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Lukas aims to surpass 'Sunny Jim'
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| D. Wayne Lukas escorts Oxbow, one of his three chances for a record-breaking 14th win in a Triple Crown race
(Lauren Pomeroy/Horsephotos.com) |
D. Wayne Lukas has been hovering around history since the start of the
millennium, and the Hall of Fame trainer is scheduled to have three chances in
Saturday's Preakness Stakes to finally set the record for most Triple Crown
successes.The former basketball coach, who traded his whistle for a saddle in the
1970s, has been tied with the legendary "Sunny Jim" Fitzsimmons for the most
wins in Triple Crown races (13) by any trainer in history since Commendable won
the 2000 Belmont Stakes.
On Saturday, Lukas has one of his best opportunities in recent years with a
three-pronged attack in the nine-horse field.
"It would be nice to get over that, but the guy that holds it with me is
pretty special in this game," Lukas said Thursday morning after Oxbow, Titletown
Five and Will Take Charge returned from morning gallops at Pimlico.
"I think we'll get over it. I don't know if it'll be Saturday, but there's an
excellent chance we'll get that 14th one somewhere down the line. You know,
though, the sooner the better."
Lukas has had pretty good numbers in the Middle Jewel of the Triple Crown,
having saddled five winners from 37 starters -- more than any trainer in
history. |
He'd like nothing more than to add a sixth Preakness, which would put the
77-year-old Wisconsin native one behind turn-of-the-19th-century trainer Robert
Walden. Lukas is tied for second with Bob Baffert (Govenor Charlie) and Thomas
Healey, whose last winner came during the Great Depression.
"The Preakness is special to me," Lukas said, while admitting he'd be in
favor of Orb winning if he can't get the prize for one of his three ownership
groups on Saturday.
"As a trainer you think more or less of achieving something for a certain
client. You don't run against the other guy or even the other horse. You're
pretty much centered on your own program."
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| The 17-hand Will Take Charge ran into trouble when making his move in the Derby
(Lauren Pomeroy/Horsephotos.com) |
Titletown Five, owned by some former Green Bay Packers including Paul Hornung
and Willie Davis, would be a longshot -- already at 30-1 in the morning line.
Will Take Charge was rated at 12-1 and Oxbow, who was sixth in the Derby, was
made 15-1."They had a good morning," Lukas said after dismounting his pony. "I like the
way the track's playing. I think it's very fair for everybody. I was real
comfortable with it. I like it when they go by and you can't hear them."
Lukas said he was a bit miffed and was joking with track handicapper Frank
Carulli after Mylute was made the second choice behind Orb in the morning-line
odds.
"I personally don't think Mylute should be the second choice in the race,
unless they bet on Rosie (Napravnik)," Lukas said. "I think Will Take Charge and
Oxbow are about equal and their odds are going to fall somewhere between 5-1 and
8-1. The other horse is going to be a longshot, probably one of the longest
shots on the board."
Oxbow and Will Take Charge ran one-two in the Rebel in March at Oaklawn Park.
Will Take Charge was a troubled eighth in the Kentucky Derby behind Oxbow's
pace-pressing sixth on the sloppy, sealed track. He expects both to run well
here.
"Will Take Charge is 17 hands," Lukas said. "He and Orb have a similar style.
They're not stop-and-start horses, so he didn't get to run his race in
Louisville. Oxbow is a gutsy little horse. I think they both had a chance to be
part of the equation in the Derby."
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And Lukas readily admits the percentages are in his favor with a third of the
field being saddled by a guy who knows how to win this race.
"I feel comfortable with the field," he said. "It only takes one horse to
spoil your day."
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