Beverly Lewis to carry on business

Her husband, Bob, passed away in February, but she'll have a Derby entry.
NEWPORT BEACH, Calif. (AP) -- Beverly Lewis is bringing another contender trained by Bob Baffert to the Kentucky Derby. This time, though, she'll be without the most important Bob, her late husband.
The Lewises were the first couple of thoroughbred racing, winning the Derby with Silver Charm in 1997 and Charismatic in 1999. Both colts just missed winning the Triple Crown.
Along the way, the college sweethearts who were married 58 years charmed an industry known for its competitiveness and jealousy. They were gracious in victory and upbeat in defeat.
The late Chris Antley, who rode Charismatic, once compared the Lewises to Chip and Dale, the cheerful Disney cartoon chipmunks who always looked out for one another.
Aided by oldest son
Now, Beverly is on her own, helped by her oldest son, Jeff, who is overseeing the family's racing operations and finances. After her husband's death, she never considered selling off any of their 60 horses.
"I would have carried on by myself, somehow, someway, because Mr. Lewis loved it so much and I do, too," she said. "We were really partners in the business."
Bob Lewis died Feb. 17 at 81 in the couple's harbor-front home on Lido Isle across from Newport Beach. The former World War II platoon sergeant had survived three heart attacks and two bypasses before his heart finally gave out.
"He was surprised that he made 80," said Beverly, who joked with Bob that he did so because of her good care. "About a year ago, I sensed a difference in him."
In public, though, Bob Lewis remained cheerful and downplayed his declining health.
"I remember one time I called him and I said, 'Bob, you sound good,' " Baffert recalled. "He says, 'Well, unfortunately, there's nothing wrong with my vocal cords."'
Bob Lewis died knowing he was leaving his wife "pretty loaded up with horses," the trainer said.
Top contender
The most promising is Point Determined, the son of 2001 Preakness and Belmont Stakes winner Point Given, who finished fifth as the 9-5 wagering favorite in the Kentucky Derby. Baffert trained Point Given, too.
Point Determined earned his way to Louisville by finishing second to Brother Derek in the Santa Anita Derby.
Having the couple's green-and-gold racing silks in the Kentucky Derby barely two months after Bob Lewis' death has been healing for Beverly, her three grown children and four grandchildren.
"It's given her a lot to think about and be excited about, and helped her in making the transition to Dad not being there for her," said Jeff Lewis, who previously ran his father's wholesale beer distributorship and races historic sports cars as a hobby.
Bob Lewis' personality made him popular with everyone from mutuel clerks to fans at the racetrack. That fondness extends to Beverly, who next to her outgoing husband seems like the shy, retiring type.
"She's not up at Santa Anita at 6 in the morning like my dad used to, but she likes watching her horses run and the social side of it," Jeff Lewis said. "It's a blessed thing that this sort of legacy has been left to Mom."
The biggest challenge for Beverly Lewis will come later this week, when she returns to Churchill Downs without Bob. Jeff and other family members will be supporting her, but she knows it won't be the same.
"Some things kind of trigger your feelings, so it's just kind of holding myself together so I don't fall apart," she said.
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