Curving to the Top

Millions of Americans around the country are rooting for history to be made in the coming weeks as California Chrome tries to win the Belmont Stakes, the last leg of the horse’s quest for the Triple Crown.

But while the majority of casual sports fans are cheering for the rare sporting feat to be completed, Galliano native Jimmy “T-Jim” LaFont and his family are on the complete opposite side of the fence. They will be rooting for a horse of a different name to win the high-stakes race.

That’s because the local businessman has ownership stake in Commanding Curve – a prized horse quickly rising in the ranks of the horse racing world.

Despite being a betting long-shot, Commanding Curve overcame the odds and finished second in the Kentucky Derby, less than two lengths from the win. The local-based horse was coming on strong at the finish line and would have likely won the race had it lasted another 100 yards.

LaFont said the horse was “strategically rested” this past weekend at the Preakness, adding that he will be ready to play spoiler in at the Belmont.

“If you go back and re-watch the Derby, we were coming, bruh,” LaFont said last week from his office. “The big name for our horse right now is the Stealth Bomber. We were coming. We were coming. Had it lasted a hair longer, we’d have caught him.

“The horse is a good horse. I don’t see anything from stopping us at the Belmont, especially if California Chrome is in there. If we see him again, we’re going to catch him from behind this time. It’s a longer race. We’re going to catch him from behind.”

HAGGLING LEADS LOCAL 

TO SHARES WITH PRIZED HORSE

LaFont has been around horse racing for the entirety of his adult life.

The Galliano man said that he’s “played around” in the sport since his teenage days.

“Oh man, I’ve been playing around with that since I’m about 18 years old,” LaFont said. “When I was younger, I always did a couple things here or there, but I never really invested a lot or got too serious with it. But then I got involved with West Point, so at that time, I climbed the ladder a little bit and it got a little bit more expensive to get in.”

Through West Point Thoroughbreds, LaFont said he became close friends in recent years with trainer Dallas Stewart, one of the most well-respected names in the business.

LaFont said he received a call one day from Stewart, who was raving about this young colt he was training named Commanding Curve, a grandson of famous racehorse and Triple Crown winner Seattle Slew.

“He called me and he said, ‘T-Jim, I’ve got a runner over here,’” LaFont remembers. “So I said back, ‘OK, Dallas. What’s the big deal? Most horses run.’ You know how it is, I kind of played hard ball with him. But we joked around a little bit and he planted the seed in my mind to get me to keep an eye on him, so I did.”

As LaFont watched Commanding Curve from afar, the horse started to shine. The horse won a two-turn race at Churchill Downs last year as a 2-year-old , wowing enthusiasts with his ability.

“For a lil’ baby like him to go two turns at that age? That’s very impressive,” LaFont said. “So after he did that, Dallas called me back and said, ‘T-Jim, I’m telling you. You have to get in on this horse here. He’s the real deal.’” 

But LaFont said he finally pulled the trigger after seeing the horse with his own eyes. 

“He came to New Orleans and I got to watch him work, and he was just black lettering left and right,” LaFont said. “I don’t know if you know about horse racing, but black lettering means that you post the fastest time of the day in workouts. So if there’s 70 horses that workout and all 70 are some Derby contenders, and you have the best time of the day, then you have something. So I gave in and I called Dallas and asked him if there was anything left on the horse, so that’s how I bought in.”

‘IT WAS CRAZY; IT WAS THE 

WILDEST THING YOU’LL EVER SEE’

Commanding Curve’s first race with LaFont on board came at the 2014 Louisiana Derby in late March. The result was bad, but the circumstances caused optimism.

“We got hit. We got thrown against the rail,” LaFont said. “We come back around the curve and we got jammed three times, and we still came out third. I said to Dallas after the race, ‘Dallas, if ever this horse gets a clean, straight run, look out.’ He looked back and he said, ‘I told you. We’ve got something here.’”

So that led next to the Kentucky Derby, arguably the most prestigious race in the entire sport.

LaFont said he attended the race, spending nearly the entire week at the grounds. The week of the race, Commanding Curve was one of the largest underdogs in the field, holding 50-1 odds throughout the majority of the week.

But LaFont said he knew better than those odds and had a feeling that the 3-year-old male would steal the show. 

The night before the race, LaFont said he was so excited about the event that he slept in the stall with Commanding Curve, something he said that he did to make sure everything went OK for the thoroughbred. 

“The horse had two of his own bodyguards outside of the stall, but I told Dallas, ‘That’s not enough,’” LaFont said. “I told them all that I was staying right here. And I stayed there all night. No one was touching our horse.”

After sleeping in the hay, LaFont and his group came within inches of sleeping in the clouds on Saturday night as Commanding Curve nearly stole the show.

As the horses turned for the final stretch, California Chrome was in a solid position, but Commanding Curve was coming on strong. 

The horses crossed the finish line with Chrome taking the title, but it was awfully close. LaFont shared the story of what it’s like to watch the Derby from the stands knowing that your horse has a legitimate chance to win.

“You can’t describe that feeling,” LaFont said. “It’s like, the craziest rush. The chairs were flying. I was pulling pipes. I just went nuts. And the more my eyes saw of the race, the more I saw him coming. I just said, ‘My God, we’re going to win this thing.’ It was crazy. It was an amazing feeling. We came up a little bit short, but we were huge underdogs. The way we ran that day, in my eyes, it was like we’d won.” 

ENERGETIC HORSE EYES 

SPOILING TRIPLE CROWN

Despite his newfound fame, LaFont said nothing has changed in the preparation for Commanding Curve. The co-owner said the horse was strong enough to race in the Preakness this past weekend, but he was strategically held out of the race to preserve his body for the Belmont and other big money races coming up in 2014, including the $10 million Dubai World Cup.

But off the track, LaFont said Commanding Curve is charismatic, one of the friendliest race horses he’s ever seen.

“He’s the biggest ham you’ve ever seen,” LaFont said. “If you go up to him and you just shake a peppermint wrapper in your pocket, he’s coming out of the stall and he’s going to want to play. That’s who he is. He loves attention. He loves the spotlight.”

But on the track, it’s all business. Where most horses lose a little bit of mass after the Kentucky Derby, LaFont said Commanding Curve gained strength after the race.

“That’s unheard of,” LaFont said. 

So that strength, combined with a shot for revenge, have everyone involved hopeful that the locally co-owned horse can spoil the Triple Crown.

“We were an underdog at the Derby, but we’re going to be one of the best odds at the Belmont,” LaFont said. “If the Chrome is there and he has two wins, he’ll be the favorite, but we they know who we are now after the Derby. We’re coming to win it this time. We’re going to try and catch him this time around. And I think we can do it, too. The horse is getting stronger and better every day. I think we can do it.”

Commanding Curve was a runner-up in the 2014 Kentucky Derby. After sitting out the second leg of the Triple Crown this past weekend at the Preakness Stakes, the horse will be ready to win in a few weeks at the Belmont Stakes. While there, Commanding Curve will attempt to dethrone rival California Chrome, who has won both Triple Crown races so far. 

COURTESY