Biancone, Panici have veterans' outlook regarding Kentucky Derby

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – Patrick Biancone mimed a French adage that roughly translates into “It’s a long way from the cup to the lips” when acknowledging just how much time exists between now and the 146th Kentucky Derby.

“De la coupe aux levres,” a smiling Biancone said while taking an imaginary drink.

His point is well taken. With 11 weeks to the May 2 Derby, Biancone is the trainer of a couple of live contenders, Sole Volante and Ete Indien, both of whom have been ridden in most of their races by Luca Panici.

Panici, 45, hails from a renowned racing family in his native Italy, so he too knows all about the patience required from horsemen in a game fraught with disappointment.

“The Derby is not tomorrow,” Panici said in a recent interview at Gulfstream Park. “It is a long road.”

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Still, Panici can’t help but appreciate the opportunity that may await. Panici has worked in relative obscurity in South Florida since he first began riding here in 2005. His victory aboard Sole Volante last Saturday in the Grade 3 Sam F. Davis Stakes at Tampa was only his second in a graded event, following Another Romance in the Grade 3 Azalea at the old Calder in 2012.

Panici has become widely known on the year-round Florida racing circuit as a diligent worker and capable journeyman who prides himself on the fundamentals he learned in his youth in Italy, where his father, Vittorio Panici, was the leading jockey in the 1970s and 80s.

Panici gave Sole Volante a flawless trip in the gelding’s breakthrough score in the Davis, settling well off a fast pace before storming home to a 2 1/2-length triumph. The ride was typical of the way Panici operates here, day in and day out, without any fanfare, and it underscored an inner confidence that he can get the job done if only given the chance.

“You need to have a connection,” he said. “There are not many good horses from Florida that go outside. I have to thank Patrick a lot for the opportunity to ride these horses.”

Panici rode his first winner at age 16 in September 1990 before proceeding to boot home more than 500 winners in Europe. Harboring an admiration for American racing, he ventured to and from the U.S. on several occasions prior to making the decision to settle here permanently with his wife, Karin, in 2010. His statistics in the U.S. are solid, standing at 669 wins and $19.3 million in mount earnings through action here Thursday.

“Luca is a very good rider,” said Biancone. “He’s a lovely person and a pleasure to work with.”

A definite next start has not yet been pinned down for Sole Volante, a son of Karakontie, nor Ete Indien, a Summer Front colt who most recently was second behind Tiz the Law in the Feb. 1 Holy Bull at Gulfstream. They will be kept separate for the time being, with perhaps Ete Indien going in the Feb. 29 Fountain of Youth and Sole Volante returning to Tampa for the March 7 Tampa Bay Derby.

What is known is that Panici will be aboard them both. For someone who chose to leave behind the benefits of his family heritage, it has been a struggle to reach prominence on the American racing stage – but he has never lost hope that someday he could demonstrate his riding skills for the world to see.

“I’m self-made in this country,” he said, “but sometimes it’s really tough. I’ve had a long career and all my family was involved as jockeys or trainers. It has been my life.”

If, by fortune, Panici happens to get his first Kentucky Derby ride, it will make for some bittersweet moments. His father died last May.

“He used to come here every year with my mother to visit,” he said. “We are a very close family. Of course he would have been proud, but I am happy for this, very excited.”