Tom Pedulla is interviewing prominent owners, trainers, and jockeys as they travel the Road to the 151st Kentucky Derby presented by Woodford Reserve on May 3 at Churchill Downs.

Al Gold with Monmouth's Haskell trophy. (Eclipse Sportswire)

The second installment this year features prostate cancer survivor Al Gold, who is best known for campaigning 2022 Arkansas Derby and Haskell Stakes winner Cyberknife, a horse he named for the non-invasive radiation therapy that restored him to good health.

Gold, 69, races under the nom de course Gold Square LLC. He is back on the Derby trail in 2025 with two prospects, Jerome Stakes winner Cyclone State and Filoso, who finished third in last fall’s Grade 1 Claiborne Breeders’ Futurity at Keeneland. Chad Summers trains both horses.

Cyclone State, owned in partnership with George Messina and Michael Lee, is set to compete in the $1.5 million Saudi Derby Saturday at King Abdulaziz Racetrack in Riyadh. Gold is the sole owner of Filoso, who is expected to make his 3-year-old debut in the Grade 3 Lambholm South Tampa Bay Derby on March 8.

Gold is retired from his family’s real estate business that was founded by his father and now run by his children. He spoke about his introduction to racing, his Derby prospects, and his new outlook on life during a question-and-answer session conducted on behalf of America’s Best Racing.

PEDULLA: How did you become interested in racing?

GOLD: I became interested in racing by going to the track when I was 15 to Monticello Raceway. Somebody told me a certain horse was going to win that night. I bet him and I won. I was hooked.

PEDULLA: What led you to become a Thoroughbred owner?

GOLD: It was just a natural progression from being a gambler all these years. When I could afford to, I said, “I’m going to buy horses.”

Gold's 2022 Arkansas Derby winner Cyberknife (Eclipse Sportswire)

PEDULLA: I know racing is a big part of your life. What is it about the game that keeps you coming back?

GOLD: It’s the overall experience. Being at the racetrack, talking to people, handicapping, hoping I have the next superstar in my barn, joking with my overweight trainer here, all of those things.

PEDULLA: I often see you sitting on a folding chair at Saratoga Race Course, wearing a battered Mets cap and blending in with the crowd. Do you prefer that to an owner’s box?

GOLD: If I have friends in town who don’t go to the track very often, I will give them my box to use. I like being outside. I have people I’ve seen for years, and I enjoy talking to them. The whole experience is enjoyable wherever you are at the track.

PEDULLA: You have given your horses some unusual names over the years. May I ask you for a couple of your favorites?

GOLD: My Italian Rabbi is one of my favorites. It was named after a lawyer friend of mine who gives me great advice in life.

PEDULLA: How many horses do you own?

GOLD: All together, weanlings and yearlings and stallions, about 45.

PEDULLA: Why did you decide to enter Cyclone State in the Saudi Derby with the intention of going on to the UAE Derby?

Cyclone State (Gary Johnson/Eclipse Sportswire)

GOLD: Chad has been there before. He knows the quality of horses there. We’ll go to Saudi [Arabia] and Dubai and find out what quality of horse we have.

PEDULLA: What tells you Cyclone State can meet this challenge or are you just not sure?

GOLD: Well, of course, we’re not sure. We don’t know what we’re going to face there. But Chad has been watching the races there and he feels this is the right spot. I put my faith in him.

PEDULLA: May I ask where the name ‘Filoso’ came from?

GOLD: He’s named after a close friend of mine for over 30 years, Lou Filoso. I always wanted to name a horse in honor of him. The first one didn’t work out so well, so I waited a few years until I thought I had a really good horse and named it after him. He’s going to run in the Tampa Bay Derby next and we’ll find out.

PEDULLA: What is your evaluation of Filoso to this point? He seems to be impressive in spurts during his races.

GOLD: We gave him a break. Now, he’s back in training and we’re going to see where he’s at. He probably won’t be 100% fit for the race. He’ll probably be 70% fit. But we’ll see what happens.

PEDULLA: Is your gut telling you that you have two potential Derby horses or you just don’t know?

Filoso (Candice Chavez/Eclipse Sportswire)

GOLD: They have to prove themselves in their next races. I’m not going to look ahead.

PEDULLA: Although Cyberknife did not run well in the Kentucky Derby, what did you take from that experience?

GOLD: The best thing I got out of the experience was I got to do the walk with my wife [Holly] and kids [Dayna, Bryan]. Looking at 140,000 people when we walked over before the race was awesome. I’ve been going to the track for so many years, it’s the quality time you spend with your family. When I see how happy they were and having all my friends there, it’s a great experience. You can’t replace your family. Your family is everything. If we go back, that’s the main thing I’m looking forward to, being with them.

PEDULLA: Was the Derby walkover the thrill of a lifetime? 

GOLD: The thrill of a lifetime was the birth of my children. That was my thrill. Number two was winning the Haskell [at Monmouth Park]. I had been going to that track for over 30 years and I was with my family and friends. I cursed on television in the middle of the afternoon, I was so excited.

PEDULLA: Did cancer change your outlook on life?

GOLD: You try to find more joy in everything. Before, you take life for granted. Now, I get up in the morning and I feel like I’m blessed to be alive. I’m grateful for every morning that I wake up.

PEDULLA: Do you dream of winning the Derby?

GOLD: I dream of being happy every day and going to the track. I’m driving five hours to Tampa Bay Downs to see $5,000 claimers. Who does that?