I sat down to write this piece earlier this week. Simply put, nothing came to me. So I sat on it.
I worked on another piece, but it never clicked. It was never right.
Then, I talked with trainer Danny Gargan on Wednesday. And it all became quite clear what this year’s Triple Crown was all about: the people. Generally in horse racing we talk about, well, the horses. But this Triple Crown was about the trainers and jockeys that made this five weeks go.
KENNY MCPEEK WINS DERBY, OAKS
The early star of the Triple Crown season was Kenny McPeek. He introduced us on the biggest stages to two potential long-term stars: first, Mystik Dan, who won that incredible photo-finish Derby 150. Mystik Dan is a home-bred for a small ownership group out of Arkansas, who paid a modest $10,000 to breed him. Mystik Dan has stayed in their care throughout his life, and because of his ‘modest’ breeding, isn’t likely to run off to the breeding shed anytime soon. One of the main gripes of horse racing fans in the modern era is how often we watch great three year-old colts leave the track in favor of breeding; Mystik Dan offers us at least the opportunity that if he stays healthy, he’ll be on the track for a number of years.
McPeek, however, may have introduced us to a perennial all-star in Thorpedo Anna, who won both the Grade 1 Kentucky Oaks and Grade 1 Acorn in a five week span. On our podcast The Horse Racing Happy Hour, we have long encouraged listeners to fall in love with the fillies, they simply run longer. Male horses can have dozens of progeny born every year; broodmares, well, one. Last year’s Breeder’s Cup Distaff winner Idiomatic is back running as a five year-old this year; my personal hope is we’ll see a similar career arc for Thorpedo Anna, bred for a paltry $5,000.
The last cog in that Oaks-Derby double is jockey Brian Hernandez, Jr. A Louisiana native, BHJ cemented his spot amongst the best jockeys in North America. No observer could watch those two races and come to a conclusion other than that.
THE COACH STRIKES AGAIN
In other sports, we talk a lot about coaching trees - which head coaches have influenced and groomed the most high-quality coaches under their tutelage. In American football, we could think of Bill Walsh: himself a three time Super Bowl champion, he boasted George Seifert, Dennis Green, Mike Holmgren, Brian Billick, Jeff Fisher, Steve Mariucci, Bill Callahan, and Jim Fassel amongst first- and second-generation members of his tree. There are many I left out for sake of brevity.
In horse racing, I think there’s no doubt that nod goes to D. Wayne Lukas, affectionately called “The Coach.” He’s 88, and gets up every morning and jumps on a pony to watch his trainees. Lukas saddled Seize the Grey in the Preakness, with jockey Jaime Torres riding him to a gate-to-wire victory.
Lukas counts horse racing heavy-hitters Todd Pletcher, Kiaran Mclaughlin, Dallas Stewart, Mark Hennig, Mike Maker, and George Weaver amongst his former assistants. More than his nearly 5,000 career victories, this will be The Coach’s legacy: that nearly the entirety of the next generation of trainers was influenced by his training. I asked Torres what he’s learned from Lukas, and his answer was simple: “Just his work ethic.” After the Preakness, Lukas was his usual self, encouraging anyone who would listen to chase what they want, and to be unrelenting in that pursuit. For him to win a Classic Race at age 88 is one of those “might never happen again” type stats; Hell, Mclaughlin himself has already retired from training.
DANNY GARGAN WINS HIS FIRST GRADE 1
I spoke with trainer Danny Gargan twice around the Triple Crown, once on Monday of Derby week, and then this past Wednesday. The Monday before the Derby, he was excited about his two Derby starters: Dornoch and Society Man. They paid him back handsomely after graded stakes wins on back-to-back days: first, Dornoch in the Grade 1 Belmont Stakes (Gargan’s first Grade 1 win as a trainer), and Society man in the Grade 3 Matt Winn Stakes at Churchill Downs.
I asked him if this was the best two days of his training career. “Oh, without a doubt. It’s not what Kenny did, but it’s the best I’ve ever done.” Gargan is a smaller-time trainer than some others, so winning a Grade 1 Classic Race like this is a huge deal, given you literally only get one shot at three year-old stakes races. Ironically, his overall win percentage is down this year, but with these stakes victories, his earnings are way up.
WHICH HORSE HAD THE BEST TRIPLE CROWN SEASON?
I think this debate is closer than some would like to suggest. While the easy, and likely correct answer, is Mystik Dan - a win in the Derby and a good second in the Preakness - I think a nod could be given to Seize the Grey.
Seize the Grey won the Grade 2 Pat Day Mile on Derby day, and followed it up with a gate to wire win in the Grade 1 Preakness. I think everyone I’ve asked has said the same - that the Derby win is the most crucial - but I think Seize the Grey being on the same rest and winning the Preakness is noteworthy.
But he did travel less distance in the Pat Day Mile, and I agree it wasn’t the physical taxing that horses like Mystik Dan and Catching Freedom endured running back-to-back classic distance races. The rankings are pretty clearly Mystik Dan, Seize the Grey, and Dornoch.
YACHT ROCK NIGHT AT CHURCHILL
I’ll be out at Churchill tomorrow for a Yacht Rock-themed evening of racing. In other words, as a dad, I’ll just throw on colorful shorts and a polo shirt and act like I accomplished something. You know, the usual.
There are two stakes on the card, and here’s how I could play them.
The Monomoy Girl Overnight is race 5, and I love 2 Our Pretty Woman heads and shoulders above the others in this field. If she runs to her form, it should be much of a race. We’ll single her as part of a Pick 3, which starts in race 3:
Pick 3, starts race 3: 10 / 2,5,7 / 2 $5 Pick 3 = $15.
The Chorleywood Overnight is race 7, and I think it’s much more wide open. We see horse-for-course 2 Webslinger in here, coming off a good showing in the Grade 1 Turf Classic. He should enjoy the easier company here, but we’ll still spread a little. We’ll include him in a Pick 3 that starts with race 6:
Pick 3, starts race 6: 2 / 2,3,6,10 / 3,5,6 $1.50 Pick 3 = $18.
Good luck this weekend! We’ll see you next week.