Brother Derek Fourth in Return

The 3-year-old who at one time was considered at the top of his class was only fourth best in an ungraded stakes at Del Mar on Saturday.

Making his first start since consecutive fourth-place finishes in the Kentucky Derby and Preakness, Brother Derek beat only overmatched longshot Mr. Katz in the $106,300 El Cajon.

Cindago, a $900,000 purchase at the same Barretts sale where Brother Derek was bought for $275,000, was successful in his first start since Dec. 26, and his first around two turns, beating 4-1 second choice Bob And John by half a length.

Sidelined because of an injury to his right front knee after a maiden win against a field that included Latent Heat and Point Determined, Cindago, a son of Indian Charlie, led throughout Saturday and was game in the last 16th of a mile after it looked as if Wood Memorial winner Bob And John was going to run past him.

At the wire, Cindago, the 4-1 third choice, was actually pulling away from the runner-up, completing the mile in 1:36.51 for his second win in three starts for Lee and Jerry Searing’s C R K Stable and trainer John Sadler.

The winner of the Hollywood Futurity and Santa Anita Derby, Brother Derek was a bit wide after breaking a step slow, but really had no valid excuses for finishing six lengths behind the winner.

Given how other 3-year-olds have soared to new levels in recent months, the son of Benchmark might be best served pointing for the California Cup Classic next month at Oak Tree rather than the Breeders’ Cup Classic at Churchill Downs.

“He was fresh the whole way and he got a little tired,” said Alex Solis, Brother Derek’s rider.

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In the richer of the two stakes run at Del Mar on Saturday, Mea Domina, a 5-1 shot, led throughout and set a course record for 1 1/16 miles on turf in the $200,000 Palomar Breeders’ Cup Handicap.

Ridden by Tyler Baze for owner-breeder Janis Whitham and trainer Ron McAnally, the 5-year-old Dance Brightly beat Three Degrees and eight others in 1:39.67, shading the mark of 1:39.68 set by Cheroot on Aug. 19, 2005. The victory was the seventh in 13 starts for Mea Domina.

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There were upsets in both of the Grade I stakes races at Saratoga.

About 30 minutes after 6-1 shot Pomeroy won the $250,000 Forego, 31-1 shot Premium Tap won the $500,000 Woodward under Kent Desormeaux.

A 4-year-old Pleasant Tap colt who had finished fifth in the Whitney Handicap four weeks earlier in his only other appearance in a Grade I race, Premium Tap out-finished pacesetter and 21-1 shot Second Of June to win in 1:50.65 for the 1 1/8 miles.

Owned by Peter Alevizos, George Kline and David Whelihan and trained by John Kimmel, Premium Tap won for the fifth time in 14 starts.

Sun King, the 2-1 favorite, finished third. Flower Alley, the 2-1 second choice, was seventh in his second consecutive disappointing effort. The 2005 Travers winner finished seventh as the 3-2 choice in the Whitney.

Pomeroy, a 5-year-old Boundary horse, won for the seventh time in 17 career starts and for the third time in five tries at Saratoga, beating 5-1 shot War Front and nine others. Ridden by John Velazquez, Pomeroy ran the seven furlongs in 1:23.39 and won by 2 1/4 lengths.

Commentator, the 9-10 favorite who had won all three starts at Saratoga, finished 10th after breaking awkwardly under Eibar Coa.

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Lost In The Fog, the champion sprinter of 2005 who was found to have cancer several weeks ago, will begin undergoing chemotherapy soon.

The 4-year-old son of Lost Soldier, owned by Harry Aleo and trained by Greg Gilchrist, had been given steroids in hopes of shrinking the three tumors in his body, but his condition remains unchanged.

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bob.mieszerski@latimes.com