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Last of three parts
King T. Leatherbury is the nation's third-winningest horse trainer, standing 16 victories from his 6,000th, according to the Daily Racing Form.
Leatherbury, 70, a Shady Side native who was raised on a farm with horses, experienced his first victory in 1959 with Mister L in Florida. He marked his 5,000th win in May 1993.
Leatherbury's career includes 25 training titles at Pimlico Race Course and at Laurel Park. He also has raced three horses in the Preakness Stakes at Pimlico: Indigo Star, which placed fifth in 1978; Thirty-Eight Paces, which placed fourth in 1981; and I Am the Game, which placed fourth in 1985.
He also ran I Am the Game in the Kentucky Derby, also in 1985. The horse finished 13th.
Interviewed recently at the Maryland Jockey Club's lounge at Laurel Park, Leatherbury discussed a wide range of issues regarding the sport, including Saturday's Preakness Stakes.
Was Funny Cide's victory in the Kentucky Derby a surprise?
There were other horses that I thought [including Empire Maker, the favorite, which placed second] came up a bit faster than he did. However, he was competitive in the race Â…
How?
The horse just ran faster. It was the fastest race he had ever run in his life [2:01.19 in the 1 1/4-mile race].
The big question is, when a horse runs a big, fast race, is he going to react to that: Is he going to come back and run it again? Is he going to improve a little bit? Or, did that take too much out of him? He may react to it and come back and run not as good next time.
Why is that a factor?
Sometimes, a horse will make a real big effort to outrun himself -- run a little faster than he was up to -- and that'll affect him such that he might come back and not run as well.
That's the big question for Saturday?
Right. And some of the other horses might have had their off race the other day -- in the Derby or whenever they ran last -- and they might've been reacting to a previous big effort. They may come back to their normal [condition]. There's a lot to it.
Did you put your money on Funny Cide to win?
Didn't think he was quite good enough to win, but he was good enough to be there in the "exotic" bets -- the Exactas, Triples and Supers.
That's what people like to bet. More money goes in those pools than in the "win" pools.
Did you have any money on Empire Maker?
King T. Leatherbury is the nation's third-winningest horse trainer, standing 16 victories from his 6,000th, according to the Daily Racing Form.
Leatherbury, 70, a Shady Side native who was raised on a farm with horses, experienced his first victory in 1959 with Mister L in Florida. He marked his 5,000th win in May 1993.
Leatherbury's career includes 25 training titles at Pimlico Race Course and at Laurel Park. He also has raced three horses in the Preakness Stakes at Pimlico: Indigo Star, which placed fifth in 1978; Thirty-Eight Paces, which placed fourth in 1981; and I Am the Game, which placed fourth in 1985.
He also ran I Am the Game in the Kentucky Derby, also in 1985. The horse finished 13th.
Interviewed recently at the Maryland Jockey Club's lounge at Laurel Park, Leatherbury discussed a wide range of issues regarding the sport, including Saturday's Preakness Stakes.
Was Funny Cide's victory in the Kentucky Derby a surprise?
There were other horses that I thought [including Empire Maker, the favorite, which placed second] came up a bit faster than he did. However, he was competitive in the race Â…
How?
The horse just ran faster. It was the fastest race he had ever run in his life [2:01.19 in the 1 1/4-mile race].
The big question is, when a horse runs a big, fast race, is he going to react to that: Is he going to come back and run it again? Is he going to improve a little bit? Or, did that take too much out of him? He may react to it and come back and run not as good next time.
Why is that a factor?
Sometimes, a horse will make a real big effort to outrun himself -- run a little faster than he was up to -- and that'll affect him such that he might come back and not run as well.
That's the big question for Saturday?
Right. And some of the other horses might have had their off race the other day -- in the Derby or whenever they ran last -- and they might've been reacting to a previous big effort. They may come back to their normal [condition]. There's a lot to it.
Did you put your money on Funny Cide to win?
Didn't think he was quite good enough to win, but he was good enough to be there in the "exotic" bets -- the Exactas, Triples and Supers.
That's what people like to bet. More money goes in those pools than in the "win" pools.
Did you have any money on Empire Maker?
