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 Trainer of the decade Baffert, Lukas, Zito aim for third Derby victory of '90s
Posted: Friday April 30, 1999 11:31 AM
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) -- Nick Zito remembers his first Kentucky Derby well. The trainer remembers his second Kentucky Derby even better. "I remember standing there looking at everything, talking to a reporter and lookin' back, lookin' back, lookin' back," Zito said Thursday. "Finally, she asked, 'What are you looking at?' I told her I didn't want to miss anything." He didn't. On his second trip to Churchill Downs, in 1991, Zito won his first Kentucky Derby with Strike the Gold. Three years later, he won again with Go for Gin, making him one of three trainers to win a pair of Derbys this decade. Bob Baffert and D. Wayne Lukas are the others: Baffert won the last two with Real Quiet in '98 and Silver Charm in '97; Lukas won the two before with Grindstone in '96 and Thunder Gulch in '95. A win Saturday by any of them would break the tie and leave the victor with the distinction of being the Derby's "Trainer of the Decade." "After you win, it's like 'wow!' and you just want to keep going," said Zito, glancing around the backstretch Thursday to make sure his Derby horses, Adonis and Stephen Got Even, were OK. "It's unbelievable to think you've won two Kentucky Derbys and you're pushing for a third one. That's what makes America great, huh?" Baffert, with the most formidable contingent of all for the Derby, is pushing for an unprecedented three in a row. "I know there's going to be a year when I don't have anything, so I just try to stay calm and cool and enjoy the moment," Baffert said. "The Derby's become a fun thing for me, like a minivacation." The coupled entry of the gelding General Challenge and the filly Excellent Meeting is the morning favorite at 3-1, while Prime Timber is the second choice in the full field of 20 3-year-olds at 7-2. As expected, Baffert scratched Excellent Meeting from today's Kentucky Oaks, deciding to run her in the Derby. "I sort of had it planned, but didn't want to say anything. We always had the Derby in mind, but we wanted to leave it up to fate and see how we drew, and something told me she needs to run," Baffert said. Lukas, meanwhile, is the veteran of the group, a trainer who has saddled at least one Derby horse every year starting in 1981. His first win came with the filly Winning Colors in 1988. The 51-year-old Zito will be in his ninth Derby, the 46-year-old Baffert his fourth. Both trainers won their first Derby the second time around -- Zito after Thirty Six Red finished ninth in 1990; and Baffert after Cavonnier was second and Semoran 14th in '96. Elected to racing's Hall of Fame on Tuesday, the 63-year-old Lukas will send out Cat Thief and Charismatic in the 1 1/4-mile Derby, which will carry a record purse of $1,201,200 if all 20 horses start. The winner's share would be a record $901,200. There's been a friendly rivalry among the three, with Zito claiming he picked the No. 1 post for Adonis because "I don't want to be near Baffert's horses," and Lukas reminding the others he's already won three Derbys. Baffert's horses will leave from post Nos. 6, 14 and 15. Certainly, success breeds success and owners have been quick to jump on the Baffert bandwagon. Lukas and Zito do OK, too. Baffert trains General Challenge and Excellent Meeting for John and Betty Mabee, three-time Eclipse Award-winning breeders; Prime Timber for timber executive Aaron Jones; and Silver Charm for Bob and Beverly Lewis. Lukas has been the longtime trainer for William T. Young, but also trains for the Lewises; Zito plays on his New York connections and trains for Yankees boss George Steinbrenner and Boston Celtics president and coach Rick Pitino. "There's been talk all week about the Derby, about who's going to do what and how it's going to unfold and riders and trainers and different guys doing different things," Lukas said, "but the bottom line is it gets down to the horse, and I've been blessed with prime dollars and owners who are very supportive and let me come here year after year." While Lukas has collected 10 wins in Triple Crown races starting with Codex's 1980 Preakness victory, Baffert has four classic victories in two years. The way Zito sees it, no matter how impressive your stable is, you still have to be "blessed and lucky." "Baffert's had a very strong hand the last couple of years, the guy has been unbelievably great," Zito said. "And he's got two more shots this year. But you still have to be lucky, real lucky." Baffert, Lukas and Zito are not alone in their search for racing luck Saturday. They may have seven horses in the field, but there are other top contenders. Menifee, the Blue Grass winner trained by Elliott Walden, is the third choice in the betting at 5-1. Walden made a splash in the classics last year when Victory Gallop spoiled Real Quiet's bid for the Triple Crown in the Belmont Stakes. Let's not forget Florida Derby winner Vicar, a 6-1 shot trained by Carl Nafzger, who won the 1990 Derby with Unbridled. And then there's the mystery horses from Dubai, Aljabr and Worldly Manner, the coupled entry at 12-1. Neither colt ran a traditional 3-year-old prep race, but Baffert trained Worldly Manner as a 2-year-old. Godolphin Stable, and rest of Sheikh Mohammed al Maktoum and Sheikh Maktoum al Maktoum's racing empire, is in its first Derby. "To come here and win the first time," Sheikh Mohammed said, "would be over the moon."
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