Two nice guys and one sweet filly

Last week, Saturday, June 6, the world watched and cheered for American Pharoah, as he won the Kentucky Derby (G1), Preakness (G1) and Belmont Stakes (G1) and captured the first Triple Crown in 37 years.

It was a great achievement by American Pharoah and his connections, owner Zayat Stables, trainer Bob Baffert and jockey Victor Espinoza.

However, while all the headlines were about AP’s Triple Crown win, the backbone of horse racing – the claiming horses, the back side workers, the exercise riders – continued to quietly ply their trades at tracks across the country in hopes of success and, maybe, some glory one day in the future.

Sure, they were all cheering for American Pharoah as well, but they also knew that when the race was over, it was back to business as usual for all of them.

One case in point …

In one of the barns at the Thoroughbred Training Center on Paris Pike in Lexington lives a sweet, 5-year-old, chestnut filly named after a song by the Beatle’s – Love Love Me Do.

“Love” hanging out in her stall at Belterra Park on May 22. She seems to like her silks. (Photo by Tim Wilson)

The “two guys” behind “Love” are her owner, Dr. Bryan Waldridge, and her trainer, Tim Wilson.

Coincidentally, among their other duties, Dr. Waldridge, is the equine vet for Old Friends, the Thoroughbred retirement farm in Georgetown, Ky., and Wilson is Old Friend’s farm manager.

Now, Love Love Me Do has a nice pedigree – she’s by Birdstone-Belle Chant, by War Chant – and she has some talent. She just seems to need a little more discipline.

Together, Waldridge and Wilson are working with Love Love Me Do to tap into her talent and, ultimately, get her into the winner’s circle for the first time in her career.

And, they’re work is beginning to pay off.

On Saturday, in just her second race under their tutelage, Love Love Me Do, ridden by jockey Yuri Yaranga, came within a half-length of her first win, as she finished second to 13-to-1 long shot, Cross Your T’s in a $5,000 maiden claiming race at Belterra Park (formerly River Downs) in Cincinnati, Ohio.

In the six-furlong dirt race, Love Love Me Do broke well and stalked race leader, Johnie J, for most of the six-furlong dirt race.

Then, in the stretch, she rallied, and even led for a few strides at one point, but in the end she was caught near the wire by Cross Your T’s, who took away Love’s first win by a half-length.

To date, Love Love Me Do has raced seven times, with this second-place finish being her best to date.

In her first outing for Waldridge and Wilson on May 22, 2015, she finished eighth out of nine in a six-furlong Maiden Special Weight dirt race, also at Belterra Park.

Prior to that, her best finish was a fourth in a five-and-a-half furlong dirt race, on Sept. 27, 2014, also at Belterra Park, in a Maiden Special Weight race.

So, with her second-place outing for Waldridge and Wilson in the books, they are all looking forward to their next race and maybe, just maybe, a chance to all stand in the winner’s circle together.

Love Love Me Do running at Belterra Park on May 22 in a Maiden Special Weight race. Ridden by jockey Yuri Yaranga, she finished seventh. (Photo by Rick Capone)