Blue Grass Stakes : Chief’s Crown Faces a Small Field and a Possible Jinx

Is there a Blue Grass Stakes jinx as far as the Kentucky Derby is concerned?

If there is, Chief’s Crown will be running into the face of it today when the favorite for the May 4 Derby faces only three opponents in the 61st edition of the Blue Grass at Keeneland.

In the smallest field since Spectacular Bid was tested by only three 3-year-olds in 1979, Chief’s Crown will be opposed by Banner Bob, winner of the Jim Beam Stakes at Latonia; Floating Reserve, winner of the Santa Catalina Stakes at Santa Anita and fourth in the Santa Anita Derby, and Under Orders, a colt from Louisiana who is running only as a favor by his owner-trainer, Louie Roussel III, to Keeneland President Ted Bassett.

Floating Reserve, listed at 6-1 in the morning line, has drawn the inside post position in the 1 1/8-mile, $150,000 race and will be ridden by Sandy Hawley. Next to them in the gate, in order, will be Chief’s Crown and jockey Don MacBeth, at 2-5; Banner Bob, with Keith Allen, 2-1, and Under Orders, with Pat Day, 15-1. Sunshine and 70 degree temperatures are expected.

Nine winners in the Blue Grass went on to victory at Churchill Downs. Only the Wood Memorial at Aqueduct, with 11 Derby winners, has been a better Derby prep.

But the Blue Grass can be hemlock as well as heaven for a horse. Since Spectacular Bid won the Blue Grass and the Derby, winners of the Keeneland race haven’t fared well at Louisville. Taylor’s Special was 13th last year, Play Fellow was sixth in ‘83, Proud Appeal was 18th in ’81 and Rockhill Native was fifth in ’80.

In 1982, the Blue Grass whammy followed a horse all the way to Baltimore. Linkage won the Blue Grass, skipped the Derby and then was upset at Pimlico by Aloma’s Ruler in the Preakness Stakes, the second leg in the Triple Crown series.

The ’83 Blue Grass was even hard on horses other than Play Fellow. Marfa, winner of the Santa Anita Derby but a proven rogue, bumped third-place finisher Copelan, who suffered leg injuries and was unable to run in the Derby.

Marfa, who went off as the Derby favorite while coupled with two stablemates, ran fifth. After the race, trainer Wayne Lukas said: “I think the reason he didn’t run too well was that the Blue Grass took more out of him than I thought.”

At least Copelan’s injury was only temporary. He returned to the races later that year. In the ’66 Blue Grass, Graustark, who like Chief’s Crown was the Derby favorite, broke down while finishing third and never raced again. It was a courageous performance, but the race cost the Derby its biggest star.

Woody Stephens is a trainer who is very aware of the Blue Grass pitfalls. He believes that it is run over too tiring a race track for a colt who will be asked to negotiate 1 miles for the first time in his life less than two weeks later.

Stephens has won the Blue Grass three times--with Halt in ‘49, Goyamo in ’54 and Judger in ’74. Halt and Judger didn’t start in the Derby and Goyamo ran fifth, a finish that Stephens blames on the rigors of the Blue Grass.

This year, Stephens has two Derby probables--Stephan’s Odyssey and Creme Fraiche. Stephan’s Odyssey, winner of last year’s Hollywood Futurity, ran a gritty third, behind Chief’s Crown and Proud Truth, in the Flamingo Stakes at Hialeah. In Creme Fraiche’s most recent outing, he was a close second to Violado in the Louisiana Derby.

Stephens didn’t consider the Blue Grass for either colt. Instead, he sent out Stephan’s Odyssey to win the Lexington Stakes at Keeneland April 16, and he’ll start Creme Fraiche Saturday in the mile Derby Trial on the opening day of the season at Churchill Downs.

Stephens used the Lexington Stakes as Swale’s springboard to a victory in the Derby last year.

Roger Laurin, who trains Chief’s Crown, obviously has no compunction about running a Derby contender in the Blue Grass. After the Flamingo, Laurin could have sent Chief’s Crown to New York for last Saturday’s Wood, but he avoided Proud Truth and Rhoman Rule, other prominent Derby hopefuls, choosing to run today.

Laurin may figure that what was good for his father is good enough for him. In 1972, Lucien Laurin brought Riva Ridge to Keeneland and won the Blue Grass. Then Riva Ridge went 70 miles up the road and won the Derby by 3 3/4 lengths, which has held up as the biggest winning margin in the last 14 runnings.

So don’t talk to the Laurins about the Blue Grass jinx--unless Chief’s Crown gets knocked off today. And if that happens, Roger Laurin won’t feel like talking to anybody.