Saturday, May 06, 2000
Antics don't slow Derby favorite
Fusaichi Pegasus: Flighty off track, flying on it
By Neil Schmidt
The Cincinnati Enquirer
LOUISVILLE — His nickname is Superman. His given name, that of a mythological winged horse.
Fusaichi Pegasus flies, all right. When he's not flying off the handle.
The Kentucky Derby favorite is a keg of dynamite — an eccentric, explosive talent destined either to be great or grounded. He acts up off the track, then cleans up on it.
“His antics have not been a concern to me,” trainer Neil Drysdale said. “But it has sure given you something to write about.”
Head case or party animal, he's Dennis Rodman in horseshoes. His heart is indisputable, as convincing victories in his three races this year have shown.
As one horseman said last week, “He might be the most talented horse in the field, but they might not be able to get him out of the paddock.”
Barn 41 on the Churchill Downs backside has been the singular spot for Derby doings:
Fusaichi Pegasus tossed his rider after a workout. Then Drysdale got elected to the National Racing Hall of Fame. Then the horse's owner, Japanese businessman Fusao Sekiguchi, arrived to watch his skittish superhorse.
Fusaichi Pegasus has been the buzz since he was a yearling, when breeder Arthur Hancock III dubbed him “Superman.” He sold for $4 million at Keeneland's July yearling sale, more than anyone had paid for a yearling since 1985.
The colt's new first name (pronounced foo-saw-EE-chee) combines his owner's name with “ichi,” a Japanese word which means “the finest.”
That, he has been.
“He is a stone-cold, 24-karat freak in the best sense of the word,” ace handicapper Steve Davidowitz told Louisville's Courier-Journal. “Should he get past the Der by hurdle unscathed, I believe he will sweep the Triple Crown. He is that good.”
But he's prone to bucking and balking. Before his impressive Wood Memorial victory, he stopped during the post parade and for several minutes refused to march to the gate. After his victory, he had to be forcibly led to the winner's circle.
Being led off the Churchill Downs track last week, Fu saichi Pegasus reared, tossed exercise rider Nuno Santos, fell on his backside and rolled over.
“He's a character,” Drysdale said. “It's a game to him. He's always looking around, checking things out. The more he sees, the more he has a good time.”
Drysdale, who has trained five champion horses and five Breeders' Cup winners, follows his Hall of Fame nod with his first two Derby horses: War Chant, a 6-1 choice, is Fusaichi Pegasus' unsung stablemate.
Drysdale brought A.P. Indy here during his Horse of the Year season in 1992, but the Derby favorite scratched the morning of the race because of a sore foot. The English-born Drysdale keeps his emotions hidden, saying, “No touchy-feely questions, please.”
Drysdale's training style adds an enigmatic air. With just five career starts, Fusaichi Pegasus is considered underraced. Drysdale almost always sends him out before sunrise, so even his workout times are unrecordable.
“People are picking at the favorite,” Drysdale said. “But they're not realizing he's really well-behaved. His excitability is just part of his nature. We don't discourage it.”
Continuing Kentucky Derby coverage from Associated Press
Sports Stories
Reds 3, Cardinals 2
Box, runs
Going, going, still going ...
Reds pitchers pull out the stop
Patient Bowden not itching to deal
No 'Prime Time' in Triple-A
UC's Molony qualifies for NCAA tennis
