He Should Be Deep in Heart of Kentucky

There isn’t a glamour horse in the Kentucky Derby picture, but there is a glamour human being. . . .

On May 4 at Churchill Downs, trainer Wayne Lukas will try to extend his record streak of Triple Crown race victories to six. . . .

Lukas’ cavalry might include as many as five horses. . . .

They are Honour And Glory, Prince Of Thieves, Editor’s Note, Grindstone and Victory Speech. . . .

Honour And Glory and Prince Of Thieves will run in the Santa Anita Derby on Saturday, Editor’s Note in the Blue Grass on April 13 at Keeneland and Grindstone in the Arkansas Derby on the same day at Oaklawn Park. Victory Speech is done with his preps. . . .

Unbridled’s Song looms as the heavy Kentucky Derby choice, but the last favorite to win was Spectacular Bid in 1979.. . . .

Besides, it is always unwise to discount a Lukas pupil, particularly in a Triple Crown event. . . .

In 1994, Tabasco Cat won the Preakness and the Belmont Stakes. Last year, Thunder Gulch won the Derby and the Belmont and Timber Country the Preakness. . . .

“Keeping the streak alive is secondary in my mind,” Lukas said. “Foremost is simply winning the Derby.”. . . .

Leave it to the former high school basketball coach who has trained horses for Rick Pitino, Bob Knight, Denny Crum and Pete Newell to seed the various Derby contenders and place them in regionals.. . . .

Lukas’ seeds--West Regional: 1. Honour And Glory, 2. Prince Of Thieves, 3. Alyrob, 4. Matty G. Midwest Regional: 1. Editor’s Note, 2. Diligence. Southwest Regional: 1. Grindstone, 2. Halo’s Sunshine. East Regional: 1. Unbridled’s Song. . . .

Honour And Glory and Prince Of Thieves will be the top two wagering choices in the $1-million Santa Anita Derby. . . .

“Honour And Glory is a picture of consistency,” Lukas said. “He’s the horse to beat on Saturday.”. . . .

“Prince Of Thieves is a tremendous raw talent,” he said. “I was disappointed in his last race when he got bumped at the start but didn’t make any kind of a move later like a 1-5 shot should have.”. . . .

Lukas’ five contenders are represented by three owners. . . .

“Rationing my time among the five isn’t really a problem,” he said. “They’ve been spread out across the country, but, if everything goes right, all of them will be at Churchill Downs with me on April 10.”. . . .

Lukas is wonderful company and a great conversationalist but has a one-track mind. . . .

He hasn’t taken a vacation in 15 years. . . .

“Europe?” he repeated. “No. I’d get bored. That’s why they have the Discovery channel.” . . .

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The guess at the time, not the second-guess, was that Tom Lasorda should have lifted struggling Hideo Nomo for a pinch-hitter with the bases loaded, nobody out, and the Dodgers trailing Houston, 2-0, in the fifth inning Wednesday. . . .

How bad was the Angels’ loss on opening night? Last year, they didn’t give up their 15th run until the fourth game. . . .

Nearly as dismal as the home team’s performance was the attendance, 27,836. . . .

When you start the baseball season on the last day of March, you’re asking for trouble. Some weather problems could be eliminated by delaying the opening a week or two and adding doubleheaders. . . .

The Oakland A’s six games in Las Vegas this week won’t be the only major league games played in a minor league park this season. . . .

The San Diego Padres will play the New York Mets in Monterrey, Mexico, on Aug. 16-18, dates that conflicted with a Republican convention session and a Charger game at Jack Murphy Stadium. . . .

Wilt Chamberlain shot only 61.3% from the free-throw line during the 1961-62 season but was 28 for 32 on March 2, 1962, when he scored 100 points for the Philadelphia Warriors against the New York Knicks at Hershey, Pa.. . . .

The Big Ten Club will honor Purdue graduate John Wooden as its man of the year at a banquet at the Bel Air Country Club next Wednesday. . . .

Buster Douglas, who dethroned heavyweight champion Mike Tyson as a 42-1 underdog in 1990 and quickly lost his title to Evander Holyfield, says he ballooned to 315 during retirement but now weighs 260 and hopes to drop another 30 pounds. . . .

Douglas, who turns 36 on Sunday, will launch a comeback attempt against Tony La Rosa on June 22 at Atlantic City. . . .

For the $9.2 million Cecil Fielder is being paid this season, the least he could have done Tuesday was steal a base.