Growing up in the Pacific Northwest, winning the Longacres Mile has always been a dream for Brian Malarkey. That dream became reality Aug. 17 at Emerald Downs as Arrowthegreat won the Northwest's premier race Aug. 17.
"That was the biggest win of my horse racing career," Malarkey told BloodHorse. "This is our Kentucky Derby up here in the Pacific Northwest."
A celebrity chef who hosts "Cutthroat Kitchen: Knives Out" on the Food Network in addition to being a judge or contestant on several other programs, Malarkey leads two restaurant groups: The Puffer Malarkey Collective and The Brothers Malarkey.
However, his roots in racing run deep through his early life in Bend, Ore. Before he was a famous chef, he was a track photographer at Canterbury Park in Minnesota for seven years while working for his uncle, Reed Palmer. Palmer is the current track photographer at Emerald Downs.
Malarkey equated the atmosphere and exuberance he felt at Emerald with that of a big night at one of his restaurants.
"This is a Saturday night high where the food's going, the people are happy, the glasses are clinking. Everyone's having the time of their life times 10," Malarkey said. "I've never felt anything like it. It's electrifying, and he delivered."
Malarkey's father, Michael, raced horses and won the 1981 Oregon Derby with Deception Decision, a horse that he bred. His mother, Lesley, was a trainer at Portland Meadows.
"I remember (my dad) telling me, 'I'd sure love to win the Longacres Mile,'" Malarkey said as he clutched a necklace that belonged to his dad. "Here he is, I brought him with me."
Having lived in Seattle at several different points in his life, Malarkey was the main push among the owners to ship the 5-year-old Arrogate gelding to Emerald Downs from Del Mar. Although Malarkey was present for the track's inaugural season in 1996, Arrowthegreat was the first horse he ever raced at the track.
"To see how nice the facility looks, to see how many people were in the grandstand," Malarkey said about the festive atmosphere at the track throughout the weekend. "It's so fun to see horse racing in the Pacific Northwest, seeing these great people putting in so much time and energy. Supporting this sport that could use some more support from our local governments."
Sunday's Longacres Mile was the 30th edition held at Emerald Downs and the 90th renewal overall, dating back to when it began at Longacres Racetrack. The crowd turned out in a big way, and the bettors wagered an Emerald Downs single-day record of $3,305,806 on the 11-race card. That total just missed the state record of $3,339,087 bet Sept. 21, 1992, at Longacres—the track's final race day.
Emerald Downs also saw a record Pick 5 carryover of $78,841.35 following several upsets in the stakes action. Paying $5.08, Arrowthegreat was the only winning favorite on the card.
"You come up here with odds (3-2) like that, it's scary," Malarkey said. "If you try something big, you can fall really, really hard. The win was what we wanted, and a win is what we got, but it would have really sucked had we not gotten the win because expectations were so high."
Now living in San Diego, Malarkey has several horses in training with Dan Blacker in Southern California. He owns Arrowthegreat in partnership with Radley Equine, Blacker, Rick Gold, Allan Harris Lerch, Dave Odmark, Jim Crews, John Cavalli, and Bob Liewald's Double L Racing.
Bred in Kentucky by Hinkle Farm, Arrowthegreat's career was described by his owner as a series of ups and downs. He's always been well thought of, having raced in four graded races, but never could put it all together.
This year has been a different story as Blacker has discovered a sweet spot at the one-mile distance, which he completed in 1:34.41 Sunday while winning by 2 1/4 lengths. His lone finish outside the exacta this year was in the 1 1/4-mile Hollywood Gold Cup (G2). Otherwise, he's posted a 102 or higher Equibase Speed Figure in each of his other five starts, including a 107 Sunday.
The gelding was guided up the rail to victory by young Manuel Americano. Leading rider at Turf Paradise this past winter and spring, he currently sits second in the Emerald Downs riding standings. He is 2-for-2 aboard Arrowthegreat.
"Dan has him in the right spot right now," Malarkey said. "He's taking care of business. Manny won that race on him in Arizona earlier this year, and it really adjusted (Arrowthegreat's) mindset. He is fine wine; he's maturing. He's such a great, honest, hard-hitting horse that we just love."
