State Investigates ‘Catomine’s Status

The California Horse Racing Board is conducting an investigation into the poor performance by the even-money favorite, Sweet Catomine, in Saturday’s Santa Anita Derby.

The board, in a statement, said that the physical condition of the filly and pre-race comments by co-owner Marty Wygod and trainer Julio Canani are being reviewed.

Sweet Catomine, trying to become the fourth filly to win the race, finished fifth, five lengths behind Buzzards Bay, the 30-1 upset winner.

Wygod said after the race that he came close to scratching Sweet Catomine. He angered some bettors, who had bet heavily on Sweet Catomine, when he rattled off several pre-race problems, conditions that hadn’t been disclosed until Saturday.

According to Wygod, Sweet Catomine bled from the lungs after a workout April 3, was ovulating for the first time last Monday and had a minor foot problem midweek. Wygod said that his horse had been sent to a clinic near Santa Barbara for treatment and then was returned to Canani’s barn at Santa Anita.

George Slender, a Santa Anita steward, said that there were reports that Sweet Catomine hadn’t been moved at all, and that this was one of the issues state investigators were addressing. Slender said he didn’t expect the full report to be available until Wednesday.

Canani said Sunday that he had no regrets about running Sweet Catomine, who had won five in a row against fillies.

“Sometimes horses, even very good ones, throw in a clinker, for no reason,” Canani said. “I think that’s what happened with this filly. We scoped her [for bleeding] and found nothing. She ate up after the race. I can’t give a reason for why she didn’t run her race.”

Sweet Catomine has raced on Lasix, the diuretic that counteracts stress-induced bleeding, in all seven of her races, but Canani said she isn’t given Lasix for workouts. Canani said Sweet Catomine’s bleeding on April 3 was minimal. Her workout time of :59 1/5 for five furlongs was second-fastest among 53 horses who worked that distance that day.

Canani agreed with his jockey, Corey Nakatani, who said Sweet Catomine had been sluggish in the post parade.

Wygod said Sweet Catomine won’t run in the Kentucky Derby on May 7 or the Kentucky Oaks for fillies on May 6.

Canani lauded Jeff Mullins, the trainer of Buzzards Bay. Mullins, who has won the Santa Anita Derby a record three years in a row, has been under scrutiny because of milkshake violations, one at Santa Anita. A milkshake is a performance-enhancing cocktail that includes baking soda. Canani, who has professed his innocence, also had a milkshake violation at the current meet.

“Let me tell you something,” Canani said. “Forget about everything else, that guy [Mullins] knows how to train horses. He gets here early every day and works hard. The guys who bad-mouth him are the guys who don’t show up until 8 o’clock.”

Mullins said Buzzards Bay came out of the race in good order, but he will take a few more days before deciding about running in the Kentucky Derby. Neither of his other Santa Anita Derby winners, Buddy Gil and Castledale, was a factor in the Kentucky Derby, but he thinks that Buzzards Bay could be peaking more than they were.

Trainer Roger Stein is uncertain whether General John B, who finished second, beaten a half-length, will go on to Churchill Downs. Trainer Craig Dollase indicated that Wilko, who missed second by a nose, will run in the Derby.

Although owner B. Wayne Hughes’ Don’t Get Mad finished sixth at Santa Anita, his lightly raced Greeley’s Galaxy won the Illinois Derby. Hughes indicated that he would pay $200,000 to supplement Greeley’s Galaxy into the Kentucky Derby. Greeley’s Galaxy, unraced as a 2-year-old and winner of two of three starts this year at Santa Anita, made his first stakes start in the Illinois Derby.

In another Derby development, trainer John Servis said Rockport Harbor would skip Saturday’s Arkansas Derby and run in the Lexington Stakes at Keeneland on April 23.

The other important Kentucky Derby prep on Saturday is the Blue Grass Stakes at Keeneland.

Greater Good is expected to be favored in the Arkansas Derby, which was Smarty Jones’ final Kentucky Derby prep. Another Arkansas Derby contender, Wild Desert, will be ridden by Santa Anita-based Patrick Valenzuela, who won the Oaklawn Park race with the filly Althea in 1984.

Valenzuela was in Hot Springs, Ark., on Saturday, riding Dream Of Summer to victory in the Apple Blossom Handicap.

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With six days left in the Santa Anita winter-spring meet, Valenzuela looks to be on his way to the riding title.

Valenzuela had three winners on Sunday, including favored Elusive Diva in the $111,100 Las Cienegas Handicap, to open a 59-54 advantage over Tyler Baze.

Trained by Mark Glatt for Susan and Allen Branch and John Konecny, Elusive Diva, a 4-year-old Elusive Quality filly, was dominant in the Las Cienegas, winning by four lengths in a stakes record 1:11.66 for the nearly 6 1/2 furlongs on turf. She is now two for two on the course, having won the Wishing Well earlier in the year.

Quero Quero, the 3-1 second choice, was second, a half-length in front of Winendynme, then came Chasethegold, Irgunette, Allswellthatnswell, Very Vegas, Gypsy Dot and Megec Blis.

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More Smoke, the 3-1 second choice, led throughout en route to a 4 1/2 -length win in the $107,100 Lafayette Stakes on Sunday at Keeneland.

Clinton Potts rode the 3-year-old Smoke Glacken colt for owners Thomas McClay and Harry Nye and trainer John Charles Zimmerman. More Smoke ran the six furlongs in 1:09.88 to beat Crimson Stag, Razor, the 7-10 favorite, and Silent Bid.

Times staff writer Bob Mieszerski contributed to this report.