Nafzger already had worked dabbled with breaking and training horses and decided to try his hand at conditioning thoroughbreds.

He pooled his resources with his father and brothers, borrowed another $8,000 and bought two yearlings at the Keeneland September sale in 1970.

In the beginning, Carl and Wanda did all the work with the horses, with Carl exercising and shoeing them and Wanda handling grooming duties. 

Slowly but surely, Nafzger built his stable up and attracted a loyal clientele impressed with his hands on approach to training and his patience.

Nafzger is not one to rush his horses to try to make a big race, which helps explain why on Saturday he’ll saddle just his third Derby starter in 37 years as a trainer. He won with his first starter, Unbridled, in 1990, and saddled Vicar, who finished 18th in 1999.

His approach with Street Sense is textbook Nafzger, as he decided to give the colt just two starts as a 3-year-old before the Derby — despite the fact that no horse has captured the roses off just two preps since Sunny’s Halo in 1983.

“We had a perfect 2-year-old campaign … and he was either going to take us to the Derby or he was not,” he said. “… You have to think of the horse. And the horse is who takes you there, so you don’t worry about it.”

Nafzger said that training racehorses has been a great second career.

“I’ve been very blessed,” he said. “It’s like I tell everybody: If you don’t believe in God, study my life. It’s been a miracle.”

It also helped wean him off his bull-riding addiction.

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“You get the same adrenaline rush before the race,” he said. “After the race, you get the jubilation. It’s like you made a touchdown in the last 10 seconds.”

But make no mistake about where his heart lies.

“I’ve missed it every day since I quit,” he said of bull riding. “… If I had to do it all over again, I’d through my hat in the back of the car and go bull riding.”

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