Lukas Turns Over a Page in Preakness : Horse racing: A year after the race costs the life of Union City, Wayne’s Tabasco Cat, who ran down son Jeff, wins.

The horse that almost killed his son in December lifted trainer Wayne Lukas from his lowest on-track moment to his highest Saturday.

Tabasco Cat, who kicked like a bronco when Lukas tried to saddle him, saved his biggest kick of all for the stretch run of the 119th Preakness, defeating Kentucky Derby winner Go For Gin in the final eighth of a mile for a three-quarter-length victory before a Pimlico crowd of 86,343.

Jeff Lukas, the trainer’s 36-year-old son and chief assistant, was run over by Tabasco Cat outside his father’s Santa Anita barn on Dec. 15 and suffered a severe head injury.

And Wayne Lukas’ Preakness horse last year, Union City, broke down during the race and had to be destroyed, resulting in severe criticism that Lukas said Saturday “could have been detrimental to my career.”

The Lukases have never penalized the high-strung Tabasco Cat for that day he ran away. “We never hung any yoke around his neck,” Wayne Lukas said after winning his third Preakness.

“He’s a good-feeling horse, but he’s not mean. When he runs, he likes to play to the crowd, but he’s not nervous and has never been (sweaty). Jeff’s going to join me on a part-time basis soon, and he’ll be around more later in the year. He never really got to know this horse. He was just getting to know him when he was injured. I hope this horse has a big fall, and that Jeff will be around to be a part of it.”

After speaking to his son twice about race strategy earlier in the day, Lukas tried to call him after the Preakness and was told by the maid that the family--Jeff, wife Linda and their two young children--had gone to a carnival after watching the race on television.

Reached Saturday night, Linda Lukas said: “Jeff was real excited when the horse reached the wire. He jumped up and hugged everybody and high-fived us. We’re back from the carnival and Jeff’s resting now. He was very happy for his dad and the owners. We’ve rented a house for the Del Mar meet (which starts in late July), so he’s almost ready to get back to work.”

Jockey Pat Day’s third Preakness winner came with a ground-saving ride from the No. 1 post position that culminated with Tabasco Cat passing Go For Gin from the outside in the stretch. In the winner’s circle, Day said: “Jeff, I hope this quickens your rehabilitation and recovery. Get well soon.”

Tabasco Cat’s victory means that the Triple Crown series will have to wait at least another year before a 3-year-old has a chance to sweep the races. Affirmed, in 1978, was the last Triple Crown winner.

Go For Gin, helped by a sloppy track, beat the sixth-place Tabasco Cat by nine lengths in the roughly run Derby. By contrast, the $688,800 Preakness was run over a fast track and without incident, except for an awkward break by Numerous that took him out of contention early.

“Tabasco Cat has a big, flat foot, and I told Pat (Day) before the Derby that he would run over glass,” Lukas said. “But I was wrong. He didn’t handle the sloppy going at all.”

By the time Saturday’s 10-horse field had reached the top of the stretch, the outcome was reduced to two horses. Go For Gin, favored at 5-2, finished six lengths ahead of Concern, and the rest of the order of finish was Kandaly, Numerous, Blumin Affair, Looming, Silver Goblin, Powis Castle and Polar Expedition.

Tabasco Cat, a son of Storm Cat and Barbicue Sauce who paid $9.20 to win as the third betting choice, ran 1 3/16 miles over a dull track in 1:56 2/5. That was well off the Preakness record of 1:53 2/5, set by Tank’s Prospect--Lukas’ second winner of the race, in 1985. Lukas’ first Preakness winner, Codex in 1980, was the first of 16 horses he has started in the stake.

Tabasco Cat, earning $447,720 for his owners and breeders, William T. Young and David P. Reynolds, won for the sixth time in 10 starts and ended a long major-race slump for Lukas, whose last Grade I victory came when Twilight Agenda won the Meadowlands Cup in October of 1991.

Jockey Chris McCarron could find no excuses for Go For Gin. “He ran hard,” McCarron said. “He didn’t have quite the abrupt turn of foot at the three-sixteenths pole that he had in the Derby. I’m not sure why, but he didn’t have that big burst. There isn’t much to discuss about the last eighth of a mile. . . . We just got outrun from the eighth pole to the wire.”

Said Nick Zito, who trains Go For Gin: “My horse ran every step in the Derby. Tabasco Cat didn’t have to do that, so maybe he had more energy today.”

Both Tabasco Cat and Go For Gin are expected to run in the Triple Crown windup, the Belmont Stakes, in New York on June 11.

As expected, Polar Expedition broke first, with Go For Gin, Silver Goblin and Tabasco Cat immediately behind him. The fractions were slow, and at the five-eighths pole, while Go For Gin was moving to the lead, Tabasco Cat was moving between Silver Goblin and Polar Expedition into second place.

Tabasco Cat drew even with Go For Gin about an eighth of a mile from the wire. McCarron was working hard to keep his mount going, whipping first left-handed and then switching to the right. Day was whipping Tabasco Cat, too, but needed only four whacks from the left side.

“We had a picture-perfect trip,” Day said. “I had Go For Gin right where I wanted him when I turned for home. I had gotten there easily and had not asked my horse for any run at all. I felt like I had him any time I wanted.”

Reflecting on how the record books will show a death at the track one year and a victory the next, Wayne Lukas said: “It’s like I told Jeff, this isn’t a week-to-week game. It’s not a broken sesamoid-to-broken sesamoid game. It’s not one bowed tendon to another. It’s not getting the expensive yearlings and finding that they can’t run.

“You’ve almost got to look at this game in 10-year increments. After that, you can look back and see where you’ve had maybe five good years and three bad years. You handle the game any other way, and it’ll drive you to the nuthouse.”

Preakness Stakes Chart

1994, Daily Racing Form

10th Race at Pimlico. Saturday, May 21, 1994

1 3/16 Miles. Purse $500,000 Open, 3 Year Olds

Preakness Stakes 119th Running

Stake Value Of Race $686,800. Value To Winner $447,720. Second $137,760. Third $68,880. Fourth $34,440.

Mutuel Pool $1,300,673. Exacta Pool $813,825. Triple Pool $433,784. Late Daily Double Pool $88,889.

Horse, Jockey WT PP ST 1/4 1/2 3/4 Tabasco Cat, Day 126 1 1 44 42 3hd Go For Gin, McCarron 126 2 2 21 1/2 1hd 1 1/2 a-Concern, Gomez 126 3 9 10 92 9hd Kandaly, Perret 126 7 7 810 87 84 Numerous, 126 10 10 61 1/2 5 1/2 51 Valenzuela Blumin Affair, 126 6 6 74 61 63 Bailey a-Looming, Seefeldt 126 9 8 91 10 10 Silver Goblin, 126 4 4 31 31 1/2 41 1/2 Cordova Powis Castle, 126 5 5 5hd 74 71 1/2 Bartram Polar Expedition, 126 8 3 11 21 1/2 21 Bourque Times 23 3/5 47 2/5 1:11 4/5 1:37

Horse, Jockey Str Fin To $1 Tabasco Cat, Day 1hd 1 3/4 3.60 Go For Gin, McCarron 25 26 2.80 a-Concern, Gomez 7 1/2 3 1/2 10.20 Kandaly, Perret 51 41 3/4 11.80 Numerous, 3hd 5 1/2 9.10 Valenzuela Blumin Affair, 41 62 3.10 Bailey a-Looming, Seefeldt 9 87 1/2 10.20 Silver Goblin, 6hd 8 3/4 9.90 Cordova Powis Castle, 8 1/2 911 11.30 Bartram Polar Expedition, 10 10 18.10 Bourque Times 1:56 2/5

a-coupled

Off: 2:32 p.m. PDT. Start: Good, Won Driving. Track: Fast.

2 Tabasco Cat 9.20 4.60 4.60 3 Go For Gin 4.60 4.40 1 Concern 6.40

$2 Exacta (2-3) Paid $34.20

$2 Triple (2-3-1) Paid $160.40

$2 Late Daily Double (2-2) Paid $36.80

Winner--Ch C-Storm Cat-Barbicue Sauce, by Sauce Boat

Trainer--D. Wayne Lukas. Bred by Overbrook Farm & Reynolds David (Ky).

Scratched--None. Overweights--None.

Tabasco Cat, allowed to settle in behind the leaders after breaking alertly, saved ground to the end of the backstretch, split horses while moving midway of the far turn, caught Go For Gin near the final furlong and proved best under left handed urging.

Go For Gin, away in good order, went up after Polar Expedition around the first turn, gained a clear advantage midway of the far turn and continued on gamely in a long drive.

Concern, outrun for more than six furlongs, raced seven wide into the stretch and passed tiring horses.

Kandaly, without early foot, raced five wide into the stretch while making up some ground but failed to sustain his bid.

Numerous ducked out after the start, reached a striking position outside horses entering the backstretch, angled inside after moving through between horses approaching the stretch but weakened during the drive.

Blumin Affair, unhurried into the backstretch while racing five wide, continued wide while advancing into the far turn, then was finished leaving the furlong grounds.

Looming failed to be a serious factor.

Silver Goblin hit the side of the gate at the break, quickly reached contention, made a mild run three wide on the far turn, then had nothing left.

Powis Castle tired.

Polar Expedition raced slightly out from the rail while showing speed for six furlongs and stopped badly.