HORSE RACING : TRIPLE CROWN RATINGS

REMARKS: Good horses, of course, win the Kentucky Derby, not numerology or letters of the alphabet, but there have been some odd coincidences about the winners at Churchill Downs in the last two decades.

When Sunday Silence won Saturday’s 115th Derby, he became the third horse from the 1980s to win from the No. 10 post position. Other No. 10 colts who have won were Sunny’s Halo in 1983 and Spend a Buck in 1985.

Two horses breaking from the 10th post in the 1970s also won the Derby--Secretariat in 1973 and Genuine Risk in 1980. The next-most popular post in the last 20 years has been No. 3, which has accounted for three winners.

Sunday Silence also becomes the seventh horse whose name begins with “S” to win the Derby since 1970. The others are Secretariat, Seattle Slew in 1977, Spectacular Bid in 1979, Sunny’s Halo, Swale in 1984 and Spend a Buck. The only other multiple winners by first letters of the name since 1970 are Affirmed in 1978 and Alysheba in 1987, Canonero II in 1971 and Cannonade in 1974, and Foolish Pleasure in 1975 and Ferdinand in 1986.

Sunday Silence could become the third 3-year-old to sweep the Triple Crown after winning the Derby from the 10th post. Omaha, in 1935, also won the Derby from the No. 10 slot.

Sunday Silence could also become the first Triple Crown champion who raced exclusively in California. In 1978, Affirmed, the 11th and last Triple Crown winner, prepped in California before winning the Derby, but as a 2-year-old he campaigned primarily in New York.

No. 10 wasn’t the only omen for Sunday Silence in the Derby. The colt’s principal owner, Arthur Hancock, found a penny near Sunday Silence’s barn the day before the Derby and on Saturday says that he found a four-leaf clover. The penny was not only heads up, it was from 1982, the year Gato Del Sol won the Derby. Gato Del Sol was co-owned by Hancock.

A field of eight to 11 horses is shaping up for the Preakness at Pimlico on May 20. Sunday Silence’s rivals are expected to be Easy Goer, second in the Derby; Dansil, fourth; Hawkster, fifth; Northern Wolf, sixth, and Houston, eighth, along with Rock Point and Pulverizing. Pulverizing won the Woodlawn Stakes at Pimlico on Sunday. The trainers of Irish Actor, seventh in the Derby; Triple Buck, ninth, and Wind Splitter, 13th, are also considering the Preakness.

Although Houston faded to eighth after leading for a mile in the 1 1/4-mile Derby, he was beaten by less than six lengths and will get another chance in Baltimore, according to trainer Wayne Lukas.

“The Preakness has been pretty good to us,” Lukas said. “We’ve won it with Codex (1980) and Tank’s Prospect (1985). I thought Houston ran a credible race in the Derby. He should get a lot out of the race.

“He was bouncing around the barn after the Derby. (Jockey) Laffit (Pincay) told me afterward that he thought the horse was one race away. We’ve proved in Baltimore that there’s life after the Derby.”

Except for Alysheba, who won both races in 1987, the Preakness has been won by horses who failed in the Derby since 1984. Gate Dancer was fifth in the Derby, Tank’s Prospect was seventh, Snow Chief 11th and Risen Star third, but all won at Pimlico in the last five years. In 1983, Deputed Testamony won the Preakness after skipping the Derby.

Advisory panel for The Times’ Triple Crown Ratings: Lenny Hale, vice president for racing at Aqueduct, Belmont Park and Saratoga; Frank (Jimmy) Kilroe, vice president for racing at Santa Anita; and Tommy Trotter, racing secretary at Arlington International Racecourse and Gulfstream Park. TRIPLE CROWN RATINGS

Career Horse S 1 2 3 Earnings 1.Sunday Silence 7 5 2 0 $980,300 2.Easy Goer 10 7 3 0 1,340,890 3.Awe Inspiring 8 5 0 1 328,220 4.Dansil 14 7 3 1 474,033 5.Houston 6 4 0 0 163,603 6.King Glorious 6 6 0 0 676,100 7.Rock Point 12 3 2 1 290,864 8.Northern Wolf 11 4 0 2 178,954 9.Hawkster 11 2 1 2 479,090 10.Diamond Donnie 8 3 1 0 114,930