McAnally Believes Matty G Has a Chance

Matty G hasn’t won a race in almost four months, and he has been beaten twice this season by Wayne Lukas’ colts, but Ron McAnally still doesn’t think he is wasting his time running his horse Saturday in the $1-million Santa Anita Derby.

“I’m getting more and more excited about his chances,” said McAnally, who sprang an upset in the Arcadia track’s other $1-million race when Mr Purple, at 18-1, won the Santa Anita Handicap last month.

Matty G, whose last victory was at 35-1 in the Hollywood Futurity on Dec. 17, was installed as the 5-1 fourth choice Thursday when eight horses were entered in the 59th Santa Anita Derby, whose purse has been boosted from last year’s $700,000.

Horses from the Lukas barn are Saturday’s favorites, with Honour And Glory 9-5 and Prince Of Thieves at 5-2. Matty G was third, beaten by 3 1/4 lengths, when Prince Of Thieves won the Santa Catalina Stakes on Feb. 4, and McAnally’s horse was third again, 2 3/4 lengths behind, when Honour And Glory won the San Rafael on March 2.

In the San Rafael, Matty G lost ground when a chain reaction from the outside squeezed him leaving the gate, and then he slowed through the stretch when Honour And Glory kicked dirt in his face.

McAnally is not convinced that Honour And Glory, a son of Relaunch, will get better the farther he’s asked to run. He won as a 2-year-old at 1 1/16 miles, and Saturday will be his first test at 1 1/8. McAnally trains Future Quest, another Relaunch colt, who was knocked out of the Triple Crown when he cracked a knee after winning last year’s Norfolk.

“Very few Relaunches want to run farther than a mile and a sixteenth,” McAnally said.

Another son of Relaunch, Skywalker, won the Santa Anita Derby in 1985 and the 1 1/4-mile Breeders’ Cup Classic as well in 1986.

“Every year, Wayne’s program is concentrated on winning the Kentucky Derby,” McAnally said. “If anybody can get a Relaunch to run long, he can.”

Horse Racing Notes

Wayne Lukas was happy with the outside post for Honour And Glory. Here’s the field, with jockeys and odds: Cavonnier, Chris McCarron, 8-1; Alyrob, Corey Nakatani, 3-1; Matty G, Alex Solis, 5-1; E C’s Dream, Laffit Pincay, 30-1; Prince Of Thieves, Shane Sellers, 5-2; Corker, Corey Black, 20-1; Super Mining, Chris Antley, 30-1; and Honour And Glory, Gary Stevens, 9-5. . . . Gary Jones, who trained Best Pal, Kostroma, Turkoman and Lakeway, plans to retire when the Santa Anita meet ends on April 22. Jones, 51, has a history of heart trouble. His son, Marty, who has been an assistant for five years, is expected to start training most of the horses in their barn. . . . First post is noon at Santa Anita Saturday, with the Derby, the fifth race, scheduled for 2:10 p.m. KNX (1070) will broadcast the race live and ABC offers three-hour delayed coverage on “Wide World of Sports.” . . . Ron McAnally’s barn will be well represented at Oaklawn Park in Hot Springs, Ark., this weekend, with the favored Antespend running today in the $250,000 Fantasy, and Mr Purple tackling trainer Bill Mott’s Wekiva Springs and Geri Saturday in the $750,000 Oaklawn Handicap.