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Lukas finds his swagger
Holding court yesterday outside his barn on the Churchill Downs backstretch, Lukas had recaptured the swagger of a few years ago when he used to eat Triple Crown races for breakfast.
The morning after Charismatic engineered a stunning win in the 125th Kentucky Derby, the 63-year-old trainer was decked out in his trademark white cowboy hat and riding high.
At odds of 31-1, Charismatic gave Lukas his fourth win in the sport's most treasured event, tying him with Dick Thompson for second place. Lukas, who has three wins in the past five years, is intent on running down Ben Jones' record six Derby victories.
"I don't see why not," said Lukas, who in the next day or two will go over $200 million in career earnings. "I'm healthy, I like what I'm doing and I'm ambitious. I have the clientele base and I'm very happy with my two-year-olds.
"I think there could be at least a couple more in me."
Winning the 1999 Derby with a horse that six weeks earlier had started in a claiming race in California may have been one of his greatest training accomplishments. Next to no one, Lukas included, felt he had the winner. Most still feel that way.
But it isn't always the best horse that wins on the first Saturday in May.
"We beat everybody that showed up, that's all we can do," Lukas said, then took a dig at rival Bob Baffert, who had won the previous two runnings. "I guess I out-trained all those other guys. That sounds like Bob Baffert doesn't it?"
Lukas scoffed at suggestions the Derby field was too big. Several jockeys and trainers complained that the 19-horse field was unwieldy and thus unsafe.
"You cannot ask these people who buy these high-priced yearlings to take the dream away," Lukas said.
"Sure you get checks and bumps, but that's part of this race. But they've been running this thing for 125 years and haven't had a problem.
"What should we do, take the Indy 500 down to six cars so there are no crashes?"
The Derby and the Triple Crown are what Lukas is all about. This year was the 19th consecutive Derby he has had at least one starter and, with third-place finisher Cat Thief, he has now saddled 35 in the race.
He also has won the Preakness four times and the Belmont Stakes twice.
Charismatic will move on to the Preakness, the second jewel of the Triple Crown, where he likely will be dismissed at long odds again, especially if Baffert starts filly superstar Silverbulletday as planned.
But even if Charismatic finishes up the track, he won't owe Lukas, jockey Chris Antley and owners Bob and Beverly Lewis a penny.
"When I was walking the horse back to the barn someone who had too much wine, yelled 'Hey Lukas, that horse won't win another race.'
"Well, I'll tell you, he doesn't have to."