Thursday, March 18, 2004
Updated: March 23, 10:34 AM ET
Azeri's Next Chapter
By Bill Finley
Special to ESPN.com
When the field is assembled for the April 3 Apple Blossom at Oaklawn Park, Azeri's credentials will dwarf those of anyone else in the field. But some will believe this is a race she can't win and has no business running in in the first place. It's been a turbulent seven months since her last victory, a time frame that has left many questions unresolved and made the Apple Blossom one of the more intriguing events on the stakes calendar.
When Azeri won the Aug. 10 Clement Hirsch at Del Mar to record her 11th straight win, it appeared she was ready to march through an undefeated campaign and conclude her brilliant career with a repeat win in the Breeders' Cup Distaff. Instead, her seamless existence unraveled.
Her winning streak ended when she finished third as the 1-5 favorite in the Sept. 28 Lady's Secret. Azeri was then withdrawn from the Distaff field because trainer Laura De Seroux wasn't happy with the way she was training. Afterward, De Seroux discovered that Azeri had an inflamed left tendon and it was announced she was being sent off to what seemed like a well-deserved retirement. A few days later, owner Michael Paulson took all his horses away from De Seroux, saying only that he thought the horses were better suited to the softer tracks in the East
That appeared to be the end of the Azeri saga, but Paulson had other thoughts. Paulson had Azeri checked out independently by a series of veterinarians and said she was given a clean bill of health. He turned the mare over to Hall of Fame trainer Wayne Lukas and told him to prepare her for her 6-year-old season, dismissing De Seroux's fears that the plug needed to be pulled on an ailing Azeri's career.
"Shame on both of them," she told the Daily Racing Form at the time, referring to Paulson and Lukas. She later placed a posting on the
Thoroughbred Times website highly critical of Lukas.
Lukas has said he sees no signs of an injury and has raved about the way the mare has been has coming up to the Apple Blossom, boldly predicting that she will be as good ever.
"I see nothing in the time I've had her that would make me think she's going to be anything but absolutely special," he said. "She's done everything right. If you watch her works, you'd marvel at the way she is doing. She has thrived in our barn."
Figuring out who's right and who's wrong isn't an easy thing to do. It depends upon who you listen to and which philosophy you buy into, the ultra-conservative approach favored by De Seroux or Lukas' aggressive way of going about things.
De Seroux babied Azeri. She rarely ran her outside of California, wouldn't come East for any of the major races in New York and never ran Azeri against males. She never took chances and shied away from challenges. By never running Azeri against males, she might have cost her any chance to go down in history as one of the greatest fillies or mares of all time.
It would stand to reason that she would demand that Azeri be retired at the slightest hint of an injury. Still, De Seroux seems to have won the P.R. war, coming across as the sympathetic character, a caring trainer only looking out for the best interests of a star horse only to lose her job and her horse to, egad, Wayne Lukas.
But what if she overreacted to the injury, was too cautious, too careful? Doesn't Azeri at least deserve a chance to prove that she is still the real deal and that there's no reason why she shouldn't be running this year? Wouldn't that be the best thing for the sport?
"In this industry, we always criticize people for retiring horses as soon as they win a Grade I win or a championship. Boom, they're in the breeding shed," Lukas said. "Here's a guy who has shown an unbelievable amount of sportsmanship. He very easily could have retired her and has, instead, kept a high-profile, marquee horse in training. If other people would follow that example, the whole game would be a lot better."
Should Azeri show her old stuff, it's all but certain she will run against males this year. Paulson has said he regrets not trying it earlier and Lukas has done some of his best work with top fillies (Serena's Song, Lady's Secret, Winning Colors) who have won Grade I races against the boys. It could be exciting&that is if she proves she still has it.
There's a subplot to this whole drama, which is Lukas' stunning slump. He's had a few down periods before, but never anything like this. He is an abysmal 4-for-91 this year, including a 0-for-55 at Santa Anita.
"I don't need to prove to anyone that I can train a horse," he said. "I think I've got that behind me."
That's all true, but he does need to show some signs that he can bust out of this. A couple of high-profile wins could be exactly the type of shot in the arm his stable needs.
Will it happen in the Apple Blossom or will Azeri be a shell of her former self? Does Laura De Seroux get to say, "I told you so." Does Lukas have another great comeback in him? Is running Azeri this year a reckless mistake?
The answers should come April 3 at Oaklawn Park.
