Wilensky rewarded for tenacity with one-two stakes finish

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – Herman Wilensky has been training for more than 20 years in his native South Florida. It took a four-hour trip across the state for Wilensky to experience the kind of unique thrill he got Saturday when he saddled the 5-year-old mares Drop a Hint and My Destiny to finish one-two in the $50,000 Minaret Stakes on the big Sam F. Davis card at Tampa Bay Downs.

“The only thing that could’ve been better was a dead heat,” an elated Wilensky, 58, said Monday when back at his Gulfstream Park base. “But yes, everything worked out really well.”

My Destiny had seemingly disposed of all challengers in the six-furlong Minaret while holding grimly to the lead in deep stretch, only to be passed in the desperate final jumps by Drop a Hint. It was the first stakes victory in more than eight years and the ninth overall for Wilensky, who was involved in several successful business ventures before he turned to training at the old Calder in 2000. It was also his first-ever one-two finish in a stakes.

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The Tampa result was a stark contrast to how business had gotten so slow for Wilensky in recent times that he became a jockey agent for a year or so. His stable went 0 for 11 in 2019 and 3 for 11 in 2020, but with Drop a Hint and My Destiny leading the way in recent months, he’s back to about 10 horses in his stable.

“This game will get ahold of you and draw you in,” he said, “but I do love it. Once you’re in this business, you’re stuck.”

Adding to the happy vibes Saturday was the fact Wilensky’s 28-year-old son, Sam, is the owner of Drop a Hint and My Destiny. Drop a Hint, by the great Into Mischief, is being retired following her first black-type win to be bred to the top sire Tapit. My Destiny, a Majesticperfection mare claimed for $12,500 in November, will remain training at Gulfstream.

“My son just kind of got into the game the last few years,” said Wilensky. “He claimed a couple of horses and got lucky. He’s pretty happy right now because of how well it’s been going. I’ve been teaching him the game and he’s learning really fast. He comes around and has been a great help to the barn and a great help to me. Hopefully we’ll keep it all going into the future.”