Best Horse? It’s a ‘Given

When you look at Point Given, a strapping example of thoroughbred horseflesh, it’s hard to find any faults. But the colt does eat too much. And sometimes at the barn, he feels neighborly and runs off to visit other horses. Also, when he gets the lead in his races, he has a tendency to loaf.

No one’s perfect, and trainer Bob Baffert and jockey Gary Stevens are addressing these minor defects. Since December, Baffert has had Point Given on a diet of sorts, though it hardly shows. He has lost all of 26 pounds and while down to 1,260 pounds he’s still the biggest, most intimidating horse in the barn. In his races, as he did Saturday, Stevens will tap Point Given on the shoulder with the whip, just to make sure that his interest isn’t flagging.

If Point Given has room to improve--shedding a few more pounds and paying more attention through the stretch--then his opponents face even greater trouble in the Kentucky Derby. Point Given’s 5 1/2-length victory in the Santa Anita Derby before 31,759 was so authoritative that no matter what Monarchos, the Florida Derby winner, does next Saturday in the Wood Memorial, Baffert’s colt will be the favorite May 5 at Churchill Downs.

“Point Given is the real thing,” said trainer Howard Zucker, whose Crafty C.T. led Saturday for almost six furlongs before finishing second. “If he doesn’t win the Triple Crown, something’s wrong.”

Point Given, who has now won three in a row and five of eight starts overall, showed new dimensions. He raced on an off track for the first time--completing 1 1/8 miles in a sharp 1:47 3/5 over a strip listed as wet fast--and tactically he gave Baffert and Stevens more to work with.

“Based on what I saw today, you can put him anywhere,” Baffert said. “On the lead, off the pace, whatever.”

Stevens, who has won the last three Santa Anita derbies in which he has ridden, won it for the eighth time, tying the record held by Bill Shoemaker. Stevens, who missed last year’s race, temporarily retired because of arthritic knees, has amassed his total with 13 mounts since 1988.

“I’m in pretty select company with Shoe,” Stevens said. “It’s quite an honor.”

These last three Stevens victories in the Santa Anita Derby have all come with Baffert horses--Indian Charlie (1998) and General Challenge (1999) preceding Point Given. Baffert’s other win in the stake was with Cavonnier in 1996, but his two Kentucky Derby victories--with Silver Charm in 1997 and Real Quiet in 1998--came with horses that ran second in the Santa Anita Derby. Wayne Lukas is the only other trainer with four Santa Anita Derby winners.

“All I asked Gary to do was bring him back so tired that I won’t have to do much with him between now and the Kentucky Derby,” Baffert said.

Stevens had to gallop out Point Given an extra eighth of a mile past the finish, and still the colt didn’t look fatigued. The Derby distance of 1 1/4 miles should not be an obstacle.

“I have to apologize to Bob about not getting him tired,” Stevens said. “He’s pretty fit right now, and he barely broke a sweat today. At the top of the stretch, he was just galloping. When he got to the front, he responded better today than he did in his last race.”

A son of Thunder Gulch, winner of the 1995 Kentucky Derby with Stevens aboard, and the Turkoman mare Turko’s Turn, Point Given paid $3.40 as the heavy favorite. He earned $450,000, sending his career purses over the $1.2-million mark. Point Given is owned and was bred by Amed Salman, the Saudi Arabian prince who excitedly watched on television back home, where his wife gave birth to their son last week.

I Love Silver, second to Point Given in the San Felipe Stakes, was third this time, beaten by 8 1/2 lengths. With Early Flyer and Startac scratched, the rest of the order of finish was Palmeiro, Cherokee Kim and Scorpion, one of the last hopes for Lukas, a four-time Kentucky Derby winner. None of the horses behind Point Given are expected to run in the Kentucky Derby.

Crafty C.T., who had won the San Rafael Stakes on the lead, set the early pace with fractions of :22 2/5 and :46 2/5. Point Given, who broke from the inside post, was a length off the lead after half a mile and collared Crafty C.T. going into the far turn.

“I let Gary pass me,” said Eddie Delahoussaye, who rode Crafty C.T. “I tried to come back on, but the other horse was superior. Point Given was awesome. When we were going to the first turn, I thought I’d try to tighten up on them, but Gary saw what I was doing and eased back and went around. So that’s another thing about Point Given, he’s versatile. It’s just another one of his weapons.”

Baffert said he didn’t know what to expect because of the wet track, but Stevens sensed from the start that this was going to be another of Point Given’s banner days.

“Once I got to slide to the outside at the seven-eighths pole on the first turn, I was very, very confident,” Stevens said. “He was traveling so easy underneath me. It was like he was in a high gallop, just like in the San Felipe. It was like I had a loaded cannon and all I had to do was pull the trigger when it was time.”

Besides Thunder Gulch and Silver Charm, Stevens’ other Kentucky Derby winner was Winning Colors, the filly who won in 1988 after winning the Santa Anita Derby by 7 1/2 lengths.

“Winning Colors was the last time I went into a Derby with a comfort level that I’ll have for this one,” Stevens said. “This is a very, very special horse.”

According to Baffert, who won two other races on the 11-race card, Point Given is a cross between “an eating machine” and a “locomotive.” The colt will be flown to Louisville on April 18. If the ongoing diet doesn’t work better by then, Baffert may have to ask Churchill Downs for special accommodations.

“This horse is big,” he said. “He’s so big that when you pull him out of his stall, he just keeps coming.”

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX / INFOGRAPHIC)

THE FINISH

Payoffs for the Santa Anita Derby:

POINT GIVEN

$3.40 $2.40 $2.10

CRAFTY C.T.

$2.80 $2.40

I LOVE SILVER

$2.40

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX / INFOGRAPHIC)

The Next Step

How Santa Anita Derby winners have fared in the Kentucky Derby since 1990:

*--*

YEAR HORSE JOCKEY TRAINER KY. DERBY 2000 The Deputy Chris McCarron Jenine Sahadi 14th 1999 General Challenge Gary Stevens Bob Baffert 11th 1998 Indian Charlie Gary Stevens Bob Baffert Third 1997 Free House Kent Desormeaux Paco Gonzalez Third 1996 Cavonnier Chris McCarron Bob Baffert Second 1995 Larry The Legend Gary Stevens Craig Lewis Didn’t Run 1994 Brocco Gary Stevens Randy Winick Fourth 1993 Personal Hope Gary Stevens Mark Hennig Fourth 1992 A.P. Indy Eddie Delahoussaye Neil Drysdale Didn’t Run 1991 Dinard Chris McCarron Richard Lundy Didn’t Run 1990 Mister Frisky Gary Stevens Laz Barrero Eighth

*--*

Santa Anita Derby runners who have won the Kentucky Derby:

YEAR : 1999 HORSE: Charismatic KY. DERBY JOCKEY: Chris Antley* KY. TRAINER: Wayne Lukas SA DERBY: Fourth *

YEAR : 1998 HORSE: Real Quiet KY. DERBY JOCKEY: Kent Desormeaux KY. TRAINER: Bob Baffert SA DERBY: Second *

YEAR : 1997 HORSE: Silver Charm KY. DERBY JOCKEY: Gary Stevens KY. TRAINER: Bob Baffert SA DERBY: Second *

YEAR : 1989 HORSE: Sunday Silence KY. DERBY JOCKEY: Pat Valenzuela KY. TRAINER: Charles Whittingham SA DERBY: First *

YEAR : 1982 HORSE: Gato Del Sol KY. DERBY JOCKEY: Eddie Delahoussaye KY. TRAINER: Eddie Gregson SA DERBY: Fourth *

YEAR : 1988 HORSE: Winning Colors KY. DERBY JOCKEY: Gary Stevens KY. TRAINER: Wayne Lukas SA DERBY: First *

YEAR : 1986 HORSE: Ferdinand KY. DERBY JOCKEY: Bill Shoemaker KY. TRAINER: Charles Whittingham SA DERBY: Third *

YEAR : 1978 HORSE: Affirmed KY. DERBY JOCKEY: Steve Cauthen* KY. TRAINER: Laz Barrero SA DERBY: First *

YEAR : 1969 HORSE: Majestic Prince KY. DERBY JOCKEY: Bill Hartack KY. TRAINER: John Longden SA DERBY: First *

YEAR : 1965 HORSE: Lucky Debonair KY. DERBY JOCKEY: Bill Shoemaker KY. TRAINER: Frank Catrone SA DERBY: First *

YEAR : 1955 HORSE: Swaps KY. DERBY JOCKEY: Bill Shoemaker* KY. TRAINER: Mesh Tenney SA DERBY: First *

YEAR : 1954 HORSE: Determine KY. DERBY JOCKEY: Ray York KY. TRAINER: William Molter SA DERBY: First *

YEAR : 1952 HORSE: Hill Gail KY. DERBY JOCKEY: Eddie Arcaro* KY. TRAINER: Ben Jones SA DERBY: First *

YEAR : 1940 HORSE: Gallahadion KY. DERBY JOCKEY: Carroll Bieman KY. TRAINER: Roy Waldron SA DERBY: 13th * Didn’t ride horse in Santa Anita Derby.