Sunday, May 07, 2000
DERBY NOTEBOOK
Drysdale humble in victory
By Neil Schmidt
The Cincinnati Enquirer
Neil Drysdale's first Derby horse proved to be a winner.
(Gary Landers photo)
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LOUISVILLE — Those lookings for teary-eyed victory speeches came to the wrong trainer.
Neil Drysdale won the Kentucky Derby on Saturday with his first entrant, eight years after a painful near-miss. In 1992, his A.P. Indy was the morning-line favorite but scratched on the morning of the race because of a foot problem.
But the English-born Drysdale, distinguished for his prim and proper speech and close-to-the-vest training style, kept characteristically quiet after Fusaichi Pegasus won him the Derby.
“It's very humbling and rewarding,” he said. “The horses get you here. Without the horses, there isn't a sport. That's probably what keeps you humble. And when you train horses, you lose a lot.”
Drysdale's win followed his selection days earlier to the National Racing Hall of Fame. Last year, trainer D. Wayne Lukas similarly followed a Hall of Fame selection with a Derby victory by Charismatic.
“Neil trained him great,” jockey Kent Desormeaux said. “He said, "Make sure he's comfortable early, and he should do the rest.' And he did.”
Drysdale had another Derby horse Saturday, War Chant, which finished ninth.
MONEY WELL SPENT: Fusao Sekiguchi came to Keeneland two years ago and spotted Fusaichi Pegasus, then unnamed.
“When I laid eyes on the colt, I knew he was going to be a Derby winner,” Sekiguchi said Saturday through an interpreter. “I was willing to pay $5 million or whatever for him.”
He spent $4 million, the most anyone spent on a yearling since 1985.
“In Japan, they all thought I was crazy,” the 64-year-old Japanese businessman said.
The payoff came Saturday. Because of a bonus given by the Wood Memorial, which Fusaichi Pegasus also won, the payday for Saturday's victory was $1,038,400.
“I am just in awe right now of all the excitement,” Sekiguchi said.
The big postrace question concerned where Fusaichi Pegasus would be retired after his career. Would a Derby winner, bred in Kentucky, stud in Japan?
“Fusaichi Pegasus is the treasure of the United States, so I intend to keep him in the United States,” Sekiguchi said.
DANDY DEBUT: Todd Pletcher had a nice showing in his first Derby. The trainer had four starters, and two did well: Impeachment finished third and More Than Ready was fourth.
Two didn't: Trippi was 11th and Graeme Hall 19th.
“I'm proud of all these horses,” Pletcher said. “I'm not surprised at all with Impeachment finishing third. I've said all along that we came here with four horses we thought would run well and that we had a chance.”
LUKAS STRUGGLES: D. Wayne Lukas' three starters all foundered. Exchange Rate was 12th, High Yield 15th and Commendable 17th.
“They ran flat today, for whatever reason,” Lukas said. “But, you know, it's a horse race, and sometimes it's unexplainable.”
THIS AND THAT: Fusaichi Pegasus went off at odds of 2.3 to 1, the lowest-priced Derby favorite since Holy Bull was 2.2 to 1 in 1994.
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