Tag: People

Hall of Fame trainer D. Wayne Lukas returned to his normal routine during training hours Thursday morning at Oaklawn, atop a stable pony and escorting his horses to and from the track. Lukas, 87, was working, at least in this capacity, for the first time since breaking five ribs after he was bucked off a stable pony during training hours in early December at Oaklawn.

“I'm sore,” Lukas said Thursday morning in his barn office. “I'm OK if I don't move.”

Lukas said the injury occurred at his barn when he climbed aboard a different pony, and it was spooked.

“I thought I was John Wayne,” Lukas said. “He jumped forward and when he jumped forward, I had spurs on, so I gripped him with my legs, obviously, trying to stay on him. I spurred him and then the wreck was on. I spurred him every jump after that. It happened right out in front of here. Everybody's standing there watching.”

Moving from his training chart to a rib chart, Lukas said he “broke” 2, 5, 6, 7 and 8 and “cracked” 9, 10 and 11. Lukas said he was sent to the emergency room at nearby CHI St. Vincent Hot Springs for treatment. Lukas joked about the experience and shunning hospitalization.

“They were going to keep me, but I walked out,” Lukas said. “They had 40, 50 people in emergency. I sat there four hours. The doctor said they (ribs) were pretty badly broken, the ones that were broken. He said it would take about 30 minutes to get a bed ready. I said, 'You don't need to get a bed ready for me, you've got people out here dying right here in front of you.' I said, 'Why don't you go out there and get one of those 40 that have been there for two days camping out and give them the bed.' I said, 'You give them my bed.' ”

Lukas' accident occurred a little less than a year after he was hospitalized at CHI St. Vincent for internal bleeding.

“I'm wondering if Arkansas is for me,” Lukas said. “I love it here, but I don't like to get banged up when I get here. Internal bleeding was a little worse. I don't know, though. Boy, I was a sore son of a b**** for the first couple of days (after breaking five ribs). I still am.”

Notorious for dedication to his craft, Lukas returned to ponying horses last season at Oaklawn after being hospitalized. He said it was more business as usual this December.

“I didn't miss any days working,” Lukas said. “I drove over to the front side and trained from there, drove back and forth.”

Lukas, who annually winters in Hot Springs, is the ninth-winningest trainer in Oaklawn history with 337 victories entering Friday. He was Oaklawn's leading trainer in 1987 and 2011.

Lukas 40-horse stable in 2022-2023 boasts more quality and quantity than past years. It is headed by multiple Oaklawn stakes winner and 2022 Kentucky Oaks champion Secret Oath. She is scheduled to make her 2023 debut in the $350,000 Azeri Stakes (G2) March 11 at Oaklawn, Lukas said. The Azeri is for older fillies and mares at 1 1/16 miles.

The post Hall Of Famer D. Wayne Lukas Still ‘Sore’ After Broken Ribs, But Returns To The Saddle At Oaklawn appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Nicholas Palmer celebrated the first victory of his training career Friday at Gulfstream Park after saddling Bad Henry for a 5 ¼ length romp in Race 2.

The 30-year-old Jupiter, Fla.-native achieved his career milestone with a horse bred and owned by his parents, Teresa and David Palmer, long-time prominent owners in South Florida.

“It feels amazing. It's really special. I'm happy it was with a homebred,” Palmer said.

Bad Henry ($29.40), a 2-year-old son of Good Samaritan, won for the first time in four career starts in the mile maiden claiming race as the longest price in the six-horse field.

Although he grew up in Thoroughbred racing, Palmer didn't always have a goal to become a trainer.

“It's not really what I always wanted to do. I had another job in film, doing lighting. I took a hiatus and went to the farm and saw a 2-year-olds-in-training sale and it piqued my interest more than racing did when I was a kid,” said Palmer, who lived and worked on an Ocala farm for eight years. “I just loved it and never left the farm. I didn't go back to my job.”

Palmer left the farm to work for some a few prominent trainers before taking out his license earlier this year.

“I worked as a foreman for Danny Gargan three years ago just for the Saratoga meet. Following that I was working for Saffie Joseph as a foreman and then an assistant at Palm Meadows,” Palmer said. “I also worked for Armando De La Cerda for a while, as well.”

The post Trainer Nicholas Palmer Celebrates First Winner With Family Homebred appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Since opening as the first Class 1 racetrack in Texas, Sam Houston Race Park has played a pivotal role in the careers of many accomplished horsemen and women. In 1994, Bret Calhoun was one of the young trainers in the inaugural live racing season.

“Sam Houston Race Park marked my first time running a string on my own,” said Calhoun. “They opened with a great purse structure, and I will never forget the crowds there on opening day!”

Born in Dallas, Calhoun is a second generation trainer as his father, William “Buddy” Calhoun, owned and trained Thoroughbreds. Just shy of his 30th birthday, Calhoun was fully committed to his profession and the challenges starting out on his own.

“I slept in the backside dorm at Sam Houston Race Park as I felt I had to be with my horses 24 hours a day and seven days of the week,” admitted Calhoun. “The only help I had was my mom and dad.”

His father gave him some valuable advice as he watched his son walk his horses to the saddling ring and accompany them back to the barn following their races.

“He told me that I had better start spending more time with my owners as other trainers were up in the suite trying to get their business,” recalled Calhoun.

That proved to be sage counsel as attracting quality owners has propelled Calhoun to excellence in Texas and major racetracks in North America. Since his first career victory with Ramjet on April 1, 1994, at Trinity Meadows, his operation has grown significantly. As 2022 winds down, Calhoun's stats on Equibase reflect that he has won 3,464 races and his horses have earned $99,791,958.

“I am straight up with my owners and offer honest and real assessments on each of their horses,” he said. “Sometimes it's hard to swallow, but fortunately, my owners and I have mutual respect.”

Calhoun's hard work has paid off with a growing number of graded stakes winners, led by My Standards ($2,294,430); Chamberlain Bridge ($1,866,259); Dubai Majesty ($1,407,547) and Mr Money ($1,360,430).

His many Sam Houston highlights include a victory by Chamberlain Bridge in the 2011 Railsplitter Stakes, just two months after the intrepid son of War Chant won the Grade 2, Breeders' Cup Sprint at Churchill Downs. Calhoun won many Texas Champions Day stakes with Clarence Scharbauer Jr. homebreds, including Coyote Legend, Gold Coyote, Swift Shock and Fiftyshadesofgold.

Next month, Calhoun is hoping to add another Sam Houston stakes victory with Hidden Connection in the Grade 3, $300,000 Houston Ladies Classic. The Kentucky-bred filly, sired by Connect, won the 2021 Pocahontas Stakes (G3) at Churchill Downs, before finishing fourth in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies (G1) for owners Hidden Brook Farm and Black Type Thoroughbreds.

“She showed up early and was very talented, with a high cruising speed and the ability to carry it,” stated Calhoun. “Following the Oaks, we gave her time off and she has bounced back well.”

Calhoun ran the dark bay filly in a mile and one-sixteenth allowance on December 16 at Fair Grounds and she rallied gamely under Rey Gutierrez, winning by a margin of 7 ½ lengths. That victory provided plenty of options for her 4-year-old campaign. Calhoun's goal for Hidden Connection is the Grade 1, Apple Blossom at Oaklawn Park. Several key stakes preps are logical for fillies and mares aiming for the prestigious stakes, including the $300,000 Houston Ladies Classic on January 28. The rich history of HLC winners emerging victorious in the Apple Blossom include Forever Unbridled, and millionaires Midnight Bisou and Letruska.

“I liked the way Hidden Connection won at Fair Grounds and feel she is at a peak level of fitness,” said Calhoun. “We are absolutely considering the Houston Ladies Classic for her next start; I would say it's a 90 percent chance that she will run at Sam Houston.”

Longtime assistant Hernan Zamudio, known as “Pancho,” will oversee Calhoun's Sam Houston Race Park's 32-horse barn for the upcoming live racing season.

Calhoun's ascent into the very competitive world of Thoroughbred racing has been impressive. He was asked about eclipsing the $100 million dollar earnings mark with horses running at Fair Grounds and Delta Downs over the remaining days of 2022.

“It's certainly mind blowing,” admitted Calhoun on reaching that milestone. “I'm very grateful to so many owners who have supported me and hope to win my 4,000th race. This business has been very good to me.”

The post Bret Calhoun Reflects On Rich History At Sam Houston; 2023 Meet Opens Jan. 6 appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Undaunted by a jockeys room loaded with Hall of Famers, Eclipse Award winners and international superstars, Juan J. Hernandez signaled his intention to defend his leading jockey title at Santa Anita.

On opening day of Santa Anita's Classic meet, Hernandez won four races, three of which were graded, earning Jockey of the Week for Dec. 19 through Dec. 26 by the panel of racing experts. The award honors jockeys for riding accomplishments and who are members of the Jockeys' Guild, the organization which represents more than 1050 active, retired and permanently disabled jockeys in the United States.

Hernandez began his graded stakes haul aboard Dicey Mo Chara (GB) for trainer Leonard Powell in the Grade 2 San Gabriel. Ridden by Hernandez for the first time, Dicey Mo Chara raced in fifth while saving ground on the rail. At the top of the lane, Hernandez angled Dicey Mo Chara three wide and overtook race favorite Masteroffoxhounds with a furlong to run. Dicey Mo Chara held off fast closing stablemate Flashiest to win by a half-length in 1:47.78 for the 1 1/8-mile turf test for 3-year-olds and up.

“This is really a nice horse,” said Hernandez. “He kicked extremely well and I had a very nice trip.”

Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert gave a leg up to Hernandez on Fun to Dream in the G1 La Brea for 3-year-old fillies. Off as the second choice in the field of seven, Fun to Dream broke alertly and pressed the pace while three wide down the backstretch. Fun to Dream took command at the top of the lane, holding off Awake at Midnyte to win by three-quarters of length in 1:21.99 for the seven furlongs. The race was the third win of the day for Hernandez.

“This horse is getting really, really good,” said Hernandez. “She's improving a lot and she's shown up in her last couple of starts.”

Hernandez capped the day the best way possible with a win over a talented field in the G1 American Oaks aboard Rhea Moon (IRE) for trainer Phil D'Amato. Rhea Moon raced on the rail saving ground until the final turn when Hernandez moved off the inside and gradually overtook stablemate School Dance in the final strides to post a head victory in 2:00.75 for the mile and a quarter.

“With four wins and three stakes wins, I feel really proud,” said Hernandez. “My agent and I are a pretty good team and he got me the opportunity to ride nice horses like this filly. She's improving every race and she's won her last couple of races.”

Hernandez was the leading rider for the week in total and stakes purses with $618,020.

Other contenders for Jockey of the Week included Samy Camacho with seven wins, Florent Geroux with three stakes wins at Fair Grounds, James Graham also with three stakes wins at Fair Grounds, and Mike Smith who won the G1 Malibu.

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