Lukas’ Prince Gets Different Derby Rider

Prince Of Thieves will have a new rider when he tries to make amends for his recent San Felipe debacle in the $1-million Santa Anita Derby on April 6.

Trainer Wayne Lukas has named Shane Sellers to ride the three-quarter brother of 1995 Preakness winner Timber Country in Santa Anita’s main event for 3-year-olds. Heavily favored in the San Felipe on March 17, Prince Of Thieves had trouble at the start and finished a distant fourth.

Gary Stevens, the colt’s regular jockey, will ride Honour And Glory, who is seeking his third stakes victory of the meeting, in the derby. Stevens has won the Santa Anita Derby the last three years with Personal Hope, Brocco and Larry The Legend.

Lukas has won the Derby four times, most recently with Winning Colors in 1988.

Five others are considered probable for the 1 1/8-mile race--Smithfield, Alyrob, Matty G, Cavonnier and Afleetaffair.

Considered possible are Ready To Order and Odyle. A winner of two in a row, including the San Felipe, Odyle has had heat in his left front ankle and might not be able to go. He was scheduled to have X-rays taken Wednesday.

“If the X-rays are good, I’ll talk to [owner] John [Toffan] and we’ll see what we do,” said trainer Paco Gonzalez. “He could go back to the track and gallop [today] and there’s a chance he could make the race.”

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Lukas will have two opportunities to win the $600,000 Jim Beam Stakes on Saturday at Turfway Park for the second consecutive year after winning it with Serena’s Song in 1995.

The much-heralded Dr. Caton, who broke his maiden March 17 in his third start, and Victory Speech, the likely favorite and third in last month’s Fountain Of Youth at Gulfstream Park, will be Lukas’ participants in the 1 1/8-mile Beam. Stevens will ride Victory Speech.

The other probables for the race, which will be simulcast at Santa Anita, are Best Secret, Blushing Jim, Ensign Ray, Roar and Tour’s Big Red.

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The $200,000 Gotham Stakes from Aqueduct will also be simulcast locally, and Tiger Talk will try to remain unbeaten in the one-mile prep for the Wood Memorial two weeks later.

Perfect in three starts at Santa Anita, Tiger Talk could face a large field in the Gotham, including Romano Gucci, who is perfect in three starts and a stakes-winner over the track. He took the six-furlong Best Turn on March 2.

A victory by Tiger Talk, owned by Jan, Mace and Samantha Siegel, would continue a hot streak for trainer Ron Ellis.

Before Wednesday, Ellis had won with 16 of his 36 starters at the Santa Anita meeting. He has clicked with nine of 10 favorites, has five victories in seven starts on turf and five stakes victories.

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Del Mar Dennis will try Saturday to do something only John Henry has done before at Santa Anita--win the same stakes race three years in a row. John Henry won the Oak Tree Invitational in 1980-82.

Successful in the San Bernardino Handicap the last two years, Del Mar Dennis will probably have six opponents Saturday.

The beaten choice in the New Orleans Handicap on March 10 over a track he apparently didn’t care for, the 6-year-old worked a half-mile in 48 3/5 Wednesday morning for Gonzalez.

Others scheduled to be entered this morning are Luthier Fever and Just Java, the two-three finishers behind Mr Purple in the Santa Anita Handicap; Regal Rowdy, Lykatill Hil, College Town and Nancys French Fry.

Horse Racing Notes

Jockey Corey Nakatani’s appeal of a suspension issued Dec. 17 at Hollywood Park has been denied by the California Horse Racing Board, so he will serve the five days, beginning April 3. . . . Jockey Chris Antley was given a three-day suspension for his ride on Urgent Request in last Sunday’s San Luis Rey Stakes. Urgent Request was disqualified from fourth and placed sixth and Antley was cited for “failure to make the proper effort to maintain a straight course through the stretch.” . . . Starry Ice, a daughter of Ice Age, was the third and most impressive 2-year-old winner of the meeting. Trained by Jerry Dutton and ridden by Billy Peterson, Starry Ice ran the two furlongs in 21 1/5 in winning Wednesday’s first race. . . . Trainers Bob Hess Jr. and Vladimir Cerin each won twice Wednesday. Hess took the second with Cee A Natural and the eighth with Shanndour, and Cerin won the sixth with General Quarters and the seventh with Najecam.

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Triple Crown Ratings

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No. Horse Starts 1 2 3 Earnings 1. Unbridled’s Song 6 3 2 0 $923,000 2. Ide 9 7 0 1 363,780 3. Honour and Glory 7 4 1 1 436,102 4. Editor’s Note 13 3 4 1 385,534 5. Diligence 7 4 2 0 214,900 6. Prince of Thieves 4 2 0 0 97,250 7. Cobra King 8 5 1 0 256,825 8. Victory Speech 8 4 1 3 116,162 9. Roar 8 3 1 2 95,470 10. Odyle 7 2 3 0 323,250

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Advisory panel for The Times’ Triple Crown Ratings: Racing historian Jim Bolus; Tom Durkin, track announcer in New York and Florida; and Chris Lincoln, racing telecaster for ESPN.