Lukas

[Chuckles_the_Clown2]

Silver you\'re buddy cost me the Sham in every manner. I had the maiden on the rail. Great Ride by Valenzuela. The Lukas horse fought back at the end.

[Silver Charm]

Been moving and have been away from all the fun. Interesting the things you find when you move, a Belmont Stakes Day program from 1985 when the Wood Man ran 1-2. My first visit to the Big Top Belmont Park.

A Garden State Park program from the same year that stated: The Racetrack of the 21st Century. OOOOOOOPS

Will Wayne be a player this year, it is hard to tell, still very early. The horse was very game, when he turned for home, switched and kicked a little I knew he had a shot. One thing is for sure if it comes down to who works the hardest between now and then Wayne wins it hands down.

As I overheard him one year tell the Chief Outrider when the horses left the paddock for the Derby,    \"Lead him back\". Maybe this is the year.

[Chuckles_the_Clown2]

I was impressed with Going Wild....I\'m not certain how fast they ran early yet, but I always take note when a lead horse is collared and then draws out again. At 9 marks theres danger a \"Comeonmom\" and a \"Holybull\" were at their distance limitation, but to my eye this is another good Golden Missile and I like that Strawberry Road on the back side. He looks tough. Tgraph prolly has a better feel for the race than I do. I don\'t even know the final time yet.

Typical Lukas MO...go, go, go........His \"Distinctive Speaker?\" in the Strub tried to run the same race. Burned himself to a crisp, but did in Love of Money with the lead at all costs Lukas strategy.

I miss the Wood Man. I had a few drinks with him in Miami. Not a real acquaintance, just had the chance to buy him a drink. 1985, that would be the year Spend a Buck skipped the Preakness for a Garden State Bonus correct? I think he missed the Belmont too. Creme Fraiche and Stephans Odyssey?



Post Edited (02-07-05 10:30)

[Silver Charm]

>I miss the Wood Man.

You and me both. If there was ever a guy who could talk the talk, it was Woody.

\"If I aint thinkin of a Derby horse I aint thinkin of nothin.\"

\"The buildings get a lot taller on this side of the Hudson.\"

\"Lukas will never beat my five straight Belmonts.\"

The image of Woody, when the TV camera flashed on to him after the last of his five straight Belmonts, a 145 pound soaking wet noodle, giving the Michael Jordan style clinched fist thru gritted teeth, will last with me until I go to my grave.

He and Lukas had some kind of competitive rivalry, but thats the way it is at the top. There is usually only room for one.

Back to the anecdotal about Waynes comment to the Outrider as he filled in behind the last horse exiting the paddock to Go-To-The-Post for the Ky Derby. You could almost sense the kind of eagerness, excitement, and hopefullness in his voice as you would from anyone who was watching or attending. Regardless of how many times you have been there before or won the damn thing, it is still the most Exciting Two Minutes in Sport. And the blood starts pumping no matter who you are.

[SoCalMan2]

I have nothing against Lukas, but I seem to recall that taller buildings barb originally being pointed at one former marine named Charlie Wittingham (I don\'t recall which race the barb was delivered for though).  Woody\'s streak started before Lukas had really hit it big -- in the early 1980s, to guys like Wittingham and Stephens, Lukas was really just a johnny come lately.  Where was Lukas when Conquistador Cielo was winning the Metropolitan Mile?  I do admit that by the end of the streak, Woody was focusing his competitive venom on Lukas.

[Silver Charm]

As I said that\'s the way it is at the top. Even guys like Marino and Elway were big rivals because of the space they both wanted to occupy. Now they are respectful friends.

Yes Lukas was probably looked down upon by most of the traditionalists when be first burst upon the scene. However consider this, besides the Triple Crown when the Breeders Cup came on the scene he threw his entire operation at that event. Making it a solitary focus. People like Woody (Mac Miller)were a little reluctant to run horses that late in the year. Wayne did the same thing with the Ky Cup (on a much smaller scale) and all this leads to credibility of events trying to gain status.

Some of those Breeders who turned their backs on him after Althea and a few others may want to look him up and give a little bit of gratitude.

[fasteddie]

Woody\'s venom towards D. Wayne was typical at that time; the traditionalist hated the new-kid-on-the-block who wasn\'t a blueblood!

When Winning Colors wired the Derby (1988??) with no pressure, costing Woody\'s horse the win, he gave Preakness instructions to \"run her into the ground\" As much as I loved the Woodman, and hated Lukas, anytime you run a horse just to deny another is classless.

[Chuckles_the_Clown2]

I disagree.

Love of Mom, probably needed that last race, but you can\'t be a great horse if you\'re one dimensional and Winning Colors was one dimensional. Lukas for that matter is one dimensional. Woody took it to Winning Colors because his horse was capable of doing it and he had to. He wasn\'t ready for a big effort and he caved and Colors did too. The horse that won was probably the best horse of that crop.

What would you have him do. Allow her another uncontested lead in a shorter race? Come on don\'t be silly. But Woody was trying to win with that horse. What about the rabbits Damascus\'s connections used against Dr. Fager?

CtC



Post Edited (02-08-05 11:09)

[richiebee]

My favorite Woody story involves the 85
Belmont -- he had Stephans Odyssey for
Henryk deKwiatkowski and Creme Fraiche
for Elizabeth Moran (Brushwood) and both
owners are in the box with the Wood man.

At the quarter pole, Stephans Odyssey has
the lead and Henryk begins to jump up and
down and throws his arms around Woody in a big bear hug. Woody looks at him and says
\"Go hug Mrs Moran, her horse just went by
yours.\"

[Chuckles_the_Clown2]

lmao Richie. I think i\'d heard that one years ago. Woody had a turn of phrase at times didn\'t he?.....lol

richiebee wrote:

> My favorite Woody story involves the 85
> Belmont -- he had Stephans Odyssey for
> Henryk deKwiatkowski and Creme Fraiche
> for Elizabeth Moran (Brushwood) and both
> owners are in the box with the Wood man.
>
> At the quarter pole, Stephans Odyssey has
> the lead and Henryk begins to jump up and
> down and throws his arms around Woody in a big bear hug. Woody
> looks at him and says
> \"Go hug Mrs Moran, her horse just went by
> yours.\"

[Silver Charm]

>Lukas for that matter is one dimensional

Saying that Lukas is one dimensional is like saying that Michael Jordan was strictly a leaper.

[fasteddie]

Chuckles:

I beg to differ...Woody took a lot of heat in the media for his DIRECT ORDER to Eddie Maple
(I think he was the jock that day) to run her into the ground; yes, he had every right to take it to her, but he KNEW he couldn\'t win either!

As for Damascus...let me tell you something!

Where is it written that the closer has more of a right to win a race than the horse with speed? Damascus, never, and I mean never, beat the Doctor on a level field.

Dr. Fager is (IMHO) the best horse in my lifetime (I\'m 51) and nobody ever ran as fast and carried as much weight, and talk about records that will never be broken? 1968-best sprinter, handicap horse, grass champion, and horse of the year!

>Dr. Fager is (IMHO) the best horse in my lifetime (I\'m 51) and nobody ever ran as fast and carried as much weight, and talk about records that will never be broken? 1968-best sprinter, handicap horse, grass champion, and horse of the year!<

Did he ever run a -6?  ;-)

Heck, there are sharp 20K claimers that probably put up faster TGs these days. :-)

[Silver Charm]

Forty Niners jock that day was Pat Day and there was some bad blood between he Lukas and Klein for sometime after that incident. The only thing is Day didn\'t anything different than what Cordero did about every race. But Day and Lukas fought like Father and Son on several occasions.

Garden State Park came up in this string and that in some ways was the beginning of an era: The Drug Era.

When Spend a Buc shipped out of the Bay Shore and went to Garden State and received lasix he become a verifiable freak. Quickly lots of horses started to leave New York which didn\'t allow lasix to receive the miracle drug. Its wasn\'t that much longer about 8 years in the early 90\'s that New York dropped their anti-lasix stance and things have been somewhat for the worse for ever since.

If Brennan did do something positive it was he forced the Triple Crown to raise purses and create the large bonus they now offer because Spend A Buc skipped the rest of the series and went for the bonus Brennan was offering

[Chuckles_the_Clown2]

fasteddie wrote:

> Chuckles:
>
> I beg to differ...Woody took a lot of heat in the media for his
> DIRECT ORDER to Eddie Maple
> (I think he was the jock that day) to run her into the ground;

If you ask me FastEddie, all Stephans was doing was making it clear to Day, there would be no \"Patient Pat Ride\" for the Preakness. He didn\'t sacrifice his own horse. He intended to put heat on Winning Colors and make her wilt. It just didn\'t work out as he planned. Where did she finish in the Belmont without \"Woody Ride Instructions\"? I think 49er was over the top for the Preakness. He was clearly a better horse.
 
> As for Damascus...let me tell you something!
>
> Where is it written that the closer has more of a right to win
> a race than the horse with speed?

I agree with the above. Theres plenty of fast pace horses that can\'t take a pace challenge and win at 10 marks because they won\'t concede the lead, but if they are left alone they\'ll cruise. Love of Mom may be in that category. You can\'t let those types have it all own their own way and Lukas didn\'t let Mom do it all alone in the Strub. Woody did the same in the 1988 Preakness.

>Damascus, never, and I mean
> never, beat the Doctor on a level field.

Damascus was a very good horse, but Dr. Fager was one of those loose on the lead speed freaks that has to be challenged or they keep going. Which was better? I\'ll give the nod to Fager, but Damascus was a heckuva horse. Did they met at 12 marks? I don\'t recall.