Waldman's Resilience Enters the Picture in 150th Kentucky Derby

A Storm Cat and Deputy Manager onetime stable managers of stallions are now co-owners of a potential Kentucky Derby contender.

As a foal in Saturday's Grade 2, $750,000 Wood Memorial, presented by Resorts World Casino winner RESILIENCE (Into Mischief), he exhibited the confident demeanor of a top racehorse, demonstrating that he understood the expectations placed on a horse with his lineage.

Co-owner Emily Bushnell recalled that when the horse was a foal, “he would come out and look you in the eye like, 'What's up,” “ He has completed everything correctly from the beginning ”. He exudes confidence, and I wish I could match that.

At Aqueduct Racetrack on Saturday, the three-year-old bay horse, trained by Hall of Famer John Velazquez showed his confidence by winning by a comfortable 2 ¼ lengths. With his victory, he guaranteed a place in the starting gate for the Grade 1 Kentucky Derby and received the maximum number of the 100-50-25-15-10 qualifying points that were awarded to the first five finishers.

Bushnell highlighted, "I'm still just soaking it all in." "This horse completes the circle for my family and means a lot to us."

Bushnell and her parents, who bred Resilience and his mother, Meadowsweet, put in nearly three decades of commitment and hard work to raise such a gifted Resilience.

The story of Resilience started in 1996 when the Wygods (Bushnell`s dad) paid $250,000 for a Rahy filly at the Keeneland July Sale of Selected Yearlings. After a career that saw her earn over $1.6 million in earnings and win seven graded stakes, including Grade 1s in the 2000 Yellow Ribbon at Santa Anita Park and the 1999 Gamely Breeders’ Cup Handicap at Hollywood Park, the filly—later dubbed Tranquility Lake—proved to be well worth her purchase price.

Bushnell recalls, "We had After Market, Jalil, Courageous Cat, and she just kept having colt after colt after colt." Then, she had a filly as her final foal. Every member of the family was in a single filly, holding their breath beside her to ensure her well-being and observe her as a racehorse.

Meadowsweet, a dark bay filly by Canadian-bred Smart Strike, was the winner twice in six races, including a turf route at Del Mar in 2017 when she narrowly defeated graded stakes winner Pacific Wind. After retiring in 2018, Meadowsweet bred to Mischief in 2020 and had her first foal in 2019, the Quality Road gelding Cloud Forest. Resilience is the resulting foal, and she has already made great progress in carrying on his family’s excellence in an impressive fashion.

The persistence of resilience can be attributed to a long-lasting friendship and collaboration between the Wygod family and Waldman, who are once again recognized for their perseverance, knowledge, and careful horsemanship. Bushnell, who said she is involved in every facet of her family's racing business, expressed her emotions about the outcome on Saturday.