Indian Charlie ‘Flat Outrun,’ Ends Up Third

There were too many drawbacks for Indian Charlie.

First of all, a favorite hadn’t won the Kentucky Derby since Spectacular Bid in 1979.

A California-bred hadn’t won since Decidedly in 1962.

A horse with only four career starts hadn’t won since Exterminator in 1918.

But these might be esoteric reasons for Indian Charlie’s third-place finish at 5-2 Saturday. The one thing that really stopped him was that he was pooped in the stretch.

Gary Stevens, whose third Derby victory came last year with Silver Charm, was the first to know. When Real Quiet and Kent Desormeaux cruised up alongside Indian Charlie’s right flank near the quarter pole, Stevens yelled out: “Go on yourself, Mo!”

Real Quiet won the Derby and his previously unstopped stablemate, Indian Charlie, finished third, 2 3/4 lengths back.

“We just flat got outrun,” Stevens said.

In the Santa Anita Derby, which was an eighth of a mile shorter than Saturday’s race, they ran 1-2, with Indian Charlie winning by 2 1/4 lengths.

“Before the Derby, I replayed the Santa Anita race in my head about 1,000 times,” Stevens said. “I knew Real Quiet would be dangerous in Kentucky. He made up a ton of ground at Santa Anita, over a track that wasn’t helping closers. I said before [the Kentucky Derby] that Real Quiet was the horse I was worried about the most.”

Stevens didn’t have to look twice when Real Quiet rolled by.

“I saw those red silks and that face,” Stevens said. “I knew who they were.”

Bob Baffert, watching both horses train at Churchill Downs, thought that Real Quiet might have the edge in the Derby.

“He told me that my horse wasn’t handling the track like he did Santa Anita,” Stevens said. “He thought he might get hold of the track in the drive, but he was too tired by then.”

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Jockey Alex Solis finished second again, riding Victory Gallop. Last year, Silver Charm and Stevens beat Captain Bodgit and Solis by a head.

“The post position [No. 13 in a 15-horse field] killed us,” Solis said about Saturday’s race. “I had no chance to drop in. I kept looking inside to drop in, but there were so many horses, it was impossible.”

Victory Gallop was next to last, almost 11 lengths behind, after three-quarters of a mile.

“He was flying at the end, but the post made the difference,” Solis said. “I did the best I could starting from way out there.”

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Halory Hunter, the Blue Grass Stakes winner, was fourth, almost four lengths behind Real Quiet. After three-quarters of a mile, trainer Nick Zito’s colt was in 12th place, not much better off than Victory Gallop.

Corey Nakatani was riding Halory Hunter for the first time, after Stevens rode him in the Blue Grass and kept the mount on Indian Charlie.

“The track was a little hard for him and he started climbing,” Nakatani said. “Midway in the race, he hit himself and came back with a nick on his right hind leg. But that’s no excuse. I don’t know about the Preakness [May 16]. Pimlico is a speed-favoring track, so maybe the best thing to do would be to wait [for the Belmont Stakes on June 6].”