Honor Won’t Leave Lukas Speechless

Trainer Wayne Lukas stood at a lectern in the sprawling press box at Churchill Downs. He was talking to reporters after the announcement Tuesday of his election to the Racing Hall of Fame.

“I want to see all you guys up here again,” Lukas said as the session wound down. “I want to see you about 5:54 p.m. on Saturday.”

That would be just about the right time for the post-Kentucky Derby news conference, at the same lectern. With Lukas, the major race wins and the accolades have come as though released from a free-running spigot. But his mind-set has always been wrapped around the tomorrows. A Hall of Fame inductee one day, a Kentucky Derby winner a little later? Lukas thought that had a nice ring to it.

He’s going to sneak up on this Derby if he’s to win the race for the fourth time. His two horses, Cat Thief and Charismatic, are taking a back seat to the two from trainer Bob Baffert’s barn, General Challenge and Prime Timber, in the betting. Lukas believes, however, his colts still have good chances.

“Wayne is the eternal optimist,” said Bob Lewis, who co-owns Charismatic with his wife Beverly.

The Lewises and Lukas could have lost Charismatic--twice--for a $62,500 claiming price in California, but now the colt seems to be peaking. After running a poor fourth in the Santa Anita Derby, he won the Lexington Stakes at Keeneland in impressive fashion April 18. Handicappers who try to assess how fast a horse runs by distilling the time into a raw number usually leave Lukas cold. But now the figures for the Lexington--1 1/16 miles run in 1:41--are in favor of Charismatic, so he is embracing them.

Charismatic has won only two of seven starts this year, but that’s still better than the underachieving Cat Thief, who has earned $281,500 finishing second and third twice each in four winless races. Still, Cat Thief ran a creditable second to Menifee in the Blue Grass Stakes at Keeneland, and if you like Menifee--which many do--you also have to like Cat Thief a little bit. At least that’s the way Lukas sees it.

Of Lukas’ three Derby wins, two were stealthy affairs. In 1995, Thunder Gulch drubbed the field at 24-1, even though he had won the Florida Derby. The next year, Lukas ran five horses, but didn’t talk much about Grindstone. The colt nailed Baffert’s Cavonnier at the wire in the last jump and paid $13.80.

“The only reason I didn’t talk much about him was because you guys [the press] never asked me about him,” Lukas said.

Less than a week later, Grindstone was retired. Historically, he’ll be remembered as the horse that cost Baffert three consecutive Derby wins--four, if one of Baffert’s horses wins Saturday.

“What was overlooked about Grindstone,” Lukas said, “was that he had had three knee operations between his 2-year-old and 3-year-old year. He was my best training job. Him and getting Tabasco Cat to go a mile and a half and win the [1994 Belmont].”

Lukas, 63, won his other Derby with Winning Colors in 1988. The horse was within a few thousand dollars of being the favorite--a favorite hasn’t won the Derby since Spectacular Bid in 1979--but Winning Colors’ victory was still a milestone because only two other fillies have won it. As of Tuesday, Baffert was thinking about running one of his two top fillies, Excellent Meeting, in the Derby, but it is more likely she’ll surface in the Kentucky Oaks, which is limited to fillies, Friday.

Lukas has started at least one horse in every Derby since his first try in 1981--33 overall--but he incurred an avalanche of criticism in 1997 when he preserved the streak by running Deeds Not Words, a mediocrity who didn’t belong. Some pundits accused Lukas of putting himself before his horse. Deeds Not Words ran last, beaten by more than 25 lengths.

The Deeds Not Words episode was the last straw for a dwindling minority that still supports Lukas in the print medium. They joined the majority of turf writers who think Lukas is more a promoter than a horseman; a guy who talks too much and races his horses too often, ending their careers prematurely. Then when Lukas, on the Hall of Fame ballot for the first time, complained he should have been considered sooner and suggested that he might not show up on induction day, some of the 130 voters were turned off.

Still, he was standing at the lectern Tuesday, having won out in the trainer category on a strong ballot that included Richard Mandella and Neil Drysdale. The Hall of Fame does not announce vote totals, and Lukas was the first to say, “I’m sure this wasn’t unanimous.”

Yet, anything but a landslide would have been laughable. His bare statistics run off the page: More than 500 stakes victories, almost $200 million in purses, 10 Triple Crown wins, 13 triumphs in the Breeders’ Cup. He has led the country in purses 14 of the last 16 years. Another millennium from now, Lukas’ extended run probably will be looked at with awe.

Trainers must be active 25 years to be eligible for the Hall of Fame, and Lukas finally put aside his argument that in his early, quarter horse years, he trained some thoroughbreds but didn’t get credit.

Induction day is Aug. 9 at Saratoga Springs, N.Y., and Lukas will be there.

“To say I was bitter over a lot of this would be a harsh word,” Lukas said. “Let’s just say the committee said I was in the business since 1974, and that was enough to get me on the ballot. You won’t take this [honor] back between now and August, will you?”

Horse Racing Notes

Silverbulletday was installed as the 3-5 favorite and stablemate Excellent Meeting was listed at 2-1 as eight fillies were entered Tuesday for Friday’s $500,000 Kentucky Oaks at Churchill Downs. Trainer Bob Baffert said there is still a chance that Excellent Meeting also will be entered for Saturday’s Kentucky Derby, when entries are drawn today. . . . Other horses entered for the Oaks are Gold From The West, Marley Vale, The Happy Hopper, Sweepin Story, Dreams Gallore and Positive Gal. . . . Certain has been declared out of the Derby. . . . Baffert’s Derby horses worked over a sloppy track Tuesday, with General Challenge running five furlongs in 1:00 and Prime Timber being timed in 1:00 3/5. . . . Other Derby workouts: Vicar 59 4/5, and Adonis 1:02 2/5.

* ENSHRINED: Joining Lukas in the Hall of Fame are jockey Russell Baze and three horses: Miesque, Exceller and Gun Bow. Page 5

* CLEARED: Valhol appears to be Derby-bound after a judge orders payment of purse from Arkansas Derby victory. Page 5

Derby Facts

The 125th running of the Kentucky Derby on Saturday:

* TV: Channel 7.

* Post time: 2:30 p.m. PDT. (Television coverage begins at 1:30 p.m.)

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX / INFOGRAPHIC)

KENTUCKY DERBY WINS

Trainer Wayne Lukas will try to win a fourth Kentucky Derby Saturday with two horses entered, Cat Thief and Charismatic. A look at some of Lukas’ other accomplishments:

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Year Race Horse 1980 Preakness Codex 1985 Preakness Tank’s Prospect 1988 Kentucky Derby Winning Colors 1994 Preakness Tabasco Cat 1994 Belmont Tabasco Cat 1995 Kentucky Derby Thunder Gulch 1995 Preakness Timber Country 1995 Belmont Thunder Gulch 1996 Kentucky Derby Grindstone 1996 Belmont Editor’s Note

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BREEDERS’ CUP WINS

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Year Race Horse 1985 Juvenile Fillies Twilight Ridge 1985 Distaff Life’s Magic 1986 Juvenile Capote 1986 Distaff Lady’s Secret 1987 Juvenile Success Express 1987 Distaff Sacahuista 1988 Sprint Gulch 1988 Juvenile Fillies Open Mind 1988 Juvenile Is It True 1989 Mile Steinlen 1994 Juvenile Fillies Flanders 1994 Juvenile Timber Country 1996 Juvenile Boston Harbor

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YEAR-BY-YEAR

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Year Wins Purses 1974 14 $86,847 1978 37 $942,786 1979 63 $1,360,772 1980 64 $2,010,841 1981 71 $2,658,981 1982 89 $3,522,725 1983 78 $4,267,261 1984 131 $5,835,921 1985 218 $11,155,188 1986 259 $12,345,180 1987 343 $17,502,110 1988 318 $17,842,358 1989 305 $16,103,998 1990 267 $14,508,871 1991 289 $15,942,223 1992 230 $9,806,436 1993 135 $4,122,153 1994 147 $9,250,591 1995 194 $12,842,865 1996 192 $15,967,608 1997 175 $10,351,397 1998 103 $7,248,532 *1999 24 $1,630,773 Totals 3,746 $197,306,417

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*-Through April 26.