Charitable Man is reportedly ready to roll
DiscreetCat
Moderator
from the Baltimore Sun:
ELMONT, N.Y. - Mine That Bird and Calvin Borel might be the talk of the Belmont Stakes this week as Borel tries to become the first jockey to win three Triple Crown races despite having ridden two different horses. But there is a growing sense within the sport that Mine That Bird, who was named the 2-1 favorite at the post position draw Wednesday, won't be the horse to beat Saturday.
That honor might go to Charitable Man, who didn't run in the Kentucky Derby or the Preakness but won the Peter Pan Stakes at Belmont Park on May 9.
"I wouldn't trade horses with anybody else," trainer Kiaran McLaughlin said Wednesday after his horse drew the No. 6 position and 3-1 morning-line odds. "I wish the race was tonight because he's training that well."
McLaughlin believes Charitable Man has the speed to get out front and the talent to stay there in a 1 1/2 -mile race. He's also 3-for-3 on dirt-track races this year and is completely fresh - two factors McLaughlin says he feels make him the true favorite. And he's not alone in his thinking.
"Without a doubt, it's Charitable Man," said trainer D. Wayne Lukas, who has won the Belmont four times and is tied for the most Triple Crown victories all time with 13. "Absolutely, without a doubt. His scenario, his style, and the way he's coming up fits perfectly. And Kiaran is one of my guys, so I'm pulling for him if I can't win."
The camaraderie in horse racing is a little like what you might see in high school. Can you see which trainers would immediately fit into certain social cliques?
Chip Woolley would be one of the cowboys, chewing tobacco out by the parking lot, possibly fixing to start a fight out of boredom. Bob Baffert would be the preppy rich kid, wearing a Lacoste polo shirt and making wisecracks in the back of the classroom. Nick Zito would be the student body president, and Lukas the captain of the basketball team as well as the prom king.
McLaughlin, though, would probably be the science whiz. He would be the low-key genius-in-training who seems a little shy, at least at first, and always has a handful of pens stuffed in his front pocket. But talk to him a little bit and you quickly realize he also has a little swagger to him, like a student about to take a test who is convinced he knows all the answers. Maybe that's why he's so confident about his horse's chances.
McLaughlin isn't a household name outside horse racing circles, though he did win the Belmont with Jazil in 2006. But the 48-year-old Kentucky native - who says he got into horse training because he was "too short to play for the University of Kentucky basketball team" - has shown that he was paying close attention when he spent several years as one of Lukas' proteges. In 1993, he was tapped by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum to work as a trainer for his operations in Dubai, and since, he has experienced considerable success, winning some of the biggest races in the sport, including the Dubai World Cup, the richest horse race in the world. McLaughlin earned a reputation as an extremely hard worker, which is even more impressive when you learn he was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 1998 and takes injections to suppress the disease.
"He's just salt of the earth," Lukas said. "He's as nice of a person as you'll ever run into. He's a fast learner, too. ... And he was absolutely a four-star employee. There was no doubt in my mind when the Arabs tapped him to come to Dubai, their whole program was going to move up. In my opinion, if they'd listen a little more to him, there ain't no telling what they could do."
Charitable Man, who will be ridden by jockey Alan Garcia, looked like a pretty good prospect for the Kentucky Derby when he romped to an 11 1/2 -length victory in his first race and then won the Futurity at Belmont in mid-September 2008. But a shin injury that required surgery dashed those hopes, meaning he couldn't compete in any of the Derby prep races.
"It was frustrating because he's so talented," McLaughlin said.
The horse still had enough graded stakes earnings to qualify for the Derby, but McLaughlin and owner William Warren decided to hold Charitable Man out of the race when he didn't run well in the Blue Grass Stakes in April, finishing seventh. When Mine That Bird came out of nowhere to win the Derby, McLaughlin acknowledged he was kicking himself for not taking his shot with Charitable Man. He said he won't make that mistake again.
"I'm born and raised in Lexington, Ky., so I've always dreamt of winning the Kentucky Derby," McLaughlin said. "And if we ran back in three weeks, you know he might have won the Kentucky Derby. ... It will definitely alter my thinking in the future. If I have four eligible, I'm probably going to run four in the Kentucky Derby. Everyone will know this year helped make that decision going forward. If you're eligible, you need to put them in the gate because you never know what's going to happen."
McLaughlin's comments did raise a few eyebrows, seeing as how they could easily be interpreted as his being dismissive of Mine That Bird, but McLaughlin says they weren't intended that way.
"I kind of said that stuff about never missing the Derby again kiddingly," McLaughlin said. "We have a lot of respect for the other horses, but we're ready to go. Hopefully we'll be rewarded Saturday.
ELMONT, N.Y. - Mine That Bird and Calvin Borel might be the talk of the Belmont Stakes this week as Borel tries to become the first jockey to win three Triple Crown races despite having ridden two different horses. But there is a growing sense within the sport that Mine That Bird, who was named the 2-1 favorite at the post position draw Wednesday, won't be the horse to beat Saturday.
That honor might go to Charitable Man, who didn't run in the Kentucky Derby or the Preakness but won the Peter Pan Stakes at Belmont Park on May 9.
"I wouldn't trade horses with anybody else," trainer Kiaran McLaughlin said Wednesday after his horse drew the No. 6 position and 3-1 morning-line odds. "I wish the race was tonight because he's training that well."
McLaughlin believes Charitable Man has the speed to get out front and the talent to stay there in a 1 1/2 -mile race. He's also 3-for-3 on dirt-track races this year and is completely fresh - two factors McLaughlin says he feels make him the true favorite. And he's not alone in his thinking.
"Without a doubt, it's Charitable Man," said trainer D. Wayne Lukas, who has won the Belmont four times and is tied for the most Triple Crown victories all time with 13. "Absolutely, without a doubt. His scenario, his style, and the way he's coming up fits perfectly. And Kiaran is one of my guys, so I'm pulling for him if I can't win."
The camaraderie in horse racing is a little like what you might see in high school. Can you see which trainers would immediately fit into certain social cliques?
Chip Woolley would be one of the cowboys, chewing tobacco out by the parking lot, possibly fixing to start a fight out of boredom. Bob Baffert would be the preppy rich kid, wearing a Lacoste polo shirt and making wisecracks in the back of the classroom. Nick Zito would be the student body president, and Lukas the captain of the basketball team as well as the prom king.
McLaughlin, though, would probably be the science whiz. He would be the low-key genius-in-training who seems a little shy, at least at first, and always has a handful of pens stuffed in his front pocket. But talk to him a little bit and you quickly realize he also has a little swagger to him, like a student about to take a test who is convinced he knows all the answers. Maybe that's why he's so confident about his horse's chances.
McLaughlin isn't a household name outside horse racing circles, though he did win the Belmont with Jazil in 2006. But the 48-year-old Kentucky native - who says he got into horse training because he was "too short to play for the University of Kentucky basketball team" - has shown that he was paying close attention when he spent several years as one of Lukas' proteges. In 1993, he was tapped by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum to work as a trainer for his operations in Dubai, and since, he has experienced considerable success, winning some of the biggest races in the sport, including the Dubai World Cup, the richest horse race in the world. McLaughlin earned a reputation as an extremely hard worker, which is even more impressive when you learn he was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 1998 and takes injections to suppress the disease.
"He's just salt of the earth," Lukas said. "He's as nice of a person as you'll ever run into. He's a fast learner, too. ... And he was absolutely a four-star employee. There was no doubt in my mind when the Arabs tapped him to come to Dubai, their whole program was going to move up. In my opinion, if they'd listen a little more to him, there ain't no telling what they could do."
Charitable Man, who will be ridden by jockey Alan Garcia, looked like a pretty good prospect for the Kentucky Derby when he romped to an 11 1/2 -length victory in his first race and then won the Futurity at Belmont in mid-September 2008. But a shin injury that required surgery dashed those hopes, meaning he couldn't compete in any of the Derby prep races.
"It was frustrating because he's so talented," McLaughlin said.
The horse still had enough graded stakes earnings to qualify for the Derby, but McLaughlin and owner William Warren decided to hold Charitable Man out of the race when he didn't run well in the Blue Grass Stakes in April, finishing seventh. When Mine That Bird came out of nowhere to win the Derby, McLaughlin acknowledged he was kicking himself for not taking his shot with Charitable Man. He said he won't make that mistake again.
"I'm born and raised in Lexington, Ky., so I've always dreamt of winning the Kentucky Derby," McLaughlin said. "And if we ran back in three weeks, you know he might have won the Kentucky Derby. ... It will definitely alter my thinking in the future. If I have four eligible, I'm probably going to run four in the Kentucky Derby. Everyone will know this year helped make that decision going forward. If you're eligible, you need to put them in the gate because you never know what's going to happen."
McLaughlin's comments did raise a few eyebrows, seeing as how they could easily be interpreted as his being dismissive of Mine That Bird, but McLaughlin says they weren't intended that way.
"I kind of said that stuff about never missing the Derby again kiddingly," McLaughlin said. "We have a lot of respect for the other horses, but we're ready to go. Hopefully we'll be rewarded Saturday.
Comments
Dominated by Charitable Man??? Summer Bird is no better? Mr Hot Stuff fight for 4th? Mine that Bird fight for 4th?? How about lose 2nd by a head after having the lead at the top of the stretch.
1 outta 5 ain't bad, Dunkirk did get 2nd. Has to be a fluke.
LMFAO!!!!!!!!