Hall of Fame trainer D. Wayne Lukas, one of the most prolific trainers and influences in horse racing history, has been hospitalized in Louisville, Ky. and will not return to training, according to Lukas family members.
Never traveling beyond a mile before June 21, Mo Plex handled his first two-turn test with aplomb to win the $500,000 Grade 3 Ohio Derby June 21 at Thistledown.
Trainer Aidan O’Brien’s dominance of the Royal Ascot juvenile contests continued with Charles Darwin’s dominant victory in the June 19 Norfolk Stakes.
The No Nay Never colt was sent off odds-on and was briefly challenged by American Sandal’s Song and longshot Ameeq, but he exerted his class over the pair to pull clear under Ryan Moore by 2 1/4 lengths over a Godolphin’s rallying juvenile Wise Approach.
In the sport of horse racing, a great deal of emphasis is placed on winning the Kentucky Derby, Preakness, and Belmont Stakes, the three races that comprise the coveted U.S. Triple Crown.
Almost as much attention is paid to the Breeders’ Cup, the 14-race extravaganza that serves as the year-end championship of U.S. horse racing.
