Twenty years after retiring from a basketball career in the Hall of Fame, Denny Crum was at the Keeneland storefront shopping for bet winners with coach Dallas Stewart.
This is not new business for Crum, who has been a racehorse owner since the mid-1970s and bred nearly a dozen winners throughout the late 80s and 90s. Pure racing Races are another outlet for the man who enjoys competition, whether it’s basketball, golf, fishing, horse racing or poker.
The world of sports lost that opponent on May 9. He is 86 years old.
Stewart recalls: “We were eating fish the night before the sale and he said to me, ‘I want to get another good horse. “I told him that the next day there was a hot sale. The next day I picked him up at his house and we went to buy him.”
Crum went up to $825,000 to buy Strava then the 2 year old son of into naughty bet winner Catch My Drift , with whom Stewart trained for WinStar Ranch and Siena Ranch. The pony won its debut at Keeneland.
“I decided at my age (84) there was no reason to save money,” Crum told BloodHorse after buying Strava during Keeneland’s November 2021 Seed Sale. “So I wanted a good horse, and I think we got one. We paid a little more than I thought, but anyway, (it) is the best horse in the world.” This.”
King: Crum partners with Stewart, buys Strava for $825K
Strava didn’t turn out to be a stake winner for Crum and Stewart, but he placed them in the winner’s ring at Churchill Downs after a stipend race and finish in the black race on third place bets at Ellis . Park and Churchill. Crum raced Strava with Siena Ranch and WinStar Ranch, who were so excited Crum bought the pony they stayed with as partners.
Stewart has repeatedly put Crum in the winner’s circle, including with his best runner, nasty storm . Gulch’s daughter was acquired after it was acquired for $45,000 at the Keeneland Yearling Sale in 1999. Crum raced her with Daryl Elser, Riley McDonald, Joseph Ricelli and Stewart as partners.
Nasty Storm will win or place on eight graded bets, including Churchill Downs Distaff (G2), Gallant Bloom (G2) and Dogwood (G3) Handicap wins. She is also second in Revolving Stakes (G1) and third in Experimental Stakes (G1). After earning $754,157 in a 2 to 5 race, Nasty Storm was sold for $1.075 million to Frank Stronach at the November 2002 Keeneland sale.
Stewart met Crum when he was assistant coach to D. Wayne Lukas, who had several horses for the legendary coach who led the University of Louisville Cardinals to six Finals and won national titles. joined in 1980 and 1986. He entered the NCAA Tournament 23 times in his 30 seasons. Crum also oversaw Louisville’s move from the Missouri Valley Conference to the Metro Conference to the United States Conference, according to ESPN.com, and his teams have won 15 regular-season convention championships in two. fight.
“I don’t have enough time to tell you what a great man he is — world class, world champion, outstanding and he’s just a winner in everything around him. around me,” Stewart said. “He’s a great man who loves the game.”
Crum has lobbied for 21 winners as owners, including Medium Cool 2nd place bet winner, who was coached by Lukas and finished second in the Fayette Stakes (G2) at Keeneland. Crum raced the Medium Cool in partnership with Elser.
Crum, a native of San Fernando, Calif., played basketball at UCLA under another coaching legend, John Wooden, and later joined the Bruins coaching staff as an assistant. UCLA won three national titles during Crum’s time there, according to ESPN.com.
In 1993, Crum became the second fastest coach to win 500 games. Nicknamed “Cool Luke” for his calm demeanor, he clocked 675-295 in Louisville before retiring in 2001, according to ESPN.com.
