Derby Day in the Natural State

D. Wayne Lukas once ruled over the Derby-Preakness-Belmont landscape with a confident and steady hand that saw him win an incredible 13 times. Such a consistent threat in the Triple Crown races was Lukas, that he once won six consecutive crown races with Tabasco Cat, Thunder Gulch, Timber Country, and Grindstone in 1994-96. His last win came in 2000 with the longshot Belmont winner Commendable. In the ten years that have passed since the Hall of Fame trainer last found himself in a Spring classic winner’s circle, legitimate opportunities have been notably slim. Lukas hopes to end that streak with either of two colts that he has starting in today’s Grade 1 Arkansas Derby. In Dublin and Northern Giant, Lukas has a two-prong attack that could well send him onto Louisville on a winning note, and possibly a return to Triple Crown glory. ***The remainder of today's column can be found on Youbet.com*** Click Here

Derby Morning Line … for the Trainers

1 Todd Pletcher 5-2 (Eskendereya, Super Saver, Rule, Connemara, Interactif, Discreetly Mine & Aikenite) Pletcher’s army is deeper than ever, giving him his best chance yet to win his first Run for the Roses. 2 Bob Baffert 3-1 (Lookin at Lucky, Conveyance & The Program) Last time Baffert’s great Derby streak began he finished 2nd the year previous with Cavonnier. Last year Pioneerofthe Nile was 2nd… 3 Nick Zito 10-1 (Ice Box, Fly Down & Jackson Bend) It’s been 16 years since New York Nick won his second Derby. Is he overdue for a third? 4 Thomas Amoss 15-1 (Ron the Greek & Backtalk) Solid conditioner has two interesting candidates. The Louisiana and Illinois Derbies should tell us more. 5 D. Wayne Lukas 15-1 (Dublin, Northern Giant & Wow Wow Wow) 13 time winner in Triple Crown races and 4 time Derby winner must be respected. Dublin looks like his best chance. 6 Alexis Barba 15-1 (Alphie’s Bet & Make Music For Me) With two legitimate contenders, she could become the biggest story on the Derby trail. 7 Kenneth McPeek 15-1 (Noble’s Promise) Tejano Run was his best hope with a 2nd in 1995. Now 15 years later, he will try to stretch out the talent of his game colt, Noble’s Promise. 8 Jeremy Noseda 15-1 (Awesome Act) English trainer who brought us Wilko is back looking for America’s biggest prize, and in Awesome Act, he may have the colt to get it done. 9 Michael Machowsky 20-1 (Caracortado & Nextdoorneighbor) Nextdoorneighbor disappointed in last, so hopes may rest solely on the Cal bred gelding, Caracortado. 10 Thomas Albertrani 20-1 (Odysseus) Won the Preakness and Travers with Bernardini. This year’s hope is firmly pinned on the lightly raced Odysseus. 11 John Sadler 20-1 (Sidney’s Candy & Dave in Dixie) He has a speed horse and a closer, is either one good enough? Only time will tell. 12 Richard Dutrow 20-1 (Homeboy Kris, D’Funnybone & Radiohead) 2008 winner took a hit with Radiohead’s poor performance and announcement D’Funnybone was Preakness bound, but IEAH may buy him something better. 13 Derek Ryan 30-1 (Schoolyard Dreams) He got great experience last year with Musket Man, this year he is back for more with big dreams. 14 Wesley Ward 30-1 (Pleasant Prince) A win at Royal Ascot last year followed by a Kentucky Derby win this year would be an enviable double. 15 Field 12-1 (Everyone else) There is still plenty of time for a horse and trainer to step up in a big way…see 2009.

Remembering ... Serena's Song

When I think of the term Iron Lady, the first mare that springs to mind is the great D. Wayne Lukas horse, Lady’s Secret, and deservingly so. She was far from the only hickory mare that Lukas trained though. An almost equally tough female, as the Iron Lady, was Serena’s Song. The first time I saw this champion in person was also one of her most memorable races. The Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies was the scene for what was supposed to be the coronation for the great Flanders. No one told this to the other half of the Lukas entry. Serena’s Song did not look nearly as impressive as her entry mate on paper, but horse races are not run on paper. Serena’s Song and Flanders hooked up on the lead soon after the start, and there they would remain every step of the way. The unheralded Serena’s Song ridden by Corey Nakatani on the outside and the undefeated Flanders with Pat Day on the inside battled in unison through testing fractions as the crowd roared. It is rare to see entry mates take each other on so early in the race, but Lukas had told both jockeys that they were on their own and to go for the win. As the fillies straightened out for the stretch run it looked like Serena on the outside might upstage Flanders, but the favored part of the pair was resolute with Day on the rail. It would be a head bobbing battle to the wire. Flanders got the bob, and was declared the winner by half a head, in what remains the greatest juvenile filly race I have ever seen. She claimed her year-end championship, although it was bittersweet as she returned from the race with an injury and would never race again. For the unheralded half of the entry, it was her doorway to superstardom. Never again would Serena’s Song be taken for granted. Serena’s Song was foaled in 1992, sired by Rahy out of Imagining, by Northfields, she was bred in Kentucky by Dr. Howard Baker. At the yearling sales, Serena was not one of the hot tickets. Her small size kept many buyers away, but her athleticism caught the eye of the premier trainer in the business. Lukas would purchase Serena’s Song for $150,000 for two of his top clients, Bob and Beverly Lewis. The choice would prove to be an incredible success, although early on it was not so clear. Serena’s Song two-year-old season was a bit inconsistent, but she did manage to win the Landaluce Stakes and Grade 1 Oak Leak Stakes on the West Coast before her epic battle with Flanders. She also displayed the toughness and durability that would make her a true star. As a juvenile, Serena’s Song started 10 times, and won 4, earning almost $600,000. After her fabulous performance in the BC Juvenile Fillies, Serena‘s Song returned in the Grade I Hollywood Starlet Stakes. She once again dueled on the lead, this time with the highly regarded Urbane, and this time she came out on top. By the end of the 1994 season, she was considered the best young filly not named Flanders. Her winning ways would continue into the Spring of her sophomore season. Serena’s Song became dominant at age three, winning 9 of 13 starts. Her connections showed little worry in running against males, as she bested them in the Jim Beam at Turfway Park and the Haskell Invitational at Monmouth Park. She would also handle older females in the prestigious Beldame, in this superlative season. After an easy win in the Jim Beam, which followed impressive wins in the Las Virgenes and Santa Anita Oaks, Lukas planned on sending his star filly to the Kentucky Oaks, but was overruled by owner Bob Lewis, who had not yet won the Kentucky Derby. Lewis would have two Derby wins in his future, but it was not to be for Serena. In the Derby, Serena’s Song blistered the track with fractions of :22 2/5, :45 4/5, 1:10 1/5, and 1:35 3/5 for the mile. It proved to be too much for the great filly, as she tired and finished 16th. The Derby did not knock her out for long as she returned soon to take the Mother Goose and readied herself for another attempt against the boys. The opportunity came about in the Haskell, and yours truly watched in admiration as she beat the boys again. I remember watching her and thinking how low she held her head as she ran. Many top horses have run this way, but it especially struck me that day at Monmouth Park. It was just another way this special filly stood out. She went on to win the Gazelle and Beldame that Fall, further proving her dominance in the division. Her season ended in disappointment with a 5th place finish in a wet BC Distaff at Belmont Park, but nonetheless, Serena’s Song was rewarded for her remarkable season with an Eclipse Award as champion three-year-old filly. As an older horse, Serena’s Song continued to rack up frequent flyer miles as well as earnings. She was entered in seemingly every big race for older females as well as several more tries against males. She did not win nearly as often as she did at three, but she still managed to further her Iron Lady reputation. At four, she won five out of fifteen races including three grade 1s and was second seven times, including the Whitney and the BC Distaff. Winless in her final seven starts, although 2nd in six of those races, it was clear that Serena’s Song was a bit of a tired horse at the end of her four-year-old season. Much discussion about her returning for a fourth season ensued, but in the end, they decided she had done enough. At retirement Serena's Song stood as the richest female racehorse in American history when she called it quits with more than $3.2 million. Just like all earnings records, it has since been broken, but to hold the record at all was a huge accomplishment. All told, Serena’s Song was victorious in an amazing 17 graded stakes and was second in many more, in only three years of racing. She received her ultimate honor when she was inducted into Racing’s Hall of Fame in 2002. In her second career, Serena’s Song has also proven a terrific success. Upon retirement, Serena’s Song was sent to Denali Stud near Paris, Kentucky to begin life as a broodmare. Among her offspring are three stakes winners. Sophisticat and Grand Reward both by Storm Cat and Serena’s Tune by Mr. Prospector have carried on the name of Serena’s Song quite well. Of course she will always be best remembered as a runner, and for good reason. Her sophomore season may have been her most successful, but she was a model of consistent excellence throughout her career and was as durable as they come. She fell just one win short of winning half of her 38 races, and I can’t think of another horse, in the last twenty years, who danced every dance quite as often as she did. She was tough as nails. I remember you Serena’s Song.

Remembering ... Lady's Secret

Things took a dramatic turn one day in the Summer of 1985. I was with my Dad and we were getting ready to see another renewal of the prestigious Test Stakes. To be perfectly honest, I was not there to see Lady‘s Secret. I wanted to see the New England sensation and recent winner of the Triple Tiara, Mom’s Command, up close at the beautiful Saratoga paddock. I had seen many horses in the paddock before, and many since, in which I was thoroughly impressed. Looks, demeanor, and sculptured physique are all things I notice when looking at a horse and I have seen multitudes of impressive horses over the past forty years. Something was different on this day though, I admired the horse I wanted to see, but I could not keep my eyes off one of the other horses in the field. The apple of my eye was a beautiful gray filly, not a big horse by any means, Lady’s Secret was a fantastic sight of alertness, health, and physical prowess. Saying that she had a gleam in her eye and a shine to her coat was an understatement. The Lady could not have impressed me more if she started to glow. To this day, I have never changed my opinion so sharply on a horse after seeing them in the paddock. My more experienced paddock partner agreed, and we watched as Lady’s Secret turned the corner of her career that day. She easily defeated the overwhelming favorite, Mom’s Command, and scored an easy win in the Test. From there it was onward and upward for the career of the gray speedster. She came back to score eight days later in the Ballerina, and then rolled in the Grade 1s that Fall at Belmont, dominating the Maskette, Ruffian, and Beldame. This brought her win streak to eight consecutive stakes. I was thrilled to see her meteoric rise from good three-year-old sprinter to an absolute superstar, as the Iron Lady was now showing her mettle to the world. Lady’s Secret would enter the Breeders’ Cup Distaff as the hottest thing going. She was only derailed by the stretch running power of her two-time champion, and older stablemate, Life’s Magic. Lady’s Secret settled for 2nd in that Breeders’ Cup effort, but she would have her BC glory one year later. Bred in Oklahoma, Lady’s Secret was a daughter of the legendary Secretariat. Her dam was a stakes winning daughter of Icecapade, named Great Lady M. She was trained by Hall of Fame trainer D. Wayne Lukas for owner Eugene Klein. Her amazing run in the Summer and Fall of her three-year-old year was quite enough to rest championship honors from Mom’s Command, but for Lady’s Secret, it was only a prelude to things to come. After such a busy and testing campaign at three, I wondered if she could keep it going the following year, but my worries proved unfounded. Lady’s Secret was even better as an older filly. 1986 would be a record setting season for the gray filly. She would consistently and mercilessly streak to the early lead and run her foes into submission, as they were forced to chase her tail, race after race. The marvelous season would end with her attaining the ultimate year end award in American racing. In her Horse of the Year campaign at four, Lady's Secret won 10 of 15 races from coast to coast and never finished worse than third. I was lucky enough to see her many more times in person and marveled every time at her talent and her durability. She won a remarkable eight Grade 1 races that year including the Breeders' Cup Distaff, Beldame Stakes, Maskette Stakes, Shuvee Handicap, La Canada Stakes, Ruffian Handicap, Santa Margarita Invitational Handicap, and defeated males in the Whitney Handicap. To put that into greater perspective…Rachel Alexandra and Zenyatta combined for a total of nine Grade 1 wins in 2009. The win in the Breeders’ Cup Distaff was front running poetry in motion and placed an exclamation point on her championship season. I was alone at home and never sicker with a nasty case of Mono, but seeing that race on the television made me feel like a million bucks. She truly danced every dance and was ready for every challenge. Lady’s Secret was both a champion and an iron horse. She was both durable and successful at the summits of American racing. Her final racing stats tell only part of the story for the Iron Lady. She ended up with $3,021,425 in career earnings, which was the highest of any female horse at the time, and 25 victories from 45 starts. To me, she was so much more than the awards or anything you could see on paper. Until the amazing developments of 2009, I considered Lady’s Secret to be the finest older mare I had ever seen. Lady’s Secret was ushered into Racing’s Hall of Fame in 1992. I had been there when her career first took off and because of that, she was always special to me. From that day at Saratoga on, I was enamored with her beauty and her talent, with her class and courage, and with every exciting race she would run. You knew when you watched Lady’s Secret race, you were in for a show. Being a fan of Lady’s Secret certainly paid off handsomely in emotional investment. Unfortunately, the Iron Lady never passed on her greatness to any of her twelve offspring. After more than ten years into her breeding career, the Great Lady was sold and transferred from Kentucky to California. The Great Lady passed away at the age of 21. She died suddenly on March 4, 2003 at Valley Creek Farm in California as a result of complications from giving birth. It is hard to believe that she has been gone now for nearly seven years, If I close my eyes, I can still clearly see the beautiful gray filly that I saw that Summer day at Saratoga. I remember you Lady’s Secret.

Lady’s Secret to Zenyatta - A Mistake was Made

That foul odor you smell is emanating directly from the offices of the Oak Tree Association after yesterday’s announcement that they have renamed the Grade 1 Lady’s Secret Stakes . Starting next year, the race held every Fall at the Oak Tree at Santa Anita Meeting, will now be known as the Zenyatta Stakes. Don’t get me wrong, Zenyatta is a fabulous mare and it makes perfect sense that they want to honor her by naming a race the Zenyatta. We are all familiar with her fantastic list of accomplishments the past two years. The problem is the Oak Tree Association honored her by taking away needed recognition of one of the greatest mares ever to race in the United States. Lady’s Secret was everything good about racing. The beautiful gray daughter of Secretariat danced every dance and did so with class and beauty. Owned by the late Eugene Klein and trained by D. Wayne Lukas, Lady’s Secret won 25 of her 45 races in the mid 80s. Nicknamed the Iron Lady, she won eight consecutive stakes as a three-year-old in 1985. She followed that up with a Horse of the Year campaign in 1986. In her four-year-old season, Lady’s Secret won ten graded stakes, eight of which were Grade 1s. It was her second straight year with ten stakes wins. She ran against males four times, with a dominant win in the Whitney. Lady’s Secret won four stakes that year at Santa Anita, including an easy score in the Breeders’ Cup. It is a shame that she will no longer have a race named after her at the track where she won her most important race. The Hall-of-Famer does have a few other stakes named after her at other tracks, but they are much smaller and not fitting of one of racing’s royalty. Racing should revel in its rich and storied past. Lady’s Secret may be recent history, but make no mistake, she is an important part of the history of American racing. She was a grade 1 filly who deserves to have a grade 1 race named in her honor. Give Zenyatta her race, she certainly deserves the recognition, but do not strip the honor from such a marvelous race horse as Lady’s Secret to do so. Zenyatta won the El Encino, Milady, Vanity, and Clement L. Hirsch in California, and Santa Anita also has a number of other big stakes for females during the year. The powers that be in in California racing easily could have renamed any one of the many stakes races for older mares run in Southern California. Any one of those races being renamed would not have disrespected the history of racing and the fitting honor bestowed upon the great Lady’s Secret. Instead the Oak Tree Association chose to make the poorest possible decision and I, for one, think their decision stinks.

Remembering ... Genuine Risk

I will never forget the moment when Angel Cordero perpetrated one of the greatest crimes against the fans of thoroughbred horse racing. Racing fans everywhere had adopted a new hero, or should I say heroine. Genuine Risk was everything the public wanted in a new star. She was elegant and fast, she was feminine and tough. A lovely filly who could fill the void left by Ruffian’s death five years earlier. Her win in the Kentucky Derby had been one of the most popular in history. Genuine Risk was a powerful example for women libbers everywhere. In Genuine Risk, Girl Power was alive. Angel Cordero, one of the best jockeys of his time, was no stranger to controversy and he was not afraid to raceride. The race was the 1980 Preakness and it was a chance for everyone to see Genuine Risk march to immortality. The striking, chestnut daughter of Exclusive Native was peaking at just the right time. Her capable and experienced trainer Leroy Jolley saw to that. She entered the Preakness as the belle of the ball and the world was watching. Among the seven colts that lined up as her opposition that day was a California colt named Codex. Trained by D. Wayne Lukas, Codex was also peaking, having annexed the Santa Anita and Hollywood Derbies. Unfortunately for his connections, he had been unable to run in the Derby due to mistakenly not nominating him. They were ready and eager to take on the Derby winning filly. Early on, the race was unfolding in a predictable fashion. Codex was in a perfect stalking placement and Genuine Risk was not far behind running in a similar position to her Kentucky Derby triumph. As Codex sprung to the lead, Genuine Risk followed. She quickly gained on the outside as they approached the homestretch. It was a two horse race and the filly had the momentum … and then … she was Corde-rode (verb - meaning to screw the filly). At the very least, Codex and Cordero carried Genuine Risk seven wide in an attempt to keep her from passing. I prefer to think of it as a deliberate mugging of America’s Sweetheart. Her rider, Jacinto Vasquez, claimed that Cordero had whipped her in the face as they came together. Cordero was less than apologetic. In that Triple Crown series of 1980, Genuine Risk performed better than any filly ever has. She won the Kentucky Derby, defeating the rallying Rumbo by one length. In so doing, Genuine Risk became the first filly to win the Derby in 65 years and any Triple Crown race for 56 years. After her troubled 2nd in the Preakness, she came back to run a game 2nd in the Belmont to Temperence Hill, with Codex far behind. During her illustrious career, Genuine Risk ran 15 times with 10 wins. She was never worse than third and the only time that she lost by more than two lengths was the infamous Preakness. She was named champion 3-year-old filly of 1980. Many felt that she should have been the 2-year-old filly champ of 1979 as well, based on her undefeated 4 for 4 record and by beating the filly, Smart Angle, who would win the award, in the Demoiselle Stakes. Following her rigorous Triple Crown, Genuine Risk was given a well deserved rest. She came back three months later to run two dynamite races against the best fillies and mares in the country in the Maskette and Ruffian. In both races, she was full of courage as she battled down the stretch to be 2nd in the Maskette by a nose and then to win the Ruffian, also by a nose. Still with Bert and Diana Firestone, her owners since the age of one, Genuine Risk would live to the age of 31. She passed away almost exactly one year ago. To the dismay of millions Genuine Risk was not a producer of race horses, as her only two foals to survive never raced. How wonderful it would have been to see offspring with her characteristics on the racetrack, but it was not to be. Instead, she endures as a runner and what a runner she was. I remember you … Genuine Risk.