San Miguel No Derby Prep

No 3-year-old winner of the San Miguel Stakes, which will be run for the 46th time today, has ever gone on to win the Santa Anita Derby.

The streak won’t end this year.

In fact, it would be one of the biggest upsets in recent memory if any of the six scheduled to run in the six-furlong San Miguel are in the starting gate when the Derby is run April 5.

Omega Code, Jimmy O, Bossanova, Echeverria, Red Apache and Only The Best, the six entrants in the Grade III race, are sprinters, and one-turn races are their future.

Owned and bred by Mr. and Mrs. Alvin Toffel and trained by Brian Lynch, Only The Best is one of only two in the field who have won at Santa Anita. He earned the third victory of his career when taking the Sunny Slope Oct. 19, going wire-to-wire against a field that included Domestic Dispute and eventual Hollywood Prevue winner Roll Hennessy Roll.

The other local winner is Red Apache, a son of End Sweep owned by Triple B Farms and trained by Jim Chapman. A two-time winner, he won an optional claimer during the Oak Tree meet on Oct. 2.

Among the others, Omega Code won a stakes race at Fresno in the fall, Jimmy O was second to the talented Siberland in the Arizona Futurity last month at Turf Paradise, Bossanova crushed maidens in his second start at Hollywood Park on Dec. 22, and Echeverria has won two of five for trainer Bob Baffert while racing in Kentucky and Illinois.

Race of the day: Java, Fiji’s full sister, will try for her second win in as many U.S. starts against 10 other fillies and mares in today’s eighth at Santa Anita. The $56,000 allowance is at a mile on the turf. Trained by Neil Drysdale, Java beat maidens by 2 1/2 lengths on Dec. 8 at Hollywood Park.

Who’s hot: Robert Barbara. The trainer won with nine of his first 17 starters at Aqueduct.

Who’s not: Dale Beckner. The jockey was two for his first 55 at Aqueduct.

Exotically speaking: A pick three singling Hombre Rapido in the third, using Kolinor, Islander, Way To The Top, Domination and Tavasco in the fourth and Charmer Baron, Windscore and Shuttlin in the fifth.

Winners: Previous day/meet total: 3/38. Money: Previous day/meet total: $10.60/$199. Total money bet: $240.