SANTA ANITA DERBY : Mister Frisky Draws No. 7 Post

Mister Frisky, winner of 15 straight races, drew the No. 7 post and was made the even-money early favorite today to win Saturday’s Santa Anita Derby, which has yielded the last two Kentucky Derby winners.

“This makes up for everything except being accused of using cocaine on my horses,” trainer Laz Barrera said. “That embarrassed me. That hurt my reputation. It damaged my health.”

About this time last year, Barrera hit the low point of a career that has earned him Hall of Fame honors in three countries and a record four Eclipse Awards as the nation’s top trainer.

He was one of several trainers accused of giving his horses cocaine, charges which later were dropped against all trainers. Barrera since has sued the laboratory that made the original findings for the California Horse Racing Board.

What a difference a year can make. Fellow trainers have even noticed the difference in the 65-year-old Barrera since he shipped Mister Frisky from Puerto Rico early this year.

“It’s brought him back,” said trainer Mel Stutte, who has the barn across from Barrera’s on the Santa Anita backstretch. “He’s a lot happier now, there’s a lot more interest in him. His reputation was hurt, and he’s a very proud man. It really hurt him at first; he was so down.”

A field of eight 3-year-olds was entered today for the $500,000 race. The last two winners of this race--Winning Colors in 1988 and Sunday Silence in 1989--have gone on to win the Kentucky Derby, and a victory this year would put Mister Frisky in the front line of 1990 Derby favorites.

“This horse runs very low to the ground,” Barrera said. “He’s like a little machine. He just keeps going, going, going, all the way.”

Mister Frisky will be ridden by Gary Stevens. The 2-1 second choice, Real Cash, will start on the rail under Angel Cordero Jr.

The field, in post position order, with jockeys and odds: Real Cash, Cordero Jr., 2-1; Bella Cova, Russell Baze, 20-1; Single Dawn, Alex Solis, 15-1; Music Prospector, Frank Olivares, 10-1; Video Ranger, Eddie Delahoussaye, 30-1; Assyrian Pirate, Martin Pedroza, 20-1; Mister Frisky, Stevens, 1-1, and Warcraft, Chris McCarron, 5-1.

All will carry 122 pounds over the 1 1/8 miles, and $275,000 will go to the winner.

Mister Frisky won all 13 of his races in Puerto Rico before winning two races at Santa Anita--a seven-furlong outing on Feb. 10 and the San Rafael on March 3. He won the San Rafael on the lead and is expected to go out quickly in the Santa Anita Derby.

The Cuban-born Barrera has brought several horses to the United States from Puerto Rico, the most notable Bold Forbes, who won the 1976 Kentucky Derby and Belmont Stakes.

“Bold Forbes was a fighter,” Barrera said. “This horse is so relaxed. Mister Frisky is more similar in temper to Affirmed than to Bold Forbes.”

Barrera’s last Kentucky Derby winner was Affirmed, who won the Triple Crown in 1978.

Real Cash, trained by D. Wayne Lukas, won the San Felipe on March 18 in his last outing and also is a front-runner.

“I don’t know if Mister Frisky is as quick as this horse,” Lukas said in the stable area today while grazing Real Cash. “There will be a good, honest pace. They’ll know where each other are all the time. That’s for sure.”

Ron McAnally has two horses in the field, Single Dawn and Balla Cove, an Irish-bred winner of three of nine lifetime starts. Single Dawn may be the lone come-from-behind horse in a field that’s top-heavy in speed.

“If this race does turn up all speed, he’ll be the only closer,” McAnally said.

Warcraft is trained by 76-year-old Charlie Whittingham, who sent out Sunday Silence last year and later won the Kentucky Derby, Preakness, Breeders’ Cup Classic and Horse of the Year with him.

“You can’t compare Warcraft with Sunday Silence,” Whittingham said. “This horse is trying to catch up. Sunday Silence came up to this race in top shape. Warcraft will have to run a real good race in this Derby to go to Kentucky.”