HORSE RACING: NO EXPERIENCE NEEDED.Byline: KEVIN MODESTI HORSE RACING horse racing, trials of speed involving two or more horses. It includes races among harnessed horses with one of two particular gaits, among saddled Thoroughbreds (or, less frequently, quarterhorses) on a flat track, or among saddled horses over a turf course with Next time you're hiring someone to train your Triple Crown horse, be sure your want ad stipulates: "No experience necessary." Michael Matz's victory with Barbaro in the Kentucky Derby Kentucky Derby One of the classic U.S. Thoroughbred horse races. It was established in 1875 and run annually on the first Saturday in May at Churchill Downs track in Louisville, Ky. With the Preakness and the Belmont Stakes, it makes up U.S. racing's coveted Triple Crown. made it four years in a row that the race was won by a trainer making his Triple Crown debut. Dan Hendricks' and Michael Trombetta's success with Brother Derek Brother Derek is a thoroughbred horse. A foal of 2003, he was thought to be a contender for the Triple Crown in 2006. He was an early favorite in the Kentucky Derby. However, after starting in post position #18, he fell short in the "Run for the Roses," finishing in a dead heat for and Sweetnorthernsaint - Barbaro's leading challengers in Saturday's Preakness Stakes Preakness Stakes One of the three classic U.S. horse races making up the Triple Crown. It is held annually in mid-May at Baltimore's Pimlico Race Course. The course distance is 1³⁄₁₆ mi (1.9 km). The field is limited to 3-year-old Thoroughbreds. - have made this an especially good year for Triple Crown rookies. And while the newcomers are on the ascent, this spring is notable for the disappointments of Triple Crown powerhouses D. Wayne Lukas Darrell Wayne Lukas (born September 2, 1935 in Antigo, Wisconsin) is a former educator who became one of the most successful horse trainers in American Thoroughbred horse racing history and a U.S. Racing Hall of Fame inductee. (no horses in the Derby or Preakness), Nick Zito Nicholas Philip "Nick" Zito (born February 6, 1948 in New York City, New York) is an American Thoroughbred horse trainer. Zito began his career as a hot walker and worked his way way up to a groom, to an assistant trainer, and to a trainer. (nothing in the Derby, one long shot in the Preakness) and Bob Baffert Bob Baffert (born January 13, 1953 in Nogales, Arizona) is an American horse owner and trainer. He graduated from the University of Arizona's Racetrack Management Program with a Bachelor of Science degree. (ninth-, 16th - and 17th-place finishers in the Derby, nothing in the Preakness). As Hendricks said to a group of writers the morning after Barbaro won the Derby, in which Brother Derek and Sweetnorthernsaint took troubled trips to fourth- and seventh-place finishes: "There's a lot more good trainers out there than you guys realize." For years, while the same familiar names kept popping up in the classics' "winning trainer" columns, most handicappers assumed it was an advantage if a trainer had experience with the unique challenges of the Triple Crown races. Now that the trend seems to have reversed, it's time It's Time was a successful political campaign run by the Australian Labor Party (ALP) under Gough Whitlam at the 1972 election in Australia. Campaigning on the perceived need for change after 23 years of conservative (Liberal Party of Australia) government, Labor put forward a to wonder not only if trainers without experience in the Triple Crown events face no disadvantage, but if they enjoy some weird kind of advantage. USA Today's Tom Pedulla wrote this week about the recent Derby triumphs of horses with relatively low-profile connections, including first-time Derby trainers Barclay Tagg Barclay Tagg (born December 30, 1937 in Lancaster, Pennsylvania) is an American Thoroughbred horse trainer. A 1961 graduate of Pennsylvania State University with a degree in Animal Husbandry, he is best known for conditioning Kentucky Derby, Preakness, and Jockey Club Gold Cup (Funny Cide, 2003), John Servis John C. Servis (born October 25, 1958 in Charles Town, West Virginia) is an American thoroughbred horse racing trainer who was a relative unknown until May 2004 when his horse Smarty Jones won the Kentucky Derby. (Smarty Jones, 2004), John Shirreffs (Giacomo, 2005) and Matz. Pedulla concluded that one reason for the phenomenon might be "changes in the breeding industry. Top stallions are being sent to more mares. That means their offspring are more readily available to those with smaller bankrolls." The theory makes sense to me. Here's an additional theory about why first-time Triple Crown trainers have been evening the score, following the period from 1986 to 1999 when only one Derby winner was trained by a Derby rookie, and 10 of the other 13 Derbies were won by Lukas (four), Zito, Baffert and Charlie Whittingham (two apiece): A trainer who hasn't been to the Derby before may be unburdened by preconceptions about how to prepare a horse for the one-of-a-kind race. Being less prone to try to plug a horse into a tried-and-true prep schedule, he's free to respond to the particular needs of his horse. There's nothing wrong with having an experienced trainer who knows the race, but there's nothing better than having a trainer who knows his horse. Matz's work with Barbaro illustrates the point. Many handicappers shied away from Barbaro because Matz chose to give the colt a relatively sparse prep schedule that concluded with a victory in the Florida Derby five weeks before the Kentucky Derby. Not since the 1950s had a horse won the Kentucky Derby after a break of more than four weeks. Matz was vindicated when Barbaro won the May 6 Derby by 6 1/2 lengths to remain undefeated in six starts. "All credit to Michael," said Peter Brette, Matz's English-born assistant. "He stuck with the plan." So much for experience. CAPTION(S): box Box: OUT OF THE GATE - Kevin Modesti |
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