Lukas Eyes Derby With Honour And Glory

Honour And Glory, one of trainer Wayne Lukas’ many Kentucky Derby candidates, rebounded from a second-place finish last month to win Saturday’s $202,000 San Rafael Stakes at Santa Anita.

Lukas was happy to get back on the winning track with Honour And Glory, who lost by a nose to Afleetaffair in the San Vicente Stakes.

“He was drawing off from those horses,” Lukas said of Saturday’s race. “They made a little run at him at the eighth pole, but he was widening. He was in better shape at the wire than he was at the eighth pole, so that’s a good sign.”

Lukas and Honour And Glory’s owner, Michael Tabor, along with jockey Gary Stevens, combined to win last year’s Derby with Thunder Gulch.

Honour And Glory was 2 1/2 lengths better than Halo Sunshine, who ran a strong second at 31-1. Matty G was a neck behind Halo Sunshine.

Another Lukas 3-year-old, the lightly raced Dr. Caton, finished third as Semoran won Saturday’s $100,000 Foster City Stakes at Bay Meadows.

In other stakes at Santa Anita, Kingdom Found, once a candidate for the Santa Anita Handicap, was a 1 1/4-length winner over Lakota Brave in the $158,850 San Carlos Handicap, and Matiara won by 2 1/4 lengths over Real Connection in the $131,800 Buena Vista ‘Cap.

*

Best Pal, who won the Santa Anita Handicap in 1992, was paraded before the crowd after the second race Saturday. The 8-year-old gelding has been retired after earning $5.6 million, which put him third on the money list.

Horse Racing Notes

Funeral services for trainer Rodney Rash, who died Friday morning, will be held Monday at 5:30 p.m. at Forest Lawn in Glendale. Rash, 36, died from complications of a rare blood disease. . . . Ben Cecil, Rash’s assistant and the nephew of English trainer Henry Cecil, is expected to take over the barn’s horses. . . . A hearing regarding a recent scopolamine positive on one of Rash’s horses will still be held. “Unfortunately, our hands are tied and we’re going to go ahead with the hearing soon,” steward Tom Ward said. . . . Wekiva Springs, Cigar’s stablemate who may be the second best handicap horse in the country, won the $500,000 Gulfstream Park Handicap in Hallandale, Fla. Star Standard was second and Powerful Punch third. . . . Heavily favored Devil’s Honor beat 8-1 shot Connecting Terms by half a length to win the $100,000 Great West Stakes at Remington Park in Oklahoma. . . . Romano Gucci, the longest shot in the field at five at 15-1, won the $75,000 Best Turn at Aqueduct Saturday. Valid Expectations, the 4-5 favorite, was third behind Snow Tower.

Times staff writer Bob Mieszerski contributed to this story.