Lexington, KY - Fasig-Tipton’s sales pavilion was buzzing with a crowd of two-legged youngsters on April 16, as the University of Kentucky’s Horse Racing Club held its fourth annual panel discussion event with racing industry professionals. With the Kentucky Derby only a few weeks away, this year’s edition was titled “Inside Horse Racing: The Road to the Triple Crown.” The panel included owner and bloodstock analyst Barry Irwin, trainer Dale Romans, Darley America president Jimmy Bell, and Triple Crown-winning jockey Jean Cruguet.
The club offers free lectures for students each month as well as field trips to local farms and racetracks and strives to serve both newcomers to racing and those interested in pursuing a career in the sport. The annual panel event, which is open to the public, also includes a silent auction, which this year will benefit the Permanently Disabled Jockeys’ Fund.
“I think it’s important for students to come to something like this, because students are the future of the industry,” club president Natalie Heitz said. “The more you get them involved, the more you get them passionate about the sport … I think that’s what’s going to help [its] longevity. Getting them here, getting them face-to-face with industry leaders … and maybe approach them for a job situation is the best bet.”
Moderated by Horse Racing Radio Network founder Mike Penna, the panel was asked the challenge of the elusive Crown, which was last won by Affirmed some 34 years ago. While many racing analysts and fans have become discouraged about their chances of seeing another Triple Crown, the panelists remained optimistic.
“There have been plenty of horses who were good enough to do it [since then]; there just weren’t any lucky enough,” said Irwin, owner of 2011 Kentucky Derby winner Animal Kingdom. “It’s going to happen again. We just have to wait for it, is all.”
The Triple Crown requires horses to compete in the one-and-a-quarter-mile Derby (often the first test for three-year-olds at that distance), then the Preakness two weeks later, and the mile-and-a-half Belmont three weeks after that — a grueling schedule for horses who may be used to four or five weeks between races.
Panelists agreed that it takes a special type of horse to even be “good enough” to have a shot at the Crown. The large field (20 competitors) in the Derby requires a horse to be athletic and tough enough to deal with bumping and jostling from the group; the variable distances and timing of the races require both tactical speed and incredible physical fitness. Off the racetrack, Bell commented that a mentor once told him that truly great horses are aware of their talents and carry themselves confidently, even posing for cameras. All agreed that the will to win is paramount.
“They’re not competing for money, they’re not competing for scholarships, they’re not competing for the headlines in the newspapers,” said Bell. “They’re competing because they love to compete … I really think that they know when they’ve done something that’s pleased their handlers.”
When it came to choosing their favorite Triple Crown winners, jockey Jean Cruguet has had perhaps the easiest choice to make: he was aboard Seattle Slew for each of his Triple Crown races in 1977.
Cruguet said he knew after the Kentucky Derby that Slew was special enough to win the whole thing — and of course Slew is his favorite of the 11 winners.
Three of the four panelists have Derby (and by extension, Triple Crown) prospects this season. Irwin owns Went the Day Well, who he believes may not be quite experienced enough for the Derby, but has plenty of maturity and a love for distance races. He hopes the colt will be able to step up to the plate in a few weeks, when he will face Romans trainee Dullahan, recent winner of the Blue Grass Stakes at Keeneland. Bell is, of course, pulling for Darley-owned Alpha, whom he says endured considerable jostling in his second-place finish in the Wood Memorial Stakes.
In parting, the panel offered their advice to the students in the audience, many of whom aspire to work in the racing industry after graduation. Romans emphasized that the love of horses and hard work should be young professionals’ motivators — not money. Irwin suggested students “get as close to someone you idolize as possible” and look for opportunities to get hands-on experience.
Bell’s parting words may have summarized the group’s feelings best: “Be patient, but be passionate.”