San Vicente May Provide Boost

This year, more than most years, the Kentucky Derby winner could come from anywhere, which might be encouragement for the seven horses running today in the San Vicente Stakes, even though some of them appear to have distance limitations.

The field for the seven-furlong San Vicente can take inspiration from Silver Charm, who used a win in the Santa Anita stake in 1997 to launch his 3-year-old season, a year marked by wins in the Derby and the Preakness.

This year comes with no pre-packaged favorites for the Derby. Johannesburg and Repent, who ran 1-2 in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile, haven’t emerged as 3-year-olds and, in fact, Johannesburg, based in Ireland, is no cinch to be at Churchill Downs on May 1. Siphonic, third in the Breeders’ Cup race, had a hard-luck defeat at Santa Anita last month and needs to reassert himself, and Saarland, who won at 11/8 miles after disappointing in the Breeders’ Cup, is awaiting the start of his Florida campaign.

None of these horses is trained by Bob Baffert, Wayne Lukas or Nick Zito, trainers who have won seven of the last 11 Derbies and have started 42 Derby horses during those years. Baffert is running Popular, who’s never been around two turns, in the San Vicente, and he trains Danthebluegrassman, a double stakes winner at Golden Gate Fields, but overall his prospects appear thin. Lukas and Zito have been even less visible with their 3-year-olds. No one should be betting against all three of them taking a holiday on the first Saturday in May.

Another prep race for Derby prospects today is the $150,000 Hutcheson at Gulfstream Park. Among the six contenders is trainer Shug McGaughey’s Maybry’s Boy, a stablemate of Saarland and winner of the Spectacular Bid Stakes at the Florida track on Jan.3.

Because Came Home, running for the first time since a seventh-place finish in the Breeders’ Cup shattered his undefeated record, and Werblin, unbeaten in two starts, are heavy favorites in the San Vicente, Baffert may have to turn to the $400,000 Strub, the richest race on the card, for a stakes win today. He’s running Fancy As and the longshot Pie N Burger in the Strub, which also has drawn Mizzen Mast, the 2-1 morning-line favorite off two consecutive wins, and Western Pride, who has won five of his last six starts.

Baffert has won the Strub three of the last four years--with Wooden Phone, General Challenge and Silver Charm--and with another score could break the stakes record shared by Charlie Whittingham, Laz Barrera and Bill Molter.

Corey Nakatani has been even hotter than Baffert in the Strub, winning the last three with Baffert’s pair and Event Of The Year. Nakatani has had a tough meet, winning only three races through the first 27 racing days, but his Strub mount, Momentum, is a serious threat after running fifth as the favorite in the San Fernando. Nakatani also rides Werblin in the San Vicente.

The San Antonio Handicap will be run Sunday. High weight in the 11/8-mile race, with 121 pounds, is Lido Palace, one of the best older horses in the country last year. This is the post-position lineup for the San Antonio, with jockeys and weights: Euchre, Garrett Gomez, 119 pounds; Seinne, Chris McCarron, 113; Irisheyesareflying, Kent Desormeaux, 117; Lido Palace, Jerry Bailey, 121; Straight Flush, Nakatani, 115; Gander, Gary Stevens, 114; and Redattore, Alex Solis, 116.