Lukas, king of long shots
Hall of Fame trainer is running yet another underdog, Ram, at 30-1
You want stories? Pull up a chair. Class is in session with the coach, D. Wayne Lukas.
The Hall of Fame trainer, looking extremely spry at the age of 85, still gets on his pony (this one is named Riff ) every morning to take his horses to the track. He is doing just that at Pimlico Race Course this week.
No one expects too much of his 3-year-old named Ram, who is the longest price on the Preakness morning line at 30-1. Before we go any further, there must be a story behind that name, right? Of course there is.
First, a little backstory. When Ram, a son of the great Triple Crown winner American Pharoah, was born in 2018, a major sponsor at Churchill Downs in Lukas’ home city of Louisville was Dodge and its Ram Trucks. Take it away, D. Wayne. “When he was a yearling, Ram had the sponsorship and they had it all over Churchill Downs,” Lukas said Wednesday morning outside the Pimlico Stakes Barn. “The name was on the roofs, on the barns, on all the buildings … banners on the fences. I thought, ‘Hell, I’ll name this horse Ram.’ He might get to be a (Kentucky) Derby horse and if he gets good, he might be one of the favorites. Then, maybe, I could talk (Dodge) into a pickup.”
But it was not to be. Ram didn’t make the 2021 Kentucky Derby, but even if he had, Lukas wasn’t going to get a new ride.
“The next year, the (Churchill) sponsorship turned to
Ford,” Lukas said with a laugh. “Ford is all over the place now. I couldn’t change Ram’s name.”
Nor would he want to. Lukas says he has a runner in the chestnut colt, who spent a good chunk of Wednesday morning gobbling up grass in the area across from the Stakes Barn.
“He would be here all day,” said exercise rider Jade Cunningham, Ram’s constant companion.
Ram probably won’t win the Preakness. It took him eight races before he broke his maiden. Then he did something that caught Lukas’ trained eye. He won his next start, which was an allowance race on the first race on Kentucky Derby day at Churchill. He won by 3 1⁄2 lengths and Lukas, who has won the Preakness six times, decided to plan for a road trip.
“In my opinion, he had a perfect prep race,” Lukas said. “It was a mile and he had an easy race and he looked professional doing it.”
All that being said, Lukas does not expect he will be visiting the Preakness winner’s circle for the seventh time on Saturday. He thinks Ram is tough but might be better suited for bigger things somewhere down the line.
“He might be better for the Travers,” Lukas said about the centerpiece of the Saratoga meet, which will be run on Aug. 28. “He could very well be my Travers horse. I made that comment to the owners (Christina Baker and William Mack) the other day. He was an immature yearling when they bought him ($375,000 at the 2019 Keeneland September sale). He has developed nicely, but I think his best races are definitely down the road.”
All that being said, Lukas has been known to drop a long-shot winner in Triple Crown races. His last Preakness winner, Oxbow, in 2013, went off at 15-1 and paid $32.80. He won the 1999 Derby with Charismatic, and he paid $64.60 after being ignored at 31-1.
Want more? How about Thunder Gulch winning the 1995 Derby at 24-1 ($51.00). Or Lukas’ personal favorite, Commendable, who took the 2000 Belmont and paid $39.60 when he was dismissed at 18-1.
“I have also won with a few favorites,” Lukas said. “But I have been really lucky. I’ve made a living running where I don’t belong.”
No one thinks that Ram, who will be ridden by Ricardo Santana Jr., has a chance on Saturday. Even Lukas isn’t going to give his horse a ringing endorsement.
“I don’t think he can win. I don’t think he is the best horse by any means,” Lukas said.
Then, though, one more lesson and this one comes with a caveat.
“His (speed) numbers have jumped up in his last two races,” Lukas said. “If he jumps up again, then he is going to be OK.”