Field of 20 Unlikely for May 4 Kentucky Derby

For the first time since 1980, there may be fewer than 20 horses running in the Kentucky Derby.

Joe Hirsch of the Daily Racing Form, who keeps virtually hour-by-hour tabs on Derby developments, lists 22 horses as possible starters for the 111th Derby May 4 at Louisville’s Churchill Downs.

Fewer than half of Hirsch’s 22 are definite starters. They include Chief’s Crown, Proud Truth, Stephan’s Odyssey, Skywalker, Rhoman Rule, Spend a Buck, Eternal Prince and Tank’s Prospect.

Several Derby starters could come out of Saturday’s mile Derby Trial at Churchill Downs. Fast Account, Creme Fraiche and Tiffany Ice are the best known of the 3-year-olds running in the Trial.

A field of about 15 seems likely for the Derby. That would be an improvement over the last four years, when the madness to win America’s most recognized race has brought horses to Louisville who not only weren’t capable of winning but who threatened the chances of good horses around them by creating crowded fields.

There were 21 starters in 1981, 19 in ‘82, 20 in ’83 and 20 last year. Churchill Downs’ money rule, which limits the field to 20 starters based on highest earnings--a loophole supported by a Kentucky court allowed an extra starter in ‘81--has actually worked in reverse. Owners not planning on running in the Derby see that their horses are on the top-20 purse list and then feel obligated to go.

Here are some of the reasons the money rule probably won’t have to be used this year:

--The top horses--Chief’s Crown, Proud Truth, Rhoman Rule and Stephan’s Odyssey--are solid colts who would run representative Derby races most any year.

--The middle-echelon horses--Eternal Prince, Spend a Buck, Skywalker and Tank’s Prospect--are capable of an upset.

--There are richer races later--the $1-million Jersey Derby at Garden State Park in late May and the multimillion-dollar Breeders’ Cup series at Aqueduct in November. The Jersey Derby, because it is scheduled in the middle of the Triple Crown races, figures to be an easier spot than the Kentucky Derby. And having a reasonably fresh horse at the end of the year gives a trainer a good shot at winning a Breeders’ Cup race. The highest purse for a Kentucky Derby was last year’s $712,400.

New York writers are getting a lot of mileage out of George Steinbrenner’s 37.5% interest in Eternal Prince, winner of last Saturday’s Wood Memorial.

Writing about Eternal Prince beats interviewing Yogi Berra, who manages Steinbrenner’s New York Yankees. A Steinbrenner-Eternal Prince sampler:

--Jerry Izenberg, New York Post: “If George doesn’t like Eternal Prince’s determination to be out in front of the field early, what’s he going to do about it? Threaten to option him to Columbus?”

--Mike Lupica, New York Daily News: “Boss Steinbrenner expects Rickey Henderson (the base stealing outfielder) to be a pinstriped Eternal Prince.”

--Dave Anderson, New York Times: “Think of how Steinbrenner’s horses enjoy that George is not able to talk to them.”

Steinbrenner had a response to the last quip: “I like my horses better than my ballplayers, because they can’t talk to sportswriters.”

Angel Cordero will be able to ride Spend a Buck in the Kentucky Derby, after all. He was scheduled to ride Track Barron in the Carter Handicap at Aqueduct on Derby day because of a long-term commitment but has been excused by Track Barron’s owner and trainer so he can try to win his third Derby.

Horse Racing Notes Stone White, one of last year’s top 2-year-olds, didn’t make his first start this year until Monday at Aqueduct, beating only one horse after showing early speed. . . . Angel Penna, the trainer of Rhoman Rule, talking about Proud Truth: “He could be another Alydar, finishing second a lot, always showing late run but never quite getting there.” . . . In trying to find a hole in Chief’s Crown, the jockey of another Derby horse says that Don MacBeth, Chief’s Crown’s jockey, has yet to expose his colt to having dirt hit him in the face. “You don’t know how a horse will react until he gets a taste of it,” the jockey said. . . . Riva Ridge, who died here this week on a stud farm, won the 1972 Kentucky Derby and the Belmont Stakes, but the best race of his life might have been his second-place finish behind stablemate Secretariat in the Marlboro Cup in ’73. In winning, Secretariat set the American record for 1 1/8 miles with a time of 1:45 2/5. . . . Pat Day’s victory with Sefa’s Beauty in the Apple Blossom Handicap at Oaklawn Park last week was part of a six-win day. . . . The rebuilding of Garden State Park may have cost $170 million, but one thing the Philadelphia-area track can’t handle is a crowd over 30,000. There were only 22,000 on hand for the Garden State Stakes last Saturday, and the plant was bulging.