Sharp Cat Run Out of Derby on Rail

In the eyes of many, Sharp Cat’s fate in the $750,000 Santa Anita Derby was sealed two days before the race was run.

Post position didn’t matter running against the same overmatched fillies she had crushed in three earlier stakes victories at the meeting, but drawing the rail wasn’t where she wanted to be for her first crack at the boys.

Trainer Wayne Lukas, who completed a Santa Anita Derby-Kentucky Derby parlay with Winning Colors nine years ago, wasn’t particularly happy with the draw last Thursday. Nothing that happened Saturday afternoon changed his opinion.

After pushing the front of her gate open when Hello, the colt standing in the next stall over, reared, Sharp Cat, the narrow 2-1 favorite, didn’t have many options from where she was drawn.

More content to stalk the pace, in Lukas’ mind, she was hooked every step of the way by 2-1 second choice Silver Charm, battled with him through some fast fractions (22, 45 and 1:09 for six furlongs), then paid the price late. At the wire, she was sixth, beaten by nearly six lengths.

This ended a four-race win streak and was her first loss since a 20 3/4-length drubbing in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies last Oct. 26 at Woodbine.

If she is one-dimensional, it doesn’t bode well for her chances in what figures to be a speed-laden Kentucky Derby, but Lukas said whether she takes on the boys again on May 3 or goes the day before in the Kentucky Oaks remains to be determined.

“I think it will be a discussion,” Lukas said. “I don’t think it’s one way or the other at this point. I think the Prince [Ahmed Salman], Richard [Mulhall, Salman’s racing manager] and I will get together and we’ll look at her the next couple of weeks. We’ll take it one step at a time.”

Lukas has had success running fillies against males, but not the past two times he has tried it in Arcadia. A little more than a year ago, Serena’s Song was seventh of 11 in the 1996 Santa Anita Handicap.

“[Hello] raised a little ruckus in there and it made her hit the front of the gate and that didn’t help her,” he said. “He threw a little wing-ding and she reacted to it. I never care for that, but that’s that.

“I think also she’s more comfortable on the outside. She was in those fractions all the way, but so was [Silver Charm], so you can’t look at that.

“I think if you look at the head-on replay, [Silver Charm] was laying on her pretty good down the backside, keeping the heat on her. That’s the first time she’s had [to deal with] that, so it’s a growing experience. I thought she ran all right.”

Corey Nakatani, who has ridden Sharp Cat to four of her seven victories, wasn’t discouraged.

“I’d throw this race out,” he said. “We were down on the inside and she didn’t really run her race today.”

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Proving his world-record win in the Arcadia Handicap on turf five weeks earlier wasn’t a fluke, Atticus rolled to an easy victory in the $750,000 Oaklawn Handicap at Oaklawn Park in Hot Springs, Ark.

Able to save ground throughout under Shane Sellers, the 5-year-old Nureyev horse took the lead on the backstretch and went on to beat Isitingood, whose one-month old world record Atticus had broken, favored Tejano Run and five others in 1:48 1/5 for the 1 1/8 miles.

Horse Racing Notes

Making his first start since July 4, Labeeb remained unbeaten in four tries in America with a deceptively easy half-length victory over Pinfloron and three others in the $130,100 El Rincon Handicap. Trainer Neil Drysdale said Labeeb will probably make his next start in the $400,000 Hollywood Turf Handicap on May 26 at Hollywood Park. . . . First Intent, who was claimed by trainer Jack Carava nearly 13 months ago for $40,000, scored a two-length upset in the $144,250 Potrero Grande Breeders’ Cup Handicap. The longest shot in the field at 17-1, the 8-year-old gelding rallied from last after a half-mile under Rene Douglas to win in 1:14 3/5 for the 6 1/2 furlongs. . . . A stewards’ hearing is tentatively scheduled for Thursday morning at Santa Anita regarding an altercation between jockeys Corey Nakatani and Julio Garcia after the running of the San Luis Rey Stakes on March 23.