Fax of Life Stays Sweet for Lukas

Mostly, the faxes from his American trainer have brought good news to Japanese breeder Zenya Yoshida, who has yet to see the filly for whom he paid $525,000 last autumn win a race beneath his silks.

The first fax Yoshida received from trainer Wayne Lukas after a victory by A Wild Ride followed the Manta Handicap in March at Santa Anita.

In April, Yoshida’s machine beeped, and out came word that the 4-year-old had won a Breeders’ Cup-sponsored stakes at Oaklawn Park.

Last month, an electronic dispatch arrived in Tokyo to inform Yoshida that his filly had won her first Grade I race, the Shuvee at Belmont Park.

Sunday’s news was equally good: another Grade I victory for A Wild Ride, this one in the $200,000 Hempstead Handicap at Belmont. Another one of these, and Yoshida will have recovered her purchase price.

Yoshida is a trainer’s dream. He never calls. He does not show up at the barn. He offers no advice, and he is a multimillionaire.

“We fax him,” Lukas said after A Wild Ride’s one-length victory Sunday.

“We fax him telling him when she worked and when she’s going to run. We fax him the results.”

A Wild Ride waited slightly off a fast pace (22 4/5, 45 2/5, 1:09 4/5) set by Wait For The Lady, and after the front-runner was spent, A Wild Ride moved authoritatively to the lead at the three-eighths pole. Case closed. No threat developed behind the daughter of Wild Again. Fit to Scout was second and Buy The Firm was five lengths farther back.

A Wild Ride paid $6 after running 1 1/8 miles in 1:49.

“She’s solid, a very tough runner in the stretch,” Lukas said. “She’s a hard-knocking filly.”