Common sense tells you that the pressure of being the favorite of Kentucky Derby can be overwhelming. If you win, you have met expectations. If you lose, you failed. No matter what it took to get to this point. You were supposed to win and you did not do it.
So it was a strange feeling of being around Barn 35 at Churchill Downs where journalism, the favorite of the morning line 3-1, was waiting for his time in preparation for the 151st race on Saturday for the roses.
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The atmosphere was light, on the festive border. Coach Michael McCarthy told jokes. He even headed for a journalist standing on the side and asked him if they needed something of him. It doesn't happen.
Aron Wellman, managing partner of the journalism ownership group, was based against the building by taking everything, resembling a young boy about entering him in a candy store to eat.
It was a family atmosphere, which alone could explain the reason for the welcoming atmosphere. They are family and the best type, not the one you were born with, but the one you choose.
McCarthy and Wellman have known each other since the early 1990s, when they were racing rats in Santa Anita. Wellman was McCarthy's first customer when the coach struck alone after being Tadd Partcher's chief assistant. Their wives are close friends. Their children, all aged 13 to 17, are friends. They spend all the graces together.
Aron Wellman, member of Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners, holds the trophy after in lingerie won the 88th Black Eyed Susan Stakes at the Pimlico Race Race. (Rob Carr / Getty images)
“What started as a personal relationship has also turned into a professional relationship,” said Wellman, who heads Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners, the eight entities management group who have journalism, the purchase of $ 825,000 and the winner of the Santa Anita Derby.
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“The majority of our conversations concern life and things other than horses,” said McCarthy. “It was comfortable for both of us. It was a good fit. I am happy to have been able to maintain my end of the market and have the kind of results that Eclipse is used to having. ”
This is the second Kentucky Derby of McCarthy, bringing endlessly to the race last year for a ninth place. This is the fourth of Wellman, having destiny (sixth) in 2016, Tapwrit (sixth) in 2017 and Gray Magician (19th) in 2019. Tapwrit won the Belmont Stakes, the third stage of the triple crown.
Wellman's friendly behavior is what you might expect from the old man well spoken. McCarthy is better known for its commercial approach to the race.
“Yeah, it's so unusual towards him at the workplace,” said Wellman about the lighter tone of McCarthy. “(I think it's because) anyone lucky to be around this horse, sees that he gives us such confidence and conviction. He is so relaxed and therefore take everything in stride, such a cool client. He thrives.
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“This allows us to have fun. We laugh, we are light, we try to keep the positive energy around it. As long as he continues to do what he does, we will continue to have fun. ”
Find out more: “ Happy to be back '': the return of the Kentucky derby of Bob Babert includes two horses in the race
The friendship between the coach and the owner dates back more than three decades. Wellman's parents were small breeders and owners in California and had a box in Santa Anita and Del Mar. Close By was a box used by Gary Young, the legendary private watchmaker. McCarthy liked to hang out with Young.
“Michael somehow spilled Gary,” said Wellman. “I think we all liked to handicap a little, so I distinctly remember many trips to the paddock to understand who looked long before the races and trying to shake up betting and stuff like that.”
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The couple separated, with Wellman going to UC Santa Barbara, followed by the Southwestern University Law School and McCarthy in New York to work to Plantcher. Wellman decided to change career in another adapted to his love for horse racing. It was then that their paths crossed again.
Wellman became a vice-president of the horse racing ownership group, Team Valor, who had plestper as one of his main coaches.
“Michael was Todd's main assistant at the time in Kentucky and then in New York, and in my management role for Team Valor, I had to communicate quite often with Michael.”
Wellman left the Valor team to start their own property group, Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners in 2011. He needed horses. He spotted one in New York, a double leaving, named Sweet Cat who belonged to Plantcher.
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“When I saw her run during her 2 year season in Saratoga, I called Michael and said” How are you? “” Said Wellman. “And he gave me the boost and somehow made easier acquisition with Todd, then Eclipse had a horse in the Todd barn.”
Things went well when Sweet Cat finished third in the Breeders Cup juvenile filf in his first race for Eclipse.
It was clear that McCarthy was ready to go alone and in 2014 left Plertcher to start his own stable in California.
Find out more: Baeza could be good enough to win the Kentucky Derby. But will the horse have a chance?
“Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners was the first outfit to send me horses and we have had a growing relationship since, a successful relationship,” said McCarthy.
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However, it was not easy.
“I remember clearly,” said Wellman. “It was just a few horses. He begged stands in Santa Anita and they sort of put us back by Baldwin Avenue with a few stands and scratching and snacking on our way to try to make a company from there. From there, our careers have somehow taken parallel paths where he was trying to build his training in stable and we were trying to build our race partnership.
Between California and Kentucky, Eclipse has between 15 and 20 horsepower with McCarthy. Eclipse also uses other trainers such as Plantcher, Graham Motion and Wayne Catalano. Eclipse also worked with emotion in Kentucky Oaks, the filly version of the derby, for movement.
“There is mutual respect there,” said McCarthy. “What he does is not easy and he has been able to offer results many times. … No doubt, it is the strongest race partnership today.”
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Not lost on Wellman is the path it took to reach the first Saturday in May.
“We focus on work,” said Wellman. “We are on a mission to make history with journalism. But at the same time, I think that our experience has allowed us to really achieve a certain perspective that it is so difficult to do so. It is so difficult to get here and we will really try to savor this moment because we all recognize how ephemeral it can be and we can never get there here.
“I would lie if I said that it was no different because of all the attention and all the media threatening that is on the journalism of our horse. It is therefore an unexplored territory brought the favorite to Kentucky Derby. But, you know, I think we consider its good pressure.
How about in the circle of winners around 7:05 p.m. HAE on Saturday.
This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
