As he made the walk down the Churchill Downs tunnel, pausing briefly to accept congratulations from some of his Hall of Fame comrades, Richard Mandella came to halt outside of the entrance to the winner’s circle and openly wondered ‘Where am I supposed to go?'”
It was a genuine query given that the Hall of Fame trainer hadn’t run a horse beneath the twin spires since 2018 and hadn’t won a race at the historic Louisville, Ky., oval since 2004. His reacquaintance to all of the above fittingly came from a daughter of his former trainee that many believed at the time was poised to put the legendary horseman in the middle of the most famous celebration the track has to offer.