Before the riding prowess of trainer D. Wayne Lukas and front-running jockey Jaime Torres fueled My Racehorse’s Embrace the gray to win the May 18 Preakness Stakes (G1) at Pimlico Race CourseThe team at Highlander Training Center played a key role in the colt’s development this winter.
A break from racing was needed after a juvenile campaign in which he won one of five starts, the last of which was a distant third-place finish in the race claim optional allowance in october at Keenelandhe was sent to Highlander in Sulfur Springs, Texas, for rest and recuperation, followed by training.
Joe Moran, MyRacehorse’s racing manager, “outlined what he hoped we could do, which was to give the horse a bit of refreshment with a bit of turnout time in the paddock, after that’s using our treatment center and facilities.” Aquatred is there,” said Jeff Hooper, president and CEO of Highlander. “Then let’s get him back to training here and get him some wind, maybe a few miles, and get him back to Wayne to Oaklawn.”
And that’s exactly what happened.
Seize the Gray arrives at Highlander Training Center
Hooper said the gray or roan-colored Arrogate colt has a connection to “Chuy” Bibian, assistant director of the fitness and therapy center at Highlander. “’Chuy’ told me it was her favorite horse and he would do great things,” he noted.
Hooper said others who work closely with Seize the Gray include Jon Newbold, Highlander’s general manager and coach; Dakota Holmes, director of Highlander’s therapy and fitness center; groom Eduardo “El Torito” Camacho; and exercise riders Israel Alvarado and “Saul” De la Rosa.
“It’s the people who put in the work every day that deserve recognition,” Hooper said.
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Their preparation with Seize the Gray, which included two three-minute workouts and a pair of half-mile workouts at Highlander, left the colt nearly ready to run upon arrival. Oaklawn Park at the end of January. Less than a month later, Seize the Gray won the optional allowance claiming race at Oaklawn on February 24.
Then, before his Preakness win for Lukas, he finished third in the March 23 Jeff Ruby Steaks (G3) at Turfway ParkSaturday in the Blue Grass Stakes (G1) April 6 at Keenelandand first in the Pat Day Mile Stakes (G2) at Churchill Downs on the Kentucky Derby (G1) undercard, May 4.
He currently has a 4-0-3 record in 10 starts with earnings of more than $1.8 million.
Jaime Torres celebrates Seize the Gray’s victory in the Preakness Stakes at Pimlico Race Course
Seize the Gray is not Highlander’s first success story: they have produced more than 600 winning graduates in the most recent 36 months, according to information provided by the training center. The multi-purpose facility, owned by Larry Hirsch of Dallas, breaks and trains young horses as well as works with established racehorses and those due for surgery. Other horses there enjoy voting time on Highlander’s 11 pastures as well as 16 paddocks and turnout pens at the 190-acre facility, 80 miles east of Dallas.
According to Hooper, 125-175 horses are usually housed there depending on the time of year. Many would eventually be sent out of state to locations such as Kentucky, Louisiana, and Arkansas—where Seize the Gray arrived after his stay. Hooper said MyRacehorse has given Highlander a lot of horses.
“To have a classic winner, a small role in winning the Seize the Gray’s Preakness means a lot to us and it affirms what we are all about, which is to bring the best for each horse and using the facilities and tools that we have. It’s a blessing to have here and the horsemanship of the people on the team,” Hooper said. “Being part of a Grade 1 classic winner is a big thing for us.”
