‘She’s Unbelievable’ : Stevens ‘Can’t Explain’ Winning Colors’ Win, but Lukas Thinks He’ll Ride Her in Kentucky Derby

So convincing was Gary Stevens’ victory aboard Winning Colors in the 51st Santa Anita Derby Saturday that rival jockeys were left searching for words to describe the filly.

“Exceptional,” said Pat Day.

“Too tough,” said Eddie Delahoussaye.

“A monster,” ventured Aaron Gryder.

“Yeah, scary,” added Corey Black.

But it was left to Chris McCarron to suggest how any of the others in the field of nine could have stopped the roan filly.

“I was trying to get close enough to grab her tail,” said McCarron, who finished third aboard Mi Preferido, 8 3/4 lengths behind the winner. “I just couldn’t get to her.”

Neither could Bill Shoemaker, who brought second-favorite Lively One up from last to second but still was 7 1/2 lengths behind Winning Colors at the finish.

“I beat ‘em all but one,” said Shoemaker, who won the race last year on Temperate Sil. “It was a hell of a race for second.”

Even Stevens had a difficult time believing the ease with which the Wayne Lukas-trained filly handled the colts.

“She’s unbelievable,” he said, grinning broadly. “I can’t explain what she does, but she does it.”

Winning Colors, who was even more impressive than she had been in taking the Santa Anita Oaks by eight lengths on March 13, led from wire to wire and was never threatened.

The victory made moot the question of whether the daughter of Caro and All Rainbows would try to become only the third filly in history to win the Kentucky Derby. She’ll be flown to Churchill Downs about a week before the May 7 race, according to Lukas.

“The performance kind of speaks for itself,” Stevens said when asked the question, then joked, “Hell, for all I know, Wayne (Lukas) might decide to run her in the (Kentucky) Oaks.”

Before Saturday’s race, Stevens might have been in two minds about which horse to ride at Churchill Downs. He also has the mount on another Derby prospect, Stalwars, whom he is scheduled to ride April 16 in the Lexington Stakes at Keeneland.

Lukas said he is not worried about Stevens making the correct decision.

“I think he’s sold on the horse,” Lukas said. “I think he was sold on her from Day 1. I’d be surprised if he wasn’t riding her in the (Kentucky) Derby and I hope he’s as enthusiastic about this filly as we are. We want him back.”

Later, Lukas sounded even more positive.

“We felt that (Winning Colors) would sell herself (to Stevens),” he said. “We’ve never said, ‘Gary, what happens if Stalwars runs a good race against Forty Niner (in the Lexington Stakes)?’ I don’t think that will change anything. I am very confident that Gary Stevens is going to ride Winning Colors.”

A powerful-looking filly--Lukas estimates her height at ‘a tick under 16.3 hands’ and her weight at more than 1,100 pounds--Winning Colors appears to have the measure of at least a few of her male rivals, though she is unlikely to go to Kentucky as the Derby favorite.

“Today, she showed more fitness than she did after the (Santa Anita) Oaks,” Stevens said. “She never even took a deep breath.

“I was a little bit worried, especially with this heat, but she doesn’t let anything bother her.

“It’s funny. After the (Santa Anita) Oaks I was really high on her and this week I was very high on her. People would say, ‘Well, a filly hasn’t won the (Santa Anita) Derby since 1959 (when Silver Spoon won).’ I just didn’t want to hear it.

“She’s run on three different kinds of surfaces at this meet. Today it was very dry and more or less cuppy. It was very loose on top. It’s the first time she’s run on a track like that.

“She proved even better to me than she has in the past.”

Lukas, who gives credit to his son, Jeff, for Winning Colors’ development, likes his newest star’s style.

“She’s not awkward and, as big as she is, she has a real fluid motion,” he said. “There’s a lot of efficiency to her.

“She’s never been on an off track, but I think she could handle it. I don’t think she’ll have any trouble with a mile and a quarter.”

The answer will come at Churchill Downs on May 7.