Driving out of New York Aug. 9 with his stakes-winning gelding American Sailor in tow, trainer Wayne Potts was enjoying every mile of the journey home to Maryland.
"I'm driving him home right now, and we were just at the rest area and he got a whole handful of peppermints while we were waiting," laughed Potts. "I have two bags of mints behind my seat and they're all his."
Just one day earlier at Saratoga Race Course, the 8-year-old gelding had been awarded victory in the Troy Stakes (G3T). For 16 years Potts had waited for a horse like American Sailor—a horse whose heart and determination Potts firmly believed made him capable of winning in graded company.
The Troy was the 45th start for the son of City Zip and the 3,467th for Potts. When the stewards announced the gelding had been put up for the win following the disqualification of Imprimis, both horse and trainer exited the winner's circle as graded stakes winners for the first time.
"It was very emotional," Potts said. "It was such a different atmosphere because it was basically the third-biggest race day in the country. You have the (Kentucky) Derby (G1), the Breeders' Cup, and Travers Day. To win on Travers Day was very special."
Potts' journey to his first stakes win began in the late 1990s when he started mucking stalls for trainer David Rose. In 2004, Potts sent out his first winner under his own name and won first time out. From that point on, he knew there was nothing else he would rather do.
"I only had two or three horses of my own at the time," Potts said. "I worked for Dave a good while even though I was running some horses in my own name. We had like 45-50 horses at the time at Shenandoah Downs. Now I'm based at Laurel Park where I have 35 stalls, and I also have 15 stalls at Monmouth Park. I've got about 42 horses that I'm training at the moment."
Though American Sailor has run for several trainers during his extensive career, the gelding has run consistently out of Potts' barn since September 2018. Potts said the decision to try his luck in the turf sprint came on the heels of an impressive second-place run in the July 18 Wolf Hill Stakes at Monmouth, where American Sailor finished strong while traveling the 5 1/2-furlong Troy distance.
"When we came out of the Wolf Hill at Monmouth, we shipped him back to Laurel and he'd been training very, very well," Potts said. "I wanted to give him a five-eighths-of-a-mile race, but they are so hard to find. At five-eighths of a mile, he might be one of the fastest horses in the country. He lays it all out there.
"That being said, I was confident going to Saratoga because there wasn't a whole lot of speed in the race. I figured he's sort of an all-or-nothing horse. He has to go—he's one-dimensional. I told (jockey) Tyler (Gaffalione) yesterday before the race, 'You can't reach up and grab him. You have to let him break, give him the reins, and let him run. He'll go as far as he can, but you might have to carry him home the last sixteenth of a mile.' Some of the guys who rode him in the past have told me, 'He broke so far in front, I wanted to reach up and grab him,' but I always tell them they can't do that because they'll shut him down. You sort of have to drop the reins and let him do his thing. Just guide him around the turn and let him be. That's the way he runs, and Tyler rode him exactly like I asked him to."
Bred in Kentucky by KatieRich Farms out of the Yes It's True mare Yesshesarocket, American Sailor pushed his earnings past the $500,000 mark, making him far and away the most successful horse Potts has ever trained. Though he has no idea where the horse will go next, Potts said he is more than happy to give his protégé a break, content for a time to bask in their mutual success.
"He'll go back to the track Wednesday or Thursday morning so I can see how he bounces back," Potts said. "We will let him relax and enjoy himself for a few days before we put him back to work. He is an honest horse and he gives his all in the morning. He's like a pony, but when you bring him out of the gate, he's all business. I would like to give him 45 days and let him bounce back, put another work in him, and then find a spot to point toward.
"American Sailor is like my kid. He doesn't go anywhere without me, and he's been a dream to train. What this horse has done for me and my client is phenomenal. He is just a very, very cool horse."
