'It's A Fun Ride': Gargan Relishing Pair Of Kentucky Derby Hopefuls In Dornoch, Society Man

Trainer Danny Gargan is basking in the glow of having two trainees secure a place in the Kentucky Derby (G1) after Dornoch and Society Man collected enough qualifying points with their respective performances on Saturday.

“Everybody is good, cooled out good, and no complaints today,” said Gargan.

Dornoch, campaigned by West Paces Racing, R.A. Hill Stable, Belmar Racing and Breeding, Two Eight Racing and Pine Racing Stables, earned 15 points for his fourth-place finish in the Blue Grass (G1) Saturday at Keeneland, where he rated off the pace for the first time since August and finished 6 1/2 lengths back of the victorious Sierra Leone.

“We tried something different to school him and he learned a lot,” said Gargan. “He got a little tired and we might have shipped him a little too on top of the race. We’ll just dust him off and bring him back and he’ll run a lot better next time. We’re proud of him.”

Dornoch earned an 88 Beyer Speed Figure for an effort that Gargan said was a good lesson as he prepares to take on a field of 19 rivals in the Derby, including the front-running Curlin Florida Derby (G1) winner Fierceness.

“He got dirt [kickback] for the first time and got back in there,” said Gargan. “I don’t expect to have horses gunning it out of there in the Derby like they did yesterday, so hopefully him and Fierceness can break out of there and go a nice, relaxed pace. We’ll enjoy the Derby and hopefully he can lay up close and run big. We think we’ll bring a tougher, fitter horse who’s learned a lot to the Derby.”

Dornoch captured the Remsen (G2) by a nose over Sierra Leone in December at the Big A, a race that has seen half of the 10 starters go on to win stakes as sophomores.

Shortly before the Blue Grass, Gargan sent out 106-1 longshot Society Man, who he co-owns with West Paces Racing and GMP Stables, to a runner-up effort in the Wood Memorial (G2) at Aqueduct Racetrack.

Ridden by Luis Rivera Jr., the chestnut gelding rallied from 4 1/2 lengths off the pace to take up second position at the stretch call and maintained his place to the wire, finishing 2 1/4 lengths back of the victorious Resilience. The effort awarded him with 50 Kentucky Derby qualifying points, enough to guarantee him a spot in the “Run for the Roses.”

“He’s a different kind of horse [from Dornoch] with a different running style,” said Gargan. “He ran a really game effort and is getting better with every race. It’s going to be fun to have two horses. We don’t get a lot of babies, and to have the kind of horses where two have qualified for the Derby is a miracle. We feel blessed and everyone is so excited.”

Society Man entered from a fourth-out graduation on March 9 at the Big A where he closed from 10 lengths back to win impressively by three lengths. He made his stakes debut as a maiden when off-the-board in the Withers (G3) in February.

“I ran him as a maiden in a stake, so I’ve always liked him quite a bit,” said Gargan. “I thought he would run 1-2-3 in the Withers, and I was kind of disappointed. He didn’t get a very good trip and got checked out of there. That was frustrating, but then he came back and looked really good breaking his maiden. He did it again yesterday.”

Gargan’s two Derby hopefuls are opposites in running style and will likely be on opposite ends of the pari-mutuel odds spectrum, but the veteran conditioner said he likes his chances with both of the talented sons of Good Magic. Dornoch is a full brother to 2023 Kentucky Derby winner Mage.

“You never know. When you have horses who are gritty and tough, you might get lucky,” said Gargan. “It’s a fun ride, it’s great, and I’m extremely proud of all my help. It’s worth running both of them. You have to take a chance when you have it. They don’t look at the toteboard.”