Robert Low, founder of Prime Inc., and wife Lawana may be days away from an achievement Low said he was unsure they would get another chance to earn – winning the Kentucky Derby.
“All systems are a go. The horse had a great workout this morning,” Low told Fleet Owner by phone on April 27.
He was speaking of “Magnum Moon,” owned by the Lows and among the favorites for the Kentucky Derby, scheduled for May 5 at Churchill Downs in Louisville. The three-year-old horse is undefeated, winning the $1 million Arkansas Derby in his last start.
Low said he will travel to Kentucky on Tuesday, and attend the post position draw with a group of Prime employees and friends. By race day, he estimated 180 members of Prime will be at the race.
While on a personal level, it has been a “huge aspiration of ours to win the Kentucky Derby,” Low said he enjoys sharing the excitement of the journey with the company.
“He’s our horse,” said Low of the connection between animal and the trucking company based in Springfield, MO.
This will be the Lows first entrant in the Kentucky Derby since 2006, when Steppenwolfer finished third.
Despite owning a number of very successful thoroughbreds in the years since, Low said horse racing has kept him humble.
It is a sport full of “disappointments along the way,” he explained.
Sometimes that means a horse getting injured by taking a bad step, or just not developing into a champion once thought possible.
“You need perseverance to get there in this business,” Low said. “You lose a lot more than you win.”
Todd Pletcher, trainer of Magnum Moon, is no stranger to success in the Kentucky Derby. He earned his second victory last year with Always Dreaming, and has three other horses besides Magnum Moon scheduled to race this year.
