2016 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf Winner
February 24 - Orb
I was at the Florida Derby when Orb won that race making him a serious contender for the Kentucky Derby. He wore the classic silks of the Janney family that many of us still recognize the red and white silks that Ruffian carried.
Orb was owned by cousins Stuart Janney and Dinny Phipps. When Orb won the Kentucky Derby in 2013, Ed Bowen and I were already starting work on the upcoming book, A Brush With Greatness that had all the Derby winners since 2000 in it. At the TOBA (Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association) awards later that year, I spoke with Dinny Phipps. I had already painted Orb because he HAD to be in the book. Dinny asked me about the painting. I told him it was 22 x 28 inches and he said it wasn't big enough. He bought it as gave it to trainer Shug McGaughey. Then, he commissioned me to paint him again, larger for himself. Before I had that painting finished, Stuart Janney commissioned me to paint Orb for him. It wasn't long after that when Dinny commissioned me to paint Orb three more times as 2015 Christmas presents to his kids. I later did a head portrait of Orb as well and then it was January 2016 and Dinny and I had a nice phone conversation. We talked about painting Orb again, this time a confirmation on a sunny day as we laughed that I had painted him six times in the mud! That commission never happened as Dinny passed away from cancer a few months later.
Dinny told me on that January call that I was the only artist in America that he would let paint his horses. (For those that want to know he included Sally Crawford in England at the other he would use.)
When we talked about the pricing on the last three paintings, I quoted him the price and then deducted a significant amount for my repeat customer discount. Dinny laughed and told me I didn't need to do that. I guess in hindsight, I should have just taken the full price but no, I said to him, "I'm only trying to treat you the same way that I would treat every other customer." Again, he chuckled and said, "Nobody ever treats me that way. Thanks, I'll take the discount if it makes you happy." Ok, for the record it was too late to take the discount back.
2013 will always be a very special Kentucky Derby for me. That was the year of the Saratoga 150th Celebration. Because I had made the (almost) life size horse painted with history of Saratoga racing on it, Marylou Whitney and John Hendrickson gave me the "Whitney Box" on the finish line for the KY Derby. I had Susan and her daughter and my two daughters with me. We also were friends with Mandy Pope and Paul Bulmahn that owned Mylute in the race. So, my kids first Kentucky Derby and they get to walk over with a Derby horse and watch the race from the Whitney Box! I was disappointed when Orb won and Mylute did not . . . however, if you've been reading along, you probably realize that I have gotten over any disappointment and I'm really, REALLY happy that Orb won!!!!
Orb was the brave bay colt who powered through the Churchill Downs slop to win the 2013 Kentucky Derby. He was foaled in 2010 and trained by Hall of Famer Shug McGaughey for owners Stuart S. Janney III and Phipps Stable, two of the oldest and most respected names in American racing. His sire was Malibu Moon, a son of A.P. Indy, and his dam was Lady Liberty, a daughter of the 1990 Kentucky Derby winner Unbridled. He carried as much classic blood as any colt of his year.
Orb showed his class on the 2013 Triple Crown trail with a string of strong wins on the South Florida circuit. He won the Fountain of Youth Stakes at Gulfstream Park and then took the Florida Derby by 2 and three quarter lengths in dominant fashion. The wins made him one of the favorites for the Kentucky Derby and gave Shug McGaughey his first real classic prospect in years.
The 2013 Kentucky Derby was run on a sloppy track at Churchill Downs after heavy rain. The conditions worried many trainers, but Orb loved the going. Ridden by jockey Joel Rosario, he dropped far back in a 19 horse field, then unleashed a powerful run on the far turn, swept past tiring leaders, and won by 2 and a half lengths over Golden Soul. The win gave Shug McGaughey his first Kentucky Derby trophy and the Phipps family their first Derby winner after generations in the sport.
The rest of his Triple Crown run did not go his way. He finished fourth in the 2013 Preakness Stakes behind Oxbow and third in the 2013 Belmont Stakes behind Palace Malice. He came back later that summer and ran in the Travers Stakes at Saratoga but never quite recaptured his Derby form. He retired soon after with 5 wins from 12 starts and earnings of over 2.6 million dollars.
Orb went to stud at Claiborne Farm in Kentucky and stood at several farms in his stallion career. He produced a few useful runners but never became a top sire. Orb is remembered for his dramatic stretch run in the slop at Churchill Downs and for giving Shug McGaughey, Stuart Janney, and the Phipps family their long awaited Kentucky Derby victory.
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