1998 NY Horse of the Year Incurable Optimist leaves behind strong legacy in Argentina

The Argentine
thoroughbred industry saw the end of an era this winter as 1998 New York Horse
of the Year Incurable Optimist died on January 20 at his longtime home
of Haras El Paraiso in Buenos Aires. Incurable Optimist, Argentina’s leading
sire in 2008, died at age 28 due to infirmities of old age.
Owned by John and
Theresa Behrendt, the dual graded stakes-winning Cure the Blues chestnut
brought his owners on the journey of a lifetime both with his accomplishments
on the racetrack and in Argentina as one of the southern hemisphere’s leading
sires of his generation.
“It was fantastic
from beginning to end, and it was quite a long journey,” said John Behrendt.
“It was just terrific. His race career got cut a little short, but he made up
for it with the rest of it. He was pretty generous with us.”
Incurable
Optimist’s story began as a weanling in 1996 when purchased for $44,000 by
agent Mike Ryan at the Keeneland November Breeding Stock Sale. Out of the
winning Seattle Slew mare Miss Turlington, Incurable Optimist was his dam’s
second named foal and was bred in New York by Dr. William B. Wilmot and Dr.
Joan M. Taylor. Miss Turlington would later produce the mare Tiffany Twisted,
dam of multiple stakes-winner and 2017 Grade 1 Belmont Stakes contender Twisted
Tom.
In 1997, the
Behrendts were in search of a foal from Cure the Blues, and purchased Incurable
Optimist from Ryan as a yearling. It wasn’t long before the colt was sent to be
broken at J.J. Pletcher’s training center in Florida, and eventually to trainer
David Donk to start his serious preparations for becoming a racehorse.
“I first had horses
for John in ’91, and it’s a really great friendship with memories that last a
lifetime,” said Donk. “Incurable Optimist had so much power, and over the
grass, he was very tactical. He could dictate the race if he needed to, and he
was just a very good horse.”
Incurable Optimist
debuted in June of 1998 at Belmont Park and made his first two starts on dirt
before switching to the turf to graduate by a romping 14 lengths at third
asking in a 1 1/16-mile maiden tilt that August at Saratoga Race Course. With
eventual Hall of Famer John Velazquez in the irons, Incurable Optimist sat 2
1/2 lengths off the early pace before pouncing to the lead at the half-mile
call and never looking back.
“He was born in
Saratoga and it was only fitting he would come back and win his first race
there,” said Behrendt, with a laugh. “We had worked him on the grass at the
Oklahoma track and he went in 59 and change, so we expected a really good run,
but if I were to tell you that we expected him to do what he did in his maiden
win, I’d be lying. His turf racing was nothing short of spectacular.”
Incurable Optimist
would never lose again, and only improved his form as he stepped up in class
when capturing the one-mile World Appeal next out at Meadowlands in his first
effort facing winners. Despite a troubled trip when blocked behind rivals at
the quarter pole, Incurable Optimist found his way through and drew off to
score by 1 1/4 lengths.
“I thought, ‘He’s
beat, he can’t win,’” said Donk. “He was blocked so much, but when he got
through, he won easy.”
Incurable Optimist
only confirmed his superior ability in his final two outings when dominating
two graded stakes, leading at every point of call to coast home a 4 1/2-length
winner of the Grade 3 Pilgrim at Belmont Park, and completing his career with a
nine-length romp over good footing in the Grade 3 Generous when shipped west to
Hollywood Park.
“You don’t win like
that over the grass,” Donk said. “He was so impressive and went 4-for-4 on the
turf. At the time, the sky was the limit.”
The Generous effort
was awarded a career-best 101 Beyer Speed Figure, and set the precocious colt
up for a trip overseas for an attempt at the coveted 2000 Guineas at The
Curragh. Unfortunately, Behrendt’s grand plan for international competition
never came to fruition as Incurable Optimist was injured while preparing for
his trip at the now defunct Hialeah Park in south Florida.
“We had wanted him
to run in the 2000 Guineas at the Curragh, but he bowed a tendon,” said
Behrendt. “We tried to bring him back, but it didn’t work.”
The star-crossed
Incurable Optimist retired to stud at Highcliff Farm in New York, where he
stood a single season, but found success with the limited number of foals from
his only American crop. Multiple graded stakes-placed Pa Pa Da, bred by the
Behrendts and trained by Donk, was his best runner, followed by Don Corleone, a
stakes-winner who stood in the Empire State for a short time as well.
“He produced a very
small crop, but it was a very good crop of horses,” said Behrendt. “We had
bought a few horses from them [El Paraiso] and in talking to them about
Incurable, they said they needed a stallion. They thought he would be a fit for
them, we moved him down there, and he stood there for the rest of his career.”
The move to
Argentina proved life changing for the Behrendts, who followed their beloved
stallion to the southern hemisphere and supported him with mares in his first
few seasons at El Paraiso, where he was managed by Pablo and Victoria Duggan.
From there, Incurable Optimist helped kickstart a booming business for the
Behrendts, who now, thanks to their horse of a lifetime, own and breed around
85 broodmares at El Paraiso.
Behrendt said
Incurable Optimist was not only imperative to a successful business venture in
Argentina, but to a special and long-lived friendship with the team at El
Paraiso.
“Incurable helped
us all get to this point,” said Behrendt. “The Argentine journey started as
something we were curious about doing, but as it evolved and got more
successful, it got to be more fun. Theresa and I have made really dear friends
with the Duggans and this project is very much a family operation.”
Incurable Optimist
went on to leave an indelible mark on the thoroughbred breed in Argentina, and
was quickly met with success as the Leading Freshman Sire of 2004. He sired two
horses named their country’s Horse of the Year in Fire Wall [2004] and Life of
Victory [2008], who both won Argentina’s most prestigious race, the Group 1
Gran Premio Carlos Pellegrini. Additionally, he sired Group 1-winners Inter
Optimist, the Champion Miler in 2008, and Brandyrun. For his progeny’s
outstanding performances in 2008, Incurable Optimist was named that year’s
Stallion of the Year.
According to El
Turf Diario, in 22 seasons at stud, Incurable Optimist sired 1,253 foals
with 864 runners and 536 winners, 35 of them Classic winners. He is the
broodmare sire of an additional 24 Classic winners.
While Incurable
Optimist’s death marks a sizable loss to the sport of horse racing in
Argentina, his lasting impact on the breed can be seen in the doors he opened
for the Behrendts in the years after their first ventures there. With their
roots firmly established in the Argentine breeding world, the Behrendts jumped
at the chance to purchase the promising 2014-15 Chilean Horse of the Year Il
Campione to stand him at stud at El Paraiso after his retirement in 2015.
“Theresa and I are
both very involved in his career, and you’re not in this game if you’re not
hopeful of doing fun things,” Behrendt said of Il Campione, who was the
Champion Leading Sire in Argentina in 2022 and 2023.
Among Il Campione’s
top progeny is Edict, who was named the country’s Champion 3-Year-Old Filly
last year for a campaign that included Group 1 scores in the Gran Premio
Enrique Acebal and Gran Premio Copa de Plata.
Behrendt said he is
hopeful his journey with Donk will come full circle as he has shipped the
talented filly stateside to the veteran conditioner’s care in late April.
“She had a very
successful campaign last year and was really game, and we have seen those
traits in her sire, just like with Incurable Optimist,” said Donk. “She’s come
here and is a beautiful filly and lovely mover. She’s very classy and
intelligent and hopefully she’ll get to the work tab in a few weeks.”
While the
Behrendts’ chapter that features their cherished stallion has come to its
close, the future is bright both in Argentina and America through Incurable
Optimist’s last progeny, and through Il Campione and his exciting first crops.
Behrendt did not take long
to put into words what Incurable Optimist means to him and his family.
“It’s really easy:
He took us on a journey that you can’t buy the ticket for,” said Behrendt.
“Between the excitement of his races, the friends we made, the move to
Argentina and all that’s happened to us there – it all wouldn’t have happened
without him. We were very blessed.”