Kentucky Derby Dreams Deep in the Heart of Georgia

Like all people who have been bitten by the horse racing bug, Dennis Morgan has dreams of someday running in the Kentucky Derby. The longtime racing fan could be a little closer than most of us, though. He currently owns a pair of classically bred juvenile colts, in which he has high hopes. Making the prospect all the more exciting for the Georgia resident, is the not so small fact that both are registered Georgia-breds.  I had the opportunity to catch up with Dennis to discuss racing, his colts, and his strong connection for the push to bring racing to the state of Georgia.

HRN: Dennis, how long have you been involved in Thoroughbred horse racing as a fan, and what drew you to the sport?  

Dennis Morgan: I have always had a love for horses from the time I was staying with my Grandparents in Davy, WV. and would run to meet my Grandpa when he unhitched the work horse from plowing. I would ride it back down off the hill, at only five or six years old at the time.  I remember watching my first horse race on TV in '63 & '64.  I was living in Bluefield, WV. at the time, and we had just gotten cable TV.  I kept up with the sport, the horses, and the jockeys and read all I could get my hands on about them.  Eddie Arcaro came to Bluefield when his son was getting married.  I sneaked away from home and rode across town on my bike just to get a glimpse of one of racing's greatest jockeys ever.  I saw the nice cars and people all dressed up, and figured that must be their room.  I was kinda embarrassed with what I was wearing, but walked past the room just to catch a glimpse, and there he sat.  I froze, but was asked what I wanted.  I said I just wanting to see Mr. Arcaro.  I was invited in and got to meet Eddie Arcaro.  He was super nice and got up and shook my hand.  He autographed a picture of me on a horse that I still cherish.  When I got back home, I got a whipping from my Dad for sneaking off, but it was worth every bit of it.  I have talked to his daughter in the last few years on the phone, and she remembered that little boy in Bluefield, WV. that was a fan of her Daddy, and how her Dad always took time for his fans.

HRN: How long have you owned horses, and how did you become involved?  

Dennis Morgan: My Dad moved us to Virginia for work.  I sold Walnuts on the market to get enough money for my first horse, a nice Tennessee Walker.  Basically taught myself to ride and won some horse show ribbons with him, both English and Western Classes.  I had to sell him when my Dad got Cancer and passed away, but he got a good home.  I bought my first racehorse in 2003, a filly by Preakness winner Louis Quatorze.  I sent her to Gene Tucker at Dogwood Stable.  She was a good filly, not a stakes winner by any means, but good enough to know I was hooked on this sport and wanted more.

HRN: You own two juvenile colts that are getting to the point of nearing more serious training, how did you acquire them, where are they now, and how are they doing?  

Dennis Morgan: The two colts are by two broodmares I acquired.  One broodmare is from the Gone West line and is by Belmont Stakes winner Commendable.  The other broodmare is by Belmont Stakes winner Touch Gold.  I sent them to Coolmore Stables in Kentucky and had them bred to the sires I selected to acquire the colts I have now.  Both colts are in training at the famed Dogwood Stables in Aiken, SC., home to Belmont Stakes winner Palice Malice.  They are primarily in the training care of Gene Tucker who is doing an excellent job.  Gene says both colts are doing everything that is asked of them, and that their pedigree is definitely starting to show.

HRN: Sensational Ride was sired by Dunkirk, while Classic Ride is a son of Fusaichi Pegasus, what attracted you to those two sires?  

Dennis Morgan: Well, keeping in mind that both broodmares are by Belmont Stakes winners, thus the 1 1/2 mile distance of the Belmont, and the two sires had won at the Derby distance of 1 1/4 miles, I wanted to breed the "Triple Crown race distances" into the colts.  I am a firm believer that you have to have those distances bred into the colts to have a shot at winning those races.  It was also primarily a decision of using the Werk Nick Ratings, which gives a 5 generation cross scoring.  Sensational Ride by Dunkirk is rated A+ and Classic Ride by the 2000 Kentucky Derby champion Fusaichi Pegasus, is rated A+++.  These are very high ratings.  So if they perform to their Nick Ratings and pedigree, they should be pretty successful.  Also, both sires have winning prodigy (offspring) on the tracks.

HRN: I see a common theme in the name of these two, care to explain?  

Dennis Morgan: Well, Athens, Ga. is nicknamed "The Classic City".  I requested Classic City for the name of the Fusaichi Pegasus colt, but the Jockey Club came back and said it sounded too close to a previously named horse in years past.  I wanted to still relate the colt to Athens, Ga. somehow, so I submitted "Classic Ride" and the name was accepted by the Jockey Club.  I figured if Classic Ride did not make it to the big show, it would be sensational if the other colt did, thus the name "Sensational Ride".

HRN: Have you selected a trainer yet to guide them all the way to the Kentucky Derby starting gate?  

Dennis Morgan: I have given this a lot of thought and study. After discussions with several trainers and/or their agents, that took time to respond to a call or email of mine, and a high recommendation by Gene Tucker, I have decided on sending both colts to Bobby C. Barnett.  Bobby started match racing at the age of 12 for his father, also a horse trainer.  Bobby was an Assistant Trainer, as well as Todd Pletcher and others, to the Hall of Fame Trainer D. Wayne Lukas.  So, Bobby came through that successful training system.  Bobby also has trained many successful racehorses including the 1998 2-year-old Eclipse Award Winner Answer Lively, who also won the Breeder's Cup Juvenile that year, and Bobby has saddled other horses that qualified for the Breeder's Cup Races.  Bobby has won numerous training titles at Churchill Downs, Louisiana Downs, and Oaklawn Park, and was inducted into the Fair Grounds Hall of Fame in 2000.  After talking to Bobby, I have a strong feeling that if one of the colts, or both, are good enough to be successful, I have confidence that Bobby can get them there.

HRN: Is the Kentucky Derby the most prestigious race in the world in your eyes?  

Dennis Morgan: I feel it is the one that seems to begin to set the level of the bar of performance that distinguishes a very good horse from the rest.  And it seems that most people remember the Kentucky Derby Winner more so, unless they see a movie about some great Triple Crown winner ...  I think his name was Secretariat ... LOL.  I am asked my opinion if the three Triple Crown races should be changed or have new requirements, such as comments made when California Chrome lost the Belmont Stakes and his bid for a Triple Crown.  I have always answered "A very good horse can win the Kentucky Derby … a really good horse can win both the Derby and Preakness, but only a great horse can win the Triple Crown".  Leave the Triple Crown as it is.  It will always separate a great horse from the others.

HRN: What was the first Derby you remember watching?  

Dennis Morgan: The 1965 Kentucky Derby won by Lucky Debonair, and ridden by jockey Willie Shoemaker is the first one I remember seeing all of it on TV.  We had gotten cable TV and one of the sports shows was carrying the Derby.  I knew I was getting hooked on the thrill of Horse Racing.

HRN: Have you ever been to the Kentucky Derby in person?

Dennis Morgan: No I have not.  My work away from home and overseas has kept me from making it.  I have, however, had a filly win the UPS Crystal Classic at Churchill Downs.  Although it was not distinguished a race as the Kentucky Derby, I cannot begin to tell you the thrill of a feeling you get standing in the winner's circle at Churchill Downs where the great ones have been before.  I hope to stand there again in 2016, but this time with a Georgia-bred Kentucky Derby winner.

HRN: No Georgia-bred has ever won the Kentucky Derby, what would it mean to you to own the first?  

Dennis Morgan: To own the first Georgia-bred to win a Kentucky Derby, if fate should have it and God wills it, would definitely be a historical event in horse racing to be remembered and cherished not only by me, but for the people of the great state of Georgia.  My jockey silks are the red and black colors of UGA.  There have been Georgia owners make it to compete in the Kentucky Derby with a horse, but not a true Georgia-bred horse that I know of has made it.  That may be a first in itself.  If someone knows of one, tell us.

HRN: Through the great work of the Georgia Horse Racing Coalition, it looks as though Thoroughbred horse racing in Georgia is close to becoming a reality, what is your involvement with the movement, and how did you become involved?  

Dennis Morgan: I am a supporter as a sponsor and volunteer.  Traveling a lot in my work limits the time I can contribute, but I try to do so as much as I can.  My stable in Athens, "Morgan Diamond M Stables", also has a large banner in front, facing the road, supporting Georgia horse racing and the Georgia Horse Racing Coalition.  I actually got involved by running across a horse race article one day, and it mentioned the name of a Thoroughbred horse racing owner by the name of Dean Reeves, who was located in Suwanee, Georgia and the owner of Breeder's Cup Champion Mucho Macho Man.  So I looked up Dean's phone number and gave him a call.  Dean and I became friends and he later told me about the formation of the Georgia Horse Racing Coalition, to get a race track in Georgia.  Naturally, I was excited about this and wanted to be involved as much as I could.  I was going back and forth at the time on a project in Nigeria so my physical time was limited.  I can remember sitting at a conference table when there were only a few of us in the beginning in the room.  Support by organizations, industries, companies, veterinary interests, and individuals has grown in vast numbers since those early days.  They have quickly come to realize what this would do for the state of Georgia, with the income that could be used in educational areas, i.e. Hope Program, job opportunities, expansion of farms and training centers, and veterinary research just to list a few.  Should this happen, it will be put to vote on the ballot in the November 2016 election.  Did I say "2016"?  That's right, the year that Classic Ride and Sensational Ride will be on their three-year-old campaign trail.  What a great support it would be if a Georgia Bred Horse makes it to the Kentucky Derby during that voting year for a racetrack in Georgia.  

HRN: How long before the state of Georgia is a hotbed of racing?

Dennis Morgan: Realistically speaking, should this pass in November of 2016, I look for early construction of a racetrack to begin in 2017, and possibly be hosting races in 2018.  As far as becoming a hotbed of racing, only time can tell.  But the state’s geographical location could not be better.  It would be right along the halfway mark between the tracks in Kentucky, Florida, and Louisiana, and not far from one of the leading racehorse training centers, Dogwood Stable in Aiken, SC.  Not only may it become a hotbed of racing, but it definitely would be a hotbed of benefits it can bring to Georgia.