Chinese Gold to Test Purdue King in El Camino Real Derby

A few days ago, someone asked trainer Laz Barrera if Mi Preferido was the best 3-year-old in his barn.

“Yes, he is--now that Chinese Gold is gone,” Barrera said.

Barrera also owned Chinese Gold, in partnership with the breeder, Amin Saiden, until they sold him to a New Yorker, John Pease, a couple of weeks ago.

Chinese Gold’s present trainer, P.G. Johnson, is also a New Yorker, but the colt has remained in California, and Sunday he will probably be the second betting choice in the $250,000 El Camino Real Derby for 3-year-olds at Bay Meadows.

On Friday, 10 horses were entered for the El Camino Real, a relatively insignificant race on the national calendar but a stake that has been a precursor of several major accomplishments. A couple of El Camino Real winners--Snow Chief and Tank’s Prospect--and some of the starters who didn’t win--Badger Land, Skywalker, Gate Dancer and Croeso--went on to win big races. Snow Chief, Tank’s Prospect and Gate Dancer won the Preakness, Skywalker the $3-million Breeders’ Cup Classic.

Purdue King, a Santa Anita-based horse who in his last start ran second to Tejano in the Hollywood Futurity Dec. 20, has been installed as the 8-5 favorite. The 1 1/16-mile race is likely to be run over a fast track, something Bay Meadows hasn’t had in recent weeks. Chinese Gold is listed at 7-2, followed by Antiqua at 9-2.

Here is the El Camino Real lineup, in post-position order with jockeys and weights:

Chinese Gold, Marco Castaneda, 119 pounds; Blue Guy, Joe Judice, 117; Chillon, Randy Schacht, 117; Antiqua, Russell Baze, 122; Blade of the Ball, Antonio Castanon, 117; Ruhlmann, Pat Day, 117; Greager, Jerry Lambert, 117; Seeker’s Journey, Ron Warren, 117; Purdue King, Fernando Toro, 122, and Havanaffair, Dave Patton, 117.

Stalwars, who had been impressive in winning the first race of his career at Santa Anita on Jan. 10, was expected to run but wasn’t entered because of a stomach disorder.

Out of the Northern Dancer mare, Dame Windsor, Chinese Gold is from the first crop of foals sired by Lemhi Gold, the country’s champion handicap horse under Barrera in 1982.

Chinese Gold ran four times last summer before breaking his maiden at Del Mar in August. Since then, he has run in four straight stakes, finishing fourth in the Balboa at Del Mar, winning the San Mateo Mile here, finishing last on a sloppy track in the Norfolk at Santa Anita and losing by a head to Purdue King in a division of the Hoist the Flag at Hollywood Park.

The last race was the fourth time in nine starts that Chinese Gold has been outfinished by Purdue King.

When Johnson heard that Chinese Gold was for sale and his client, Pease, was interested, the trainer flew to Los Angeles.

“I saw the horse gallop at Santa Anita,” Johnson said. “We had a veterinarian examine him and bought the horse on the same day that nominations closed for the El Camino Real.”

Johnson has been commuting between the East Coast and California since then, with Chinese Gold having been based in trainer Gary Jones’ barn at Hollywood Park.

“The horse is in good shape,” Johnson said Friday. “We’ll have no excuses.”

One of the fillies trying to beat favored Very Subtle today in the $100,000 El Encino Stakes at Santa Anita is Fabrina, who has been running at the Fair Grounds in New Orleans.

Fabrina was a $400,000 yearling purchase who is undefeated in four American starts.

Sunday at Santa Anita, 11 grass horses--three trained by Charlie Whittingham--are entered to run in the 1-mile San Marcos Handicap.

The field consists of Bello Horizonte, The Medic, Forlitano, Trokhos, Swink, Santella Mac, Schiller, Rivlia, Conquering Hero, Ten Keys and Great Communicator.

Whittingham’s three starters are Forlitano, Swink and Rivlia, with the last two coupled in the betting because they are both owned by Nelson Bunker Hunt.

Forlitano is the high weight at 122 pounds, one more than Rivlia and two more than Swink.

Horse Racing Notes Santa Anita will offer betting Sunday on the telecast of the El Camino Real Derby. . . . Two of the jockeys riding in the race--Russell Baze and Fernando Toro--have won the stake before. Toro was first with Knightly Rapport in 1983, and Baze won with French Legionaire in 1984.

Baze, who has missed almost half of the Bay Meadows meeting with back and neck injuries, is still likely to be the champion rider for the eighth straight time. Going into the last three days of the 89-day meeting, Baze led Tim Doocy by five wins, even though Doocy had ridden in about 210 more races. Baze has been winning at a 27% clip.

Greager would probably prefer mud for the El Camino Real, since all three of his wins have come on off tracks. “He might be good on a fast track, too, it’s just that he’s only gotten the chance to run on one once,” jockey Jerry Lambert said. “The horse has a lot of potential, and he’s improved by leaps and bounds in the last couple of months.” . . . Perchance To Dream, winner of last year’s Hollywood Oaks, will be bred to Flying Paster.