Baffert Saves Excellent Meeting a Place With the Boys Saturday

Trainer Bob Baffert indicated Wednesday night, at the post-position draw, that his filly, Excellent Meeting, will run in Saturday’s Kentucky Derby.

“She will run in the Derby,” Baffert said, but left himself an out by adding: “I’ve been known to change my mind.”

A full field of 20 horses was drawn, with Excellent Meeting getting a favorable No. 6 post. The filly and one of Baffert’s two colts, General Challenge, will run as a betting entry and were made the 3-1 favorite by Mike Battaglia, the Churchill Downs linemaker.

Excellent Meeting and General Challenge, the Santa Anita Derby winner, are owned by John and Betty Mabee. John Mabee said earlier Wednesday that he preferred that Excellent Meeting run in Friday’s Kentucky Oaks, a $500,000 race limited to 3-year-old fillies. Excellent Meeting is the 2-1 second choice in the Oaks, behind the 3-5 Silverbulletday, who is also trained by Baffert.

It is likely that the Mabees and Baffert will talk some more before a race decision is made about Excellent Meeting.

In 11 starts--seven of them wins--Excellent Meeting has never faced colts. She lost three of her first four starts before winning six of her last seven, and she’s currently on a four-race win streak. One of Excellent Meeting’s losses came when she was a fast-closing second to Silverbulletday in the one-mile Breeders’ Cup Juvenile in November at Churchill Downs. The Derby is 1 1/2 miles.

Excellent Meeting runs from slightly off the pace. “She’s got a style a lot like Real Quiet,” said Baffert, referring to his Derby winner last year.

Three Ring was also entered in the Derby, so if Excellent Meeting runs, the race will have two fillies in the field for the eighth time and the first time since Life’s Magic and Althea finished eighth and 19th, respectively, in 1984. Three fillies--Winning Colors in 1988, Genuine Risk in 1980 and Regret in 1915--have won the Derby. Only one filly has run in the Derby--Serena’s Song, who was 16th in 1995--since Winning Colors won the race.

Baffert’s other horses drew on the outside, Prime Timber getting No. 14 and General Challenge 15. “It could be worse,” Baffert said. “We could be in California watching on TV.”

Prime Timber, second in the Santa Anita Derby, is the 7-2 second choice. Other prominent horses drew outside: Vicar, the Florida Derby winner, has No. 18, and Menifee, the Blue Grass winner, has 19.

Kentucky Derby Notes

Because Excellent Meeting was entered, two horses, Etbauer and Torrid Sand, won’t be able to run in the Derby, even if she is scratched. The two ranked 21st and 22nd on the earnings list. . . . Although post positions in the auxiliary gate (15 through 20) are considered anathema, horses starting from there have won in recent years. Thunder Gulch won from No. 16 in 1995, and Grindstone was No. 15 when he won in 1996.

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Kentucky Derby Draw

Post positions for Saturday’s 125th running of the Kentucky Derby following the draw conducted Wednesday: *--*

PP Horse Jockey Trainer Odds 1. Adonis Jorge Chavez Nick Zito 30-1 2. Three Ring John Velazquez Eddie Plesa 20-1 3. Ecton Park Robbie Davis Elliott Walden 12-1 4. Stephen Got Even Chris McCarron Nick Zito 12-1 5. a-Aljabr Daragh O’Donahue Saeed bin Suroor 12-1 6. b-Excellent Meeting Kent Desormeaux Bob Baffert 3-1 7. Desert Hero Corey Nakatani Richard Mandella 15-1 8. Answer Lively Craig Perret Bobby Barnett 50-1 9. Valhol Willie Martinez Dallas Keen 12-1 10. K One King Alex Solis Akiko Gothard 12-1 11. Cat Thief Mike Smith Wayne Lukas 8-1 12. a-Worldly Manner Jerry Bailey Saeed bin Suroor 12-1 13. Kimberlite Pipe Robby Albarado Dallas Stewart 12-1 14. Prime Timber David Flores Bob Baffert 7-2 15. b-General Challenge Gary Stevens Bob Baffert 3-1 16. First American Eddie Delahoussaye Eduardo Caramori 12-1 17. Charismatic Chris Antley Wayne Lukas 20-1 18. Vicar Shane Sellers Carl Nafzger 6-1 19. Menifee Pat Day Elliott Walden 5-1 20. Lemon Drop Kid Jose Santos Scotty Schulhofer 12-1

*--*

a-entry; b-entry; mutuel field rated 12-1 is comprised of Lemon Drop Kid, K One King, Kimberlite Pipe, Valhol and Ecton Park

Weights: Excellent Meeting and Three Ring 121 pounds, others 126 pounds. Distance: 1 1/4 miles. Purse: $1,201,200 if 20 start. First place: $901,200. Second place: $170,000. Third place: $85,000. Fourth place: $45,000. Post time: 2:30 p.m. PDT.