Drysdale to Knock on Wood

Maybe by late Saturday, New Yorkers will have mastered the correct pronunciation of Fusaichi Pegasus, the heavily favored horse from California in the $750,000 Wood Memorial. Although 11 other 3-year-olds will run in one of the last Kentucky Derby preps, it’s not likely that the colt’s name will be mud.

Fusaichi Pegasus’ first name is pronounced FOO-sa-EEE-chee, which is derived from the first name of his owner, Fusao Sekiguchi, and ichi, the Japanese word for the number 1.

Sekiguchi, a Tokyo businessman, bought the son of Mr. Prospector for $4 million as a yearling and turned him over to Neil Drysdale, a trainer accustomed to working with high-priced bloodstock.

The only time Drysdale came close to running a horse in the Kentucky Derby, however, was in 1992, when A.P. Indy was scratched the morning of the race because of a bruised foot. A.P. Indy, who was a $2.9-million yearling, also missed the Preakness, but salvaged a victory in the Belmont Stakes, the final Triple Crown race, and also won horse-of-the-year honors after winning the Breeders’ Cup Classic.

“After [high-priced horses] come to your barn, the price doesn’t become a factor in the equation,” Drysdale said Thursday as Fusaichi Pegasus drew the No. 5 post for the 1 1/8-mile race.

There’s a warming trend in New York, where it snowed last Saturday, and temperatures should be in the mid-60s. Rain is in the forecast for tonight, and there’s even a chance of a shower Saturday, but Drysdale is comfortable with his choice of the Wood because Aqueduct is a fast-drying track and his colt is bred to handle off going.

In four starts in California, Fusaichi has raced only on fast tracks, scoring his third victory a month ago in the San Felipe Stakes at Santa Anita. The horse that ran second that day, The Deputy, went on to win last Sunday’s Santa Anita Derby.

Fusaichi Pegasus’ biggest obstacles Saturday would appear to be Red Bullet, undefeated in three starts--he won at Aqueduct in the one-mile Gotham the same day as the San Felipe--and Aptitude, another West Coast expatriate who made his New York debut as the Gotham runner-up, a late-running second only half a length behind the winner.

“I guess we’re the favorite because we ran well against the The Deputy,” Drysdale said at Thursday’s post-position draw. “But this is a nice field, and we have been beaten. There’s an undefeated horse in here. Maybe he should be the favorite.”

On the morning line, Fusaichi Pegasus and Red Bullet aren’t even close, Drysdale’s colt listed at 4-5 and Red Bullet, who’s owned by Frank Stronach, rated at 4-1. Aptitude is 5-1, the same number assigned to Exchange Rate, a Wayne Lukas-trained colt who was fourth in the Louisiana Derby. As a group, California horses are generally perceived as the deepest bloc of Derby candidates.

Here is the field for the Wood, in post-position order with jockeys and morning-line odds:

Cat’s At Home, Robbie Davis, 50-1; Red Bullet, Alex Solis, 4-1; Postponed, Jose Santos, 15-1; Aptitude, Brice Blanc, 5-1; Fusaichi Pegasus, Kent Desormeaux, 4-5; Appearing Now, Mike Luzzi, 20-1; Exchange Rate, Jorge Chavez, 5-1; Traditionally, Edgar Prado, 20-1; Country Only, Herb Castillo, 12-1; Fight For Ally, Aaron Gryder, 30-1; Painted Pistol, Shaun Bridgmohan, 50-1; and Connect, Cornelio Velasquez, 50-1.

Three other Kentucky Derby preps are scheduled Saturday, the most significant the $750,000 Toyota Blue Grass Stakes at Keeneland, Ky. Also being run are the $500,000 Arkansas Derby at Oaklawn Park and the $250,000 California Derby at Golden Gate Fields.

Mighty, the winner of the Louisiana Derby, is the 2-1 favorite in an eight-horse field at Keeneland.

David Copperfield, the only horse who has outrun Fusaichi Pegasus, is part of the eight-horse field at Golden Gate. It’s his stakes debut as he seeks his third victory in four starts. Also running is Remember Sheikh, a late nominee for the Triple Crown series after his victory in the El Camino Real Derby at Bay Meadows on March 11.

Horse Racing Notes

General Challenge suffered an entrapped epiglottis when he ran third at 1-10 in last Sunday’s San Bernardino Handicap at Santa Anita. He also has been diagnosed with an ulcer and his future is murky. . . . Churchill Downs, which conducts Kentucky Derby future-book betting in many states--though not California, where’s it not legal--has made Fusaichi Pegasus the 4-1 favorite for the race May 6. Next come Mighty and The Deputy, both 5-1.