D. Wayne Lukas

SARATOGA SPRINGS, NY-Five weeks ago, Mystik Dan (Goldencents) took down the GI Kentucky Derby in thrilling fashion, garnering the Run for the Roses by a mere nose. Also landing in Churchill's winner's circle that day, albeit in an entirely different race, Seize the Grey (Arrogate) recorded a confident win over 'TDN Rising Star' and SW Nash (Medaglia d'Oro) in the GII Pat Day Mile. Two weeks later, the duo faced off, and it was the grey horse who proved best on a grey day to take the GI Preakness at...

One thing Hall of Fame trainer D. Wayne Lukas was not going to do was fret over the post position assigned to Seize the Grey (Arrogate) for Saturday's GI Belmont S. at Saratoga Race Course. Seize the Grey got the rail for the 1 1/4-mile Belmont. It's a post most dread, but Lukas, who has won 15 Triple Crown races--including four Belmonts--isn't going to lose any sleep over it. "You have no control over it," Lukas said, sitting a few feet away from Seize the Grey's stall at his barn...

At 6:30 Sunday morning, Hall of Fame trainer D. Wayne Lukas was spotted along the horse trail outside of the Oklahoma Training Track in Saratoga Springs. He was aboard his pony, Bucky and his prized 3-year-old Seize the Grey (Arrogate) was right next to him. The GI Preakness S. winner is in town and getting ready for the GI Belmont S. Seize the Grey arrived in the Spa City early Saturday evening around 7 p.m. after a 15-hour van ride from Louisville. The trip didn't bother Seize the Grey one...

It was back to work for GI Preakness S. winner Seize the Grey (Arrogate) on Wednesday at Churchill Downs as he prepares for the GI Belmont S. at Saratoga Race Course June 8. With regular jockey Jaime Torres on board, Seize the Grey had his first workout since his upset win the Preakness. He went six furlongs in 1:13 (1/1). "I asked [Torres] if he was responsive, and he said, 'very,'" Hall of Fame trainer D. Wayne Lukas said by phone from Louisville. "He said he could have let him...

Hall of Fame trainer D. Wayne Lukas said GI Preakness S. winner Seize the Grey (Arrogate) will ship to Saratoga on Saturday, June 1 to prepare for the GI Belmont S. on June 8. "He came out of the Preakness remarkably well," Lukas said by phone from his base in Louisville, Ky. "Of all my [15 Triple Crown race winners], he might have come out of his race the best of any of them. He is doing damn good." Lukas said Seize the Grey will be the only horse from...

Baltimore, MD--The journey from the First Saturday in May through the Preakness can be an arduous one, fraught with activity and often times challenges that can try the most steady nerves. Young and old alike could be heard complaining about exhaustion by the time they made it through Preakness day, however, for some, it provided enough buoyancy to raise the Titanic. Such was the case with D. Wayne Lukas Sunday morning, the day after his colt Seize the Grey (Arrogate) wired the second jewel in the Triple Crown. Despite the...

In terms of positive momentum, the best result in the aftermath of every year's GI Preakness S. is for the GI Kentucky Derby winner to triumph again in Baltimore, setting up a potential Triple Crown bid that infuses the sport with a three-week burst of buoyancy leading up to the GI Belmont S. In the majority of years that doesn't happen, which is why the elusive Triple Crown is so special. So the next-best result is an exciting race with a compelling storyline. Saturday's 149th Preakness didn't quite deliver on...

Baltimore, MD--The naysayers said it couldn't be done. Seize the Grey (Arrogate) wasn't fast enough, was unlikely to go that far and simply put, was just being thrown into the deep end. D. Wayne Lukas, however, blocked out the noise. The Hall of Famer has been quoted countless times over the years that he has built a career running where he didn't belong. And the 88-year-old proved once again that he not only belongs, but gave yet another master class in winning a Classic in Saturday's GI Preakness S. at...

BALTIMORE, MD -- He's baaack. The truth of the matter, trainer Bob Baffert never really went away. The Hall of Famer's omnipresent influence--be it through his runners or the offspring of the stallions he helped mold--can be felt everywhere, regardless of whether the man shows up or not. Conspicuous in his absence at Churchill Downs two weeks ago, Baffert did make his first appearance on the Pimlico backstretch Friday morning, surrounded by a rockstar-caliber entourage, including his kids and his wife Jill, in addition to SF Bloodstock's Tom Ryan and...

Baltimore, MD-All eyes turn to Baltimore this weekend where Pimlico features an eight-race graded showcase, beginning with Friday's GII George E. Mitchell Black-Eyed Susan S. card, featuring 3-year-old fillies. Installed the 5-2 morning line favorite for the nine-furlong test, Madaket Stables and Slam Dunk Racing's Corposo (Vino Rosso) ran an even race in the Apr. 6 Santa Anita Oaks, but could only finish third, beaten eighth lengths, by Nothing Like You (Malibu Moon). "I don't think she's going to cry about the distance too much, at least that's what her...

The field for the GI Preakness S., ranked in "likeliest winner" order: 1) MYSTIK DAN (c, Goldencents--Ma'am, by Colonel John). O/B-Lance Gasaway, Daniel Hamby, 4G Racing, LLC, & Valley View Farm LLC (Ky); T-Kenneth G. McPeek. Lifetime Record: GISW, 7-3-1-1, $3,650,050. Last start: WON May 4 GI Kentucky Derby. The Derby champ will go favored in the Preakness on Saturday after the scratch of 'TDN Rising Star' Muth (Good Magic). This son of Goldencents upset the first leg of the Triple Crown at 18-1 odds. In the last three Derbies,...

GI Kentucky Derby winner Mystik Dan (Goldencents) continued his preparation ahead of Saturday's GI Preakness S. with a leg-stretching trip around the Pimlico surface Tuesday morning under Robby Albarado. The pair jogged seven furlongs before Albarado let the colt gallop through 1 1/2 miles. "I let him clip along today, and he's not even blowing," Albarado told Pimlico media following the work. "I thought every day would be a better day for him. He's getting comfortable with his surroundings. He knows where he's at now. I couldn't be more pleased...