Caldera — our Lukas Legacy - Returns Today at Gulfstream Park

This DRF article sums up our heartfelt feelings about our Liam’s Map colt formerly trained by D. Wayne Lukas. Caldera was his Derby hopeful last year, but didn’t earn the points due to an unfortunate series of mishaps in the Louisiana Derby. He is now in the very capable hands of amazing trainer Saffie Joseph, Jr.

Caldera Carries Lukas’s Legacy into 4-Year-Old Debut

https://www.drf.com/news/caldera-carries-lukass-legacy-4-year-old-debut

UPDATE:

Caldera WON by several lengths. 

Great kickoff of his 4YO campaign. Can't wait to see where he goes from here. 

Caldera is going to Saffie Joseph Jr.

We're extremely pleased to announce that Caldera will soon come off his break and go to trainer Saffie Joseph Jr. in Florida.

Formerly trained by the late, great D. Wayne Lukas, we lost the "Coach" suddenly in June of this year and with the subsequent upending of his training schedule, Caldera was sent to Highlander Training Center for a rest and a reset.

Now back training and approaching a return to speed drills and workouts, he has found a home with the outstanding talent who also trains White Abarrio and other big name horses. 

We look forward to a successful new partnership for the 2026 season as Caldera becomes a 4YO. 

Celebration of Life: D. Wayne Lukas

The Coach's Celebration of Life ceremony was held a few days ago in Louisville, KY. We are sharing the full ceremony as captured on YouTube below. 

We've often tried to explain the impact of D. Wayne Lukas has had on our lives, and every time, fallen far short. Maybe all these amazing stories and recollections by those who knew him best--and longest--will do a better job of showing why this man was such a force in our industry who touched the lives of so many in such a powerful and positive way.

The testimony of former jockey Pat Day was particularly touching, and we treasure our Winner's Circle photo of Coach, with Pat Day, and our G2 Pat Day Mile stakes winner on Kentucky Derby Day 2024. Two weeks later, our son of Arrogate would go on to win the Second Jewel of the Triple Crown, the Preakness.

We were thrilled to see the horse we owned in partnership with many, many others in several special cameos highlighting D. Wayne Lukas's career. Seize The Grey was Coach's last Triple Crown race winner, who bestowed upon Mr. Lukas the title of the Oldest Trainer Ever to Win a Triple Crown race -- at age 88. I'm not sure that will--or can--ever be surpassed. 

We also had three more promising youngsters in his barn--Caldera (Liam's Map) and Munny Problem (Munnings) who will find a home with new trainers, and Trust But Verify (Into Mischief), who has already been sent to the Coach's good friend, Kenny McPeak. 

We miss you, Coach. We will always miss you, as will the people, the sport, the horses, and the entire industry. As many here said in different ways, there was only one D. Wayne Lukas. There was only one legend who changed the game forever. May his memory never fade from the sport he loved and ever strived to make better. He must have had a huge herd of champions running to greet him in Heaven. 

D. Wayne Lukas Celebration of Life Ceremony

Catching Up on Updates - 2YOs and 3YOs

TWO YEAR OLDS

Black Tie Optional (Not This Time colt)

• Black Tie Optional has remained on a work schedule at Los Alamitos, where he is breezing well, including a 4F in :48 flat in company with his usual mate, Cherokee Nation, in July prompting assistant trainer Mike Marlow to report, “He worked great. Probably his best work to date.” His most recent work was from the gate on August 1st (three furlongs in :37.20). His team is bringing him along slowly and no immediate start date is expected. 

Instant Impact (Upstart colt)

• Instant Impact debuted on July 27th at Saratoga. After his race came off the turf course due to rain, trainer Kenny McPeek opted to keep him in. He ran fourth, notably handled the loading process and broke well—a good sign after some of his gate issues in the mornings. Jockey Kendrick Carmouche allowed Instant Impact to find his rhythm though he did seem to be spinning his wheels a bit on the wet track. He did show good fight when the horse coming up behind him tried to run by, and he galloped out well. Instant Impact departed Saratoga for Churchill Downs last week, and ran a bullet work at Churchill on August 11th going 4F in 47.20. He is expected to make his next start at Ellis Park in approximately 9-10 days.  

Misstrial (Constitution filly)

• Misstrial had her first start at Del Mar (the same day Seismic Beauty won the G1 Clement L. Hirsch), but stumbled badly out of the gate, almost going to her nose, and then colliding with the horse to her inside. In spite of her troubles, she still made a valiant effort, but was tiring by the time she hit the stretch. She was back on the work tab on August 11th at Del Mar, covering 5F in 1:00.60 while on the inside of stablemate Falcon Jet (2nd on debut on 8/3). We were glad to see Misstrial no worse for the wear after her debut and expect to see her get one more run at Del Mar before the summer meet ends. There are two maiden special weight options remaining at the meet, on August 30th and September 6th.

Munny Problem  (Munnings colt)

• Sadly, Munny Problem was being trained by D. Wayne Lukas who's sudden passing on June 28th left him trainerless. He was sent to Highlander training center with the Coach's two other trainees, Caldera (stakes placed 3YO) and Trust But Verify (unstarted 2YO). Munny Problem is doing well at Highlander during his R&R period. He should be started back in training in approximately 60 days.

Native Brew (Yaupon colt)

• Native Brew made his first start and ran 5th. Unfortunately, the race took a toll on this first time starter, and he will need time off before running again. 

Sirius Pursuit (Knicks Go filly)

• Upcoming possible debut dates - Saturday, August 23 at Ellis Park or a later date at Saratoga. Her workmate, Amended Dreamer, will make her debut at Saratoga on Saturday, August 16th, in the 4th race. This will give a better indication of Sirius Pursuit's standing among 2YOs. Her trainer is Jena Antonucci.

Trust But Verify (Into Mischief colt)

• Trust But Verify was transferred to Highlander Training Center after the death of D. Wayne Lukas, who had been training this promising colt. A decision was made to send Trust But Verify to "Coach's" good friend Kenny McPeek. Trust But Verify had his final breeze at Highlander Training Center where he covered 3F from the gate in :37.72. Highlander’s Jeff Hooper reported “Everything went smoothly and [he] worked a nice 3/8ths from the gate in company, outworking his work mate comfortably.” Trust But Verify was sent to the McPeek barn at Keeneland and is currently awaiting the next van to join his string at Saratoga.

THREE YEAR OLDS

Good Cop (Tiz The Law colt)

• Has transferred from Fair Hill to Todd Pletcher's barn at Belmont Park (open for training during renovations) and has been putting in a works there. 

Isle Blue (Speightstown filly)

• After the death of Christophe Clement earlier this year, she is now being trained by his son, Miguel Clement who has done much of her hands-on training to this point. Isle Blue ran a stunning bullet work on 8/9/25, running 4F in 47.40 for the fastest work of 76 that morning.

Nakoma (Vekoma filly)

• Currently turned out. Expected to return to racing later this year. Trained by Jena Antonucci.

OTHER HORSES

Caldera (Liam's Map colt)

• Since losing his trainer (D. Wayne Lukas -- "Coach"), Caldera was sent to Highlander where he has been cooling his heels. After a valiant run at qualifying for the Kentucky Derby which didn't pan out due to stumbling and grabbing a quarter out of the gate in the Louisiana Derby (a Kentucky Derby qualifier), Caldera ran back 2nd in a minor stakes at Oaklawn hoping for a Preakness berth, then went through a growth spurt/weight loss period and other issues that required a rest. No new trainer has yet been selected.

Here's The Kicker (Liam's Map filly)

• After her last start in the G1 Ruffian Stakes, which didn't go well for her, she was transferred to Saratoga to try her hand at the spa. While her first work there was an eye-opening bullet running 35.03 for 3F on June 30th, her next three works were not as impressive. Unfortunately, the deep surface at Saratoga does not seem to be to her liking. Trainer Saffie Joseph, Jr. has opted to send her back to Florida where she has done her best running, so her next start will most likely be at Gulfstream Park. 

Thank You Forever, "Coach" D. Wayne Lukas

We are in mourning. We received word that D. Wayne Lukas ("Coach") passed last night, Saturday, June 28, 2025 after a brief illness after announcing his sudden retirement a few days ago on June 22nd. He was 89 years old. An absolute legend, icon and inspiration to the industry, we will miss his words of wisdom, his informational messages and videos, and seeing him out on the track on his trusty paint, Bucky. 

The Coach was currently training two horses for our groups -- Caldera (Liam's Map) and Munny Problem (Not This Time) -- with a third, Trust But Verify (Into Mischief), to head his way shortly. He also trained Seize The Grey, now retired to stud in Kentucky after winning the Preakness, Pennsylvania Derby (both G1) and Pat Day Mile (G2, on the 2024 Kentucky Derby undercard). 

We'll try to capture just some of the achievements he left behind, but his most intangible victories were the impact he had on our sport and the respect he garnered from so many from throughout the racing community. We'll post links to some of that press below. This post will be edited as more are added in the coming days.

Daily Racing Form:  Racing Legend D. Wayne Lukas Dead at 89 

Paulick Report:  Legendary Trainer D. Wayne Lukas Passes Away

Bloodhorse:  Industry-Shaping Horseman Lukas Dies at Age 89

APNews: Hall of Fame Horse Trainer D. Wayne Lukas

APNews: D. Wayne Lukas Revolutionized Horse Racing

APNews: Horse Racing Pays Tribute to Hall of Fame Trainer

Thank you coach for training some of the greatest horses racing has ever seen. 

• Azeri
• Blush With Pride 
• Boston Harbor (*BC)
• Capote (*BC)
• Cara Rafaela
• Cash Run (*BC)
• Cat Thief (*BC)
• Charismatic
• Codex 
• Commendable
• Dynaformer
• Editor's Note
• Flanders (*BC)
• Folklore (*BC)
• Grindstone (Kentucky Derby winner, grandsire of Mine That Bird)
• Gulch (*BC)
• Hightail (*BC)
• Is It True (*BC)
• Lady's Secret (*BC, Champion, Horse of the Year, Secretariat daughter) 
• Life's Magic (*BC)
• Mine That Bird (after his Kentucky Derby win)
• Open Mind (*BC)
• Orientate (*BC)
• Oxbow (Preakness winner 2014)
• Sacahuista (*BC)
• SEIZE THE GREY (Preakness, Penn Derby, Pat Day Mile - one of ours)
• Serena's Song
• Spain (*BC)
• Steinlen (*BC)
• Stellar Jayne (Multiple G1, G2 winner, $1M+, granddam Inherit the Stars)
• Success Express (*BC)
• Tabasco Cat
• Take Charge Brandi (*BC)
• Tanks Prospect
• Thunder Gulch
• Timber Country (*BC)
• Twilight Ridge (*BC)
• Winning Colors (filly who won the Kentucky Derby)

*Breeders’ Cup Winners Trained by D. Wayne Lukas (Alphabetical Order): Boston Harbor (Juvenile, 1996), Capote (Juvenile, 1986), Cash Run (Juvenile Fillies, 1999), Cat Thief (Classic, 1999), Flanders (Juvenile Fillies, 1994), Folklore (Juvenile Fillies, 2005), Gulch (Sprint, 1988), Hightail (Juvenile Sprint, 2012), Is It True (Juvenile, 1988), Lady's Secret (Distaff, 1986), Life's Magic (Distaff, 1985), Open Mind (Juvenile Fillies, 1988), Orientate (Sprint, 2002), Sacahuista (Distaff, 1987), Spain (Distaff, 2000), Steinlen (GB) (Mile, 1989), Success Express (Juvenile, 1987), Take Charge Brandi (Juvenile Fillies, 2014), Timber Country (Juvenile, 1994), Twilight Ridge (Juvenile Fillies, 1985).

For a few, their legacy lived on with:

• Boston Harbor sired Healthy Addiction
• Cara Rafaela foaling Bernardini (sire) 
• Dynaformer sired the legendary Barbaro (Kentucky Derby) 
• Is It True sired Yes It's True (who sired our race mare Endless Thyme)
• SEIZE THE GREY (top earning son of Arrogate, now standing 1st year at stud)

But perhaps the biggest impact, by far, was the influence Coach had on those who learned from him. Todd Pletcher, who went on to be and still remains one of the elite top trainers, but also successful trainers Kiaran McLaughlin, Dallas Stewart, Randy Bradshaw, Mark Hennig, Mike Maker, and George Weaver. 

Sadly, one of his greatest pupils was his son, Jeff, toted by many as a sharp and effective trainer in his own right. Jeff suffered severe brain injury when one of the Coach's top horses, Tabasco Cat, broke away and ran Jeff over causing Jeff's head to impact the ground. Though Jeff did try to return to training after his recovery later, the work proved too much for him. He passed in 2016 at age 58.

In 1987, Lukas won 92 stakes races at tracks throughout the country, a record that would stand for nearly 20 years before Pletcher (appropriately enough!) broke that record in 2006.

Many other trainers were his competitors, but also long-time peers who carried a deep respect for and friendship with him, including Bob Baffert, Kenny McPeek, and Steve Asmussen. 

But there were also the legions of youth who he took to the winners circles over the years so they could experience the thrill of getting their photo taken with the winner, or the kids he'd hand signed cards from the back of his pony horse, or just stopped to chat with as they stood at the rail watching in awe. 

He is the only trainer to have been named to BOTH the Quarter Horse and Thoroughbred Hall of Fame.  

But for us, what a huge honor it was to be involved with his last horse to win a Triple Crown race in 2024, with our own SEIZE THE GREY winning the Preakness wire-to-wire. "Ceasar" won a second grade 1 race in the Pennsylvania Derby four months later, and also competed in the 2024 Breeders Cup Dirt Mile, as his last BC contender. But that was followed with the thrill this year, 2025, of seeing Caldera headed down the Derby Trail road. Though sadly he didn't make the field of any of the Triple Crown races, we had the great pleasure of watching him place 2nd in a head-bob decision in the Sunland Park Derby (Kentucky Derby prep race) right here in our own state. 

[Edited later to add:] We now own (and cherish) the saddlecloth from that race, and a reproduction of the Preakness Winner wood sign that had hung in Coach's famed barn at Churchill Downs, made for us by the same craftsman  in November 2025. 

 

Caldera Now at Ellis Park

Caldera is reportedly now at Ellis Park after his brief respite and growing phase. 

The Ohio Derby (Thistledowns) is reportedly an option, but not certain as of this date.

Caldera Will Pass on Preakness Entry

The team spoke with trainer D. Wayne Lukas today regarding Caldera. Our colt galloped well this morning, and appears to be over the soreness he exhibited coming out of the Bathhouse Row. Given that he X-ray’d completely clean, The Coach’s best guess is that his foot was bothering him.

With all that being said, the plan is to back off a bit on Caldera in the short term. He will skip the Preakness and head to the farm for a couple of weeks just to get on some grass. He’ll be able to stay fit on the exercise machine during his refresher so as not to lose too much time.

The Coach in his expert opinion believes our colt will benefit from a reset and we are 100% behind that decision. This will allow him to grow up and catch up a bit and hopefully come back a stronger horse for the second half of the season and beyond. He’ll also get a check-up from leading vet, Dr. Larry Bramlage, while at the farm just to make sure all bases are covered.

We must keep in mind that horses are not machines and the reason that trainers like Mr. Lukas achieve the reputations they do as great horsemen are because of decisions like this—it’s also the type of management that helped make Seize the Grey what he was last year, and allowed Straight No Chaser to blossom into champion sprinter.

So, we’ll exercise some patience for now but are hopeful that we’ll be rewarded for it down the line. Both the Lukas team and our own team remain extremely high on Caldera and have big expectations for his future and where he could take us.

Kentucky Derby Complete Order of Finish

     1) Sovereignty finished 1st by 1 1/2 lengths   

    2) Journalism finished 2nd beaten 1 1/2 lengths   

    3) Baeza* finished 3rd beaten 1 3/4 lengths   

    4) Final Gambit finished 4th beaten 4 1/4 lengths    

    5) Owen Almighty finished 5th beaten 9 lengths  

    6) Burnham Square** finished 6th beaten 10 1/2 lengths    

    7) Sandman finished 7th beaten 12 1/2 lengths   

    8) East Avenue finished 8th beaten 13 1/4 lengths 

    9) Chunk of Gold*** finished 9th beaten 15 3/4 lengths 

    10) Tiztastic finished**** 10th beaten 16 1/2 lengths   

    11) Coal Battle finished 11th beaten 17 lengths

    12) Luxor Cafe finished 12th beaten 18 3/4 lengths    

    13) Neoequos finished 13th beaten 27 lengths

    14) Publisher finished 14th beaten 32 1/4 lengths

    15) Citizen Bull finished 15th beaten 33 1/2 lengths   

    16) American Promise finished 16th beaten 38 1/2 lengths

    17) Render Judgment finished 17th beaten 39 3/4 lengths   

    18) Flying Mohawk finished 18th beaten 42 1/4 lengths

    19) Admire Daytona (JPN) finished 19th beaten 54 3/4 lengths    

______________________________

* Half-sibling to Puca 24

** Same sire as Caldera

*** Half-sibling to Coexist

**** Same sire as Good Cop

Caldera Update

The team spoke with trainer D. Wayne Lukas the other morning about Caldera. He is happy overall with how our colt exited the race at Oaklawn and handled the ship to Churchill Downs. He said he’d rate him a 9.5 out of 10 right now, but did note that he came out of the Bathhouse Row Stakes a bit body sore—nothing major and not surprising considering the hard effort. 

As a precaution, they took some X-rays to rule out anything more significant, and those radiographs came back very clean—there is nothing to be concerned about or to monitor at this time, which is great news.

We have not committed to a target race yet and will give Caldera and The Coach a bit more time before firming up any plans.

Caldera has a Rough Trip, Nearly Scores Anyway!

Close one for Caldera (#2) at Oaklawn Park today in the Bath House Row Stakes , vying for an automatic berth in the Preakness awarded to the winner. It was a rough and tumble trip with traffic jams and a couple of roadblocks thrown into his path, but he did some maneuvering and made a very strong late bid, finishing 2nd by half a length (officially posted as 3/4 length). We were very happy with his performance especially with the less than ideal trip. Rafael Bejarano was in the irons again. 

Valiant effort overall and could set him up nicely for his next race. 

Praying he comes back in good order and starts looking for that next challenge, wherever it may be. ❤️

MRH RACE RECAP:

[Video of race at bottom with commentary]

Caldera was a solid second in the Bathhouse Row at Oaklawn.

Away better than he was at Fair Grounds, he found himself in third early and jockey Rafael Bejarano smartly maneuvered him out into the clear heading into the first turn. The pace was pretty moderate, with the half posted in :49.42. Caldera seemed to idle on the second bend and Bejarano had to push on him a bit to hold his position approaching the stretch behind six panels in 1:14.70.

Caldera continued to fight on as they entered the lane, but he was in a slightly tricky spot behind the lugging out #3 First Division with a possible path between that one and #1 Hymn if he wanted to try and split horses. Caldera continued to level off and build momentum as favorite and eventual winner #7 Instant Replay closed down the outside. Bejarano eventually guided Caldera to the outside of First Division and inside of Instant Replay, but Instant Replay had a clearer path and a bit more momentum and bested Caldera by 3/4 of a length.

Coming off of that disappointing try last out, it was great to see the real Caldera back and show so much heart and determination. He still takes a very long time to get going—which contributed to the bit of traffic trouble he found this time—but he did a lot right today and still seems to have more room for improvement left in him.

Trainer D. Wayne Lukas was pleased with the effort and thought it would be beneficial to Caldera both physically and mentally. If he bounces out of this one in good order, he’ll be seriously considered for either the G1 Preakness or the Sir Barton S. on the Preakness undercard.

UPDATE:

Caldera earned a solid 90 Beyer Speed Figure for Saturday’s effort, and is en route as we speak back to Churchill Downs. We will touch base with Mr. Lukas in the coming days to discuss with him future plans and see how Caldera has bounced out of the Bathhouse Row Stakes and handled the ship back to Kentucky.

Check out the accompanying video for a closer look at Caldera’s trip featuring commentary from Joe Moran and Brian DiDonato. We hope you’ll find it interesting and informative.

Hoping for a Rebound, Praying for a Safe Race for Caldera

From Bloodhorse:

Caldera, Instant Replay Meet Again in the Bath House Row Stakes tomorrow at Oaklawn Park. 

Caldera Article: We Could do the Preakness

An informative article with reference to Caldera bypassing the Blue Grass Stakes to run in the Bathhouse Row at Oaklawn.

Paulick Report:  We Could do the Preakness

Caldera: Louisiana Derby and After Race Update

Caldera ran 8th in the Louisiana Derby yesterday, after a bad stumble at the start.

The Lukas barn reports that Caldera appears thus far to have exited yesterday’s race in pretty good order. He did grab a quarter (when a horse’s back foot clips the heel area of their front foot)—most likely coming out of the gate—but scoped clean and jogged sound. He is on his way back to Oaklawn now.

Consensus among both Team Lukas and our racing team is that Caldera is still a somewhat immature horse mentally and the rough start was just more than he could overcome. He also didn’t seem to handle the track particularly well.

We’ll let him get back to Arkansas and see how he returns to training. We wouldn’t necessarily be in a rush to bring him back in another Derby prep, but will let The Coach make that determination after observing him for a bit.

Caldera: Looking Ahead to the Louisiana Derby

Caldera will be in the middle of the field of ten horses in this start in his first graded stakes win, and his bid to add to his Kentucky Derby points. 

His workout times have been looking really good among the Derby contenders. We know he has the talent and the monster stride to do big things, but in only his sixth start it's yet to be determined if he possesses the "killer instinct" to drive him to the line first over a group of top 3YOs. 

His record, to date, is looking pretty darn good, with only his debut being off the board, but he arguably had his shot to beat Getaway Car in his last start and only stake race, the Sunland Derby, but after overtaking him off the 2nd turn, he relaxed and let his rival nearly overtake him. Getaway Car got the nose bob on that one, but was subsequently soundly beaten in the Virginia Derby, with that Derby prep victory going to Caldera's stablemate, the D. Wayne Lukas-trained American Promise (Justify).

His next start in the Louisiana Derby will tell us if we have the fierce kind of competitor who can summon all his strengths and hit the wire first to capture 50 Kentucky Derby points, and a shoe-in to the Run for the Roses. If anyone can get him there, it's the Coach. 

Fingers crossed and holding our breaths until Saturday, hoping for a huge step up in the Grade 2 $1 million Louisiana Derby. I guess St. Patrick's Day is a good day to muse about big dreams. :)

Caldera: Two Successive Bullet Works and Louisiana Derby Draw

Caldera update. Two bullet works in a row...

Oaklawn Park 3/14/2025 Dirt 5F 59.60 Breezing 1/23

Oaklawn Park 3/6/2025     Dirt 5F 59.20 Breezing 1/18

And he drew post #5 for the Louisiana Derby next weekend with Tyler Gaffaleone up.

In other news, his stablemate, American Promise (Justify) just tied up a berth in the Kentucky Derby with a decisive, 8(ish) length win after Getaway Car led the first half.

Things are heating up on the Road to the Kentucky Derby.

CALDERA - Big Write Up from Steve Haskin at Secretariat . com

Caldera has been generating some major buzz after his battle to the line with Bob Baffert's Getaway Car in the Sunland Derby. 

Read what horseracing sports writer Steve Haskin has to say about him in this article on Derby prep updates.

Look under "Knocking at the Door" for info on the Sunland Derby. 

Kentucky Derby Rankings-Week 4-Secretariat.com

by Steve Haskin

Caldera: The Buzz Starts to Build!

It's exciting to hear all the positive things being said about our boy, Caldera, after his near miss in the Sunland Derby. This one is by a major writer in the sports community, Steve Haskins, posted on the Secretariat.com site. 

Kentucky Derby Rankings Week 4

Caldera May be Coming to New Mexico Seeking Derby Points

We were quite shocked to read a recent BloodHorse article on D. Wayne Lukas's various Derby hopefuls, that our Liam's Map son, Caldera may be coming to New Mexico in a quest for points. The Coach indicated in the article that this was one possible path for him. Being based in New Mexico, we have mixed feelings on this, in that we'd love to see our colt run in person, but we also have a lot of doubts about the state of racing and the track conditions at Sunland, which tends to be a deeper, slower track. 

We're also concerned that the Sunland Park Derby was "demoted" last year and now awards only 20 points to the winner, unlike most of the other preps at this point which are awarding 50 (and pretty much a shoe-in to the Derby). On top of that, it will require quite an extensive transport to bring Caldera from Arkansas to southern New Mexico, which may not be the best scenario prior to a Derby prep.

On the flip side, over the years Bob Baffert, Steve Asmussen, Phil D'Amato and other top trainers have often shipped in to Sunland for a go at the sole Derby prep race based there, but most were back in the heydays when the Sunland Park Derby awarded 50 points. Phil D'Amato did bring Stronghold last year (with our filly Simply Enchanting in tow -- she placed in the Sunland Park Oaks the same day), and I believe Steve Asmussen also brought one of his hopefuls. 

We know Mr. Lukas always has a plan, and often his decisions are contrary to what he puts out in the press, so we'll wait to see if Caldera will indeed run at Sunland Park on February 16th. As we've said many times over the last 19 months (which produced a Preakness champion, multi-G1 winner and new Kentucky stallion for us), "In Coach we trust."

Caldera Shows Huge Promise in his 3rd Start!

Caldera had his third start at Oaklawn today, and it couldn't have gone any better. He went straight to the front, held off one challenger heading into the turn and cruised home to a 5-1/2 length win under a hand ride by Rafael Bejerano. What a dream outcome! 

This was over a mile and a sixteenth and against 3YOs and older horses, to boot. A nice contingent of partners were on hand to watch the race and ring the famous Oaklawn bell in the Winner's Circle. He was given an E-speed figure of 96, and I believe an 82 Beyer.

We'll see how he comes out of the race, and where The Coach (D. Wayne Lukas) decides to point him next. 

Caldera Race Results

Caldera's second start, this one in a nice allowance race at Oaklawn Park on December 13, 2024. Keith Asmussen was aboard for the trip. This colt is a big guy with a huge stride and he's just learning how to use it. Looking forward to his journey ahead.