Two Will Try to Pull a Fast One

Forget about who’s going to be in front at the finish line of Saturday’s Santa Anita Derby. Who’s going to be on the lead when the seven-horse field runs down the backstretch?

A funny thing happened to the 67th edition of this traditional Kentucky Derby prep when trainer Patrick Biancone, in an 11th-hour decision, decided to take Lion Heart to Keeneland for the Blue Grass on April 10 instead of running Saturday. The $750,000 race at Santa Anita consequently lost its only guaranteed front-runner. Now the pace-setter must come from horses whose trainers would be more comfortable if they ran at a target instead of becoming one.

Horsemen had mixed feelings about Lion Heart’s defection. The consensus seemed to be that they would have preferred to have Biancone’s colt in the race, although he might have gone off as the favorite. Lion Heart is suspect beyond a mile, and in his last race, the one-mile San Rafael, Imperialism beat him at the wire.

Jeff Tufts, the Santa Anita oddsmaker, has made Wimbledon the 5-2 morning-line favorite, based on an eight-length maiden victory at Santa Anita in February and a 2 1/4-length victory in the Louisiana Derby a month later.

If Wimbledon wins, he would give trainer Bob Baffert his fifth Santa Anita Derby victory in nine years. Baffert also has started four second-place finishers -- two of whom, Silver Charm and Real Quiet, went on to win the Kentucky Derby.

In the 1970s, it was common for horses who led after the opening half-mile to win the Santa Anita Derby, but more recently stalkers and closers have been successful. Since Affirmed’s victory in 1978, only three horses in front after four furlongs have lasted. Personal Hope was the most recent, in 1993, and before him were the filly Winning Colors in 1988 and Snow Chief in 1986.

Trainer Cliff Sise, who has never had a Santa Anita Derby starter, threw down the gantlet at Wednesday’s post-position draw when he indicated that his Lucky Pulpit, who’ll be ridden by Jon Court, would go for the lead. Lucky Pulpit has been up front in only one of his eight starts, on the July day he broke his maiden on grass at Hollywood Park in what was his second race.

“We’ll put him on the lead and see what happens,” said Sise, who almost pulled off an upset at Woodbine in 1996 when Paying Dues, at 31-1, ran second to Lit De Justice in the Breeders’ Cup Sprint.

Lucky Pulpit is listed at 12-1. Two races back, he was second to the estimable St Averil at Santa Anita, but in his last start he beat only two horses in the San Rafael, which was reduced to a two-horse battle involving Imperialism and Lion Heart. Kent Desormeaux, who rode Lucky Pulpit in the San Rafael, told Sise that the horse had difficulty breathing from the half-mile pole to the finish line.

“That was a pretty good excuse,” Sise said, “but he was all right back at the barn that day, and he’s been fine since then.”

Quintons Gold Rush, who has run only three times and was fourth in the San Rafael, is another starter with early speed.

“That last race was tough,” trainer Mike Mitchell said. “He was wide on every turn. He might be the speed on Saturday. He worked fast [1:11 2/5for six furlongs] the other day.”

Baffert and Lukas, with four victories apiece, are atop the Santa Anita Derby list. Lukas, who was winless with 67 starters at the meet before leaving for Keeneland, is without a Santa Anita Derby starter for the second year in a row, after running in the race for 24 consecutive years.

For Baffert, Wimbledon is a reminder of General Challenge, who gave him his third Santa Anita Derby victory in 1999.

“Mentally and physically, Wimbledon is coming along,” Baffert said. “But at the start he was like a big kid, on the timid side. He’s got the acceleration, and I don’t see any distance limitations, but you don’t know until you run them a mile and an eighth. He’ll tell us where we stand.”

*

David Flores got the mount on Rock Hard Ten because Gary Stevens, who has ridden the undefeated colt in his two victories, is contracted to ride the season in France and wouldn’t have been able to pull off a Saturday-Sunday commute.... Jockey Martin Pedroza, who broke his left collarbone in a spill last Sunday, will be sidelined for at least three weeks.... Victor Espinoza is appealing a seven-day stewards’ suspension that was to have begun Friday.... Gradepoint, who along with his entrymate Breakaway was favored in the Louisiana Derby, may have had an excuse for finishing so far behind Wimbledon. Trainer Neil Howard, after a Monday workout at Churchill Downs, said that Gradepoint had fractured his right knee and is out for the year. Breakaway will take his place in the Blue Grass.

*

(Begin Text of Infobox)

Santa Anita Derby

Field for the 67th Santa Anita Derby, to be run Saturday as the eighth race on an 11-race card. Purse: $750,000. Distance: 1 1/8 miles. Conditions: Grade I race for 3-year-olds. Weights: 122 pounds each. Post: 3:44 p.m. TV: ESPN (coverage starts at 2:30 p.m. and includes the Illinois Derby at Hawthorne and Aventura Stakes at Gulfstream.).

*--* PP Horse Trainer Jockey Odds 1 IMPERIALISM Kristin Mulhall Victor Espinoza 7-2 2 LUCKY PULPIT Clifford Sise Jon Court 12-1 3 WIMBLEDON Bob Baffert Javier Santiago 5-2 4 CASTLEDALE Jeff Mullins Jose Valdivia 20-1 5 QUINTONS GOLD RUSH Mike Mitchell Corey Nakatani 5-1 6 ROCK HARD TEN Jason Orman David Flores 3-1 7 ST AVERIL Rafael Becerra Tyler Baze 7-2

*--*