutching the red winning saddle towel in his left as he walked back to the test barn. “It’s why I do the job.”
And nobody has a job or does the job like Connett.
“I think he’s the 46th Group 1 winner I’ve traveled through,” Connett said. “I’ve been very lucky. Right place, right time.”
It started 21 years ago when Connett was in Dubai working for French trainer Erwan Charpy as a struggling apprentice jockey. His weight was bad, his talent marginal and Godolphin was hiring.
“My father worked in racing, I sat on donkeys and ponies from the day I remembered. It’s always kind of been there,” Connett said. “I was a very poor apprentice. I had a few rides, my weight wasn’t ideal, my lack of ability probably stopped me more than my weight. I rode some winners and whatnot.”
Connett leapt at the chance to work for Godolphin.
“I was just happy to have the job,” he said.
Connett ventured to Saratoga for Saeed bin Suroor and Rick Mettee in 2005 and stayed for three years, galloping and helping to look after the likes of Grade 1 winners Stellar Jayne and Discreet Cat.
“Saratoga is a pretty special place,” Connett said. “It’s my favorite racetrack in the world. It’s just got a great buzz around the place. The people are here, and they want to see the horses. It’s just a great family atmosphere. It makes me think of the heyday of American racing, with the old grandstand, it’s where the best horses in America come.”
And sometimes the world.
When Appleby took over as the main trainer for Godolphin in 2013, he had his right-hand man. Connett packed his first bag and hasn’t unpacked since, ripping all around America, all around Europe, Canada, South America, Dubai, Australia and anywhere a Godolphin horse goes.
“I’ve got the best job in racing. I like to travel the world. You’ve got to make the most of the places you go,” Connett said. “I like the organization of it all, that’s my thing. The planning and prepping, that’s what I really enjoy. Normally, you’re not traveling lower-grade horses, you’re going with good horses to nice places with a good team.”
Epsom Derby winners, Breeders’ Cup winners and the fondest one of all, a Melbourne Cup winner. Cross Counter winning “the race that stops a nation” in 2018 stands above all the others.
“I spent probably eight weeks with him,” Connett said. “We had a setback with him about three weeks before the Melbourne Cup, he got injured and was box rested for about five days, a lot went into him to get him back and for him to win it and become the first British trained winner of the Melbourne Cup, it was huge. He’d be my favorite. When I watch that back, the hairs on my neck stand up.”
But there is a cost. Connett married his wife Katie 10 years ago and they had a baby girl, Parker, six years ago.
“It’s hard on her, when I’m away for extended times, she has to do everything and I get to enjoy things here,” Connett said. “It’s a balance. It’s not just me away working, earning money. It’s her working and looking after the family, the house. She does an incredible job herself. It works for us. It can be very hard, but we’ve got a great relationship. It’s a balance, you’ve got to find that balance. At the moment we’ve got a great balance.”
Katie watched El Cordobes and Nations Pride and texted her enthusiasm. Connett hadn’t texted her back but surely would.
“She usually stays up, sometimes she watches, sometimes she doesn’t, she thinks she’ll jinx it if she watches,” Connett said. “She had a dream Nations won. She got that wrong. But at least we won with one of them.”
With runners in France, Germany, England and the U.S. last weekend, Appleby and Godolphin have mastered dividing and conquering and most importantly thinking as one.
“You need to have the right people to read the scenario as you would hopefully see it,” Appleby explained. “I’m always confident that when we look at horses, we look at them very similarly. When I ring them, wherever they may be around the world, when they are talking about each individual, I know we are talking the same language. If they say it needs more time or it’s light or it needs a bit of work, whatever the circumstances may be with the individual or the individuals, I’m confident in what they’re saying is what I would be saying if I was there myself. It makes a difference.”
Connett knows it.
“You feel that trust from Charlie. He gives you those opportunities,” Connett said. “Charlie doesn’t apply pressure. He did the job I do before he started training. If something goes wrong and you’re open and honest with him, he understands. That’s all he asks of you, they’re horses, things go wrong. I’m very, very, very fortunate. Right place, right time.”
• Saratoga rolls into week six. And Riverdee rolls back into action.
Roja Redemption makes his stakes debut in the Michael G. Walsh Novice Stakes at Saratoga today. The 5-year-old son of Flintshire steps into the $75,000 stakes fresh off a 14 ½-length romp against 110 handicap horses at Colonial Downs July 17. The two-time hurdle winner is 7-2 on the morning line. Quick Master is scratching so three-time champion jockey and 2025 leader Graham Watters switches to Roja Redemption.
Watch Roja Redemption win at Colonial Downs.
Post time 1:10. Wednesday.
Ethics drew the outside post in the eighth race at Colonial Downs today. The son of Hard Spun is 5-1 on the morning line for trainer Jack Fisher and jockey Jevian Toledo. In his first start for Riverdee, the 3-year-old went too fast, too early and faded at Colonial Downs July 11. We are hoping for a more tactical trip this time.
Post time 3:55. Wednesday.
Lorraine returns to Colonial Downs Thursday. The French-bred drew post two for a maiden going 1 3/16 miles on the turf. She finished second by a half-length in the same conditions July 10, her sixth runner-up effort in 10 starts. Trained by Danielle Hodsdon and ridden by Horacio Karamanos, Lorraine is 4-1 second choice on the morning line.
Post time 2:57. Thursday.
