Changing Paths: How the Road to the Kentucky Derby Has Changed the Path to the Triple Crown

Article by Jennifer Kelly

The Triple Crown has evolved into more than three historic stakes races; indeed, it dominates the first half of the racing calendar, driving the complexion of the three-year-old division and influencing both owners’ and trainers’ goals for their horses. The first of the three, the Kentucky Derby, has become the stuff of dreams, inspiring many owners of a young Thoroughbred to pursue their own piece of history. Preparing a horse for the first Saturday in May has taken on a new dimension with the addition of the Road to the Kentucky Derby points system. 

How much has this new priority affected trainers’ plans for their Triple Crown hopefuls? While trainers remained focused on preparing their horses to peak in late spring, how they get there has changed in the decades between the first eleven Triple Crowns and the 21st century’s two winners, a change that is both a result of and an influence on the approach to the Derby prep season. 

Path to the Crown

Preparing for a Triple Crown campaign over the last century has been as individual a pursuit as the horses themselves with the approach falling into a pattern in the later decades. Sir Barton went into the 1919 Kentucky Derby a maiden with no starts before his trip to Churchill Downs, a strategic move on trainer H.G. Bedwell’s part: the Derby had maiden allowance conditions at the time, which meant that the son of Star Shoot went to the starting line carrying twelve pounds less than favorites Eternal and Billy Kelly. 

Gallant Fox had only the Wood Memorial ahead of the Preakness Stakes, which came first in 1930. Counting that classic, the Fox had two races prior to his turn at Churchill Downs. His son Omaha was similarly tested in 1935; he opened his season with a win in a one-mile, 70-yard allowance before finishing third in the Wood Memorial at the same distance. War Admiral started 1937 with wins in a six-furlong allowance and then the 1 1/16-mile Chesapeake Stakes before heading to Louisville. 

The four Triple Crown winners of the 1940s were war horses not just because of the international context of that decade, but also because of their preparations for the triad of races. Whirlaway raced seven times at distances from 5½-furlong sprints to 1⅛-mile tests between early February and the first Saturday in May and all were in-the-money finishes as Ben Jones struggled to find a solution for the colt’s tendency to bear out on the far turn. Count Fleet echoed Omaha with his two starts in an allowance and the Wood Memorial, winning both. Assault started his path to Derby with three starts, a six-furlong sprint, the 1 1/16-mile Wood Memorial, and then the one-mile Derby Trial two days before the big race. Citation raced eight times in early 1948, finishing second only once, before his Kentucky Derby, starting with a six-furlong sprint in early February and stretching out to 1 1/8 miles twice. 

Secretariat’s path to Louisville went through a trio of races in New York, progressively lengthening the distance from seven furlongs in the Bay Shore to 1⅛ miles in the Wood Memorial. Seattle Slew had a similar preparation in 1977, stretching out from a sprint to nine furlongs, while Affirmed started four times, starting with a win in a 6½-furlong allowance, in California before coming west for his 1978 Triple Crown run. 

Keeneland Library Morgan Collection - War Admiral with C. Kurtsinger after winning Preakness Stakes 05.15.1937

Most of the first eleven winners prepared with races increasing in length as the first Saturday in May grew closer. While the number of races to get there varied by horse, that philosophy remained mostly unchanged, though now the need for points puts a heavier influence on the choice of prep races for potential Triple Crown horses. 

A New Approach 

Prior to 2013, the conditions for entry into the Kentucky Derby evolved from paying the entry fees to using criteria like graded stakes earnings to rank potential starters ahead of the first Saturday in May. The oversized 23-horse field in 1974 made it clear that the field size for the first Triple Crown classic needed to be capped. The following year, Churchill Downs limited the field to 20 horses with career earnings as the criteria for qualification. Contrast this with the Preakness and the Belmont Stakes, which both have 14-horse limits. 

As 20-horse fields became more common in the 1980s and onward, Churchill Downs had to change their metric from career earnings to stakes earnings to graded stakes earnings. The points system evolved as a fairer solution to the problem of qualifying for the Derby starting gate. In 2024, the Road to the Kentucky Derby series offered 37 races with points ranging from 1 point for fourth place in an early prep to 100 points for the top tier qualifiers like the Santa Anita Derby, the Wood Memorial, and the Bluegrass Stakes. In addition to the traditional American prep races, Churchill Downs has added both European and Japanese Roads to the Kentucky Derby in an effort to make the race more global. 

Since the introduction of the points system in 2013, the number of races for North American horses has remained relatively the same, with the inaugural season counting 36 races and the 2024 edition with 37. To make the Derby more appealing internationally, Churchill Downs added the Japanese series in 2017 and the European in 2018. The series starts with 13 two-year-old races, ranging from one mile to 1 1/8 miles, and then picks up steam in mid-January with the Lecomte at Fair Grounds and ends with the Lexington at Keeneland in mid-April. The same-year series starts with one-mile races and expands to multiple 1 1/8-mile tests, with the Louisiana Derby clocking in as the longest at 1 3/16 miles. 

With that in mind, how has this shift from graded stakes earnings to points changed how a trainer approaches conditioning their charges for the five-week Triple Crown season? 

Now and Then

Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher is no stranger to the Triple Crown season. Since 2000, he has started 64 horses in the Kentucky Derby with two wins, Super Saver in 2010 and Always Dreaming in 2017, and four Belmont Stakes to his credit, including Rags to Riches, the last filly to win the historic stakes. 

Looking back at his first Derby winner, the path to Louisville with Super Saver “was sort of an interesting one because we really got behind schedule. After the Tampa Bay Derby, he got sick, which ended up pushing us back a week, and we ended up landing on the Arkansas Derby as his final prep, when generally we would have preferred to have four or five weeks from our final prep to the Derby itself. Seemed like the horse had the best month of his life during those three weeks leading up to the Derby.” Getting the WinStar colt enough graded stakes earnings to qualify for the first Triple Crown classic worked out with his placings in the Tampa Bay and Arkansas Derbies in addition to his win in the Grade 2 Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes the previous season. 

In 2017, though, the road to Louisville required collecting enough points to get into the gate. Always Dreaming started his three-year-old season with a win in a maiden special weight and then Pletcher and the colt’s partnership had to make a decision. “The real conversation that we had to have was whether or not we ran in the Fountain of Youth or if we ran in the allowance race the day of the Fountain of Youth. The horse was training exceptionally well, we were very confident that we were on the path to the Derby, and that we had a legitimate derby contender. But in order to make the decision to run in the allowance race, we had to have everyone on board to say that they were willing to roll the dice on one prep race.”

To earn his points, Always Dreaming then had to win the Florida Derby, his lone stakes before the Derby, where “if we didn't finish in the top two, or even if we finished second, it wasn't guaranteed that we would get in based on points,” Pletcher remembered. “Everyone was comfortable with that decision. Everyone wanted to bring him along that way. In this case, we decided to go with that plan and take a shot with one prep race.” The Bodemeister colt won his lone prep and earned 100 points, which guaranteed his place in the Derby starting gate. 

Nick Zito won his two Kentucky Derbies in the 1990s, when graded stakes earnings were the standard for qualification, which meant that juvenile stakes wins counted more than they do today. “Go for Gin won the Remsen as a two-year-old and then came back in the Fountain of Youth and in the Florida Derby, and then he was second in the Wood. So he had already qualified,” he remembered, “Basically, today, with the point system, they're just trying to get as many points as they can because they know there are a lot of horses that are trying to get to the Derby.”

Now, the Hall of Famer sees the Kentucky Derby as “more of an event. I remember Carl Nafzger’s ‘I love you, Mrs. Genter.’ […] And then, of course, Lukas and Baffert keeping this thing up. A lot of people just wanted to be in the Derby after that.” The increasing cachet of having a horse in the Derby has driven more owners to chase the points necessary to be in the Top 20 by the first week of May. 

If a trainer has a Triple Crown contender in the barn, then the point system changes how they map out the horse’s early starts in pursuit of points. “I think what they're doing is, at two they're trying to break the maiden. Then when they get to three, if they haven't broken their maiden at two, [they] go longer […] to try to break the maiden. And after they break the maiden, a lot of them go right into a stakes,” Zito observed. “My theory is they get the calendar out, they see the Jeff Ruby, or they see the Rebel, or they see this race, or that race, or this race, or Gotham, I better go there because I got to get some points.”

The Road to the Kentucky Derby may have influenced some changes to trainers’ strategies for their hopefuls, but it also has mirrored the trend toward racing less often in order to optimize a horse’s performance. The points distribution plays into that strategy, prioritizing the traditional preps in late spring.

Changing Strategies 

All of the races in the points system are a mile or longer, which favors horses stretching out earlier than they may have previously, making shorter races, even stakes, less of a target. “The point system has, I'm not going to say eliminated, but to a large part, greatly decreased trainers running horses in, let's say, the Swale,” Pletcher observed. “Traditionally, a lot of guys would do that and then go to the Fountain of Youth and Florida Derby and kind of take that gradual route of stretching out. And that's just not the way a lot of people are training. They're going to go straight to a long race, and long races have points.”

“Now most of them concentrate on the bigger races. If they don't have the points to begin with, they're going to have to run in a place where they could qualify,” Zito pointed out. “If you run first or second in one of those, chances are you might get in over horses that have accumulated points during the year. So, basically, it'll come down to those last three days, sometimes.”

This emphasis on points rather than earnings has eliminated the chance for early graded stakes winners and stakes-winning sprinters to get into the gate on the first Saturday in May. Even if those early winners did not train on at three, they still had earned a chance to try the Kentucky Derby; similarly, sprinters could set or stalk a fast pace early in the race, setting the stage for closers to make their run for glory in the stretch. The points system instead favors classic distance horses, especially those who can win at eight furlongs or longer early in their three-year-old seasons. With the higher point value preps in late spring, the system minimizes what a horse does in their juvenile season, which means that trainers face a new challenge: how to season a Triple Crown hopeful enough to handle the dynamics of a 20-horse field over ten furlongs while also having them in peak condition for that distance. 

Pletcher also pointed out “the other biggest impact is on fillies. A filly would have to step out and run against colts in a final prep in order to earn enough points,” as Secret Oath did in 2022, but only after she had accrued enough points toward a place in the Kentucky Oaks. Swiss Skydiver also stepped outside of her division to run second in the pandemic-delayed 2020 Bluegrass Stakes, which gave her enough points to qualify for the Derby starting gate. In the end, both fillies deferred that opportunity and ran in the Kentucky Oaks, leaving Devil May Care as the last filly to contest the Derby, finishing 10th in 2010, three years before the points system was instituted. 

Another trend over the five years has been the decreasing number of Derby starters contesting the Preakness. Other than Super Saver and Always Dreaming, Pletcher has “historically skipped the Preakness with a lot of our Derby contenders, and I think that's a good example of trainer management that's evolved over the years. And taking those horses and giving them five weeks in between the Kentucky Derby and the Belmont is part of the reason why we've had a lot of success” in that final Triple Crown classic. 

Zito followed a similar path with his most recent Belmont Stakes winners. “We ran Birdstone, one of the most memorable Belmonts ever, beating Smarty Jones. But he ran in the Derby; he didn't run in the Preakness,” the Hall of Famer observed. With Da’Tara, “he never ran in the Derby, and then he won the Belmont and stopped Big Brown.” His most recent Triple Crown starter, Frammento in 2015, earned his spot in the Kentucky Derby through in-the-money finishes in the Fountain of Youth and the Bluegrass Stakes. After finishing 11th behind American Pharoah, Zito opted to skip the Preakness and instead sent Frammento to the Belmont, where he finished 5th behind the Triple Crown winner. 

The Road to the Kentucky Derby is in its twelfth year, the number of horses going from Louisville to Baltimore remaining steady, with an average of four horses making the trip, until 2023, when only Kentucky Derby winner Mage tried the Preakness Stakes. So far, the decreasing number of horses returning for the Preakness may be attributed more to the trend of spacing races out rather than the effects of pursuing points, a phenomenon which has prompted discussion about expanding the gaps between the Triple Crown classics. As of 2024, any changes to the classic calendar remain an ongoing debate without an immediate resolution. 

The sport has seen two Triple Crown winners since Churchill Downs introduced the Road to the Kentucky Derby points system. Those two champions plus I’ll Have Another and California Chrome were the only horses to win two or more classics in the 2010s; in the century since Sir Barton, that number echoes most decades except the 1920s and the 1950s. So far, the 2020s have not seen any horse win more than one classic, but the question of what is behind trainers’ changing approaches to the Triple Crown season will require more time to answer.   

Opinion: Earle Mack - No More Dirt

Earle Mack

In the wake of the tragic deaths of 12 horses at Churchill Downs, the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority (HISA) has called for an emergency summit. This presents both a moment of leadership for HISA and an important test for the independent directors of the Churchill Downs Corporation to protect shareholder interests and ensure the survival of the entire horse racing industry. They must step up and meet the moment or step down. This can be achieved by ending dirt racing in America and transitioning to synthetic surfaces.

These heartbreaking events in recent weeks have forced the horse racing industry to confront a harsh reality. On average, two Thoroughbred horses lose their lives every day on U.S. tracks. If we fail to take decisive action, the Triple Crown and horse racing itself may soon be mourned as relics of the past.  Animal rights groups, emboldened by each equine death, are gaining traction in their campaign against horse racing. The calls to ban or severely restrict the sport grow louder with each life lost. We cannot afford to lose this race for the soul and survival of our sport.

Tradition holds great power in our sport, with our most prestigious races historically being run on dirt tracks. However, the stark and troubling statistics demand a shift in thinking. We must abandon old norms and embrace new practices that prioritize the safety and welfare of our noble equine athletes.  The benefits of synthetic tracks are not mere conjecture; they are a proven truth. Their superior safety record and fewer injuries make their adoption not just an option but an ethical imperative.

Skeptics may argue that altering the character of the Triple Crown races would alienate fans. However, declining attendance at Thoroughbred races tells a different story. Fans are turning their backs on a sport they once adored, disheartened by the undeniable fact that their entertainment comes at a deadly price. When other sports have bravely evolved to improve safety and gameplay, we must question why horse racing clings to traditions that increasingly prove deadly.

Certainly, progress has been made. Since 2009, fatal injuries during races have declined by 37.5%. But when we consider that synthetic tracks have been proven to be three times safer than dirt tracks, it becomes glaringly apparent that we have only scratched the surface of what we must achieve. We have solid evidence, compelling data, and a clear path forward. It is time we summon the courage and resolve to embark on this path. Ironically, despite their proven safety record, synthetic tracks are in decline. This is primarily because our marquee Triple Crown events remain steadfastly tied to dirt. The stubborn adherence to tradition in our industry's pinnacle races is a disparity we can no longer afford. Shifting the surface of the Triple Crown to synthetic would be a revolutionary step, igniting an industry-wide transformation and ensuring a safer, fairer field for our equine athletes.

This is where the independent directors of the Churchill Downs Corporation can make a historic difference. Independent directors have played a crucial role in preserving shareholder value and rebuilding consumer trust for some of the world's largest companies.

In 2015, Volkswagen faced a scandal involving emissions test cheating, leading to the resignation of the company's CEO and the appointment of a new board of directors, the majority of whom were independent. The new board took swift action to address the scandal, and Volkswagen is now working to rebuild its reputation.

In 2017, companies such as Uber and The Weinstein Company appointed independent directors to address workplace harassment following a series of scandals in that regard.

In 2018, companies like Equifax and Marriott appointed independent directors to improve their cybersecurity measures after experiencing a series of data breaches.

Today, the challenges facing both the Churchill Downs Corporation and our industry provide an opportunity for its independent directors to lead by proactively and boldly addressing the crisis of equine safety instead of reacting to a growing regulatory and societal movement to ban the sport.

That is why I am calling on the independent directors of the Churchill Downs Corporation, Daniel P. Harrington, MBA, CPA, Ulysses Lee Bridgeman Jr., and Robert L. Fealy, CPA, to get on board today and publicly support this change.

The responsibility lies with horse racing's governing bodies, influential race track directors, and all key stakeholders to rally behind a transition to synthetic tracks. Their public endorsement and commitment to safer racing conditions would signal the beginning of the transformative change our industry desperately needs. But Churchill Downs Corporation must lead the way.

Fortunately, we are not without hope. NYRA's Belmont Track, a vital component of the Triple Crown, is already leading by example, planning to install a synthetic track for its 2024 spring meet. This serves as the spark we need to ignite a safety revolution.

Next year marks the historic 150th anniversary of the Kentucky Derby. This milestone should be more than a nostalgic reflection on the past; it should be a fervent pledge for a safer future. A future where our sport remains a thrilling spectacle but also evolves into a beacon of safety, integrity, and respect for our equine athletes.

The prestigious Triple Crown races–the Kentucky Derby, the Preakness S., and the Belmont S.–now stand on the edge of a daunting, dark abyss. Each life lost serves as a deafening alarm, signaling that change is urgently needed and indeed horse racing as a whole hangs in the balance. We owe it to our equine athletes, our loyal fans, and future generations to ensure that our sport does not crumble into a mournful memory of bygone times.

We stand at the threshold of a monumental shift. Our response to this crisis must be immediate, bold, and unwavering. The clarion call for a race towards a safer future is sounding. Switching surfaces will mean fewer breakdowns and fewer drugs in the sports. Let us answer this call with the courage and determination our horses display every time they take to the track.

This is our defining moment. Let us ensure that the Triple Crown not only continues to sparkle with excitement and glory, but also radiates a renewed commitment to the safety and well-being of our equine companions. The reins of the future of horse racing are in our hands. We must grasp them firmly and steer our sport towards a safer, more responsible era. The heart of horse racing beats in the chest of every horse that runs for us; let us honor them by championing a sport that safeguards their lives.

Antonio Sano trainer of Preakness contender - Simplification

This article was first published ahead of the 2017 Kentucky Derby - when Calder was still open for training.

We’re republishing it ahead of the 2022 Preakness Stakes - where Sano will start Simplification for owner Tami Bobo.

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Antonio Sano is an early riser and according to his wife Maria Christina, not the greatest of sleepers in any instance. Up at 3:50 every morning come rain or shine, Sano can be found splitting time between his barns at Calder and Gulfstream Park. Between the two locations, he’s got roughly 70 horses in his care.

Assistant trainer Jesus “Chino” Prada

The two- and three-year-old are based at Calder, and the older horses are some 10 miles away at Gulfstream. “I like the track [at Calder] for the babies. It’s a good track, deep sand, and when it rains it drains, while over at the other place, it can take two days to clear.” Assistant trainer Jesus “Chino” Prada, who has been an integral member of the team since Sano started training in the U.S., chips in: “Gulfstream is great for racing, but here is the best for training.”

Sano might not yet be a household name across North America, but in his native Venezuela, the man’s a legend. He trained no less than 3,338 winners on his home soil, and it was only thanks to a kidnapping in 2009 that lasted longer than a month that he quit training in the country. The kidnapping -- his second -- resulted in the father-of-three doing what was best for his family, which was to remove them from the danger that his success was creating.

Sano is a third-generation trainer. “My father, grandfather, and uncle all worked with horses,” he recounts. “My father right now is 88 years old. He arrived from Italy when he was just 16 and was working with horses. They came from Sicily. In fact, my whole family is from there, including my wife!”

After graduating from college with a degree in engineering, the magnetic pull to the racetrack was too great, and Sano went to work as an assistant trainer Julio Ayala to enhance what knowledge and skills had been passed down to him from his father and grandfather.

Eventually (March, 1988) setting up on his own, Sano ended up training in Venezuela for 23 years, earning the trainers’ championship title 19 times and winning an average of 150 races annually, with three year-end win tallies in excess of 200. That’s no mean feat when you consider that racing only takes place twice a week in the major city of Valencia, where Sano was based.

In Venezuela, according to Sano, the pedigrees of the horses he trained were a little different than what he works with in the U.S., and so was the daily training regime. “I had 160 horses in my barn and worked the horses in four groups. Riders here take the horses to the track every 45 minutes and come back. There 4 sets of 40 horses each. Every rider work on 2 horses per set. I had the privilege to count with 20 riders at that time. We would take them all to the track at 6 A.M. At 6:45 A.M., the second set would be ready, the third by 7:30 A.M., and the last before 8:30 A.M.”

After first going from Venezuela to Italy, Sano and his family moved to the U.S. in March of 2010. They had visited the country before without spending any time at the racetrack, preferring the great vacationing opportunities that Florida offers with a young family in tow.

Well known for his training of staying types, Sano found the transition to training the speed-bred horses of the U.S. “Each horse is different, but I’ve learned more from others around me here in the U.S. than I ever learned in Venezuela,” he says -- modest words, perhaps, for a trainer who is a master of his game. “But my focus is always on the way the horses finish.”

Prada has been a friend of Sano’s for over 40 years. They attended trainer school together, along with Enrique Torres.

Their teaming up in Florida may never have happened had Sano decided to move to Italy after the kidnapping. “Italy has beautiful people and great food, but the racing wasn’t for me. So I went to Florida and met Mike Antifantis (the racing secretary at Calder at the time), who gave me a couple of stalls. I then had to go back to Venezuela and close shop, giving all my horses away.”

March 22, 2010, was an important date in Sano’s and Prada’s lives. It marked the start of a new chapter, when they claimed their first horse for their fledgling operation. The numbers quickly grew from there. “Two horses became four, and quickly we had 10,” recounts Prada.

The stable ended its first season with 37 winners, including two in stakes races. Knowing very few people or being known to few was probably a good thing for Sano as he and Prada quietly went about building their business. And where resentment for the new man in town could have quickly grown, friendships flourished with other trainers. “They treated me well and with respect,” says Sano.

With a successful formula in place, Sano’s stable was able to gradually improve the quality of stock. Still, his patronage remains primarily from Venezuelan or other Latin American ownership interests; he hasn’t really caught on with American owners.

In 2004, Sano started to shift his focus away from claiming horses to buying yearlings, while still using the claiming philosophy of trading up purchases. This time last year, Sano had high hopes for a then-unraced Broken Vow filly named Amapola, who he had bought as a yearling for $25,000. Amapola crossed the wire first by nearly 10 lengths in her May, 2016, debut in track record time for four-and-a-half furlongs at Gulfstream, only to lose the race in the stewards room for drifting in at the start. She turned a lot of heads that day, and Sano parted with her for a substantial profit. “I sold her for the money,” he says.

As with most buyers at sales, pedigree and conformation are at the top of Sano’s list when studying a catalogue page, but for him the stride of the individual and the horse’s eye are the main factors to determine if he is going to raise his hand in the ring -- should the price fall in his preferred buying range of $5,000 to $50,000.

In 2015, Sano made a number of purchases at yearling sales, and came home from the Keeneland September sale with a good-looking son of first crop sire and Florida Derby winner Dialed In.

The sale of that colt, from the consignment of Jim and Pam Robinson’s Brandywine Farm, must have been a rather bittersweet moment for breeders Brandywine and Stephen Upchurch. The chestnut’s dam Unbridled Rage had died about a week and a half after he was born, and the newly orphaned foal was bottle-fed until a foster mare could be found.

Sano with Gunnevera

That colt, for which Sano had the winning bid at $16,000, was, of course, Gunnevera. And thanks to him, if Dialed In hadn’t already been a particular favorite of Sano’s, he certainly would be now.

After the sale at Keeneland, Gunnevera, along with the other Sano purchases, was sent to Classic Mile Park in Ocala, where he was broken by Julio Rada a classmate of Sano and Prada’s at the Venezuelan training school in 1988.

Gunnevera was showing potential at Classic Mile and by the time of his arrival at Calder, his reputation was growing. However, the faith shown in him by those who knew him best wasn’t being shared by everyone: the first-time owner who Sano had bought the horse for eventually got around to paying for the colt...but the check bounced.

The name “Gunnevera” has no real meaning. It’s a combination of place names and words favored by his ownership interests -- Jamie Diaz, originally from Spain but now in Miami; and Peacock Racing, a partnership of Venezuelans Guillermo Guerra and Guerra’s father-in-law Solomon Del-Valle, who ended up with the horse just six weeks before his first run.

Del-Valle’s friendship with Sano is deeper than most normal friendships, as it was he who helped Sano’s wife arrange and finance Sano’s release from his kidnappers. “I told him that we bought horses at the yearling sale and this was the best one, that I’m going to make him a champion.” Sano’s prophecy looks like it’s showing some promise, and Gunnevera’s success has gone someway toward repaying Del-Valle’s generosity to the Sano family over the years.

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Fast forward to 2022 and Gunnevera stands as a stallion at Pleaseant Acres Stallions in Morriston, FL. He has earned his place in the stallion barn on the back of his race record - winning the Grade 2 Saratoga Special and the Grade 3 Delta Downs Jackpot at two. At three he won the Grade 2 Fountain of Youth, finished second in both the Grade 2 Holy Bull and the Grade 1 Travers and was a game third in the Grade 1 Florida Derby.

As a four year old he finished second in a pair of Grade 1’s - The Breeders’ Cup Classic and the Woodward Stakes and ran a gallant third in the Pegasus World Cup (Gr.1). At five, his third place finish in the Dubai World Cup (Gr.1) meant that he retired with earnings of over $5.5m and as such has become the highest ever earner to stand at stud in Florida.

Gunnevera was not his trainer’s first graded stakes winner; although none received anywhere near the level of acclaim as the son of Dialed In. Sano previously handled Devilish Lady, City of Weston, and Grand Tito to graded stakes wins.

Sano is the first to admit that nothing has compared to the Gunnevera success story and the national exposure he received. But how well does he react to the inevitable pressure? “I’ve never been in a situation like this before, but it’s a blessing,” he calmly says. For Maria Christina, it’s as if her husband’s life is going on just the same. “He never sleeps before any race, he’s always thinking about something.”

Come to think of it, Sano’s whole day and night seems to be taken up with work or thinking about horses. The work day often ends 16 hours after it began, giving Sano a little much-needed family time with his three children. His eldest son Alessandro is already following in the family business and now works as one of his father’s assistant trainers.

But what about time away from horses, does Sano take a vacation? “One week -- and I don’t relax,” he says. “He’s always on the phone to Chino and I say, ‘No phone, Tony, the horses won’t run faster with you not there,’” interjects Maria Christina.

“Twenty (five) years ago when Alessandro was born, I would never have thought that I would be where I am now,” says Sano.

“But Tony, you were scared to come here 20 years ago. There wasn't the opportunity we have here in Venezuela,” retorts Maria Christina.

So Venezuela’s loss is America’s gain, and this is one family truly living the American dream.

First published in North American Trainer issue 44 - May - July 2017

Buy this back issue here!

Preakness Stakes - Owner Profile - Tami Bobo - Simplification

By Bill Heller

Having loved, ridden and worked with horses for 46 of her 48 years, and having dealt with Arabians, Quarter Horses and Thoroughbreds, you’d think Tami Bobo would have picked up all the equine knowledge she’ll ever need. Wrong.

Asked if she is still learning, Tami said, “One hundred percent, if you just watch them. I learn every day from horses. I love to learn, so I enjoy it. Most recently, I’ve been learning about this industry. It’s fascinating. Not being born into it, I wasn’t exposed to people approaching you wanting to buy your horses.”  

The most inquiries have been about one horse, Simplification, who will take Tami and Simplification’s trainer, Antonio Sano, to the Preakness Stakes off a solid dirt record of three victories, one second, two thirds and a fourth placed finish last time out in the Kentucky Derby. “My hat’s off to Antonio, managing a staff, trying to execute a plan,” Tami said. “Most recently, my learning is how to manage a Kentucky Derby contender.”

Now the learning journey moves on to Baltimore where Simplification will break from the #1 hole in the 2022 Preakness Stakes.

She may not have been born into horse racing, but she didn’t miss by much. “I have pictures of me on a horse when I was less than two-years-old,” she said. “My family moved to Ocala when I was eight years old. I showed horses all over the country.”

Working at one point as a single mother, she had to hustle to make a living with horses. “Quarter Horses were keeping me whole,” she said. “I was teaching riding lessons and pinhooking Quarter Horses. I did very well pinhooking, but the profit with Quarter Horses is small. It kept food on the table.”

Asked how she has dealt with different breeds, she said, “I think at the end of the day, it’s horsemanship. You are either a horseman or you’re not. If you know horses and pay attention, they will tell you what they need. Then you address any issues. There’s an idea that horses aren’t intelligent. It’s a misconception. Horses are extremely intelligent. They have to have intelligence and the mindset to race.”

Simplification, jockey Javier Castellano, and Tami Bobo celebrate after winning the Mucho Macho Man Stakes at Gulfstream Park, 2022

In 2010, Bobo switched from Quarter Horses to Thoroughbreds and is still enjoying the wisdom of that decision. And the first Thoroughbred she bought was Take Charge Indy, a phenomenally bred colt by A.P. Indy out of multiple graded-stakes winner Take Charge Lady, whose victories included the Gr. 1 Ashland and Spinster Stakes.

Take Charge Indy was entered in the 2010 Keeneland September Yearling Sale, but failed to reach the $80,000 reserve price because of a conformation issue and a short stride. Bobo saw a great opportunity and took it, believing the colt could overcome his deficiencies over time.

And that’s exactly what he did under the astute handling of trainer Patrick Byrne. Take Charge Indy won the Gr. 1 Florida Derby by a length under Calvin Borel. That earned a spot in the starting gate for the Kentucky Derby, but Take Charge Indy couldn’t keep up, finishing 19th of 20 by 50 lengths.

Borel originally believed the horse had bled, but veterinarians discovered he had chipped a bone in his left front ankle. He underwent surgery and during his recovery was sold to WinStar Farm and Chuck and Maribeth Sandford.

He then finished third in the Gr. 2 Fayette, second by a length in the Gr. 1 Clark Handicap, third in the Gr. 1 Donn Handicap, and second in the Gr. 3 Skip Away Stakes before winning the Gr. 2 Alysheba Stakes by six lengths under Rosie Napravnik.

Simplification will take Tami Bobo and trainer Antonio Sano to the Kentucky Derby off a solid dirt record of 3 victories, 1 second and 2 thirds in 6 starts

For his career, he had three wins, four seconds and two thirds from 14 starts with earnings topping $1.1 million. He has also proven to be a good stallion, standing for $12,5000 at WinStar Farm in 2022 after having sired 586 winners with earnings of just under $19 million. Not a bad racing/stud career for a yearling that nobody but Tami wanted.

Six years ago, Tami and her husband Fernando De Jesus purchased Plumley Farm in Ocala and renamed it First Finds. “We have a weanling, yearlings and pinhooking operation,” Tami said. “We do an average of about 20 pinhooks every year. We do small numbers, so we’re hands-on every day.”

Of course they are. They’re still learning.

From the ground up - Preakness Stakes winning trainer Michael McCarthy worked his way into the training ranks, forming a solid foundation of success along the way.

By Annie Lambert

Trainer Michael McCarthy felt an immediate connection to the racing industry after attending the races with a few high school buddies. Following graduation, he found his way to the backside, working a variety of jobs while attending college at night. His most prominent employment was spending more than a decade as assistant to Todd Pletcher, a seven-time Eclipse Award winning Trainer of the Year.

McCarthy, now 50, attained his trainer’s license in 2006 and began training his own stable of horses in 2014. Since then, the Southern California-based horseman has saddled 1,063 starters with 174 wins, 138 seconds and 172 thirds, earning $18,083,294—including multiple graded stakes.

Pletcher once called his former protégé “reliable, confident and capable.” McCarthy has also proven himself to be responsible and patient with perseverance.

• Racing intrigue

At the age of six, McCarthy moved to Arcadia, Calif., with his family. The family home was near enough to Santa Anita to hear the races being called. Although McCarthy’s parents were not horse racing enthusiasts, he became smitten by the industry. His father, a high-end office furniture dealer (now semi- retired), was always a big sports fan—“a basketball, football kind of guy,” who was not initially into racing but now closely follows his son’s career. Young McCarthy’s first job at Santa Anita was working for trainer John O’Hara. He was at the track during the day and attending his freshman year at Cal Poly Pomona with night classes in animal husbandry. He also worked for veterinarian Dr. Wade Byrd and got handy with a stopwatch with help from Santa Anita clocker Gary Young.

Michael with Proud Accolade at Hollywood Park, 2004.

In about 1994, McCarthy had the opportunity to spend four months at a training center in Japan as well as several months at The National Stud in England. He worked as an intern in a variety of jobs, including breeding to training aspects of the racing business. While still in college, McCarthy soaked up experience working for trainer Doug Peterson and was an assistant at Santa Anita for Ben Cecil.

• Upward mobility

Working for Cecil was his final job prior to heading east to work for Todd Pletcher. Jockey agent Ron Anderson negotiated a meeting between McCarthy and Pletcher, who was looking for an assistant trainer to replace George Weaver who was leaving to start his own public stable. After some phone calls back and forth, McCarthy headed to Belmont Park in July of 2002 for an introduction of sorts. He began his new job on August 25, 2002—a date he has no trouble recalling.

Michael with Friendly Island after winning the Palos Verdes Handicap at Santa Anita Park, 2007.

“Moving east was certainly an adjustment period,” McCarthy admitted. “But when you’re young and single, it’s easy to do.” There was a learning curve going to work in an expansive stable like Pletcher’s—a fast-moving organization with many horses and a lot of moving parts. McCarthy quickly caught up to speed, and by November of that year, he found himself traveling to Hong Kong with Texas Glitter.

Texas Glitter was a six-year-old when he headed to Southeast Asia with McCarthy. Their first stop was at California’s Hollywood Park, where the son of Glitterman won the Gr3 Hollywood Turf Express Handicap. Sixteen days later, the multiple graded stakes winner found no luck in the Gp1 Hong Kong Sprint at Sha Tin— the final race of his career. …

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THIS ARTICLE FIRST APPEARED IN - NORTH AMERICAN TRAINER - ISSUE 28