GOLDEN GLIMPSES #58 GOLDEN GLIMPSES #58 'MR. TRIPLE CROWN' LUKAS COULD DOMINATE AGAIN THIS YEAR
Non-racing fans don't know D. Wayne Lukas from Cabo San Lucas.
But when it comes to winning classic 3-year-old races, every fan knows D. Wayne Lukas. He's Mr. Triple Crown. The "D" should stand for Dominator, not Darrell.
Lukas has won seven of the last eight Triple Crown races, consisting of the Kentucky Derby, The Preakness and the Belmont Stakes.
So who better to evaluate racing's most popular series than Lukas? The 60-year-old trainer's record is even more astounding considering no favorite has won the Derby since Spectacular Bid in 1979, and there has been no Derby victory by a Breeders' Cup Juvenile winner since its inception in 1984.
Lukas had reasonable explanations.
"Since the start of the Breeders' Cup, we have carried 2-year-old racing later into the year," Lukas said. "We keep them well-honed right up into November now, whereas before, we didn't do that. We used to break around September, and then come back.
"So it's difficult to keep them in peak form in November, and then in May, too. That's one of the problems. Another is, 2-year-old racing doesn't always equate to 3-year-old racing unless you come up with a superstar like Spectacular Bid or Seattle Slew.
"Many of our 2-year-old champions, horses like Gilded Time, probably weren't suited to the Triple Crown distances. Just because you have a horse that's well-suited to 2-year-old racing, his pedigree may not equate to a (winning) 3-year-old season. If a horse is going to be very successful at two, often his development will be early anyhow. They're the main reasons for 2-year-olds not becoming successful 3-year-olds. But when the right horse comes along, all that will evaporate."
Lukas has 23 Triple Crown nominees. Obviously, all or even most won't compete. But if some make it, such as male juvenile champ Boston Harbor, Alamocitos, Deeds Not Words, Gold Tribute, Partner's Hero, Wrightwood and the sensational filly, Sharp Cat, Lukas stands to embellish his record.
"We over-nominate because most owners want to be in at that (lesser) price, because it's so expensive if you come in late," Lukas said. "We're covering bases that probably aren't realistic, by nominating that many. But our ownership wants to do it, and it's their money, so we go ahead and nominate."
Of the 23, Lukas thinks perhaps one-third could make the grade.
"We have about eight or nine horses that have the pedigree, probably the style and hopefully the ability to at least go through the prep races, and we'll see what happens."
GOLDEN PICKS
BEAUTIFUL FACE -- She didn't hit the board, but closed with interest on the fence, indicating victory is at hand versus $50,000 maiden sprinters.
HAPPY RAPHAEL -- Slow start, troubled trip cost this McAnally colt. Deserves another chance at a mile or longer.
THE HOMESTRETCH: Santa Anita president Cliff Goodrich on Thursday's Las Vegas meeting between California's tracks and the Nevada Pari-Mutuel Association, in an effort to settle the simulcast stalemate which is into its fourth month: "Both sides are exploring measures that might open the door for a resolution, but it's too early to tell. The next week is really crucial. We made some progress; that doesn't mean we're anywhere near a deal. It just means the two sides are talking and we'll continue to talk. I think both sides clearly want this resolved as soon as possible." . . . Neil Papiano, representing Bill Shoemaker in his $50-million suit against Glendora Community Hospital and eight doctors, expects the session to last as long as two months. Papiano, a thoroughbred owner whose Makinanhonestbuck is trained by Shoe, is arguing that Shoemaker's Ford Bronco went off a California road that lacked a necessary guardrail on April 8, 1991, and that his present physical condition resulted from treatment he received at the hospital shortly after the accident. Shoemaker, now 65, is the world's winningest jockey with 8,833 victories. He was left a quadriplegic in the single-car mishap . . . Trainer Dick Mandella wasn't concerned about running two speedsters, Siphon and Gentlemen in the Santa Anita Handicap. "Gentlemen will rate kind enough," Mandella said. "He won the Citation from a little off the pace, and he won in Argentina that way, so we don't think we're one-dimensional." . . . David Hofmans on Alphabet Soup's defeat by Gentlemen in the San Antonio Handicap, his first start since last October when he upset Cigar: "I'm very, very proud of him. He ran a game, hard race. He really needed this race very badly." . . . Lukas moved Gary Stevens from Victory Speech to Editor's Note in the Strub Stakes, replacing him with Jerry Bailey, who won the race while Stevens finished last on the 5-2 favorite. Stevens was understandably miffed afterwards. "Gary is very competitive and wanted to win the race," Lukas said. "To see a $500,000, Grade I race slip away from him is going to be unsettling at best. But Gary did what was best for the big picture in our stable, and it's a great tribute to him that he did.". . . Wally Dollase expects Reading Habit, a sensational winner in her 2-year-old debut, back at his barn any day to begin her 3-year-old year . . . Bob Baffert was humble after Isitingood, under 121 pounds, set a world record of 1:32 for a mile on the turf. "I can't believe he broke Dr. Fager's record," said Santa Anita's leading trainer. The immortal Dr. Fager went a mile in 1:32 1/5 at Arlington Park on Aug. 24, 1968, carrying 134 . . . In Excessive Bull is still recovering from throat ulcers, and if he's not back in training soon, Baffert says he could miss the Kentucky Derby . . . Baffert was unconcerned before sending out Silver Charm to win the San Vicente Stakes. "If I lose," he quipped, "I'm just going to stop at Baskin-Robbins on the way home."
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