Kentucky Derby at a Glance

Times staff writer Bill Christine takes a look at the 15 horses running in today’s Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs in order of post position with starts, victories, seconds, thirds and earnings:

1. SOUL OF THE MATTER

* Starts--6. W--3. P--1. S--2. Earnings: $205,700.

The owners of Kandaly and Strodes Creek might write songs about their horses, but composer Burt Bacharach is here to win a race. Bacharach says that a musical tribute to Soul Of The Matter might come later. An upset would make the son of Private Terms the first West Virginia-bred to win a Derby. Trainer Richard Mandella and his veterinarians and blacksmiths have been battling a cracked hoof all year, but in his last two starts, the patched-up Soul Of The Matter won the San Felipe at Santa Anita and ran second to Southern Rhythm in the Lexington Stakes at Keeneland.

2. VALIANT NATURE

* Starts--5. W--2. P--1. S--1. Earnings--$421,500

The owner and breeder of Valiant Nature, former doughnut magnate Verne Winchell, is more than a casual participant. Ninety minutes after his colt’s second-place finish to Holy Bull in the Blue Grass at Keeneland, Winchell was in Valiant Nature’s stall alongside trainer Ron McAnally, examining minor leg cuts. “Isn’t Verne something?” said his wife, Joan Winchell. “He even brought a flashlight.” Valiant Nature has the same breeding as Tight Spot, a grass champion for Winchell and McAnally. “He’s coming up to the Derby great,” McAnally said. “Now it’s just a question of whether he’s good enough.”

3. POWIS CASTLE

* Starts--6. W--3. P--3. S--0. Earnings--$229,421

Two necks and a nose have prevented Berry Gordy’s colt from being undefeated. Gordy is hoping that he will have the same luck in his first Derby that he did with Argument, who won the Washington D.C. International for the Motown Records founder when he was new to the game. Trainer Rodney Rash is new to the Derby, but not to racing, having worked for Charlie Whittingham for 16 years before forming his own stable in 1991. Chris Antley, a new riding force in Southern California, has ridden Powis Castle in both of his second-place finishes this year and won the Derby with Strike The Gold in 1991.

4. HOLY BULL

* Starts--8. W--7. P--0. S--0. Earnings--$990,760

Other trainers are wondering whether the Derby favorite’s flipped-palate problem is behind him. That condition restricted his breathing and might have led to his only defeat. Trainer Jimmy Croll’s equipment changes--a different bit and a tongue tie--have been successful in the two races since. “Mr. Croll’s an excellent horseman,” said trainer Gary Jones, whose Fali Time was moved up from fifth to fourth via a disqualification at the 1984 Derby. “But I’ve had a lot of horses with that problem, and you’re never sure that it’s going to go away forever.”

5. ULISES

* Starts--5. W--4. P--0. S--1. Earnings--$33,221

He is an 11-1 shot in the parimutuel field, and might be the best bet to finish last, but he might get in Holy Bull’s way early, giving the come-from-behind contenders a chance. Four of his five races were sprints in Panama, where few good horses race, but in the Lexington at Keeneland he hung on for third against Southern Rhythm and Soul Of The Matter.

6. MAHOGANY HALL

* Starts--6. W--3. P--0. S--2. Earnings--$153,610

The only horses this Woodman colt has beaten--in two races at the New Orleans Fair Grounds and Turfway Park at Florence, Ky.--weren’t good enough to get to the Derby. His closing run in the Blue Grass for third behind Holy Bull and Valiant Nature was an illusion. The truth is, against good horses in his last two races, Mahogany Hall has been beaten by 25 1/4 lengths.

7. STRODES CREEK

* Starts--4. W--2. P--1. S--1. Earnings--$122,600

Sons of Halo have won the Derby--Sunny’s Halo and Whittingham’s Sunday Silence--but Strodes Creek has history to overcome. He was unraced as a 2-year-old, has raced only four times, has never won beyond a mile and never won a stake. “Those are the kind of things that will eventually be broken,” Whittingham says. Arthur Hancock, the breeder and one-third owner of Strodes Creek, has his own rebuttal: A rarely seen bald eagle was recently spotted resting on a fence at Hancock’s farm. “Charlie’s the Bald Eagle and we see one at the farm,” Hancock said. “Maybe it means something.”

8. GO FOR GIN

* Starts--9. W--4. P--3. S--0. Earnings--$399,540

Trainer Nick Zito’s hope hasn’t won a significant race since November and couldn’t get past Irgun in the stretch of the Wood Memorial in his last start. Chris McCarron got the mount when Jerry Bailey moved on, first to Irgun, then to Blumin Affair when Irgun was injured. An off track would help Go For Gin’s chances.

9. TABASCO CAT

* Starts--9. W--5. P--1. S--1. Earnings--$483,037

Trainer Wayne Lukas’ horse has run well on a variety of tracks and has two victories and a second--behind Brocco in the Santa Anita Derby--in his last three tries. “We’ll have no excuses,” says Lukas, starting at least one horse in the Derby for the 14th consecutive year. In a year when many trainers are running their horses less--the average number of starts for this Derby field is six-plus--Tabasco Cat will be making his 10th start.

10. BROCCO

* Starts--6. W--4. P--2. S--0. Earnings--$968,550

His Santa Anita Derby victory was only a month ago, but Brocco looks like a different horse--heavier, more muscular. His 1:00 3/5 five-furlong workout Monday was solid. His is a case of a horse being brought up to the Derby with nary a hitch. The only negative: Too many in the press box are picking him.

11. SMILIN SINGIN SAM

* Starts--8. W--3. P--2. S--0. Earnings--$241,005

When Albert and Dana Broccoli bought Brocco, they changed his name from Anytime Kris. Cot Campbell, who manages the Dogwood Stable syndicate that campaigns Smilin Singin Sam, wasn’t enamored of the name that came with his $30,000 purchase, but the new owners haven’t sprung for the $100 that the Jockey Club would charge to change it. After all, six of the last 11 horses winning the Derby had names that began with S. Arthur Hancock can see the reasoning in all of this.

12. SOUTHERN RHYTHM

* Starts--6. W--4. P--1. S--0. Earnings--$205,655

This colt sharply rebounded from a dismal fourth in the Jim Beam Stakes to win the Lexington over Soul Of The Matter by 2 1/2 lengths. If it helps, some horsemen have selectively long memories. When Southern Rhythm drew No. 12 for the Derby, Buddy New, one of his owners, said, “That’s a good omen. He broke his maiden from the 12 hole.”

13. BLUMIN AFFAIR

* Starts--8. W--2. P--4. S--0. Earnings--$430,155

A closer who’s always close at the wire, Blumin Affair hasn’t won in five starts since beating allowance horses at Santa Anita in October. Trainer Jack Van Berg said that his horse is probably fitter than Alysheba was before his Derby victory, but the spacing of Blumin Affair’s last two races could have been better. “I would have preferred an extra week,” Van Berg said. “Either an extra week between Remington Park and Oaklawn Park, or an added week between Oaklawn and here.” Blumin Affair was second, as usual, in both the Remington Park Derby and the Arkansas Derby.

14. MEADOW FLIGHT

* Starts--7. W--3. P--1. S--1. Earnings--$200,900

Before his victory in the Flamingo, Meadow Flight was struggling in the allowance ranks and beat only one horse in the Swale Stakes at Gulfstream Park. He scored his Flamingo victory at 26-1.

15. KANDALY

* Starts--5. W--3. P--1. S--0. Earnings--$246,050

“Go Kandaly Go” goes the song of the Louisiana Derby winner’s 25% owner, Ron Lamarque. Hey, it worked for Lamarque’s partner, trainer Louie Roussel, with Risen Star in the Preakness and Belmont Stakes. But Lamarque can’t start singing until the far turn, when Kandaly usually starts doing his serious running.