Mr Purple Reigns in the Big ‘Cap

Mr Purple was 300-1, the highest price, to sweep the three races in the MGM Grand Classic Crown.

On the Daily Racing Form’s most recent weekly list of top 40 horses in the country, Mr Purple wasn’t even an afterthought.

Saturday’s horseplayers gave Mr Purple a little more attention in the $1-million Santa Anita Handicap, but not much. Sent off at 18-1, the seventh choice in the 11-horse field, the colt without a period in his name still punctuated the 59th running of the Big ‘Cap. Eddie Delahoussaye, with his best Gato Del Sol ride, brought Mr Purple from last place with a breathtaking move from the far outside, and they beat Luthier Fever by two lengths before a crowd of 36,498.

Delahoussaye’s loop-the-field, come-from-behind tactics were not unlike the ones he employed in winning the Kentucky Derby with Gato Del Sol, another longshot, in 1982.

Delahoussaye had never been aboard Mr Purple, not even in practice. He got the mount after Alex Solis chose to ride Dare And Go, whom he also has been riding. Long range, Solis’ choice made sense, because Dare And Go was 8-1 on the Big ‘Cap morning line and is scheduled to run in the $4-million Dubai World Cup later this month. But Dare And Go, thought to have kicked the wall in his stall Friday night, has a minor ankle injury and was scratched. That left Solis in the jockeys’ room, watching on television as Delahoussaye won with his discard.

Alex Campbell, who bred and owns Mr Purple, said that he couldn’t remember Delahoussaye riding one of his horses before. In the paddock minutes before the race, Campbell said to his rider: “You’ve beaten me a lot of times, maybe you can win one for me today.”

Before Saturday, Delahoussaye had won 10 races worth $1 million or more, and although he had failed with 14 previous Big ‘Cap mounts, Ron McAnally, Mr Purple’s trainer, was happy to have him as a replacement.

“When the money’s down, Eddie is there,” McAnally said. “I learned that a long time ago. He’s a great rider with a closer.”

With Cigar, the 1995 horse of the year, staying in Florida because of a bruised hoof, the Big ‘Cap was advertised as a grab-bag affair, but this was ridiculous. The first three horses under the wire were 18-1, 64-1 and 14-1, with Luthier Fever finishing five lengths ahead of Just Java.

The lukewarm 5-2 favorite, Helmsman, finished fourth, beaten by 10 lengths. Afternoon Deelites, the second choice, was sixth after leading with a quarter-mile left, and Serena’s Song, trying to become the first female to win the race, led for a step or two at the top of the stretch before finishing seventh.

When Helmsman won the Strub Stakes a month ago, Mr Purple finished third, beaten by three lengths, but McAnally thought his colt might have done better if he had been placed closer earlier.

“He was about 30 lengths back after a half-mile the last time,” McAnally said, “but he was only 12 or 14 lengths back at that stage this time. The track was playing slow, and a lot of closers were winning today. This is a colt who’s got class written all over him. He’s a half-brother to Queens Court Queen, another fine horse.”

Mr Purple carried 116 pounds, five less than the high-weighted Helmsman. He paid $38 to win and earned $600,000, running 1 1/4 miles in 2:02, the slowest running of the Big ‘Cap on a fast track since 1962.

Before the Big ‘Cap, Mr Purple had won five of 17 starts and hadn’t won an important race since he beat Serena’s Song in the Hollywood Juvenile in July 1994. A breathing problem and a splint-bone injury had compromised his career, and McAnally also ran him six times on the grass last year. He had once been considered a candidate for the Triple Crown races, but had trouble winning around two turns.

Now Mr Purple is the only horse with a chance to sweep the Classic Crown--the Big ‘Cap, the Hollywood Gold Cup and the Pacific Classic at Del Mar--and earn a $2-million bonus. McAnally wasn’t sure Saturday whether the rest of the assignment will be attempted with Delahoussaye or Solis.

“My commitment to Eddie was just for the one race,” the trainer said. “But I don’t know. We’ll have to talk about it.”

While Score Quick, Afternoon Deelites and Serena’s Song set the early pace, Delahoussaye had Mr Purple far back. After three-quarters of a mile, the winner was in last place, almost eight lengths off the lead.

“Ron told me to just let him lay back, make one run and try not to be as far back as last time,” Delahoussaye said. “So I did what he said and kept him on the outside. I waited until the [far] turn. He started moving around those horses way wide. With his momentum, you could feel him. He was still going strong, so I let him run. When he entered the stretch, he just continued running. He was awesome.”

Delahoussaye had had two second-place finishes in the Big ‘Cap, with King Go Go in 1981, the first year he rode in the stake, and with Festin in 1991.

“I’ve never had one horse that came into this race that was favored or anything like that,” Delahoussaye said. “For as many years as I’ve been around, you’d have thought that I would have had at least one 5-2 shot. I don’t remember that I’ve had one that’s been 10-1 or less. This horse was 18-1, but he ran like he was 9-5. So it doesn’t make any difference.”

McAnally is the only trainer to win the Big ‘Cap twice with the same horse, his John Henry winning consecutive races in 1981-82. The trainer had failed to win the race a third time, starting 11 horses since then.

“We thought we had a good horse all the time,” McAnally said. “But did I think he was a mile-and-a-quarter horse? Not really. But he’s very smart, he’s a push-button horse, and in the mornings he’ll do anything you ask him.”

Helmsman had a bad start and an eventful trip.

“He didn’t get away good,” jockey Chris McCarron said. “I got kind of broadsided by [Luthier Fever]. I had him kind of trapped between the leaders [on the turn], and [Luthier Fever] was trying to get out. He forced his way out. After that Helmsman just didn’t kick on. He just kind of gave up at that point. He usually likes that kind of rough-housing stuff. But today he just didn’t run his race.”

Luthier Fever was running for the first time for trainer Ted West, who took on the horse only a week ago after his owners had a disagreement with Gary Jones.

“I was in tight at the quarter pole and I lost a little bit of momentum,” said Brice Blanc, who was the owners’ choice to ride Luthier Fever. “But he picked it right up and finished very gamely.”

West, who had won the 1984 Big ‘Cap with Interco, his only other starter on the race, watched Saturday’s replay with a smile on his face.

“I’m very happy,” he said. “I watched six of his races on video, and he ran his eyeballs out in every one of them.”