Point Given Enhances Reputation

Pollsters, handicappers and railbirds from coast to coast might be debating today whether Monarchos, the best in the East, or Point Given, California’s finest, deserves to be the early favorite for the Kentucky Derby, but the best opinion, up close and impersonal, might come from trainer Dean Greenman.

“That’s the best horse in the world,” Greenman said Saturday, after he had saddled I Love Silver for a second-place finish in the $250,000 San Felipe Stakes at Santa Anita. Greenman was talking about Point Given, who emerged from a three-month hibernation to score a 2 1/4-length win in a prep that has produced three of the last four Derby winners.

Point Given, ridden by Gary Stevens, might not have run since his win in the Hollywood Futurity, but there were no cobwebs. Five wide down the backstretch, trainer Bob Baffert’s powerful colt unleashed a ground-gobbling move as he went from fifth to the lead by the far turn, then he easily held off late finishers such as I Love Silver for the most convincing of victories before a crowd of 31,494. The time for 1 1/16 miles was 1:41 4/5, second-fastest out of the last 10 runnings of the stake and four-fifths of a second faster than last year’s winner, Fusaichi Pegasus, who went on to win the Derby.

Trainer David Hofmans, who trains Millennium Wind, another Derby contender and a colt that couldn’t beat Point Given at Hollywood Park, shipped his horse all the way to Louisiana last week to avoid Baffert’s 1,260-pound giant. Hofmans didn’t win the Louisiana Derby, either--Millennium Wind finished second--but at least he didn’t have to mess with the supercharged exhausts of Point Given.

“He had good acceleration last year,” Stevens said, “but the power that I felt at the three-eighths pole was unbelievable. I was really, really impressed. . . . He lost [ground] around the first turn, down the backside, around the last turn and still won with daylight to spare. He galloped out another strong eighth of a mile after the race.”

Baffert took time after the race to commiserate with the handlers of Gold Trader, the richly bred son of Storm Cat, who challenged the pace through six furlongs before cracking his right front cannon bone in the stretch. Gold Trader, winner of the Golden State Mile and making only his fourth start, was euthanized.

“I feel very bad for [William T. Young, Gold Trader’s breeder and owner],” Baffert said. “He’s a great guy, and you hate to see him lose a horse like that.”

Baffert’s day was percolating well before the eight starters were loaded into the gate for the San Felipe. The second race marked the third start for Congaree, the son of Arazi who is a late-blooming Derby candidate. Ridden by Victor Espinoza, Congaree also won at 1 1/16 miles, his 1:42 clocking just a fifth of a second slower than Point Given. His eight-length win came about two weeks after he had gone a mile to break his maiden by five lengths.

Asked which colt was better, Baffert smiled.

“[Point Given] is still the No. 1 horse,” he said. “The other horse still has some catching up to do. Congaree ran a great race today, but they’re two different types of horses. They won’t meet each other in the next prep. Point Given will come back in the Santa Anita Derby [April 7] and the other horse will probably go in the Wood [Memorial at Aqueduct April 14] or somewhere like that.”

Baffert’s two Kentucky Derby winners--Real Quiet in 1998 and Silver Charm in 1997--finished second in the San Felipe.

“I was behind with Silver Charm that year,” Baffert said. “This horse [Point Given] has got what it takes, but I’m not going to get too excited right now. This was just a prep, and I won’t know if I’ve got the horse to beat until [the week of the Derby]. There’s no specific way to win the Derby, it just takes a very, very good horse. Now I’ve got to keep him healthy and get a little lucky.”

I Love Silver, making his first stakes start after two wins and one second in four previous races, finished 1 1/2 lengths ahead of Jamaican Rum, who was seven lengths better than Bank Street, the fourth-place finisher. Point Given, who has four wins and three seconds in seven starts, paid $2.80 to win and earned $150,000, hiking his purse total to $768,500. A son of Thunder Gulch, the 1995 Derby winner, and Turko’s Turn, a Turkoman mare, Point Given races for his breeder, the Thoroughbred Corp. of Prince Ahmed Salman of Saudi Arabia.

Point Given, who drew the outside post, broke inwardly at the start, but Stevens was able to position him nicely. They were in fifth place, behind the speed, as Silvertongue Fox--also trained by Baffert--and Bank Street set legitimate fractions.

Baffert didn’t mind that Stevens was out in the middle of the track.

“I wanted Gary to keep him out of trouble,” the trainer said. “When you’re the big favorite, they can try to box you in, and there was no reason to take chances.”

Greenman was uncertain where he’d run I Love Silver next.

“The winner was just awesome,” said Eddie Delahoussaye, who rode I Love Silver.

Jim Cassidy, who trains Jamaican Rum, hinted that he might run next at Keeneland, in the Lexington Stakes on April 21. The Kentucky Derby is May 5.

“We lost as much ground on the turn as I think he got beat,” Cassidy said.

About five hours after Point Given’s win, Baffert was at the airport, for the first leg of the long trip to Dubai. He’ll run Captain Steve, the favorite, in the $6-million Dubai World Cup next Saturday. Flashbacks of Point Given’s tour de force might have kept him awake.

“He weighed more in the Hollywood Futurity than he does now,” Baffert said, “but he’s still the biggest horse I’ve ever had. Thank God he’s not mean.”

Notes

The race after Gold Trader’s fatal breakdown, another of trainer Wayne Lukas’ 3-year-olds went wrong. Corporation, making his first start, was pulled up past the wire and vanned off the track. The colt reportedly suffered suspensory damage. . . . La Feminn, who had won five of six starts, rebounded from her only loss to win the $107,300 Irish O’Brien Stakes by a nose over Go Go. . . . Mr Ross overtook Graeme Hall, the 3-5 favorite, to win the $125,000 Razorback Handicap at Oaklawn Park. . . . Hallowed Dreams was a 5 1/4-length winner of the $125,000 Victoria Lass Handicap at the Fair Grounds. It was the 4-year-old filly’s 20th win in 21 starts.