Olczyk Looks to Light Lamp with Ray’s the Bar

Former professional hockey player turned television commentator Eddie Olczyk will be doing double duty at the Breeders’ Cup Friday. Perhaps most visibly, he’ll be part of the NBC Sports team covering the first day of championship weekend from Keeneland. But he’ll take a break from his commentating duties to watch Ray’s the Bar (GB) (Exceed and Excel {Aus}), a colt he co-owns, go postward in the GI Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf.

“It’s a thrill to be here and to be part of this,” Olczyk said Thursday. “I got in on Tuesday and each day I’ve been getting less and less sleep. And the excitement keeps building as I get all these texts and phone calls from my family and friends. It’s very exciting.”

Olczyk traces his love of racing back to his childhood growing up in Chicago.

“I was only 14, but I guess I looked older because they let me make a few bets,” he recalled.

Olczyk has been in and out of the ownership game over the last several years. He campaigned the filly Diana O (Cutlass), named after his wife, who won her first two starts at Hawthorne in 1991 before being injured in that year’s Pocahontas S.

When the urge to once again own racehorses struck, Olczyk was put in touch with bloodstock agent Pete Bradley. On behalf of Olczyk, Bradley purchased a son of Big Drama (hip 471) for $60,000 out of this year’s Fasig-Tipton Midlantic 2-Year-Olds sale. Now named Who’s Your Drama, the gelding is in training with Todd Pletcher.

Bradley called Olczyk again with the opportunity to be a partner on a recent maiden winner at Ascot in July.

“Pete called me about this horse,” Olczyk said. “I liked the pedigree and I watched the video of his race at Ascot and I liked that.”

Ray’s the Bar was transferred to the New York barn of trainer Chad Brown, who also conditions Bradley Thoroughbreds’ imported stars Watsdachances (Ire) (Diamond Green {Fr}) and Dacita (Chi) (Scat Daddy). Brown had only had the colt just over a month when he was a strong-closing third behind fellow Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf contenders Isotherm (Lonhro {Aus}) and Azar (Scat Daddy).

“I’m sure [the Breeders’ Cup] was part of the plan when they bought him,” Olczyk confirmed. “But the horse had to tell us he was ready and Chad had to tell us he was ready. He ran a great race in the Pilgrim and we think he will improve off that.”

Olczyk’s racing stable currently has two runners, but the commentator did not rule out adding more horses to the stable in the future.

“I like to pick my spots,” he said. “So we’ll see.”