Tag: Shared News

D. Wayne and Laurie Lukas Join ‘Let’s Talk’

    The TDN's 'Let's Talk'–a podcast series featuring TDN's Christina Bossinakis and TVG's on-air analyst Gabby Gaudet, offers candid discussion on personal and professional issues often faced within the racing community.

   The latest edition features Hall of Fame horseman D. Wayne Lukas, who collected his latest Grade I victory with Secret Oath in the May 6 Kentucky Oaks.

Wayne Lukas is no stranger to success. Inducted into racing's Hall of Fame in 1999, the Antigo, Wisconsin native has spent over four decades reshaping and even defining the sport of horse racing. And while the victories may not be as plentiful as they may have once been, the 86-year-old continues to find himself on center stage on the big days, as was the case with Secret Oath when running fourth in the latest running of the GI Preakness S. While many other octogenarians are content with enjoying the fruits of their labors in retirement, Lukas continues to forge ahead with the same passion and intensity that he displayed during the zenith of his training career.

“I still get up at 3:30 every morning and now at my age, that alarm doesn't go off–I usually beat it,” he said. “But if it does go off, at 3:30 in the morning at my age, you might [want to] tip back and say, 'Woah boy.” But I refuse to let myself do that. I refuse to let the old man in.”

Well lauded for the string of assistants who have gone on to become top-level trainers in their own right, Lukas remains very forthright about the influence he has tried to exact over his team throughout the years. The one-time basketball coach underscored that it wasn't only the star graduates like Todd Pletcher, Kiaran McLaughlin, Dallas Stewart, et al that he tried to mentor, but also the ones that may not have been able to reach the heights of some of their contemporaries. Often referred to as 'The Coach,' Lukas has certainly earned that moniker.

“It bothered me that I was able to develop six or seven kids and give them a certain experience and there were seven or eight or 10 on the team that I really couldn't influence in that area,” he explained. “They just weren't good enough but they were good, hard-working kids. Kids that had the dream as much as the ones that were playing. And it always bothered me a little bit. I tried to influence all my players.”

And that philosophy branched over to racing.

“So when I got into horse racing, I was very upset if we had two or three horses that didn't turn out, especially if I bought them. And I wanted to make everyone of them profitable.”

Also during the discussion, Lukas addressed several of the pressures of training, often magnified with age, and many of the present-day player's tendency to migrate toward a younger trainer with a higher win percentage.

He said, “When you get to my age, most people wonder, is he out? Is he still doing it? They often turn to a younger person.”

Later in the program, Lukas is joined by his wife, Laurie. Candid about her first impression of Lukas, the lifelong horsewoman was quick to point out that the man was, in many ways, quite different than that of his public persona.

“When I first met him, it was just a chance meeting and I wasn't super impressed..I thought he was really full of himself,” she admitted. “I'd known of him for years and years like everyone else. I just thought he had a bit of an ego.”

She continued, “But the first time we had a conversation on the phone, it was a totally different deal. He has so much depth. The conversations were fascinating. He's so engaging and very intelligent. And that was my surprise. I didn't expect that.”

And what makes the relationship work?

“I have such great respect for her as a horseperson,” affirmed Lukas. “I don't have to go home at night and hold a clinic or a seminar on what we're trying to do or where we're trying t go.”

Laurie added, “We both get it. I understand that passion and that drive. And I won't be complaining about why we can't go to dinner tonight or why we can't do this or that because I get it. That really helps.”

The show is sponsored by 1/ST Racing and Healthnetics.

To watch the entire 'Let's Talk' podcast, click here. And for the audio only version, click here.

The post D. Wayne and Laurie Lukas Join ‘Let’s Talk’ appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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Notable US-Bred and -Sired Runners in Japan: June 12, 2022

In this continuing series, we take a look ahead at US-bred and/or conceived runners entered for the upcoming weekend at the tracks on the Japan Racing Association circuit, with a focus on pedigree and/or performance in the sales ring. Here are the horses of interest for this Sunday running at Chukyo and Hakodate Racecourses:

Sunday, June 12, 2022
2nd-HAK, ¥9,900,000 ($74k), Maiden, 3yo, 1700m
SWEET ZAZ (f, 3, Nyquist–Century Park, by General Meeting) was beaten double digits into 12th when debuting in a nine-furlong turf event in March, but switches to perhaps a more suitable surface for this second go. A $67K Keeneland September buyback, the late April foal is out of the winner of the 2009 GIII Santa Ysabel S. (synthetic) who was purchased by Narvick International out of the 2017 KEENOV sale and produced a filly by Exaggerator in Kentucky that was subsequently exported to Japan. Century Park dropped Sweet Zaz in the Bluegrass and has also since been sent to Japan, where she foaled a colt from the first crop of GII Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint winner Four Wheel Drive (American Pharoah) Mar. 25. B-Takahiro Wada (KY)

5th-CKO, ¥13,400,000 ($100k), Newcomers, 2yo, 1200mT
PROTOPOROS (JPN) (c, 2, War Front–Cavale Doree {Fr}, by Sunday Break {Jpn}) debuts in the Carrot Farm green-and-white hoops and is the first foal from his dam, a Group 3 winner in France and third in the 2016 GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies' Turf for trainer Christophe Ferland. Cavale Doree was purchased by Katsumi Yoshida for 650,000gns ($883,272) with this colt in utero at the 2019 Tattersalls December Mares Sale. B-Northern Racing

 

ART PEPPER (c, 2, Frosted–Tim's Girl, by Broken Vow) cost trainer Hideyuki Mori $150K at KEESEP last year and is out of an unraced full-sister to Grade I-placed juvenile filly Broken Spell–the dam of SW Lord Dragon (Oxbow)–and a half-sister to recent Horseshoe Indianapolis S. winner Heavenly Hellos (Overanalyze). The gray colt's third dam Be a Prospector (Mr. Prospector), a half-sister to the important sire Belong to Me, produced MGSW Away (Dixieland Band), the dam of MGSW/GISP Eight Belles (Unbridled's Song). B-Lemon's Mill LLC (KY)

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Friday Insights: Juddmonte Blueblood Hopes Second Time’s a Charm

Sponsored by Alex Nichols Agency
JUDDMONTE BLUEBLOOD HOPES SECOND TIME'S A CHARM
1st-BEL, $90K, Msw, 3yo/up, 1m, 12:50 p.m.
Blueblooded Juddmonte homebred ARTORIUS (Arrogate) ran a huge race on debut at Keeneland Apr. 16, producing an eye-catching rally from well back to be second behind a 'TDN Rising Star' performance from Under Oath (Speightstown). The son of MGISW Paulassilverlining (Ghostzapper), who was recently profiled in Steve Sherack's “Second Chances” column, gets that second chance Friday in the Belmont opener.
He faces a pair of well-related colts also making their second start in Shreveport (Tapit) and Exact Estimate (Into Mischief). The former, a Godolphin homebred, is a son of MGISW Seventh Street (Street Cry {Ire}) and a full-brother to GSW & GISP Lake Avenue. The gray made a four-wide move to be third in his even-panel unveiling at this oval May 5. Exact Estimate, a $375,000 FTKSEL buy, is a half to MGSW & GISP Tizamagician (Tiznow). The Chad Brown pupil was a well-beaten second at Keeneland in his Apr. 24 career bow. TJCIS PPs

 
PRICEY TAPIT JUVENILE DEBUTS FOR CASSE
3rd-CD, $120K, Msw, 2yo, f, 5f, 1:43 p.m.
Tracy Farmer went to $500,000 for PERSONAL PURSUIT (Tapit) at KEESEP and she debuts in this spot for trainer Mark Casse. The juvenile is a half-sister to MGSW Sneaking Out (Indian Evening), GSW Grecian Fire (Unusual Heat) and stakes winners Been Studying Her (Fast Anna) and Smuggler's Run (Straight Fire). Hall of Famer D. Wayne Lukas unveils Naughty Gal (Into Mischief), a $350,000 OBSMAR purchase after breezing in :20 4/5. She hails from the family of MGISW Miss Temple City (Temple City). TJCIS PPs

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Op/Ed: The Triple Crown Woes…Maybe It’s the Purses?

Though not a proponent of “fixing” the Triple Crown by spacing the races further apart, I can't deny that the series has a problem. GI Kentucky Derby winner Rich Strike (Keen Ice) passed the GI Preakness S. Preakness winner Early Voting (Gun Runner) won't be running in the GI Belmont S. this Saturday and not a single horse will contest all three Triple Crown races this year. The Triple Crown ends with a race that is good but could be a lot better. Lining up the best horses possible for as many Triple Crown races as possible has become immensely difficult.

But maybe the biggest problem isn't the spacing of the races but that the purses for the races, especially the Preakness and the Belmont, are not what they should be and haven't kept up with the times. If you want your races to always get the best horses and to be considered to be among the most important, most prestigious races on the calendar you're going to have to pay for the privilege. The Triple Crown tracks haven't bought into that premise.

The purse of the Kentucky Derby is $3 million. The Preakness and Belmont are worth $1.5 million each. While that may seem like a lot of money, in a sport where purses have exploded over the last 15 years or so, it's not. There are nine U.S. races that have a larger purse than the Preakness and Belmont, eight of them Breeders' Cup races and the other the $3-million GI Pegasus World Cup. That's not to mention the riches thrown around in Saudi Arabia and Dubai. Or that the Preakness and Belmont are worth only $500,000 more than four Kentucky Derby preps, the GI Blue Grass S., the GII Louisiana Derby, the GI Florida Derby, and the GII Rebel S., and just $250,000 more than the GI Arkansas Derby.

The Triple Crown races, as important as they are, should be the richest races run in the U.S. or at least the equal of any other race. To make that happen, they should all be worth $6 million, the equal of the GI Breeders' Cup Classic. It can be done. Let me explain.

With $6 million total now paid out in the three races, the Triple Crown tracks would have to come up with an additional $12 million to be able to pay out $6 million in each race. That probably wouldn't be much of a problem for Churchill Downs or NYRA, but, at Pimlico, it would be a lot to ask for them to come up with that kind of money. Simply asking the tracks to increase the purses on their own isn't going to happen.

So, why not copy what the Breeders' Cup has done?

One of the reasons why they can give away so much money at the Breeders' Cup is that, in order for a horse to be eligible to run, their sire must be nominated and they must also be nominated as foals. If not, the owners must pay a hefty fee to supplement them into a Breeders' Cup race. It costs $400 to nominate a foal. To make the progeny of a North American-based stallion eligible, a payment equal to 50% of the horse's published stud fee is required.

In the fiscal year that ended on Jan. 31, 2021, the Breeders' Cup took in $8.4 million from domestic stallion nomination fees and $2.7 million in fees for foreign stallions. Foal nomination fees added up to $4.1 million with 9,822 nominated foals. That adds up to $15.2 million.

The Triple Crown is not going to equal those numbers. There would be little incentive to nominate fillies or foreign stallions. But could asking owners and breeders to pay fees similar to what they pay to make their horses and stallions eligible to run in the Breeders' Cup yield $10 million or so? Probably. Finding another $2 million out of the track's pockets to bolster the purses and get to the $12 million figure wouldn't be asking that much.

There's also the matter of what it currently costs to make a horse eligible for the Triple Crown, a payment now due in late January of a horse's 3-year-old year. Not only would that payment still be required under this proposal, but it should be increased. It currently costs just $600 to nominate a horse to the Triple Crown. There were 312 noms this year, which adds up to only $187,200. You could raise another $500,000 or so by upping the fee to $2,500, which doesn't seem unreasonable.

The days of owners being sportsmen is long gone. The owners who dominate the top levels of the sport are businessmen and businesswomen and no matter what they may say, their decisions ultimately come down to money. The end goal is to maximize their profit on their horses and the way to do that is to create a stallion who can command a large stud fee. It is not to win as many races as possible. To get there, you need only have to have a horse with a strong pedigree who has won, perhaps, a single Grade I race. Trainers believe that the best way to have a horse primed to win a major race is to have plenty of time between starts.

A Kentucky Derby win is important, but not the be all and end all. Wins in the Preakness and Belmont are less important.

But there has to be a tipping point somewhere, where the purses are so large that the right business decision becomes running in, and not passing on, the Triple Crown races. Put up $18 million for the series and $6 million per race and people will run, even if the three races take place over a five-week span. That's how you can fix the Triple Crown.

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