USHL Youngstown Phantoms

Phantom Fireworks Owner Bruce Zoldan's Horse Looks to Put on a Show at Kentucky Derby

Published on May 1, 2012 under United States Hockey League (USHL)
Youngstown Phantoms News Release


Phantom Fireworks owner and CEO Bruce J. Zoldan was part of Team Valor that set the horse racing world on fire last year when their Animal Kingdom won the Kentucky Derby. Now Zoldan's Team Valor has another horse in The Run for the Roses this weekend, and Zoldan hopes to create some more fireworks this year with Went the Day Well.

Horse professional Barry Irwin's Team Valor International, the consortium of which Zoldan is a partner, saw their 3-year-old bay colt win the Grade III Spiral Stakes at Turfway Park in March by a healthy margin to qualify for the Kentucky Derby. Last year Animal Kingdom won the same race on his way to winning at Churchill Downs and capturing the hearts of thousands across the nation.

"When I saw the race that qualified Went the Day Well, I was jumping up and down and cheering," Zoldan said. "I was as excited as I was last year when Animal Kingdom qualified - about the same excitement as when Animal Kingdom won The Derby."

Zoldan said there are definite similarities between this year's entry and last year's magical run by Animal Kingdom, who followed up his Kentucky Derby win with a second-place finish in the Preakness before suffering a stress fracture during the Belmont Stakes and finishing sixth. Animal Kingdom was ridden by John Velazquez and trained by Graham Motion, the same team that led Went the Day Well to victory at Turfway Park.

"I think Graham Motion is one of the greatest horse trainers in the world," Zoldan said. "His abilities, his techniques and his demeanor are really coming to fruition now. Team Valor is doing very well and Graham trains all of our horses in Fair Hill, Md. We're very fortunate to have this partnership."

Now Team Valor, Motion and Velazquez are trying to become just the second owner-trainer-jockey partnership to win The Derby two years in a row. The trio of Penny Chenery, Lucien Laurin and Ron Turcotte won it in 1972 with Riva Ridge and again the following year with Secretariat, who went on to win the Triple Crown.

Though it's far too early to begin to begin those sort of lofty comparisons, it did not stop Irwin from lobbing some heavy praise the horse's way. Irwin told The New York Times that despite Went the Day Well's relative inexperience - he only has five career starts, three this year - he thinks the horse has what it takes to win.

"He's good enough to make an impact, and he's shown he can take a punch and come back, which is important because the Derby is tough," Irwin told The Times. "Distance is his ally, and I think he's the right kind of horse."

Expectations might be the biggest obstacle for Went the Day Well this weekend in Louisville, Ky. Zoldan said that after Animal Kingdom's win last year, Team Valor has the proverbial target painted on its back, and he expects betting world to take notice of Went the Day Well.

"Last year Animal Kingdom was 20-to-1 and the favorites were 3-to-1 and 5-to-1," Zoldan said. "My guess is that Went the Day Well, because of Animal Kingdom, will probably go off somewhere between 12-to-1 and 15-to-1 just because of people betting for him because he's coming from our barn.

"I guess the odds-makers will determine what they truly are closer to the race."

But Zoldan said he isn't concerned about the odds of making a repeat appearance in the winner's circle. He's just thrilled to be a part of the spectacle of The Derby again this year.

"I went into The Derby last year dreaming of winning, but never really thinking that Animal Kingdom would win it," he said. "I certainly had hopes that he would win it, and I now have hopes that Went the Day Well can pull off the dream and win it.

"A lot of things need to happen - the horse has to have his best day ever - but the good news is that we're in The Derby. There are 35,000 thoroughbreds born each year and only 20 make it this far."

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