Concern (horse)

Concern (February 14, 1991 – March 2015) was a multi-millionaire American Thoroughbred racehorse. He was sired by top stallion Broad Brush, who in turn was a son of Ack Ack. His dam was Fara's Team. Foaled in Maryland, Concern was best known for his wins in the 1994 Breeders' Cup Classic and the grade two Arkansas Derby. Born at owner Robert Meyerhoff's Fitzhugh Farm in Phoenix, Maryland. To date, Concern is one of only three Maryland-bred horses ever to surpass the three million dollar mark in earnings. The other two were Cigar and Awad. He finished racing with a record of 7-7-11 in 30 starts and career earnings of $3,079,350.^[1]

Two-year-old season

At age two, Concern developed late in the year. He raced a total of four times winning both a maiden special weight race in his second attempt and an allowance race. He placed third in the $60,000 Rollicking Stakes for 2-year-old Maryland-breds at Laurel Park Racecourse.

Three-year-old season

Concern established himself as one of his crop's top three-year-olds by winning two big races and finishing in the money in each of his twelve starts as a sophomore. He started the season with three stakes placings in the spring at Oaklawn Park in Arkansas. In each successive stakes, he improved, beginning with a third-place finish in the Great West Stakes. He followed that up with a runner-up finish under jockey Francine Villeneuve^[2] in the grade three Rebel Stakes to Judge T. C. In April, Concern scored the second biggest win of his career under Garrett Gomez in the $500,000 grade two Arkansas Derby. He ran the 1-1/8 mile distance in 1:48.1 in a field of nine, defeating Blumin Affair and Silver Goblin.

His connections then made the decision to bypass the Kentucky Derby in favor of being fresh for the hometown $750,000 grade one Preakness Stakes at Pimlico Race Course. In the second leg of the Triple Crown, Concern was taken way back early trailing 15 lengths down the backstretch. Then he unleashed his late rush and made up about a dozen lengths, finishing third behind Tabasco Cat and Derby winner Go for Gin in the "Run for the Black-Eyed Susans."

After his Preakness placing, Concern wheeled back in three weeks to place third in the grade three Round Table Stakes at Arlington Park. Two weeks later, he raced in the $300,000 grade two Ohio Derby and finished second in the field of nine to Exclusive Praline. He then finished third in the $500,000 Haskell Invitational to Holy Bull. Later that summer, he attempted to run down Holy Bull again in the $750,000 grade one Travers Stakes at Saratoga Race Course. He finished second by a neck but defeated Dual Classic winner Tabasco Cat.

In the autumn of 1994, Concern raced in the Old Rosebud Stakes and finished third. Three weeks later, he lost narrowly to Soul of the Matter in the $750,000 grade one Super Derby. Then he shipped to Canada to race in the grade two Molson Export Million Stakes against older horses on turf, placing third to Dramatic Gold.

Concern is remembered by many for his come-from-behind running style, which he displayed in moving from last to first in the 1994 Breeders' Cup Classic.

Four-year-old season

At age four, Concern won the $200,000 grade two New Orleans Handicap in March at Fair Grounds Race Course. Mike Smith piloted him to the win over Fly Cry and Tossofthecoin. In the summer of 1995, he won the $275,000 grade one Californian Stakes at Hollywood Park. In that race he beat Tossofthecoin again and Tinners Way under jockey Smith. He also placed third in three different grade one races in his four-year-old season. Those races included the Pimlico Special Handicap to Cigar, the Oaklawn Handicap to Cigar and the Meadowlands Cup to Peaks and Valleys.

Retirement

A descendant of the great sire Nearco, Concern was retired to stud in 1996 at Northview Stallion Station in Chesapeake City, Maryland until 2003. He then moved to the Oklahoma Equine Reproductive Center in Washington, Oklahoma, where he stood from 2004 until being pensioned in 2011.^[3] While Concern has sired a number of winners, his offspring have had some success in graded stakes races but never to the level that their sire accomplished. The best of his progeny has actually been Good Night Shirt, a steeplechase runner who was voted the 2007 and 2008 Eclipse Award as American Champion Steeplechase Horse.

A press release on March 26, 2015 announced Concern's death at the age of 24. He was buried at Oklahoma Equine.^[3]

References

External links

• Concern's pedigree and partial racing stats
• Video at YouTube of Concern's Arkansas Derby win
• Video at YouTube of the 1994 Travers Stakes: Holy Bull vs. Concern
• Video at YouTube of Concern's 1994 Breeder's Cup Classic win