Spend a Buck Looks Unbeatable in Jersey Derby

The only time Laffit Pincay ever rode in the Jersey Derby, he finished fifth on Judger, the odds-on favorite, as a long shot named Better Arbitor won the race in 1974.

Judger went off at 9-to-10 odds, a comparative long shot when compared to Spend a Buck, Pincay’s mount in the $1-million Jersey Derby at Garden State Park today. Spend a Buck, winner of the Kentucky Derby in the third-fastest 1 miles ever run at Churchill Downs and invincible in two Garden State starts this year, will probably go off at 1-to-5 or less against eight seemingly overmatched 3-year-olds.

“We’re not afraid of Spend a Buck,” says trainer Woody Sedlacek, who is starting two colts, Withers Stakes winner El Basco and Purple Mountain, in the Jersey Derby.

Apparently, Sedlacek hasn’t been watching the work tabs. On a muddy track Friday, Spend a Buck worked a half mile in :45 1/5, which is faster than any horse ever ran four furlongs in the Jersey Derby itself.

Spend a Buck has been training as though he knows there’s $2.6 million at stake today for owners Dennis and Linda Diaz--$600,000 as the winner’s share of the purse and a $2-million bonus that Garden State offered to any horse sweeping its Cherry Hill Mile and Garden State Stakes and the Kentucky and Jersey derbies. Spend a Buck won the first three races in the bargain by a combined total of 25 lengths and then skipped the Preakness, the second leg in the Triple Crown series, to run for the millions here.

Pincay, who’s riding Spend a Buck because Angel Cordero is honoring a previous commitment aboard Track Barron in today’s $250,000 Metropolitan Handicap at Belmont Park, flew here from Los Angeles for Friday’s speedy workout.

“He went very easy,” Pincay said. “I didn’t think he was going as fast as they timed him. He’s ready.”

Even trainer Cam Gambolati, who’s seen Spend a Buck fly many a morning, was overwhelmed by Friday’s work.

“It was unbelievable,” Gambolati said. “I didn’t think he could go that fast on the kind of race track it was. I’m totally confident that he’ll be at his absolute best in the Derby.”

Pincay says that the Jersey Derby is as important to him as any of the Triple Crown races, and he’s won four of those in the last four years--the Kentucky Derby with Swale in 1984 and the last three Belmonts with Conquistador Cielo, Caveat and Swale.

The field, in post-position order, consists of Creme Fraiche, Bolting Holme, Skip Trial, Purple Mountain, Spend a Buck, I Am the Game, Ah So Tony, El Basco and Huddle Up.

Five of the nine starters will earn money, with second place worth $200,000 and third through fifth good for $110,000, $60,000 and $30,000. Second place pays more than what the winners made in such important races as the Washington D.C. International, the Santa Anita Derby, the Hollywood Invitational and the Florida Derby last year.