Hillwood Stable's Grade 3-winning millionaire and Mid-Atlantic fan favorite Cordmaker left trainer Rodney Jenkins' Laurel Park barn for the last time Sunday, five days after the 8-year-old gelding was retired with an ankle injury.
The chestnut Curlin gelding is scheduled to have surgery Monday at the New Bolton Center in Kennett Square, Pa. for insertion of a screw to help with the healing process. He will then be turned out at David and JoAnn Hayden's Dark Hollow Farm in Upperco, Md. – where he spent his annual winter vacations – before final retirement plans are settled.
“You can't find a nicer barn around to spend some time,” Jenkins' assistant trainer, Eveline Kjelstrup said. “It will be very exciting.”
Purchased in 2016 as a yearling for $150,000 by Hillwood's Ellen Charles, Cordmaker had been with Jenkins at Laurel since March of his 2-year-old season. He was retired with 14 wins, four seconds, eight thirds and $1,004,380 in purse earnings from 39 starts, becoming a millionaire with a third-place finish in the 2022 Richard W. Small over Thanksgiving weekend at Laurel, his final start at 7.
Eleven of Cordmaker's wins came in stakes, none bigger than the 2022 General George (G3), his lone graded triumph. He also ran third in back-to-back editions of the historic Pimlico Special (G3), beaten two heads by Tenfold in 2019 and 2 ½ lengths by Harpers First Ride in 2020, when the race was delayed from mid-May to October amid the coronavirus pandemic.
“That was our last win together [and] our biggest win together,” jockey Victor Carrasco said. “We all wanted to get it done. We tried many, many times with him and we finally made it happen in a big race like that. It was very awesome, very special.”
Carrasco visited Cordmaker and fed him carrots Sunday morning before his departure. The Eclipse Award-winning apprentice of 2013, he was aboard for 26 of Cordmaker's races with 11 wins, 10 of them in stakes, including the 2018 and 2022 Jennings, 2019 and 2021 Harrison E. Johnson Memorial, 2019 Polynesian and 2021 Richard Small and Robert T. Manfuso.
“I would like to get to ride him a few more times, but things happen and I'm glad that he's going to a very, very good home, healthy.” Carrasco said. “He's not laying down and sore or anything like that. I know that he's going to be in good hands.”
The Manfuso win was particularly meaningful for the connections since Cordmaker was bred in Maryland by its namesake, who passed away in 2020, and fellow Laurel trainer Katy Voss. The victory also clinched the overall Mid-Atlantic Thoroughbred Championship (MATCH) Series title.
“He won that very impressively. He won that for fun,” Kjelstrup said. “It was a very exciting series of races that year and he showed up every race and then won the final in great style, so that was special.”
Cordmaker was injured running fourth in an open allowance July 7 at Laurel, his first start in 224 days, and was retired four days later. Cordmaker was Maryland's champion older male of 2019.
“He's been very, very good to me and very special,” Carrasco said. “I've been very blessed and very thankful for being part of this team for years, thanks to Mr. Jenkins and Mrs. Charles and everybody. I was lucky this horse likes me enough. We were lucky that we always did well. Even when we didn't win, we were always trying our best and fighting for it. It was just awesome to be always together with this guy.”
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