Trainer McLaughlin has big Derby contender

His 71-1 shot burst through a tight pack to take the lead inside the three-sixteenths pole, and for 10 glorious seconds, Kiaran McLaughlin thought the 2005 Kentucky Derby was his. Just as quickly, it was gone. Closing Argument couldn't hold off 50-1 Giacomo in the final 100 yards, falling short by a half-length.

"Not that anybody remembers who finished second, but it was a great thrill," McLaughlin said after his Derby debut. "But then you think, 'Damn, that was the Kentucky Derby.' "

For someone born and raised in Lexington, the heart of Bluegrass Country, winning the Derby is like going to heaven without dying. The Garden City resident, who's 0-for-3 in the Run for the Roses, is hopeful that Soldat will wear them May 7.

Soldat will have his final tuneup Sunday at Gulfstream Park in the $1-million, 11/8-mile Florida Derby. The 9-5 morning-line favorite in a field of eight must beat Stay Thirsty, owned by Long Island resident Mike Repole and trained by Todd Pletcher. Other contenders are To Honor and Serve and Dialed In. Pletcher said, "I think this is the toughest Derby prep so far."

Soldat is French for soldier, a play off his sire, War Front. He's 3-for-7 lifetime and 2-for-2 at Gulfstream, where he took the Grade II Fountain of Youth wire to wire by two lengths. Rider Alan Garcia plans to change tactics in Sunday's speed-saturated field.

"We'll let Flashpoint clear off," McLaughlin said. "Soldat hasn't taken dirt in his face, and we feel it would be an ideal situation to take dirt, lay off the pace and finish strong to win."

Unlike most people, McLaughlin, 50, knew what he wanted to do early on. "At 12, I wrote a paper saying I wanted to be a horse trainer," he said. "Everything has worked out beautifully for me. I stepped into the right doors at the right time, and I feel fortunate to get up at 5 every day to go to work."

He attended the University of Kentucky for a year, then worked for five horsemen, including his future father-in-law, John Hennig. After assisting D. Wayne Lukas from 1985-92, he was jockey Chris Antley's agent for 19 months. McLaughlin went out on his own in 1993 in Dubai, where he trained for Sheikh Mohammed before coming to New York in 2003.

The easygoing, soft-spoken McLaughlin credits his wife, Letty, and their children, Erin and Ryan, for keeping him grounded. "My first job in life is to be a parent," he said.

McLaughlin suffered a life-changing jolt in 1998, when he was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. "Having MS puts things in perspective," he said, "so there's a whole lot more to life than winning or losing a race. You have to think about that sometimes and be thankful for what you have and be at peace with what you don't have."

His career highlights came with Jazil, who took the 2006 Belmont, and Invasor, the 2006 Horse of the Year who swept the Breeders' Cup Classic and Dubai World Cup. His stable is on a tremendous roll this year, winning with 30 of 87 starters. If Soldat holds his form, he'll be McLaughlin's first serious Derby runner.

"I feel like he's battle-tested, and he's done everything we've thrown at him," he said. "He's training beautifully, so we just hope to keep him sound and healthy until May 7."