Bernardini, Bluegrass Cat Set to Battle in the Travers

Six days after one horse-of-the-year candidate strengthened his candidacy at Del Mar, another will try to answer today at Saratoga.

Lava Man continued his California roll by winning the Pacific Classic, and now Bernardini, dominant in the Preakness and Jim Dandy in his last two starts, is the even-money favorite to win the $1-million Travers. A 3-year-old son of A.P. Indy owned by Darley Stable and trained by Tom Albertrani, Bernardini has won four in succession since beginning his career with a fourth in a sprint against maidens at Gulfstream Park on Jan. 7.

His victories have been by a combined 25 3/4 lengths, including his easiest score of all, a nine-length triumph in the Jim Dandy in his Saratoga debut July 29.

“We couldn’t have asked for that last race to be any easier on him,” Albertrani said. “He pulled up to a gallop in the last eighth of a mile. If he comes back and runs that race, I think he is certainly going to be difficult to beat again.”

The 1 1/4 -mile Travers features one significant opponent Bernardini did not face in the Jim Dandy, Bluegrass Cat, who was impressive winning the Haskell by seven lengths Aug. 6 at Monmouth Park in Oceanport, N.J.

“It’s definitely going to make the race more interesting with Bluegrass Cat in there,” Albertrani said. “He’s not a horse you are going to take very lightly.” Javier Castellano, who has been aboard for Bernardini’s three most recent wins, has the mount again in the Travers and they will break from Post 5. Bernardini won the Jim Dandy on the lead but demonstrated in the Preakness that he could win from off the pace.

“He’s very versatile,” Albertrani said. “We’re just going to let the horse do what he wants to do.”

The other Travers entrants are Hesanoldsalt; Minister’s Bid, who was second in the Jim Dandy; Dr. Pleasure; High Cotton; and Kip Deville.

Bluegrass Cat and High Cotton are trained by Todd Pletcher, who won the Travers a year ago with Flower Alley.

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The Travers is part of an all-stakes pick four with a guaranteed pool of $1 million today at Saratoga. The other races in the sequence are the $200,000 Ballston Spa, the $200,000 Bernard Baruch Handicap and the $250,000 King’s Bishop.

A Grade I at seven furlongs, the King’s Bishop attracted 11 3-year-olds, headed by Henny Hughes.

A son of Hennessy owned by Zabeel Racing International and trained by Kiaran McLaughlin, Henny Hughes, second to Stevie Wonderboy in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile last fall in New York, was sensational in his first start of 2006.

He toyed with three opponents in the Jersey Shore Breeders’ Cup on July 1 at Monmouth Park, winning by 10 lengths and running the six furlongs in 1:08 1/5.

“He surprised me, how well he ran that day, after an eight-month layoff,” McLaughlin said. “That’s why we opted not to run back in the Amsterdam [July 31 at Saratoga] and pointed to this race. He’s one of the most impressive horses I’ve ever been around, and I think we’ll see another top performance.”

John Velazquez will ride Henny Hughes, who has won four of seven and been second in his three defeats, in the race at seven furlongs. Other contenders include Songster, Court Folly, the upset winner of the Amsterdam and Master Of Disaster.

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Lawyer Ron, the winner of the Arkansas Derby who has been sidelined since finishing 12th in the Kentucky Derby because of a bone chip in his right hind ankle, tops a field of 12 for the $250,000 St. Louis Derby tonight at Fairmount Park in Collinsville, Ill.

The 1 1/16 -mile race is the richest in the history of Fairmount Park. It is being funded by Circle C Stable, an Illinois racing partnership headed by Jeff Cooper and John Kabbendjian.

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The Shoemaker Foundation, a nonprofit organization that aided jockeys, trainers and backstretch workers, is shutting down because of financial problems, said Joe Harper, a member of the charity’s board of directors and chief executive of Del Mar racetrack.

Founded in 1991 to help defray the cost of Hall of Fame jockey Bill Shoemaker’s rehabilitation after he was paralyzed in an auto accident, Shoemaker Foundation later provided aid to others associated with the racing industry who were in financial need because of illness or injury. Shoemaker died in 2003 at 72.

“Since Bill died, it has not generated the kind of revenues it had in the past, and other organizations do an as good or better job,” Harper said.

Harper said the foundation, which is being dissolved, had minor debts, but he was not aware of any financial improprieties. An Internal Revenue Service filing required of nonprofit charitable organizations showed the foundation operated at a deficit of $320,795 in 2004 and was $50,250 in debt. Contributions had declined from $436,502 in 2000 to $125,775 in 2004.

“It’s kind of sad. I loved Bill. We all did,” Harper said. “He was the draw. Nobody wanted to make donations after he died.”

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Times staff writer Robyn Norwood contributed to this report.