Keeneland's Inside the Winner's Circle: Sporting Chance

Sporting Chance | Sarah K. Andrew

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Together with Hall of Fame conditioner D. Wayne Lukas, entrepreneurs Robert Baker and William Mack have won the

GI Hopeful S. a total of three times–none more dramatic than Sporting Chance (Tiznow)'s triumph Monday at Saratoga. A $275,000 Keeneland November weanling turned $575,000 Keeneland September yearling (click here for sales ring footage), the colt seized control entering the stretch and appeared poised to win decisively, but veered outward sharply a few strides from the wire, nearly costing him the win. The final margin of victory over a surging Free Drop Billy (Shackleford) was a neck, and following a stewards' inquiry and jockey's objection, Baker, Mack and Lukas could finally breathe a sigh of relief.

“When I was watching them come down the stretch, at about the sixteenth pole, I said, 'It looks like we've got it,'” Mack said. “Then, all of a sudden, the horse bolts, the jockey gets him back together again and somehow we get to the wire first. I just couldn't believe it.”

Mack added that, while tension of the moment rose during the inquiry, he believes the New York Racing Association stewards ultimately made the correct decision in letting the result stand. Baker, meanwhile, viewed Sporting Chance's score as redemption for some tough luck with Royal Copy (Bodemeister) in last year's renewal of the race.

“It was pretty exciting, a little scary at the end,” Baker admitted. “It's funny because last year we had Royal Copy come in third, beaten a head, in the Hopeful, but the jockey dropped the whip halfway around. So, I guess this year we got even.”

Following a consultation with Lukas, the trio determined that Sporting Chance likely shied away when Luis Saez switched to a left-handed whip–something the young colt had yet to feel in his previous two races.

Despite the rocky stretch run in the Hopeful, the pair confirmed that Sporting Chance distinguished himself from his peers as a September yearling at pinhooker Peter O'Callaghan's Woods Edge Farm consignment. Just shy of a year removed from their successful purchase, Baker fondly recalled the yearly process of identifying yearlings alongside Lukas, whose horse sense is arguably second to none.

“We have two partners, and we both have wives–so that's four of us, plus Wayne,” Baker said. “We all show up at 10:30 on Monday morning [of sales week]. Wayne has a golf cart and he picks out anywhere from 12 to 20 horses–always colts–because we're looking to win the Kentucky Derby. We go around and he shows us the horses he's chosen. Needless, to say he has a great eye and they're all gorgeous and all have good pedigrees that will bring big prices. We all sit around at lunch and decide which ones we like best. We bought [two-time Grade I winner and successful sire] Grand Slam a number of years ago because my wife, Christine, blew in his nose and he blew back. That was really very fortunate.”

As fate would have it, the Bakers were not present at last year's September sale as Christine recovered from surgery, but Lukas and the Macks managed to hit another home run for the team with Sporting Chance.

“What we look for is very good conformation and good breeding,” Mack said. “We go in the tenth percentile–maybe fifth or sixth–but not the very top three, as far as pedigree is concerned. But as far as conformation is concerned, we like to be at the top. [Sporting Chance] was one of the picks. He was the first horse we bid on. We went a little over our budget, but it looks like it paid off.”

Purchasing an average of three yearling colts per year, Baker and Mack have forged a strong partnership over the years through their various business ventures and Thoroughbred investments.

“Bill and I have a lot of business interests together,” Baker said. “We own Hudson Bay, which owns Saks Fifth Avenue and Lord and Taylor. We know each other well, we trust each other and we spend a lot of time together. We've owned horses together for over 20 years.”

With that trust comes a common understanding that their ultimate goal is to win the GI Kentucky Derby. While acknowledging that feat requires a blend of skill and luck, Baker and Mack both said they take pride in making their mark on a race like the Hopeful–a gateway to races at increasing distances that begin the road to the First Saturday in May.

All reports indicate that Sporting Chance emerged from his eventful journey to the winner's circle in fine form, and the dark bay is tentatively being pointed toward a start in either Belmont's GI Champagne S. or Keeneland's GI Claiborne Breeders' Futurity–both to be contested Saturday, Oct. 7. Needless to say, both owners will have their fingers crossed in the ensuing weeks.

“Sometimes you get lucky and sometimes you don't,” Baker concluded with a laugh. “Nobody picks yearlings better than Wayne.”

O'Callaghan Capitalizes on His 'Chance'…

Peter O'Callaghan, too, was quick to praise the instinct and horse sense of Lukas, noting that Sporting Chance was just one of a select number of yearlings handpicked by the famed trainer at last year's sales.

“Wayne only bought a handful of yearlings last September, and he bought a Grade I winner,” O'Callaghan said. “The man is a genius. The longevity of it all, how he keeps coming up with good horses at the right time…it would behoove us all to follow what he does closely.”

O'Callaghan described Sporting Chance as a straightforward horse from the moment he secured him for $275,000 as a Keeneland November weanling. The interest he attracted at September was the culmination of a strong 10-month development period.

“It's very gratifying and satisfactory for everyone,” O'Callaghan said. “I'm particularly happy for Wayne and Mr. Baker and Mr. Mack. He was a lovely foal, an expensive foal, but he went upward and onwards from foal to yearling. He was a beautiful yearling, and there was quite a bit of interest in him–he was going well and was vetted nine or 10 times. He was going to sell well, one way or the other, but it was pretty evident that when Wayne saw him first, I knew he was keen on him.”

O'Callaghan recalled Lukas bringing Mack and Baker to the barn to visit the colt, and the trio gave every indication that they intended to make a purchase. The horseman observed that having “the right kind of people” showing interest in a horse can make all the difference in a successful sale.

Sporting Chance's win at the highest level adds to a recent run of success for Woods Edge, highlighted by pinhook Drefong (Gio Ponti)'s undefeated 2016 campaign that landed him year-end honors as champion sprinter. Drefong, too, was scooped up by O'Callaghan for $200,000 as a Keeneland November weanling before being resold at September for $450,000 to Susan and Charles Chu's Baoma Corporation.

“It's what it's all about,” O'Callaghan said when asked about parlaying sharp pinhooks into significant accomplishments on the racetrack. “As breeders, pinhookers or sellers, the people who buy from us need to have success with our product. You can't have enough of it. Luckily, we're on a bit of a roll recently and we just hope we can continue it.”

 

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