Spend A Buck’s Owner to Decide Horse’s Course by Wednesday

Dennis Diaz, Spend A Buck’s owner, said Monday that the horse’s health will be the main factor in determining whether the Kentucky Derby winner will try for a potential $2.6-million payday in the Jersey Derby or for a chance at winning the Triple Crown.

Diaz expects to decide by Wednesday if he will enter Spend A Buck in the Preakness at Baltimore’s Pimlico May 18, or the Jersey Derby at Garden State Park in Cherry Hill, N.J., May 27.

Diaz shipped Spend A Buck to Garden State Monday, but cautioned that the colt’s being stabled there is not an indication that Spend A Buck will run in the Jersey Derby.

As winner of the Cherry Hill Mile, Garden State Stakes and the Kentucky Derby, Spend A Buck will get a $2-million bonus if he wins the $600,000 Jersey Derby.

Victories in the Preakness and June 8 Belmont Stakes would complete thoroughbred racing’s Triple Crown, however, and probably prove far more lucrative.

“The main factor is what’s best for the horse and what’s best for us,” Diaz said. “The horse looks like he came back from the race real fine. The vet wants to see him one more time before we make a final decision. There’s two weeks and nine days between this (the Kentucky Derby) and the (Jersey) Derby, and only two weeks before the Preakness. We have to take that into consideration.”

Meanwhile, financier Robert Brennan, who rebuilt and reopened Garden State Park this spring after it burned several years ago, said Garden State Park will not sweeten its Jersey Derby purse or $2-million bonus to get Spend a Buck.

“We really don’t intend to do anything like that,” Brennan said from his New York office. “We set up the Garden State challenge to give all horsemen an equal opportunity to pursue it as they choose to. We feel it would be appropriate to maintain it that way.”

Brennan, has drawn up a schedule of big-purse races designed to attract good horses and an innovative bonus system meant to keep them.

Brennan did not deny reports that he is interested in buying a share in Spend A Buck, but added he has not talked with Diaz other than to offer his congratulations on winning the Kentucky Derby.

“I will be getting together with him some time over the next several days,” said Brennan, chairman of International Thoroughbred Breeders Inc. “It’s speculative to say where those talks will lead.”

Diaz said that before deciding where Spend A Buck will run next, he will confer with trainer Cam Gambolati, jockey Angel Cordero Jr., and breeder William Farish III, who has been negotiating the possible purchase of a quarter-share of Spend A Buck.

Diaz said if Spend A Buck enters the Jersey Derby, the colt will probably have to pass up the Belmont.

“If you start trying to put monetary value on the Triple Crown, you’d have to be an idiot to say its only worth $2 million,” he said. “But you’ve got a big problem with the whole (Triple Crown) series.

“And in our colt, we’ve got a bigger problem. We’ve run that colt two weeks apart for four races. We ran him first off a 150-day layoff. You’re asking a lot to ask him to come off just two weeks again.

“These are not machines. They don’t sell replacement parts.”

Diaz met with Farish, who owns Lane’s End Farm, for about 45 minutes Monday to continue negotiations on selling a part interest in Spend a Buck.

Diaz would not discuss specifics.

“My discussions with Mr. Farish are continuing,” Diaz said. “We’ve still got some things to work out.”