Derby Field Still Needs Thinning

This is the year of seeing double for a few trainers of Kentucky Derby prospects.

With the Derby only five weeks off, Wayne Lukas has at least half a dozen candidates, which gives him a good chance to score consecutive victories in the race for the first time since Lucien Laurin saddled Riva Ridge and Secretariat in 1972-73.

Shug McGaughey and Nick Zito have three Derby hopefuls apiece. And Bob Baffert has a couple of top 3-year-olds in his barn at Santa Anita.

Lukas, who won last year’s Derby with Thunder Gulch, is running out of preps for his group this time. He is running multiple entries in some of the races--something a trainer usually doesn’t want to do--starting with today’s $600,000 Jim Beam at Turfway Park, where Victory Speech and Dr. Caton will get their chances. A week hence, Lukas will saddle one-third of the field when Honour And Glory and Prince Of Thieves run in the $1-million Santa Anita Derby.

Zito, winner of the Derby with Go For Gin in 1994 and Strike The Gold in 1991, is also represented today at Turfway, but his third-stringer, Blushing Jim, isn’t given much of a chance in the 1 1/8-mile race. Zito says that his best 3-year-olds are Louis Quatorze and Diligence.

McGaughey, who has never won a Derby, will be active on two fronts today--running Roar against nine rivals at Turfway and trying to win the $200,000 Gotham at Aqueduct with Gold Fever. Both are sons of Forty Niner, who, trained by Woody Stephens, ran second against Lukas’ filly, Winning Colors, in the 1988 Derby. McGaughey’s other Derby horse is Draw, who is likely to run in the $700,000 Blue Grass Stakes at Keeneland on April 13.

One of Baffert’s horses, Semoran, is also a probable for the Blue Grass. His other Derby candidate, Cavonnier, will be a longshot in the Santa Anita Derby.

Victory Speech has not yet won a stake but has a solid record and is the morning-line favorite at 8-5 in the Beam. Roar, winner of the Swale at Gulfstream Park in his last start, is 3-1 and the inexperienced Dr. Caton is 4-1. Others running are Heza Gone West, Connecting Terms, Best Secret, Ensign Ray, Influence Peddler and Apak, an entrymate of Blushing Jim because Allen Paulson has an ownership interest in both colts.

Aqueduct might not be the best place for a horse’s morale this year, because Unbridled’s Song, the future-book favorite for the Derby on May 4, is in training there.

There’s an 11-horse field assembled for the Gotham, including Tiger Talk, an undefeated shipper from Santa Anita. Chris McCarron will ride the colt as he seeks his fourth consecutive victory.

A curious starter in the mile race is Appealing Skier, who ran sixth in the Florida Derby only two weeks ago. This will be the fourth race in less than two months for Appealing Skier, who has four victories, all at distances under a mile.

The rest of the Gotham Field consists of Romano Gucci, Gentle Inspiration, Gold Fever, Meadowtime, Snow Tower, Instant Friendship, Firey Jennifer, Viv and Feather Box, who is trained by Angel Cordero, winner of the stake three times when he was a jockey.

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Horse Racing Notes

Nick Zito said he has hired Chris McCarron to ride Louis Quatorze and Eddie Delahoussaye to ride Diligence in their next races. Louis Quatorze and Diligence are both scheduled to run on April 13, with the Blue Grass and the Wood Memorial the options, and there’s an outside chance that they both might run in the Blue Grass. With McCarron committed that day, trainer Mike Puype will have to find a substitute rider for his Cobra King if he runs in the Blue Grass. . . . Afleetaffair, winner of the San Vicente and fourth in the San Rafael, has a minor injury and is out of the Santa Anita Derby.