Tough Sunday lives up to his name

It's not only amazing that Tough Sunday made it to the

races, it's a miracle the three-year-old colt is even alive.

A California-bred by Grazen trained by Steve Miyadi for

owner/breeder Nick Alexander, Tough Sunday won the

2ND race at Santa Anita Park on December 28 by 6 3/4

lengths as the 3-5 favorite under Tyler Baze.

Alexander, a supporter and aficionado of the sport in

California for 36 years, retired a few years back to devote full time to his

ranch in Santa Ynez, leaving his kids to run his Nick Alexander's Imports auto

dealership specializing in BMW's and Mini Coopers at Gage and Alameda Streets in

the wholesale district of Los Angeles.

Alexander gave the following detailed account of Tough

Sunday's extreme ordeal:

"This colt had a tough beginning," he explained. "He was

very big and got stuck during delivery, and in struggling to get out, his

(umbilical) cord was severed and by the time we pulled him out, he had been

without oxygen for some time.

"We rushed him and his mom (Sunday Dress) to Alamo Pintado

Clinic just a few minutes from our ranch in Santa Ynez. The news was bad: he was

blind, deaf, had no nursing instinct, and a heart murmur.

"Dr. Erin Burn and her staff worked around the clock to

stabilize him, but he developed pneumonia. He could stand up but couldn't lie

back down. He looked like a pin cushion with so many tubes, IVs, etc.

"Because he didn't know how to nurse, his mom abandoned

him. About the fifth day, he wasn't improving and I was told to make a decision

whether or not to keep at it. The next morning I went to the clinic, and as I

walked up to his stall, his eyes followed me.

"That was enough progress for me, but he still was in an

ICU almost a month before he was strong enough to bring home. We pale-fed him

and eventually got his mom to accept him, although he never did learn to nurse.

"A month or so later, we turned him out with other foals and mares."

Tough Sunday ran third in his debut at Santa Anita in October and was a close

second against maiden rivals just 10 days before breaking through with his

romping score, for which he earned a 94 BRIS Speed rating.

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