THOROUGHBRED RACING / BILL CHRISTINE : Fly’n J. Bryan Will Try to Go the Extra Mile

Fly’n J. Bryan, the colt who will try to stay undefeated Sunday in the $150,000 San Rafael Stakes at Santa Anita, is not named after either J. Brian McGrath, recently appointed commissioner of the Thoroughbred Racing Assns. tracks, or Brian Mayberry, who trained the colt last year.

No, Fly’n J. Bryan is named after the son of Joseph Fenley, who owns the horse. Young Fenley was on hand when his namesake ran six furlongs in a quick 1:08 2/5 to win his first start by 4 1/2 lengths on Jan. 22, but was missing when Fly’n J. Bryan waded into stakes competition on Feb. 13 and won the San Vicente Breeders’ Cup Stakes by two lengths.

Asked about his son’s absence that day, Joseph Fenley said: “The truth is, he couldn’t handle the stress of being the only 5-year-old in the Turf Club.”

The people always feel the stress before the horse does, even if one of them is only two years older than the horse. Potentially, Fly’n J. Bryan could be the best horse Doug Peterson has had since Seattle Slew, and the trainer doesn’t want to waste the opportunity.

“I think this horse can stretch out some,” Peterson said this week. “He should be able to handle a mile, a mile and a sixteenth.

“Beyond that, I’m not so sure. As we find out, I don’t want to beat him up. I’d rather have a horse at the end of the year who’s ready to run in the Breeders’ Cup Sprint than a horse who’s been ruined by the Kentucky Derby.”

Fly’n J. Bryan ran three-quarters of a mile while beating maidens, then went an extra eighth in the San Vicente. The San Rafael, at a mile around two turns, was first run in 1981. It will be the most important California race for 3-year-olds this year and will have more impact nationally than Saturday’s $1-million Santa Anita Handicap.

In 1990-92, the winners of the San Rafael--Mister Frisky, Dinard and A.P. Indy--also won the Santa Anita Derby. In 1986, Ferdinand lost by a half-length to Variety Road in the San Rafael, then won the Kentucky Derby 2 1/2 months later.

Fly’n J. Bryan’s sire, Ogygian, was one of the early favorites for the 1986 Kentucky Derby, having won all three of his races as a 2-year-old by a cumulative 20 1/2 lengths. New Yorkers were hyping him as the best since Spectacular Bid, but Ogygian was seldom ready to run in the big races. He missed the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile because of sore shins he didn’t even get to the Derby preps because of an injury suffered when he kicked a paddock rail at his farm.

When Ogygian did run, he usually ran fast and usually won, but there was no proof from seven victories in 10 starts that he would have been effective beyond a mile.

Ogygian’s progeny don’t seem to be long-winded, either. Ramblin Guy, a multiple stakes winner as a 2-year-old, showed early speed in the San Vicente before finishing last.

Mayberry, who trains Ramblin Guy, also started out caring for Fly’n J. Bryan. The colt was entered in a race last summer at Hollywood Park but was scratched when he wrenched an ankle. In the fall, through a recommendation by Tom Cavanagh, Fenley switched trainers and gave Fly’n J. Bryan to Peterson, who also trains for Cavanagh.

Fly’n J. Bryan has gone through the sales ring twice. As a yearling, he was sold at a Keeneland auction for $40,000. Five months later, as an unraced 2-year-old at Calder, Fly’n J. Bryan was bought for $110,000 by Mayberry for Fenley, who after withdrawing from his airline freight business in Los Angeles decided to invest in horses.

Fly’n J. Bryan is the first, and in that respect Fenley is trying to copy something Fred Hooper did in 1945. Hooper won the Kentucky Derby with the first horse he ever owned, and Hoop Jr., a $10,000 yearling purchase, was also named after the owner’s son. Hooper, 96, is still looking for that second Derby winner.

Not having raced at 2, Fly’n J. Bryan is bucking tremendous odds. The only horse to win the Derby after not making his debut until 3 has been Apollo, who won the eighth running at Churchill Downs in 1882.

Short on experience, Fly’n J. Bryan is long on sang-froid . “There’s something different about this horse,” Peterson said. “He’s got the head of an older horse. That attitude and disposition are bound to help him. He’s got the body of a 3-year-old and the mind of a 5-year-old. The big question, of course, is how far he’ll run. Some horses wind up outrunning their pedigrees, and we hope that he’s one of them.”

Peterson trained Seattle Slew in the year after the colt swept the Triple Crown for trainer Billy Turner in 1977. Seattle Slew won the Marlboro Cup and the Woodward Stakes for Peterson, earning an Eclipse Award as the best older horse in 1978.

Shackled by drug and alcohol dependency, Peterson reached the nadir of his career in the early 1980s. He became sober and worked his way back, taking various jobs such as a clerk for race entries at Los Alamitos. Four years ago, Peterson had a contender for the classics, but Nuits St. Georges broke down while running in the Arkansas Derby.

Peterson, 41, warmed to the mention of Nuits St. Georges. “That horse was sold recently in Kentucky for $2,000,” Peterson said. “I hope they give him a nice home.”

Notes

Five other horses--Tabasco Cat, Flying Sensation, Fumo di Londra, Powis Castle and Shepherd’s Field--are expected to run against Fly’n J. Bryan in the San Rafael. . . . Bien Bien, the high weight at 120 pounds, is expected to be entered today for the Santa Anita Handicap, and then his owners and trainer will decide whether to run Saturday. Other probables are Hill Pass, Kissin Kris, Region, The Wicked North, Stuka, Nonproductiveasset and Myrakalu. . . . Laabity, the $1.3-million yearling who was second to Fly’n J. Bryan in a maiden race, ran third Wednesday at Golden Gate Fields. . . . Jockey Pat Valenzuela begins a five-day suspension today, the result of his mount being disqualified from second to third place in a race last Saturday. . . . Dramatic Gold, winner of the Bradbury at Santa Anita, is going to run in the Florida Derby a week from Saturday, according to reports from Gulfstream Park.