The Triple Crown proved once again to defy all theories, as no one predicted Grindstone, the lesser half of William T. Young’s Overbrook Farm entry trained by D. Wayne Lukas, would get up to win the Kentucky Derby-G1 by a nose over Cavonnier, trained by Triple Crown newcomer Bob Baffert; that New York-based Nick Zito would get his first Preakness win with Louis Quatorze, who led every step and equaled the stakes record as Skip Away gave chase; that Young and Lukas would win the Belmont with the favored part of the Derby entry, Editor’s Note (Skip Away once again finished second).

Zito and Preakness-winning owners Joseph Cornacchia and William Condren capped off a stellar Preakness week as their Star Standard won the Pimlico Special-G1 the previous Saturday.

As for the new guy, Baffert was an “articulate ambassador for racing” and proved “the fun guy” of the Triple Crown. He sent out an entry in the Derby – coupled with Cavonnier was Virginia-bred Semoran. Owned by Donald R. Dizney and James E. English, the Keswick-bred Semoran went in with good credentials but finished 14th.

Semoran would go on to capture multiple graded stakes, earn $860,035 and remained in training until June 1998 – in his last start he finished third behind Awesome Again and Silver Charm in Churchill Downs’ Stephen Foster Handicap-G2 before retiring to stud.

• Jane duPont Lunger’s magnificent and ill-fated champion Go for Wand was inducted into the Racing Hall of Fame in her first year of eligibility. The Pennsylvania-bred daughter of Deputy Minister, named champion at 2 and 3 and winner of the 1989 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Stakes-G1 and six other Grade 1s in her career, was first or second in all 12 of her starts before her tragic breakdown in the 1990 Breeders’ Cup Distaff-G1 at Belmont Park.
  
  
• The Fasig-Tipton Midlantic May sale posted the highest figures ever for a select juvenile sale in the region. History was made when four horses sold for $100,000 or more. Topping the sale at $150,000 – the most expensive 2-year-old to sell in the area – was a son of Country Life Farm sire Allen’s Prospect. A Virginia-bred named Capital Call, he was purchased by Buzz Chace as agent for Paraneck Stable.
  
  The eighth most expensive 2-year-old of the sale was the Two Punch colt Smoke Glacken on a $65,000 bid by trainer Henry Carroll; the gray Maryland-bred colt won 10 of 14 races, earned $759,560, was awarded the Eclipse Award as champion sprinter at 3, and became a top sire.
  
  Capital Call won three of 27 races and earned $33,657.