Cleverly Named Colt Gives Connections Derby Fever

Tom Pedulla is interviewing prominent owners, trainers, and jockeys as they compete on the Road to the Kentucky Derby. This week's installment features Nate Nelson. He is the managing partner of On Your Left Racing, a small breeding and racing operation based in Minneapolis. Their homebred, Omaha Omaha, named after one of Hall of Fame quarterback Peyton Manning's favorite signal calls, is being pointed toward the $500,000 Virginia Derby March 15 at Colonial Downs in New Kent, Va. The 1 1/8-mile Virginia Derby is part of the Road to the Kentucky Derby for the first time and will offer qualifying points to the top five finishers on a 50-25-15-10-5 basis. With a second-place finish in the Jan. 4 Jerome Stakes and a third in the Feb. 3 Withers Stakes, both at Aqueduct, Omaha Omaha, a son of 2018 Florida Derby winner Audible, has 11 Kentucky Derby (G1) qualifying points. He is trained by Michael Gorham. Nelson discussed the appeal of Virginia's racing program, Omaha Omaha's heart-in-your-mouth late running style and the Derby fever that has gripped their three-man group as it suddenly finds itself on a national stage during a question-and-answer session conducted by America's Best Racing. PEDULLA: Why On Your Left Racing? NELSON: We thought the name would be fun because when you go jogging or biking and you pass somebody you say, 'On Your Left.' PEDULLA: How many partners do you have? NELSON: Two other equal partners, Shawn Sullivan and Gary Carlson. Shawn came up with the name On Your Left Racing. Shawn sells commercial insurance for trucking companies and Gary is an accountant. We've been buddies since 1995. We all love to win so it works well together. PEDULLA: When was it formed? NELSON: 2018. PEDULLA: What is it about the betting aspect that you enjoy? NELSON: Obviously, the camaraderie at the track. Put your money where your mouth is, right? The camaraderie and the unpredictability of it is so much fun. The access to the horses and jockeys, you just can't get that close at a (Minnesota) Vikings game. PEDULLA: How did you become interested in ownership? NELSON: By happenstance, we met somebody who owned horses at Canterbury (Park), which is the Minnesota track. We went in on a lark for one-eighth of two horses and we were hooked. From there, we started going to sales and slowly growing our stable. PEDULLA: You don't always see small groups involved on the breeding end. Why did you decide to do that? NELSON: People don't always like breeding because it takes forever. We thought we might be able to get a horse we wouldn't be able to afford at the auctions. PEDULLA: Is the breeding aspect what you thought it would be? NELSON: We enjoy trying to figure out who to send our mares to. It adds a whole other level. We've only met good people at the farms who take care of our mares and take care of our weanlings. PEDULLA: How many horses does the group have? NELSON: We have two broodmares, we have two yearling colts, we have two 2-year-old fillies and then we have (3-year-olds) Chipotle and Omaha Omaha. Both of our broodmares are pregnant. Hopefully, we'll have two more from them. PEDULLA: What led you to Michael Gorham as trainer of Omaha Omaha? NELSON: We've had great success with other trainers. Mike really stood out as someone who would call the shots but was receptive to our ideas and, most importantly, loves to race. PEDULLA: Has he been what you thought he would be? NELSON: That and better. His family comes to a lot of the big races. He provides great access and at the sales he helps us pick out our horses. He has great insight and offers great advice. We love following his path. He wants to win as badly as we do. PEDULLA: How hard is it for a small group such as yours to get on the Derby trail? NELSON: Omaha Omaha doesn't know how many horses we have or if we're a small player. I think we're fortunate to have good connections. PEDULLA: What did you see in Audible to choose him as the sire? NELSON: We follow the Triple Crown and the Florida Derby, we won a big bet on him and saw the way he did it. We saw his speed and we felt our mare (England Swings, by Kitten's Joy) had stamina. It might make sense now. It made sense then, too. PEDULLA: An obvious question. Why the name Omaha Omaha? NELSON: I came up with that name. It's hard to come up with a name for Audible, right? Peyton Manning was on TV every weekend screaming 'Omaha! Omaha!' We thought it would be a lot of fun and it has been. PEDULLA: The three of you are football fans? NELSON: You have to be. We never won with the Vikings. Let's hope we can get some luck with Omaha Omaha. PEDULLA: Were you big Peyton Manning fans? NELSON: Gary was the big Peyton Manning fan. He absolutely loved how long he played and how much control he had over the line of scrimmage and how exciting he made it. The irony, of course, is our trainer is a diehard New England Patriot fan. The Patriots actually win Super Bowls. The Vikings haven't been lucky at all. PEDULLA: What is it like to find yourselves on the Derby trail? NELSON: It's surreal. It's absolutely surreal. It wasn't what we drew up. We thank Michael Gorham an awful lot for that. Omaha Omaha has taken us on this journey already. I brought my wife (Sara) to New York for the Jerome. All three of us are going to go to the Virginia Derby. It brings us together. It takes us places. We just can't believe it. PEDULLA: He made his first three starts at Delaware Park and did not win until his third start. When did you begin to think he could be a Derby candidate? NELSON: It was after the Thanksgiving race (a win in an allowance-optional claiming race at Laurel Park). The Monday following the Thanksgiving win Mike Gorham called me and said, 'We're kind of in a position here where we have to talk about the next race.' I hadn't paid any attention to the Derby trail whatsoever. I thought we would stay at Laurel. He immediately said, 'I think we want to go to the Jerome.' I was ecstatic. PEDULLA: Omaha Omaha was bred in Virginia. What do you think of that state's breeding and racing program? NELSON: We are huge fans of the Virginia program. We wish every state would get behind racing as Virginia appears to be. We need more racing days, right? What's wrong with that? PEDULLA: You'd like to see more racing days in Virginia? NELSON: We'd like to see more racing days everywhere. PEDULLA: It must mean a lot of send a Virginia-bred into the Virginia Derby with a chance to secure a place in the Kentucky Derby starting gate. NELSON: This is just absolutely surreal. Is it destiny for us? We hope. I love the distance and, hopefully, we'll love the track. To be in Virginia with all of the connections we have is just so special. PEDULLA: Depending on how you fare in the Virginia Derby, do you have time for another Derby prep if you still need qualifying points? NELSON: We are nominated to the Wood (Memorial) and to the Blue Grass (Stakes). And if you believe Mike Gorham, we only run half the race anyway. Maybe we could make it. Maybe not. Let's hope we don't need to. PEDULLA: He has an unusual style in coming from so far back. What do you make of that? NELSON: I think it says a lot about the horse. He does his own thing. He's taken us from the lowest of lows to the highest of highs all in the same race. We have no explanation for it. He takes it to a very dangerous level. PEDULLA: I guess there is no choice but to let him bide his time and do it his way? NELSON: When he decides to give us his run, let's just hope he's good enough. PEDULLA: Do you have Derby fever yet? NELSON: It's all we think about. It's all we talk about. It's all we want now. We love being on the Derby trail. We know how difficult it will be to get there. But we are very excited and very focused on it. PEDULLA: You are showing what a small operation can do. NELSON: We have an opportunity and all anyone can ask in life is an opportunity.