Byron López was 18 years old when he moved from Guatemala and began working for a talented new trainer named Todd Pletcher. He started as a hot walker and soon rose to the position of groom. Twenty-four years later, he now looks after some of the best of the best from Pletcher’s elite stable.
López told his story in Spanish, but his deep devotion to his charges overcame all language barriers.
“The horses motivate me,” he said. “They are so loving and I get along well with my horses. I never really liked working, but I like working here. Many years have passed and I’ve just gotten used to it. It’s become a home. I feel comfortable working in the stable with everyone around me.”
With his calm presence, soft hands and pockets full of mints, López has played a role in the development of many of Pletcher’s superstars.
Invisible Ink was the first top horse López ever handled. The son of Thunder Gulch finished third in the GI Florida Derby and second in the GI Kentucky Derby in 2001.
The experienced groom has had a few other favorites over the years: Life At Ten (Malibu Moon), winner of the 2010 GI Ogden Phipps and GI Beldame Stakes, Carpe Diem (Giant’s Causeway), hero of the 2014 GI Breeders’ Futurity and 2015 GI Blue Grass Stakes, Cutting Humor (First Samurai), winner of the 2019 GIII Sunland Park Derby and of course his all-time favorite Malathaat (Curlin).
From Malathaat’s first Grade I finish by a head in the 2021 Ashland Stakes to her sixth and final finish in the 2022 Breeders’ Cup Distaff, López was there every step of the way and had a close bond with the champion.
Byron López and Malathaat | Sarah Andrew
“She was very affectionate, very intelligent and she always loved to eat,” he said. “I took care of her a lot. I always had a bag of peppermints for her.”
After Malathaat retired, López did not have to wait long to begin working with another special horse that would develop into a champion. Fierceness (City of Light) won his first race in devastating fashion at Saratoga last summer, winning by over 11 lengths and becoming a “TDN Rising Star”, and then won the GI Breeders’ Cup Juvenile.
“He knows when he has to go to the racetrack and he calms down,” said López. “He knows what he’s going to do at the racetrack. He’s very calm. When I arrive in the morning and put the halter on him, he asks for peppermints.”
This year, Fierceness delivered another stunning performance in the GI Florida Derby, and after a disappointing finish in the Kentucky Derby, the Repole Stable homebred rebounded in his most recent start in the GII Jim Dandy Stakes. Before the race, Fierceness proved to be quite a struggle in the paddock at Saratoga.
“He started looking around and was very happy,” López said, smiling. “It wasn’t me.”
Fierceness has maintained a consistent win-loss pattern over the course of his seven-race career, but he will look to break that trend in the upcoming GI Travers Stakes on August 24 before potentially running in the GI Breeders’ Cup Classic in November.
“I know he will do well because he is a really good horse,” López noted. “The most important thing for me is to ask God to keep him healthy for what is expected of him in the race. Hopefully he will have the same performance and the same luck.”
This week, López had to part with a colt that was particularly dear to his heart. Kingsbarns (Uncle Mo) was a candidate for the Breeders’ Cup Classic after his victory in the GI Stephen Foster Stakes, but an injury sustained during training at Saratoga forced the four-year-old to retire early.
The Fierceness team celebrates a victory in the GII Jim Dandy | Sarah Andrew
Doing everything to ensure his horses are healthy has always been López’s top priority.
“Every time I see a race or the horses leave the gate, I ask God that they have a safe journey. All (horses), not just ours, and the jockeys too,” he said.
Working for the same stable for over 20 years is a rare feat. López was with Pletcher when that trainer won some of the very first Grade I victories, then dozens of training titles and Breeders’ Cups, and most recently Pletcher’s induction into the Hall of Fame in 2021.
“I am always grateful to my boss, Todd Pletcher,” López said. “I am grateful for the trust he always put in me and for all the assistants and the people he had on the team – because that’s what we are: a team.”
Regardless of the outcome of next Saturday’s Travers, Fierceness will receive the best care when he returns to the stables after the race. Long after the track has gone quiet for the night, López will be there to make sure Fierceness is clean, happy and well fed.
