Real Quiet Makes Some Noise

The day that trainer Bob Baffert bought Real Quiet out of a Keeneland yearling sale, he and the horse’s new owner, Mike Pegram, sat down to discuss their nine purchases.

“What did you get me?” Pegram asked.

“I got you one horse that’s really beautiful,” Baffert said.

Pegram thumbed through his sales catalog to find Real Quiet’s pedigree.

“What did you pay for him?” he asked.

“$17,000,” Baffert said.

“Does he have cancer?” Pegram said.

Racing really is a crazy game. Another of the Pegram horses from that lot was claimed the other day for $12,500. And Real Quiet, whose sale price was the same as Seattle Slew’s, won Saturday’s 124th Kentucky Derby, sending Pegram to the winner’s circle with Baffert, who seems to have a lifetime reservation.

When Real Quiet crossed the line just in time, half a length ahead of the charging Victory Gallop, Baffert became the second trainer this decade and the sixth overall to win the Derby in successive years. Wayne Lukas was the last, with Thunder Gulch and Grindstone in 1995-96, and Silver Charm and Real Quiet have now enrolled Baffert in this exclusive club. Baffert missed three in a row only because his Cavonnier didn’t have a nose as long as Grindstone’s three years ago.

When Baffert’s wife, Sherry, arrived from Huntington Beach a few days ago, they had a discussion about the Derby.

“I’m having a tough time getting up for this Derby,” the trainer said. “I don’t know how we’re going to match the excitement of Silver Charm.”

When Real Quiet edged ahead of his stablemate, Indian Charlie, with a quarter-mile to go, Baffert realized that there’s nothing blase about the Derby.

“It feels better every time,” he said.

Victory Gallop, the Arkansas Derby winner, finished 2 1/4 lengths ahead of Indian Charlie, who tired badly in the stretch. Indian Charlie, who was 5-2, had won the Santa Anita Derby a month ago for Baffert, and went into the Kentucky Derby with an undefeated, four-race record, but he became the 18th straight Derby favorite to capsize.

Indian Charlie was a head better than Halory Hunter, the fourth-place finisher. After them, in order, came Cape Town, Parade Ground, Hanuman Highway, Favorite Trick, Nationalore, Old Trieste, Chilito, Robinwould, Artax, Rock And Roll and Basic Trainee.

The chance of rain vanished, the third-largest Derby crowd of 143,215 watched and over a souped-up track Real Quiet ran 1 1/4 miles in 2:02 1/5, after fractions of 22 3/5, 45 3/5, 1:10 3/5 and a mile in 1:35 3/5. The winning time, well off Secretariat’s 25-year-old track record of 1:59 2/5, was a fifth of a second faster than Silver Charm’s time in the Derby.

A son of Quiet American, Real Quiet went off the fifth betting choice and paid $18.80. Victory Gallop went off at 14-1.

This was Real Quiet’s third win in 13 starts, and the $738,800 winner’s purse made him a millionaire, hiking his earnings to $1.3 million. The Derby was his first win in four starts this year and his first since the Hollywood Futurity in December.

Kent Desormeaux, riding in his seventh Derby, won the race for the first time, atoning for 1 1/8 miles of misadventures when he and Real Quiet finished second, 2 1/4 lengths behind Indian Charlie, in the Santa Anita Derby.

“I’m in shock,” Desormeaux said. “I can’t believe I’ve done it.”

Before the race, Baffert and Desormeaux discussed strategy.

“I told him that this race is won on the first turn,” Baffert said. “I told him to get our horse to the rail and get behind a fast horse.”

With the No. 3 post position and slower horses inside him, Real Quiet had an easy time reaching the fence. The anticipated speed horses--Old Trieste, Rock And Roll and Chilito--made the pace. Old Trieste’s opening half-mile was among the five fastest in Derby history.

Desormeaux was content in sixth place, about five lengths behind Old Trieste. Favorite Trick was also in a good spot, fourth place, after four furlongs. Indian Charlie was fifth.

On the turn for home, the closers were on the move, the leaders were faltering and when Rock And Roll stopped in front of Desormeaux, he moved Real Quiet to the outside and went past Indian Charlie, who had taken a brief lead.

“He inhaled me,” said Gary Stevens, who was riding Indian Charlie.

Through the stretch, Desormeaux went to the whip, switching from the left to the right hand inside the sixteenth pole.

“After I moved outside, ‘The Fish’ [Real Quiet’s nickname] did the rest,” Desormeaux said. “When he [switched lead feet], he gave me four more jumps that kept us rolling. After that, it was, ‘Pay the man!’ ”

J.B. McKathan, the Florida horseman who was instrumental in the purchase of Silver Charm and who breaks yearlings for Baffert, nicknamed Real Quiet right after Pegram bought him.

“The colt had a great body, but he was kind of funky in front,” Baffert said. “He was narrow, and both of the legs looked like they came out of the same hole. You know how you see a tropical fish in the tank. He looks better from the side than he would from the front.”

Pegram, 46, owns 21 McDonald’s franchises in Washington state. Like Baffert, he started with quarter horses and they both segued into thoroughbreds in the early 1990s.

This was a homecoming of sorts for Pegram, who grew up in nearby Princeton, Ind. “That’s about eight beers from here,” he said.

His first days in racing were at Ellis Park, in Henderson, Ky., and he’d skip school to go to Churchill Downs.

“If this isn’t a movie, I don’t know what is,” Pegram said. “It’s really appropriate that I’ve won the big race at the track where I started.”

The next race in the Triple Crown series, the one Silver Charm won last year, is the Preakness at Pimlico on May 16. Real Quiet is expected to be there.

“The Preakness?” Pegram twitted. “Where’s that? Right now, I just don’t want this day to end. I’m not thinking about two weeks from today. We’ve got a lot of beer to drink tonight.”

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX / INFOGRAPHIC)

THE FINISH

1. REAL QUIET

Jockey: Kent Desormeaux

Trainer: Bob Baffert

Owner: Mike Pegram

Payoff: $18.80, $8.80, $5.80

2. VICTORY GALLOP

Jockey: Alex Solis

Payoff: $13.00, $7.60

3. INDIAN CHARLIE

Jockey: Gary Stevens

Payoff: $4.20

Derby Double

Trainers who have won the Kentucky Derby in successive years:

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Trainer Horse Year H.J. Thompson Burgoo King 1932 Brokers Tip 1933 Ben Jones Citation 1948 Ponder 1949 Jimmy Jones Iron Liege 1957 Tim Tam 1958 Lucien Laurin Riva Ridge 1972 Secretariat 1973 Wayne Lukas Thunder Gulch 1995 Grindstone 1996 Bob Baffert Silver Charm 1997 Real Quiet 1998

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