Horse Racing / Bill Christine : Raspberry-Filled Doughnut Would Be Groovy

Because of his snack habits, Groovy couldn’t have a better barn location at Belmont Park. From his stall in barn 1, Groovy faces a Dunkin’ Donuts shop across the street from the track on Hempstead Avenue.

Horses aren’t supposed to be able to read--even the smart horses--but there’s the feeling around Barn 1 that Groovy, whose preferences in doughnuts run to the raspberry-filled, might be specially blessed.

When an ice cream truck, making the rounds on the Belmont backstretch, comes by Barn 1, Groovy’s ears jump to attention at the sound of the driver’s bell. “Hold the doughnuts, folks,” Groovy seems to be saying. “I’ll be having a Fudgesicle today.”

Petro Peters, 59, the man who trains Groovy, refers to the rangy 3-year-old colt as a character. But Peters also has respect for Groovy’s ability. “This horse is genuine,” he said. “He’s a hard knocking so-and-so, and there’s no telling what he can do on a good day. The weight won’t bother him Saturday--he could carry me and still run.” Peters weighs 185.

When Groovy and seven other 3-year-olds run Saturday in the $250,000 Wood Memorial at Aqueduct, they’ll all be carrying 126 pounds, the same weight they’ll be asked to handle if they make it to the Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs May 3.

Groovy is on the Derby trail, having run three good races this season. He won the Spectacular Bid Stakes at Gulfstream Park in his first start as a 3-year-old, and at Aqueduct he ran second in both a division of the Bay Shore and in the Gotham Stakes.

In the Gotham April 5, however, the stewards penalized Groovy for bearing in from his next-to-outside post position, dropping him to fifth for interference that bothered several horses shortly after the start.

That completed what Peters calls “an altogether disastrous day” for him and John Ballis, the Houston real estate developer who owns Groovy with Ted Kruckel, a New Jersey banker. In the race before the Gotham, Kruckel’s Fleet Halo broke a leg near the quarter pole and went down. Fleet Halo was destroyed on the track and the horse’s jockey, Don MacBeth, is still hospitalized with injuries suffered in the spill.

Jose Santos, who rode Groovy in the Gotham, said that his colt wasn’t ready to run when the gate opened.

“No, no, don’t spring it, don’t spring it,” Santos yelled to the starter, because Groovy was standing flat-footed in the stall. But Santos had hardly finished his plea when the bell rang.

Craig Perret, who rode Groovy for his win at Gulfstream before Santos took over in the last two races, will be back aboard the Texas-bred colt in the Wood.

According to Peters, Santos, who is being heralded as an Angel Cordero in the rough, has a commitment to ride Pillaster for trainer Leroy Jolley in the Blue Grass Stakes at Keeneland on April 24. Peters wants to be assured of having the same rider in the Kentucky Derby as the one he’ll employ in the Wood.

Groovy has to be first or second, and possibly third, in order to earn a trip to the Derby. His races--especially the mile Gotham--indicate that Groovy will be hard-pressed to endure the 1 1/8 miles of the Wood, let alone the 1-mile Derby.

“If we can save him the first half-mile, he can run a mile and a half,” Peters said. “He’s got the pedigree (by Norcliffe out of Tinnitus) to run a mile and a half or two miles. They ran the Gotham too fast (:44 4/5 for the half mile, 1:08 3/5 for six furlongs). My horse can’t run that fast and then be expected to run that far.”

Another Jolley colt, Mogambo, will likely be co-favored with Tasso in the Wood. Mogambo finished three-fourths of a length ahead of Groovy in the Gotham and last year, in the Champagne Stakes at Belmont, beat Groovy by almost 10 lengths.

Last year was several trainers ago, though, for Groovy, who can be excused if he sometimes thinks he doesn’t know where his next raspberry doughnuts are coming from. Peters is Groovy’s fourth trainer, Kruckel being an impatient owner who doesn’t like to be told one thing and then watch the horse do something else. For one race, the Spectacular Bid, Groovy was actually in the care of his former exercise rider.

Groovy was injured in the Spectacular Bid, rapping his leg and not racing for more than two months, after which Peters saddled him for the first time in the Bay Shore. Despite the injury, he handled a sloppy track well at Gulfstream that day, winning by three-quarters of a length, and Peters wouldn’t mind seeing an off track for the Wood. It has been raining for two days in New York and more rain is in the forecast for today.

If rain continues, if Groovy behaves himself in the gate and if 1 1/8 miles aren’t too taxing for his lungs, the Wood could have an upset winner.

The post-race celebration, of course, would be at Dunkin’ Donuts, and save the raspberry for the horse.

Horse Racing Notes Trainer John Gosden will have two 3-year-olds running Saturday in stakes races. Zabaleta, a winner in New York and then third on the disqualification in the Gotham, will start in the Garden State Stakes in New Jersey. At Oaklawn Park, Gosden will send out Baby Slewy, who was second to Dancing Pirate in the Gold Rush Stakes at Golden Gate Fields in his last start. . . . Dancing Pirate, who was not made eligible for the Triple Crown races, will run Saturday in the California Derby at Golden Gate. . . . Ann’s Bid will try to become the second filly to win the Arkansas Derby. Althea won the race two years ago. Joe Cantey, who trains Ann’s Bid, apparently thought that the Arkansas Derby might be an easier spot for the filly than last week’s Fantasy Stakes, which was won by the undefeated Tiffany Lass. Ann’s Bid is not eligible for the Triple Crown. . . . Snow Chief’s 1:11 1/5 clocking Monday at Santa Anita was the fastest time among more than a dozen horses who worked six furlongs that morning. Two more Santa Anita workouts are scheduled for Snow Chief before the Kentucky Derby favorite is flown to Louisville April 28. . . . Kenny Black, trying to resume a career that was halted by weight and drug problems, is riding well at Keeneland, handling many of the mounts for trainer Wayne Lukas’ large division of horses there. . . . Trainer Clive Brittain is undertaking a big challenge next week, bringing two English horses to the United States for major races. Jupiter Island will run Sunday in the $400,000 San Juan Capistrano Handicap at Santa Anita, and a week from today Brittain will start Bold Arrangement in the Blue Grass at Keeneland.