Derby Remix: Mr. Hot Shot was Given to Fly
Mr. Hot Shot at Saratoga in 2013. (Photo by Coglianese Photography)
May 15th, 2020
"He made it to the ocean, had a smoke in a tree
the wind rose up, set him down on his knee
a wave came crashing, like a fist to the jaw
delivered him wings, 'Hey, look at me now'"
In modern times, no more than 20 horses make it into the Kentucky Derby starting gate. If a horse is good enough to make it there, odds are he has found his niche.
Most Kentucky Derby starters do their best in dirt routes. Some, like Whitmore and Trinniberg, shine as sprinters in the long run. Others, like Bolo and Court Vision, found their greatest successes on the lawn. A few, like Animal Kingdom, shone no matter what was under their hooves.
And then there's Mr. Hot Stuff.
Like the journey in Pearl Jam's "Given to Fly," Mr. Hot Stuff's racing career was nothing straightforward.
He made it to the 2009 Kentucky Derby on the strength of in-the-money finishes in the Sham (G3) and Santa Anita Derby (G1). His only victory before his 15th-place finish in the Kentucky Derby came on the same Santa Anita synthetic main track.
That was still his only victory through the end of his 4-year-old year. But just as the boy in "Given to Fly" was not discouraged in a tough world, neither was Mr. Hot Stuff.
"And sometimes is seen a strange spot in the sky
A human being that was given to fly"
As a 5-year-old in 2011, Mr. Hot Stuff switched to jumps racing and proved he was given to fly. He won twice over fences that year. At 7, he became a stakes winner in the Marcellus Frost Hurdle during the spring. That summer, he became a Grade 1 winner, when he jumped confidently to an open-lengths victory in the A. P. Smithwick Memorial Steeplechase. He won another Grade 1, the Grand National Hurdle at Far Hills, at age 11.
He retired from racing in 2018, at the age of 12. His career on the flat got him into the Kentucky Derby, but patience, tenacity, and a switch to the jumps made him really fly.
Derby Remix is a weekly series that crosses the lines of culture and Kentucky Derby contenders.
Read more related Derby Remixes below:
Derby Remix: Baffert's big day in Arkansas
Derby Remix: The Triple Crown winners
Wells Bayou and 'Wish I Was in New Orleans'
'Remember the Name' of Nadal for the Kentucky Derby
A suprising 'King' in the Tampa Bay Derby
ADVERTISEMENT
