Fax of Life Stays Sweet for Lukas

ELMONT, N.Y. — Mostly, the faxes from his American trainer have brought good news to Japanese breeder Zenya Yoshida, who has yet to see the filly for whom he paid $525,000 last autumn win a race beneath his silks.

The first fax Yoshida received from trainer Wayne Lukas after a victory by A Wild Ride followed the Manta Handicap in March at Santa Anita.

In April, Yoshida’s machine beeped, and out came word that the 4-year-old had won a Breeders’ Cup-sponsored stakes at Oaklawn Park.

Last month, an electronic dispatch arrived in Tokyo to inform Yoshida that his filly had won her first Grade I race, the Shuvee at Belmont Park.

Sunday’s news was equally good: another Grade I victory for A Wild Ride, this one in the $200,000 Hempstead Handicap at Belmont. Another one of these, and Yoshida will have recovered her purchase price.

Yoshida is a trainer’s dream. He never calls. He does not show up at the barn. He offers no advice, and he is a multimillionaire.

“We fax him,” Lukas said after A Wild Ride’s one-length victory Sunday.

“We fax him telling him when she worked and when she’s going to run. We fax him the results.”

A Wild Ride waited slightly off a fast pace (22 4/5, 45 2/5, 1:09 4/5) set by Wait For The Lady, and after the front-runner was spent, A Wild Ride moved authoritatively to the lead at the three-eighths pole. Case closed. No threat developed behind the daughter of Wild Again. Fit to Scout was second and Buy The Firm was five lengths farther back.

A Wild Ride paid $6 after running 1 1/8 miles in 1:49.

“She’s solid, a very tough runner in the stretch,” Lukas said. “She’s a hard-knocking filly.”