Wrong Kind of Eclipse

Like all but 20 other jockeys, Victor Espinoza watched the Kentucky Derby on television nine days ago.

A couple of months ago, the Hollywood Park jockey’s room was the last place Espinoza thought he would be sitting on the first Saturday of May.

A wire-to-wire winner on 20-1 shot War Emblem in 2002 with only his second Kentucky Derby mount, Espinoza was sitting pretty for 2005.

He was the regular rider for Declan’s Moon, the unbeaten 2-year-old champion, and had been aboard when the well-regarded Fusaichi Samurai broke his maiden for trainer Neil Drysdale in his career debut Dec. 11 at Hollywood Park.

A physical setback took Fusaichi Samurai off the Triple Crown trail early in the year, although the son of 2000 Kentucky Derby winner Fusaichi Pegasus is close to a return, possibly in the next week or so.

Declan’s Moon was sidelined with a bone chip in one of his knees after he won his fifth in a row, the Santa Catalina on March 5 at Santa Anita.

Before he was benched, Declan’s Moon had capped his 2-year-old campaign with a win in the Hollywood Futurity. One of the horse he defeated that day was Giacomo. In fact, before Giacomo’s 50-1 shocker in the Derby, the Futurity was his best performance in a stakes race.

He was no match for Declan’s Moon, however, leaving Espinoza to ponder what might have been as he watched the Derby unfold.

“Nothing is guaranteed, but I’m 90% certain that I would have won the Kentucky Derby this year with Declan’s Moon,” he said between races Sunday. “Even before, I thought he was the best horse. If he was running, I would have been very confident going into the Derby.

“He’s a very classy horse, so light on his feet. He’s unbelievable.”

Espinoza was anything but upset when Giacomo rallied from 18th to win the Derby. “Horses getting hurt is part of the game,” he said. “There’s nothing you can do about it.”

Espinoza, who is second to Garrett Gomez in the jockey standings through the first 18 days of Hollywood Park’s spring-summer meet, said he had a couple of opportunities, which he didn’t name, to ride in the Derby. But adopting the policy of some other riders, he has decided he’ll only go to Louisville if he feels he has a clear shot at success.

“I’m only going to go if I think I can win,” he said. “Since I’ve won, I want to do it again. It was one of the most exciting times in my life.

“Before then, I didn’t understand why other riders got so excited about the Derby. After I won, I understood what they were talking about.”

War Emblem, who won by four lengths in his first start after being purchased privately by trainer Bob Baffert for the late Prince Ahmed Salman’s Thoroughbred Corp., also went on to win the Preakness before a terrible start cost him whatever chance he had to complete the Triple Crown in the Belmont.

Even though Espinoza knew he and War Emblem were going to be the center of attention in Pimlico, just as Giacomo will be on Saturday, the Mexico City-born rider was confident heading to Baltimore.

“I had no doubt he was going to win the Preakness if he was right,” he said. “He had won the Derby so easy and so professionally. I had a lot of confidence because he had won the Derby almost by himself. I really didn’t have to ask him.”

Going into this year’s Derby, Espinoza, playing handicapper, liked Afleet Alex, who wound up third, and Bellamy Road, the favorite who finished seventh, best. His third choice was Giacomo. Before the gray son of Holy Bull made his debut last summer for owner-breeders Jerry and Ann Moss and trainer John Shirreffs, Espinoza had worked the colt in his first half-mile drill.

“Nobody had told me he was a 2-year-old and I thought he was a beautiful-looking horse,” Espinoza said. “I was impressed with how he worked. I told [Shirreffs] he can run, and he said, ‘Oh, you like him?’ and I told Mr. Moss I had worked a nice 2-year-old for him.”

Circumstances -- and other commitments -- for Espinoza led to Mike Smith’s riding Giacomo to a fifth-place finish in his sprint debut at Hollywood Park and the seven other starts since that nondescript performance last July 15.

“Mike wound up riding him, but I’ve always tracked Giacomo,” said Espinoza, who is sticking with Afleet Alex, the likely favorite, to win the Preakness. “He rode the horse really well in the Derby. It was one of the nicest rides I’ve seen him give since I’ve been around him.”

Espinoza said he could be in Baltimore on Saturday, but his plans are indefinite. Of course, if Fusaichi Samurai is entered in a race at Hollywood Park, Espinoza won’t be going anywhere.

The jockey received some grief for how effusively he praised Fusaichi Samurai after his two-length maiden victory as the 9-10 favorite. “He feels stronger than his father and he is just so professional,” he said last fall. “I really believe he could be the best horse ever.”

Reminded of the quote, Espinoza said: “I just said I thought he could be. I wasn’t comparing him to any other horses. I was just very excited about the way he had won.”

The public was just as enthused about Fusaichi Samurai as Espinoza. Off a sprint win against maidens, Fusaichi Samurai became the co-favorite -- with Declan’s Moon -- in the Kentucky Derby future book.

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Star Over The Bay, an $80,000 claim by trainer Mike Mitchell who went on to win three graded stakes, the $500,000 Sunshine Millions Turf and $649,000 in purses, had to be euthanized after breaking down in the $1.8-million Singapore Airlines International Cup on Sunday in Singapore. The race was won by Mummify. Owned by a partnership that includes G Racing and Carl VanBurger, Star Over The Bay, a 7-year-old gelding, had to be destroyed after suffering an injury to his right foreleg about halfway through the race. Jockey Tyler Baze was uninjured.

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Lil’ Sister Swiss, the 7-10 favorite, won the $98,625 Nursery Stakes on Sunday at Hollywood Park, defeating 17-1 shot Walkonkaydeeavenue and seven others. Espinoza rode the 2-year-old Swiss Yodeler filly for owner, breeder and trainer Patty Harrington. In winning by two lengths, Lil’ Sister Swiss ran the five furlongs in 58.42 seconds. ... Gold Nugget Rd, half of an entry that was 7-2, won the $262,900 Kindergarten on Saturday at Los Alamitos. It was the third win in the Grade I in the last six years for owners Dr. James Streelam and Denny Boer, who race as Dutch Masters III. Ridden by J.R. Ramirez and trained by Jaime Gomez, the 2-year-old gelded son of Walk Thru Fire beat Love My Corona by a nose in 15.39 for the 300 yards. ... Southern Africa, a 7-1 shot, won the $300,000 Lone Star Derby on Saturday, beating 19-1 outsider Shamoan by 1 1/4 lengths in 1:41.92 for the 1 1/16 miles. Jon Court rode the 3-year-old son of Cape Town for owners Al and Sandee Kirkwood and trainer Mike Puhich.