THOROUGHBRED RACING / BILL CHRISTINE : Top Foreigners Very Interested in Joining Derby

A horse who finished third in a race at Newmarket, England this week could be headed for the Kentucky Derby. But instead of Eltish, who was third at Newmarket on Thursday, the Derby-bound horse might be Citadeed, who was third there the day before.

While most of the attention has been on Eltish, who came from England to run second to Timber Country at Churchill Downs in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile in November, Citadeed has also been geared for the Derby.

After his horse’s third-place finish at Newmarket Wednesday, trainer Peter Chapple-Hyam said Citadeed seemed more likely to wind up at Churchill Downs on May 6 than trainer Henry Cecil with Eltish.

“I’m going to speak to Ivan Allan,” Chapple-Hyam told the Sporting Life, a British publication. “But I know that he’ll say, ‘Go to the Derby.’ ”

Allan, a Singapore businessman, bought the Kentucky-bred Citadeed for $80,000 at a Saratoga yearling auction. Citadeed’s dam is Johanna Keene, by Raise A Cup, and his sire, Shadeed, was a British champion who finished fourth before being moved to third after a disqualification in the Breeders’ Cup Mile at Aqueduct in 1985.

Shadeed also sired Alydeed, second to Pine Bluff in the 1992 Preakness and winner of the Queen’s Plate at Woodbine.

Allan and Chapple-Hyam are veterans of the English classics. Allan owned Commanche Run, winner in 1985 of the St. Leger Stakes, one of the races in England’s Triple Crown. Chapple-Hyam, 32, became Robert Sangster’s private trainer in 1991 and the next year saddled Dr Devious to win the English Derby for Americans Sidney and Jenny Craig.

In running third in the seven-furlong European Free Handicap on Wednesday, Citadeed probably faced a better field than Eltish met Thursday. Citadeed, ridden by Pat Eddery, finished 4 1/4 lengths behind Diffident, a French colt who remained unbeaten after missing the course record by three-fifths of a second.

Citadeed made his first start this year after winning two of six starts as a 2-year-old. One of the victories was on an all-weather dirt track at Southwell.

Eltish, also running for the first time this year, was an 11-8 favorite Thursday in the Feilden Stakes, at a straight 1 1/8 miles. Spotting the winner, Munwar, eight pounds, he was beaten by 3 3/4 lengths.

“I don’t know about the Kentucky Derby,” Cecil said. “The horse had been working very lazily. We’ll have to take 48 hours to think about it.”

If Eltish returns to Churchill Downs, Cecil will continue to train him. There have been reports that Bobby Frankel, who trains most of the important horses for Juddmonte Farms in the United States, would take over for the Derby.

Eltish’s inability to win at Newmarket reflects further on last year’s Breeders’ Cup Juvenile. Most of the 13 horses in that race, including Timber Country, have had trouble winning as 3-year-olds.

The trainers of Eltish and Citadeed are using unorthodox methods to prepare their horses for the Derby, bucking a Derby truism.

Going back to 1950, all the winners have made their 3-year-old debuts before April. The last exception, 45 years ago, was Middleground, who didn’t start his 3-year-old season until April 11. Trainer Max Hirsch’s colt ran three times in 21 days before the Derby.

Another Derby candidate from afar is Ski Captain, a Kentucky-bred son of Storm Bird who has done all of his racing in Japan. Ski Captain, who has three victories and one second in four starts, is scheduled to arrive at Chicago May 2 and complete quarantine requirements at Churchill Downs on May 4, two days before the Derby.

“It will be an awesome task for the foreign horses in the Derby,” Craig Lewis said. Lewis is the owner and trainer of Larry The Legend, the Santa Anita Derby winner who was one of the Derby favorites before knee surgery this week knocked him out of the race.

At Keeneland on Thursday, trainer Wayne Lukas didn’t enter his star filly, Serena’s Song, for Saturday’s $300,000 Ashland Stakes. Serena’s Song, on a five-race winning streak after beating colts in the Jim Beam Stakes at Turfway Park on April 1, is a candidate for the Kentucky Derby as well as the Kentucky Oaks, the race for 3-year-old fillies, which will be run on May 5.

Lukas, who also has two colts, Timber Country and Thunder Gulch, ready to run in the Derby, is not likely to make an early decision.

Notes

With Serena’s Song out of the Ashland, Urbane will be the favorite. She lost to Serena’s Song by a head in the Santa Anita Oaks. . . . It’s rare when three female jockeys ride in a major race, but for the Ashland, Julie Krone, Donna Barton and Kristi Chapman all have assignments. Barton rides Minister Wife, Serena’s Song’s stablemate. . . . Petionville, undefeated before his seventh-place finish in the Santa Anita Derby, will run in either the $500,000 Illinois Derby, at Sportsman’s Park on May 13, or the Preakness at Pimlico on May 20. . . . Another Illinois Derby probable is Lake George, who is at Churchill Downs and could still run in the Kentucky Derby. He was fifth in the Santa Anita Derby.

Undefeated French Deputy has a blind hoof crack that will keep him out of the Triple Crown. . . . Mystery Storm is the 9-5 favorite in Saturday’s $500,000 Arkansas Derby at Oaklawn Park. Others entered are Rich Man’s Gold, Dazzling Falls, Beavers Nose, On Target, Celestial Star and the entry of Flitch and Steprock. . . . Ron McAnally, who trains On Target, will try to win the Apple Blossom Handicap for the third time with Paseana when the 8-year-old mare faces six rivals today in the $500,000 race. Others entered are Borodislew, Heavenly Prize, Cinnamon Sugar, Klassy Kim and the entry of Halo America and Morning Meadow. Paseana, with Chris McCarron, will carry 122 pounds, two more than Heavenly Prize. . . . While Corey Nakatani was at Oaklawn on Thursday, Kent Desormeaux won three races at Santa Anita to take a 108-102 lead with four days left. Desormeaux will be at Pimlico Saturday to ride Western Echo in the $150,000 Federico Tesio Stakes. Western Echo is not a Kentucky Derby or Preakness candidate. . . . Santa Anita experiments with twilight racing tonight, with the first post at 3 p.m.