The Road to the Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve (G1) is rarely an easy one to travel.
Yet for Messier , it has been an unusually tumultuous journey.
Though he has been considered one of the leading 3-year-olds since a dominant win in the Feb. 6 Robert B. Lewis Stakes (G3) at Santa Anita Park, the Empire Maker colt did not secure his place in the May 7 opening leg of the Triple Crown until the last minute when he finished second April 9 in the Runhappy Santa Anita Derby (G1) to collect his first batch of qualifying points and vault into a safe spot on the Leaderboard for the 20-horse classic at Churchill Downs.
"It hasn't been the greatest experience," said Sol Kumin, the head of Madaket Stables, "But it's behind us now and it's worked out so that the excitement can start to build."
Messier, who is 16th in points through April 16, is one of two probable Kentucky Derby starters who were previously trained by Bob Baffert and were ineligible for Kentucky Derby points due to Churchill Downs Inc.'s two-year ban on the Hall of Fame trainer after his 2021 Run for the Roses winner Medina Spirit failed a post-race drug test and was ultimately stripped of that victory in late February.
As a result of the suspension, horses trained by Baffert were ineligible for Kentucky Derby points even though they could compete in qualifying stakes at non-CDI tracks. As a result, the 10 qualifying points that would have normally been awarded to Messier for his lopsided 15-length victory in the Lewis were vacated—as were 4 points from a second in the Los Alamitos Futurity (G2).
In late March, as Baffert's hopes of overturning the CDI ban or the April 4 start of 90-day suspension imposed by the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission evaporated, Messier was one of several horses from his ownership group shifted to trainer Tim Yakteen. That made the Ontario-bred son of the Smart Strike mare Checkered Past eligible for Kentucky Derby qualifying points and the 40 he accrued for his runner-up finish in the Santa Anita Derby earned him a spot in America's most famous and coveted race.
"We try to own these horses in a smart and thoughtful manner because of the finances, but we're also doing this to have fun," Kumin said. "So, to go through all the drama took some of the fun out of it for us. Obviously what we experienced was not nearly as bad as what Bob had to go through. We care about him as a person and we respect him tremendously as a trainer, so I feel badly for him, but it was less fun for a while."
Messier is owned by a large group headed by SF Racing, Starlight Racing, and Madaket Stables. Jack Wolf, the managing partner of Starlight Racing, agreed with Kumin that the stress and uncertainty of the winter has finally given way to a familiar feeling.
"Everyone in Starlight wanted to be in the Kentucky Derby if we had a good horse, but we didn't know how the legal matters would turn out and how the horses would transition to a new trainer. It was hard that we didn't know what would happen," Wolf said. "I would say our attention was diverted in the winter and I felt bad for what Bob was going through. There wasn't a lot of fun until after the Santa Anita Derby, but now I'm back to business as usual and enjoying having a horse in the Kentucky Derby. Tom Ryan (of SF Racing) did most of the work handling everything for us, and I appreciate that."
Though Messier's ownership group also includes Robert Masterson, Jay Schoenfarber, Waves Edge Capital, Catherine Donovan, Golconda Stable, and Siena Farm, his purchase for $470,000 at the 2020 Fasig-Tipton Selected Yearlings Showcase was part of about 20 yearlings purchased through the pooling of financial and bloodstock resources by SF, Starlight, and Madaket and sent to Baffert.
It marked the third venture for the trio that was dubbed "The Avengers." With Baffert training the horses, they hit not just a home run but a walkoff grand slam with the first group, amassing more than $50 million in total value and earnings, led by 2020 Kentucky Derby and Longines Breeders' Cup Classic (G1) winner and Horse of the Year Authentic . He was one of three grade 1 winners from that package of horses who secured a stallion deal, a trio that also includes Charlatan and Eight Rings . The second group failed to turn a profit and Messier promises to play a key role in determining the fortunes of the third class.
While Messier was second in the Santa Anita Derby, the race has produced 19 Kentucky Derby winners with its most recent official winner being the aforementioned Authentic, who was also second in the 1 1/8-mile grade 1 prep.
"We were disappointed in losing, but there's no disgrace in being second in the Santa Anita Derby," Wolf said.
Messier, making his first start in two months, was the 6-5 second choice behind the favored Forbidden Kingdom in the Santa Anita Derby and pressed the speedy even-money choice. While Forbidden Kingdom faded to last in the stretch with a breathing issue that knocked him off the Triple Crown trail, Messier forged to the front but could not turn aside a late rally from Zedan Racing Stables' Taiba , another talented 3-year-old who was moved from Baffert to Yakteen and posted a 2 1/4-length victory.
"There are a few others that deserve to be shorter odds than Messier, but I believe he can win," Kumin said about the Kentucky Derby. "I would put him in the top 5 or 6. He was blowing hard after the Santa Anita Derby off an eight-week rest but it was actually a good race. (Jockey John Velazquez) said he was really focused on not letting Forbidden Kingdom get away and he may have been surprised by the way Taiba ran. There was nothing about Messier's performance that says he can't handle the mile-and-a-quarter (of the Kentucky Derby) or that he doesn't belong in the top group of horses."
Ryan echoed the belief that the winner of 3 of 6 starts and $435,600 earner turned in a "huge" effort.
"It was a huge performance with 62 days between races. The foundation is there, and he seems to be very genuine as well as mentally and physically mature," Ryan said about a colt bred by Sam-Son Farm.
Starlight and Madaket have won the Kentucky Derby twice as they bought the racing rights to Justify prior to his 2018 Triple Crown sweep for Baffert. Yet this time, instead of relying on Baffert, their horse will be handled by Yakteen, who was a Baffert assistant for the Run for the Roses wins by Silver Charm, Real Quiet, and War Emblem but in Messier and Taiba will send out his first Kentucky Derby starters in his 18 years as a trainer.
Judging by the 1-2 finish in the Santa Anita Derby, the early returns are quite promising for Yakteen.
"Tim is a good trainer he knows the horse well and did a great job last weekend considering all the pressure he's facing," Wolf said.
As the first Saturday in May draws closer, while some key things have changed and the path to Churchill featured more curves than ever, there is also a part to the Messier tale that harkens back to the recent past for the successful owners. Specifically, it's the confidence that their 3-year-old is capable of a strong effort on the sport's biggest stage.
"We're very excited," Ryan said. "Messier has a great pattern coming in the Derby. I think his performance with a 99 Beyer (Speed Figure) and pairing his prior race Ragozin figure (about an 8) speaks to how he's settled in with Tim."
