Preakness: Relationship with Lukas helped Saez gain mount on Secret Oath
Luis Saez’s first race aboard Secret Oath was her Kentucky Oaks victory. But the jockey was already familiar with riding for Secret Oath’s trainer, D. Wayne Lukas, having won four graded stakes aboard the Lukas-trained champion Will Take Charge.
That relationship with Lukas was key to Saez getting the mount on Secret Oath for the Oaks and for Saturday’s Preakness at Pimlico.
“Luis and I have a great relationship,” Lukas said.
Luis Contreras had ridden Secret Oath to three straight victories at Oaklawn Park, including the Martha Washington and Grade 3 Honeybee, before she finished third against colts in the Grade 1 Arkansas Derby. Lukas then decided to make a rider change for the Oaks.
“That was a tough one,” Lukas said. “That was a tough call. We’re so fond of Luis Contreras. It was a good fit, [but] we got into trouble in three of those races pretty much. And he knew it. We knew it.”
Saez’s agent is Kiaran McLaughlin, a former assistant to Lukas, and that didn’t hurt Saez’s chances to gain the mount on Secret Oath. After one breeze on the filly, which Saez called “magnificent,” the rider was sold on partnering with the Hall of Famer again.
“Wayne is a guy that always teaches stuff and tries to help you and [teaches] about life,” said Saez. “I look at him like a legend, like a guy that he really loved the sport and he give all his life to the sport.”
McLaughlin was one of the many horsemen Lukas taught who got to share in the thrill of this Oaks win. Former assistant Dallas Stewart watched the race with Lukas, who said Stewart “almost broke my arm” in excitement during the stretch run. Todd Pletcher, who followed his mentor into the Hall of Fame, finished second to Secret Oath with Nest. He remained trackside waiting for Lukas to return to the winner’s circle, where they met in a hug.
“That’s how it goes with all those guys that worked side by side with us and with me,” Lukas said. “Those guys that were so influential in my career and carried me to where we are today, they put me on their shoulders and carried me. And I know it. I couldn’t do it alone. I never could with all the horses we were training. So we’re still very tight. It’s a close‑knit family.”