Woonsocket native has a horse in the race, and he likes Coffeewithchris' chances
Anthony Geruso's love of horse racing dates back to when he was watching dogs circle the track at the old Lincoln Greyhound Park.
The Woonsocket native recalled when the venue began simulcasting horse races from tracks in other parts of the country. Soon he was following horse racing, and that interest led to a passion that started about 20 years ago — owning race horses.
"It's certainly not a good investment," Geruso said with a chuckle.
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This weekend, Geruso — who's now 59, works for Citizens Bank and lives in Rehoboth — along with his family and a group of about 15 friends, will be doing something he never could have anticipated when he went in on that first horse two decades ago. He'll be cheering on his horse to win the Preakness Stakes at the Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore.
"We never thought the horse would be in a Triple Crown race," said Geruso, a Providence College graduate who was a pitcher for the Friars back when the school still fielded a baseball team. "Two-thousand-dollar horses don't run in Triple Crown races."
Geruso all but gave up the game about five years back, when the losses became too expensive for him. Then, two years ago, he and a friend teamed up with another investor to purchase a horse at the Maryland yearling sale. Today, he owns a third of four horses with partners John Salzman Jr. of Maryland (the trainer) and Fred Wasserloos of New Hampshire.
Coffeewithchris has been Geruso's most successful horse ever, winning about $250,000 in the past year. What's more, Geruso said, "He's the least expensive horse I've ever owned."
But the journey from the yearling sale to the Pimlico starting gate was not one Geruso, or anyone else, could have foreseen. He even calls it a Seabiscuit story, referring to the top money-winning racehorse of the 1930s.
Geruso's horse was "like a crazy young kid" at first, bucking and kicking, but always competitive. Under Salzman's training, the horse found his stride and has run in seven straight stakes races, winning two of them. Entering Saturday, the gelding will have run in 12 races, dating back to May 2022.
Listed as a 20-1 longshot, what does Geruso think of his horse's chances on Saturday?
"I think he has a good shot at winning the race. He's a speed horse and Pimlico favors speed horses."
Trainer Salzman also said the conditions seem to help. He told The Associated Press this week that although Preakness favorite Mage (the Kentucky Derby winner) can usually close strong, such a strategy can be more difficult at the Preakness.
"[Mage] does come usually from back far. But at Pimlico, it's tough with the sharper turns, and the lack of speed here in this race seems to be a little in our favor," Salzman said. "I'm not saying I'm going to beat him because he is a super horse, but what I like is he has to come back in two weeks and with the shipping [from Louisville] and with everything, I'm here waiting and I'm fresh."
After the Preakness, Geruso anticipates that Coffeewithchris will run in more stakes races, as he tends to get stronger and better after each contest.
Oh, and what about that name?
Geruso explains it this way: The horse trains at Laurel Park racetrack, about 30 miles south of Pimlico, in Maryland. One day, the trainers at Laurel Park were complaining about the condition of the track. The track's owner told them to take their complaints to the track's superintendent, whose name is Chris, and that he's there in the mornings, having coffee.
Because of that, Geruso said Salzman named the horse Coffeewithchris as sort of a joke. But the young horse's success has been no laughing matter.
"Honestly," Geruso said, "I've never dreamed about racing in the Preakness."
Post time for the 1 3/16-mile, $1.65-million race is 6:50 p.m. Saturday.
This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Preakness horse Coffeewithchris owned by Woonsocket native
