Kentucky Bound

Palisades Owner & Breeder Bo Hirsch’s Papa Clem Runs for the Roses Saturday

It is called “the most exciting two minutes in sports” and when the 135th Kentucky Derby is run Saturday afternoon at Churchill Downs you can bet your bottom dollar the loudest cheers from the grandstands will be those of Pacific Palisades resident Bo Hirsch. The 60-year-old owner and breeder has been around the sport almost his whole life. This year, however, he has more than just a rooting interest. That’s because one of his horses, Papa Clem, will be competing for the biggest prize in all of horse racing. “My father was in the business his whole adult life and never got a horse to the Derby–which proves that it’s just luck,” Bo said. “So it’s only fitting that the horse I named after him is the one that made it.” Clement Hirsch, Bo’s father, had a passion for the Sport of Kings and was royalty in California, so much so that he even had two stakes races named after him–one at Del Mar and one at Santa Anita, where he started the fall Oak Tree Meet in 1969. Clement died in 2000 after breeding several successful thoroughbreds, including Figonero, who won the Hollywood Gold Cup in 1969, and Grade I winner Magical Maiden, Papa Clem’s grandmother. Bo not only bred Papa Clem, he owns and races him. The horse is one of 16 (most Kentucky breds and a few Cal breds) that Hirsch currently owns, from broodmares to foals. “I think he’s strong enough to go a strong mile and a quarter,” Hirsch said. “There are so many factors that go into a horse race. Time is not the only variable.” Papa Clem has won twice in five starts, including the $1 million Arkansas Derby on April 11 when he overtook Old Fashioned down the stretch of the nine-furlong race. Kentucky Derby post positions were announced Wednesday with Papa Clem drawing Gate 7 and opening at 20-1 odds. I Want Revenge was the favorite at 3-1 despite pulling the unlucky #13 spot. When asked to describe the three-year-old bay colt Hirsch could barely contain his excitement: “Oh my goodness, he’s my favorite. He’s Kentucky-bred. His mother is Miss Houdini, a yearling I purchased from my dad’s estate, and his father is Smart Strike, the leading sire in the country.” Early forecasts predicted a 40 percent chance of rain for the latest edition of the “Run for the Roses”–the first and richest jewel in horse racing’s Triple Crown (the purse is $2 million)–and Hirsch has confidence in horse, trainer and jockey. “The horse ran second in the mud at the Louisiana Derby so I think he can handle a sloppy track,” said Hirsch, who first lived on Alma Real and later on Amalfi growing up. “Gary Stute is one of the best trainers in the business and on Papa’s back will be Rafael Bejarano, the leading rider on the West Coast.” Bo’s wife Candy, who accompanied him to Kentucky, shares her husband’s optimism about Papa Clem, whom she described as “very sweet and a very fast three-year-old… as all Kentucky Derby runners are!” Hirsch is also hoping for some divine intervention. When he attended a service at Palisades Presbyterian Church last week several parishioners offered him their prayers and best wishes. “I couldn’t believe it,” Hirsch exclaimed. “The support I’ve gotten from the community is unbelievable. I’m very grateful.” Hirsch graduated in 1967 from Palisades High, where he was a pitcher for the JV and varsity baseball teams under Dick North and Jerry Marvin and a flanker back for the Bee football team then coached by Paul Thomas. “How can you not like the Palisades,” said Hirsch, who now lives in the cove above Bel-Air Bay Club. “I can still remember going to Dilly Dilly’s ice cream parlor across the street from where CVS is today.” Hirsch knows he will return home from Kentucky on Sunday night richer for the experience, no matter where his beloved Papa Clem finishes. He won’t be surprised if that means a win, place or show. “Papa has speed so if he gets fair fractions at the start I think he’s got a shot to finish in the money [first, second or third],” Hirsch said Monday evening while packing for Tuesday’s 6 a.m. flight to Louisville. “He has a lot of guts and if he’s leading at the eighth pole I really like his chances.” Race coverage begins Saturday at 2 p.m. on NBC. Post time is approximately 3:04 p.m.