HORSE RACING WOOD MEMORIAL : A Pyrrhic Victory for Cahill Road

For the first time, full brothers might have won the Kentucky Derby. But not now.

Cahill Road, full brother to Unbridled, last year’s Derby winner, won the Wood Memorial at Aqueduct Saturday, which should have propelled him to Churchill Downs May 4. Instead, he suffered a leg injury that is threatening his racing career.

Cahill Road probably ran the last quarter-mile of the 1 1/8-mile race under duress. That is where his jockey, Craig Perret, thought the son of Fappiano and Gana Facil started to favor his left foreleg.

Cahill Road finished three lengths ahead of Lost Mountain, a 40-1 shot whose only victory was against maidens. It was another six lengths back to Happy Jazz Band in third place and another 1 1/4 lengths to Meadow Star, the undefeated filly who ran fourth after trying to become the first distaffer to win the Wood.

Going from the track to the winner’s circle, it was obvious that Cahill Road was troubled. “I thought the winner broke down,” said trainer LeRoy Jolley, in the middle of explaining that plans for Meadow Star probably won’t be determined until Monday. The speculation is that Meadow Star, who had her nine-race streak broken in her first try against colts, will run in the Kentucky Oaks for fillies at Churchill Downs May 3.

Back at the barn, less than 30 minutes after the race, Cahill Road stood with his left leg submerged in a bucket of ice. X-rays would not be taken until he was vanned to Belmont Park, where trainer Scotty Schulhofer stables his horses, but veterinarian Stephen Carr seemed fairly certain of his diagnosis.

“The horse wrenched his left front ankle,” Carr said.

“And he’s pulled the inside suspensory (ligament) of the same ankle. It doesn’t feel like there’s any fracture.”

Walking off the track, Schulhofer already knew that the Kentucky Derby was out for Cahill Road.

Schulhofer started the year with three promising 3-year-olds, including last year’s champion 2-year-old colt, Fly So Free. His other Derby candidate, Scan, eliminated himself by running some dull races at Santa Anita and now Schulhofer is down to Fly So Free, who was upset by Strike The Gold in the Blue Grass Stakes at Keeneland April 13.

Asked about the possibility of Cahill Road ever running again, Carr said: “That’s unknown now. His chances of eventually running again are probably fair.”

Cahill Road, who was bred and is owned by Frances Genter, 93, the Bloomington, Minn., woman who also races Unbridled, ran a powerful race despite his injury.

His time of 1:48 2/5 was more than a second off the track record, but it was the third-fastest running in Wood history. Private Terms was clocked in 1:47 1/5 in 1988, and in 1976, en route to a victory in the Derby, Bold Forbes ran the race in 1:47 2/5.

Cahill Road has had a suspect left foreleg, the reason he had run only five times before Saturday. Horsemen in Florida, however, liked nearly every move he made as the colt ran second in his debut, won three in a row and then finished a close third in the Preview Stakes at Gulfstream Park.

With the inside post position Saturday, Cahill Road stumbled out of the gate, almost going down. “The ground broke out from under him in those first two strides,” Schulhofer said.

Nevertheless, Cahill Road was in good position early, behind Kyle’s Our Man, the Gotham winner who had been expected to take the lead.

Chris Antley had Meadow Star, the second betting choice, in good position, too, as she ran in fourth place going down the backstretch.

The fractions were 46 3/5 for a half-mile and 1:10 4/5 for six furlongs. On the far turn, Kyle’s Our Man was tiring. At the five-sixteenths pole, Perret moved Cahill Road to the lead as Meadow Star dropped out of contention.

Coming for home, Lost Mountain, who had been in sixth place in the 10-horse field early in the race, tried to make a run at Cahill Road but was never a serious threat.

Cahill Road, the slight favorite over Meadow Star, paid $6, $4 and $3.20. The other mutuels were $20.40 and $8.60 on Lost Mountain and $6.40 for Happy Jazz Band. Meadow Star was followed by Vouch For Me, and after him, in order, came Kyle’s Our Man, Another Review, Excellent Tipper, Wildly Special and King Mutesa.

“Cahill Road has always been the kind of horse where you question how long he’ll last,” Perret said.

“He’s such a big horse, he’s so powerful. Horses just want to run. Many big horses try too hard. They run hurt, and when they go, they go. They don’t try to protect themselves.”

With Meadow Star expected to miss the Derby, Antley will be free to ride Strike The Gold.

“The filly went out to the track proud today,” the jockey said.

“I think she knew she was undefeated. But it happens sooner or later, horses get beat. She could have gotten a little tired.

“The race unfolded kind of like we expected. On the turn, we were on the outside and had dead aim at the leader. Then Craig asked his horse to run and they just pulled away.”

After the race, Schulhofer had mixed emotions as he headed for the airport and a flight to Miami, where he will pick up his wife and their two dogs for a two-day drive to Louisville. It could be worse. There is still one solid Derby horse left in the barn.

Horse Racing Notes

The last Wood winner who didn’t run in the Kentucky Derby was Leroy S. in 1984. . . . It is probable that none of Wood horses will run in the Derby. . . . In the race before the Wood, Dodge, the Wayne Lukas trainee, won the six-furlong Best Turn Stakes by 5 1/2 lengths, with Chris Antley aboard. Dodge was clocked in 1:09 2/5, which tied the stakes record. The 3-year-old Mr. Prospector colt had been fifth, more than seven lengths behind Kyle’s Our Man, in the Gotham.

Mane Minister, fourth in the Santa Anita Derby, worked six furlongs Saturday at Churchill Downs in 1:13 1/5. The track was dull because of overnight rain. . . . Dinard’s scheduled workout at Churchill was postponed until today, when the Santa Anita Derby winner will go six furlongs.