SANTA ANITA : Lukas Will Try to Defeat A.P. Indy, a Horse He Almost Bought, Today

Trainer Wayne Lukas almost bought A.P. Indy, the son of Seattle Slew who was sold for $2.9 million at a Keeneland yearling auction in 1990. Now Lukas will try to beat A.P. Indy with another Seattle Slew colt, Hickman Creek, in today’s $150,000 San Rafael Stakes at Santa Anita.

Hickman Creek, the Lukas entry in the one-mile San Rafael, has already won at that distance this winter. But A.P. Indy will be a heavy favorite today, and if he returns to racing the way the Lukas-trained Dance Floor did a week ago in a runaway victory in the Fountain of Youth at Gulfstream Park, none of his five opponents should be able to touch him. In A.P. Indy’s last start, nine weeks ago, he won the Hollywood Futurity by a neck over Dance Floor.

Two years ago, the two-day sale that brings the year’s highest prices was a depressing time for consignors of yearlings at Keeneland. The average sales price was $352,000, a drop of 11% from the previous year and 35% from the record year in 1984. Many sellers bought back their horses instead of taking low prices, and only 234 of 308 catalogued yearlings were sold. Only 11 horses sold for $1 million or more, the lowest Keeneland total in nine years.

But at least there was one positive development that summer in Lexington, Ky.: The Japanese spent more freely at Keeneland than they ever did. Tokyo developer Tomonori Tsurumaki had his eye on two colts and empowered his agent, Noel O’Callaghan, to go to the top to get them.

An Alydar colt who cost Tsurumaki $525,000 at Keeneland in 1989 had broken his maiden in Japan the day before the 1990 sale, so Tsurumaki was ripe to strike again. On the second day of the sale, a Fappiano colt was led into the ring and O’Callaghan got him on a bid of $2 million.

Five horses later, the spotlight was on a chocolate-colored Seattle Slew colt out of Weekend Surprise. Through an earlier mating, with Storm Bird, the Secretariat mare had produced Summer Squall, who had won the Preakness only two months before.

Wayne Lukas, who had gone to $1.9 million on the Fappiano colt that went to Tsurumaki, liked this Seattle Slew colt. Lukas has always liked Seattle Slews. One of the 1977 Triple Crown champion’s daughters, the ill-fated Landaluce, was voted best 2-year-old filly in 1982. A son, Capote, won the Eclipse Award for best 2-year-old colt in 1986.

As with the Fappiano offspring, the rapid-fire bidding on the Seattle Slew colt boiled down to Lukas and O’Callaghan. The Maktoum brothers, from Dubai, weren’t interested. Lukas stopped at $2.85 million. O’Callaghan kept going and Tomonori Tsurumaki, spending $4.9 million, bought two horses in less than a half-hour.

He named this one A.P. Indy, the initials standing for Auto Polis, a recently opened Tsurumaki leisure center that includes a hotel and car-racing track.

Lukas bought seven other Seattle Slew offspring at auctions in Kentucky and Saratoga Springs, N.Y., in 1990, paying an average price of $360,000. Hickman Creek was not one of them; he was bred and is raced by William T. Young, who made a lot of his money in peanut butter long before he became one of Lukas’ major clients.

Neil Drysdale trains A.P. Indy and other horses for Tsurumaki, who owned Fair Judgment, a horse Rick Mettee trained to win the Citation Handicap at Hollywood Park in 1989. Eddie Delahoussaye, who rode that winner, has also ridden A.P. Indy in his four starts--three consecutive victories after a fourth-place finish in his debut at Del Mar Aug. 24.

A.P. Indy, favored in his first race on pedigree alone, ran in discomfort that day, and afterward an examination showed that he was suffering from an undescended testicle. The testicle has been removed and veterinarians say that the surgery will not hamper his career as a stallion.

A.P. Indy’s three consecutive victories started with a maiden race at Santa Anita on Oct. 27--a race in which Hickman Creek made his career debut and ran a distant third. Hickman Creek broke his maiden two weeks later, and after a second and a third in his next two starts, he took the lead quickly and won by seven lengths in the Los Feliz Stakes at Santa Anita on Jan. 10. A probable scenario today is Hickman Creek again going to the front and then A.P. Indy coming from off the pace. Prince Wild, third in the San Vicente Breeders’ Cup Stakes three weeks ago, is another contender who should be running late.

A.P. Indy worked six furlongs Sunday in 1:13 1/5, the same day that Bertrando, another leading California 3-year-old, worked in 1:12 2/5. Bertrando is scheduled to make his first start of the year on March 15 in the 1 1/16-mile San Felipe Stakes, the last important prep race for the Santa Anita Derby on April 4.

Drysdale, 44, has won three Breeders’ Cup races, with Princess Rooney, Prized and Tasso, but he has never started a horse in the Kentucky Derby, which is the goal for A.P. Indy on May 2. Last November’s Breeders’ Cup Juvenile was never a goal for A.P. Indy, even before his surgery, Drysdale said. Drysdale once worked under Charlie Whittingham, and appreciates what patience can sometimes do for a horse.

Of today’s race, Drysdale says: “Let’s not get too excited. This is just the beginning. We’ve got a long way to go.”

Horse Racing Notes

Ibero, the mud-loving winner of the San Antonio Handicap, was kept eligible for the $1-million Santa Anita Handicap with a $5,000 payment Friday. Not nominated to the Big ‘Cap, which will be run a week from today, Ibero probably will need an off track to run, and it would cost his owners another penalty of $20,000 to get him in the race. . . . With Dinard not running, other Big ‘Cap probables are Best Pal, Twilight Agenda, In Excess, Fanatic Boy, Defensive Play and Algenib. . . . Weights will be announced Sunday.

“It’s time he got a breather,” said trainer Dick Lundy of the decision that he and owner Allen Paulson made regarding Dinard, who was a strong second to Best Pal in the Strub Stakes on Feb. 9. . . . “We’ve hung it on him three times (races) pretty good,” Lundy added. “It’s a long year. The horse is not big and robust and usually benefits from time between his races.” . . . Lundy’s tentative schedule for Dinard is the Pimlico Special, with possibly a prep race; the Hollywood Gold Cup; the Pacific Classic at Del Mar; and perhaps another race before the Breeders’ Cup Classic at Gulfstream Park on Oct. 31.

Tight Spot, last year’s male-grass champion, made his first start this year and scored a 1 1/2-length victory over Laxey Bay Friday in an allowance race. Timed in 1:33 2/5 for the mile on grass, Tight Spot hadn’t run since his ninth-place finish in the Breeders’ Cup Mile four months ago. . . . Eddie Delahoussaye won three races, including the Jan Jessie Stakes with Lotta Glory Beau’s. . . . Only four horses will challenge Paseana on Sunday in the $300,000 Santa Margarita Handicap. Paseana has the rail and the high weight of 122 pounds. Others entered are Laramie Moon, 116 pounds; Laura Ly, 114; Campagnarde, 116; and Colour Chart, 118.