Caldera's First Race at Churchill Downs - 11/01/2024 (Race Summary in description)

Caldera finished sixth in his debut after an eventful and educational trip. Caldera showed good speed and determination to move up in between horses after a sluggish start. He grabbed a rail spot not far off the pace heading into the turn, but had to tap on the brakes in traffic and lost momentum. Jockey Ramon Vazquez was able to guide him off the inside to find running room approaching the stretch, and he responded willingly to put himself back in contention. He looked like he might level off and start picking them off at the top of the lane, but he ran out of gas in the late stages while continuing to try to the wire.
While we all of course were dreaming of that blowout debut victory, we knew going in that Lukas trainees typically need at least one race before showing their best and that’s exactly how Caldera ran. He made multiple runs, showed some gears and handled the kickback and traffic trouble bravely. Caldera ran like a horse with some ability, which we still believe he has, who just wasn’t cut out to win going six furlongs on debut. He’ll gain a ton of fitness from that effort and plenty of mental maturity as well.
Both trainer D. Wayne Lukas and jockey Ramon Vazquez were encouraged by the effort and had similar takes: they felt that was a great first experience, and believe Caldera will be better once he stretches out in distance.