I have been a horse racing fan since I first went to the racetrack in 2009. My first day at the races was seeing Zenyatta win the Breeders' Cup Classic, and from that moment on, I was hooked. I made lifelong friends with legends in the sport, such as Jon White. I had the chance to get to know Billy Turner, who won the Triple Crown in 1977 with Seattle Slew. I had stood in winner's circles with some of the greatest horses of all time. I never thought my experience with Improbable Luck would trump all of those.

(left to right) Ryan Stillman, Aaron Halterman, and Jared Welch meeting Improbable Luck the day after the 2025 Arkansas Derby.

BIGPLAY Sports asked me to cover their horse last year. At that time, he was still being prepared to go to trainer D. Wayne Lukas's barn. I contacted everyone associated with the horse. I followed his journey to the racetrack. I got exclusive stories on what it was like to be around him at birth. I not only got to know about him, but I also felt I got to know his extended family. I covered his dam (his mother) and what she was like. I heard about his quirks and his attitude. By the time the horse raced, I felt like I knew him. I had never met him, and until I did, I wouldn't know what he was like.

The morning after the 2025 Arkansas Derby, I was escorted to D. Wayne Lukas's barn to meet the horse I had covered for almost a year. I was nervous. It felt like I was on my way to meet a celebrity. I had really grown to like Improbable Luck. What if he decided to take a bite out of me? What if he was nothing like I had pictured? I had built him up in my mind to be a superstar.

Joe Moran of MyRacehorse was kind enough to arrange the get-together. He had a lovely woman named Holly take me, Aaron, and Jared of the Racing Dudes back to meet the horse. I could feel my heart beat out of my chest. I was surprisingly nervous. I felt like a fan on his way to meet a celebrity.

When we arrived at the barn, D. Wayne Lukas had just left. The hot walkers and workers were there, along with Lukas' assistant trainer, Sebastian "Bas" Nicholl. If you have never met Sebastian, he is one of the nicest and funniest horsemen in the game. He cracked some jokes and led us to the stall of Improbable Luck. The moment had arrived.

Improbable Luck in his stall at Oaklawn Park.

Improbable Luck had his head sticking out of the stall. He was looking right at us as we approached. To my delight, the horse was even more stunning in person. Improbable Luck is an adonis. You could tell instantly that this horse was super intelligent. He had a very curious eye and a very laid-back demeanor. His looks blew away Aaron and Jared. They immediately began petting him. Improbable Luck loved it. When they stopped petting him, he shook his head, indicating, "Keep going!

Improbable Luck is an adonis in person. Notice the intelligent eye and stunning face.

I finally worked up the courage to say hello. I was still scared we wouldn't get along, but instead, I found myself petting the horse and smiling. The horse is a ham. He loved getting his picture taken and interacting with us. He felt like a horse was still putting things together. You got a sense that the barn liked him a lot.

The moment I approached Improbable Luck. He loved getting his picture taken.

I would describe the horse as a laidback dude. He is very playful and friendly. He would still take your breath away if you knew nothing about horses. He had a bit of star quality. I never felt like he was going to snap at me. I could not put my finger on it, but there was something very special about him. I think he wants to be a good racehorse, and I would not be discouraged by the fifth-place effort in his debut.

The day we arrived, Improbable Luck had worked out earlier in the morning. Assistant trainer Sebastian showed us the work. He felt it was the horse's best one yet. I felt the lightbulb went off for the horse after his first race. He put a lot of things together. He got a lot from that first start, and the barn was high on him. The general vibe was that the Lukas barn looked forward to his next race.


Improbable Luck checks out my cell phone camera. He seemed like he didn’t want us to leave.

When we were done visiting with Improbable Luck, we asked to see the star horse in Lukas's barn, Caldera. The big son of Liam's Map was the opposite of Improbable Luck in every way. He did not want to stick his head out of his stall. When he finally did, he was a bit of a grump. I felt he wanted to take a bite out of me. I got the feeling that he was a bit of a head case. I was way more impressed with Improbable Luck. Caldera may be his own worst enemy, but Improbable Luck seemed like a promising athlete on the rise. I am a fan of both horses, but there was something very special about our BIGPLAY horse.

Meeting star racehorse Caldera.

We left the barn and said our goodbyes. As I walked away, I caught one more glance at Improbable Luck sticking his head out of his stall. He looked at me, and I smiled. I had covered the horse for over a year. In person, he was even better than I could have hoped. They say never meet your heroes. I would say unless one of your equine heroes is Improbable Luck.