| |
Training champions: To each their own
By Mike Diegnan
ABC Sports Online
BALTIMORE - It's been almost comical how Neil Drysdale has taken every precaution with Kentucky Derby winner Fusaichi Pegasus, from keeping him in a separate barn to admitting that FuPeg often has his own quirks, which dictate how the horse will run.
| |
 |
| |
Trainer D. Wayne Lukas is one of the most recognizable figures in all of horse racing. |
No one knows what the $4 million wunderkind will do next. Sometimes not even Drysdale. He just calls it "character."
But that is the beauty of horse racing. As many have said recently, these are not machines, they are animals. Otherwise, the Woodlawn Vase would have been presented to Drysdale and FuPeg owner Fusao Sekiguchi long ago.
Instead, the horse must run in Saturday's Preakness Stakes and prove that he is the best in the Triple Crown's middle jewel.
A former assistant to late Hall of Fame trainer Charles Whittingham, Drysdale is infamous for being patient with his horses. His handling of FuPeg has not altered that opinion, but has indeed tested him.
"Everybody thinks that I'm crazy for running up against him, so I can understand why he doesn't want to take any chances," says Snuck In's trainer Steve Asmussen. "Obviously the only way he loses [in everybody's opinion] is if he hurts himself, and that's got to be the way he feels. He's got to feel that he's not going to be beat unless he falls on the pavement basically. I think he is taking every precaution he possibly can to keep the horse from hurting himself. His handling of the horse can't be taken into question."
For Drysdale, that has meant understanding that Fusaichi Pegasus often has his mind set on doing things his own way. At Churchill Downs, he threw his exercise rider. On his first day on the Pimlico track, he spent most of his time absorbing the surroundings rather than working out.
"He's a horse with a lot of character," Drysdale says. "We've tried to adapt to him. That's basically what you are saying when you say you are trying to train each horse individually, that's what you are doing. You adapt to your horse."
Indeed, the 52-year-old has to spend as much time deflecting questions about his horse's conduct than praising the son of Mr. Prospector.
That has not been the case in Bob Baffert's barn. Baffert's care of his stable is also well known. Owner Mike Pegram celebrated in the winner's box at the Kentucky Derby -- probably too much since it landed him in trouble with the law -- and the Preakness thanks to Baffert's training of Real Quiet in 1998.
"Bobby takes his horses seriously, but he doesn't take himself seriously," says Pegram, who is looking for Baffert and Captain Steve to return him to Pimlico's Winner's Circle. "He pays attention to the horses, but at the same time, he has fun. He knows that if things don't go perfect with him, it's not like we caused a nuclear disaster. A lot of people in this business think that every little setback is the end of the world. He's loosey goosey. And he takes care of business."
On the other end of this spectrum is D. Wayne Lukas, who has won 12 Triple Crown races and annually has a crop of 3-year-olds challenging the world's best horses.
"The one thing that all these guys do is they listen to the horse," Pegram says. "Everybody's got their own program. Wayne is a great 2-year-old, 3-year-old trainer because that is where the money is. And nobody gets more out of his horses than Wayne Lukas. Bobby has had a lot of success giving horses time off and coming back. But at the same time, you look at what he has done with his younger horses. That's what's so great about this business, there is no right way or wrong way. That's the reason why it's an art and not a science."
|
“ |
Bobby takes his horses seriously, but he doesn't take himself seriously ? A lot of people in this business think that every little setback is the end of the world. He's loosey goosey. And he takes of business. ” |
|
|
— Captain Steve owner Mike Pegram on trainer Bob Baffert |
As Lukas' assistant from 1988-95, Todd Pletcher prepared himself to become one of the leading trainers in the country. In his Triple Crown rookie season, Pletcher has had a great deal of success, running four horses in the Kentucky Derby. He even took third and fourth with Impeachment and More than Ready, respectively. Impeachment seeks to continue the success of Pletcher's stable -- Lucky Livi won the $100,000 Miss Preakness Stakes on Thursday -- in the Preakness.
"He does a terrific job," Pletcher says of Lukas. "He surrounds himself with good horses and good people, but that's no huge secret. You could learn that without necessarily working for him. There are so many things that go into winning a horse race. If I had to pinpoint one thing, it would be to pay attention to details and try to do every single thing you can and keep the horses happy."
But Pletcher knows that Lukas and other trainers vary in their handling of horses.
"Everyone has their own style," the 32-year-old notes. "Everyone makes their own decisions. In a lot of ways, we all have to do the same things. We are using the same facilities, a lot of us use the same feed companies, same pack supply companies. Basically, the biggest thing we can do differently is the decisions you make on how you run your horses, where you run your horses, and how often you run them. All these types of things."
How each horse is trained might not matter if Fusaichi Pegasus runs the race he is capable of on Saturday. Drysdale is hiding his horse from public view by guarding him more tightly than the President, but he is also one-third of the way towards the Triple Crown.
"I don't think he's hiding him," says Asmussen. "I am not trying to figure out what Neil wants to do or Neil doesn't want to do with him. I think he didn't want to walk him across pavement if his horse wanted to act up. He's got the best 3-year-old to come down the pike."
|
| |
