Remembering a Fallen Hero

I was as shocked and saddened as you were at the news that Admirals Express was euthanized earlier this week

. The horse we all knew as the Grey Gladiator was in his prime, just 14 years old, enjoying a well-deserved retirement from racing, but still strutting his stuff and pleasing his fans with his appearances at horse shows throughout Ontario.

I had the pleasure of seeing many of Admirals Express’ races on the Woodbine Entertainment Group circuit in the middle part of the last decade, when I regularly went to Woodbine and Mohawk to see the Admiral rack up wins in the Open class. Even on those occasions when he was defeated, Admirals Express showed true class and character with his aspiring performances. Admirals Express commanded respect whenever he raced with the best.

I recall one night in 2005 at Mohawk when Admirals Express posters were being given away. As soon as the Admiral’s race on the track was over, fans, yours truly included, were racing to the Customer Service counter to get the posters being handed out at that moment. It was also the last time Frank Salive would call the horse he dubbed “The Grey Gladiator” before leaving WEG. A clip of that race is in the video montage accompanying the report on this web site regarding the death of Admirals Express.

There really was no quit in the Admiral. His attempt at a comeback did not yield as many purse cheques as he earned in his heyday, and many questioned why he was brought back to the races when he was no longer as competitive as he was in his best years. It turns out, after all, that he enjoyed competing and he enjoyed being around his fans. When he was permanently retired from racing earlier this year, the Admiral still got the chance to do that by participating in horse shows.

I had the pleasure of meeting Admirals Express and seeing his caretaker and friend, Wellington “Welly” Charles in action at Standardbred Showcase, which was held at Grand River Raceway on August 1. I have attached a photo with this blog. Admirals Express was a true ambassador not just for harness racing, but for the standardbred breed, and he was living proof of the true character of this breed: versatile, nimble and energetic.

All of us in this industry can pay tribute to Admirals Express. Many of you have done so with your heartfelt comments on the article reporting his death. Many of you have expressed your sympathies and condolences to Welly and many of the other horsemen and horsewomen who were involved in the life and career of Admirals Express. I take this opportunity to express my condolences here. Yours is as great a loss as the loss of any human family member, and I am sorry for that loss.

There are other things we can do to pay our tribute this week. In professional sports, it is common for members of a team to wear the initials of someone closely connected to that team on their jerseys when that person has recently passed away. Black armbands are another common way of marking a recent death. Let’s do something along those lines on this occasion. Instead of wearing black, though, I will wear grey. Grey is a sombre enough colour to reflect mourning, but it is also a way of celebrating the life of the Grey Gladiator. Tomorrow, I will wear a grey tie and grey socks to work in honour of the beloved grey gelding. I do not own a lot of grey items of clothing, which is why I am going with the tie and socks, but feel free to wear any grey item you have.

I have been reviewing the TrackIT race lines for Admirals Express, a link to which is in the report on Admirals Express on this web site. It summarizes his illustrious racing career in hard numbers: 353 starts (which itself is impressive), a career that began in 1998 and ended in 2010 (which is even more impressive), and a spectacular total of 86 wins, with over $2 million in earnings. The things we all loved most about the Admiral, however, are the aspects of his performance and demeanour that cannot be quantified. His energy, determination and love of the people around him are qualities that he showed in so many ways apart from pacing fast miles.

Rest in peace, Admiral, and thanks for all the great memories, right to the end.