Derby is lacking star quality

Four times in the last 10 years, 3-year-olds who were beaten in the Santa Anita Derby went on to victory in the Kentucky Derby.

Silver Charm and Real Quiet finished second in the local derby before winning at Churchill Downs in 1997 and 1998. Charismatic and Giacomo were fourth before their shockers in Louisville in 1999 and 2005.

It has been a long time, however, since a Santa Anita Derby winner achieved glory in the Kentucky Derby. Sunday Silence was the last to do so in 1989.

At this point, no one is expecting either the winner or any of the also-rans in today’s Santa Anita Derby to be much of a factor when the Kentucky Derby is run for the 133rd time May 5.

The 70th Santa Anita Derby isn’t the most important Kentucky Derby prep being run today -- that honor goes to the Wood Memorial at Aqueduct -- but it may be the most wide open.

Liquidity and King Of The Roxy, the two favorites on Jeff Tufts’ morning line, both have questions to answer at 1 1/8 miles, so it is understandable why eight others -- some with dubious credentials -- were entered.

One trying for an upset is Bwana Bull, a son of Holy Bull owned by Mark DeDomenico, Dan Jelladian and Dr. George Todaro, and trained by Jerry Hollendorfer.

The $140,000 yearling purchase has won three in succession and four of eight but has yet to venture outside Northern California. All of his races have been at Bay Meadows, Golden Gate Fields or Santa Rosa.

“He’s coming along just like we want him to,” Hollendorfer said. “I’m curious to see how he’s going to do at a mile and an eighth. My expectation is, the longer the distance the better he will do.”

This will be the second Santa Anita Derby for Hollendorfer, the perennial kingpin in Northern California. He was fifth with U S S Tinosa in 2002, ending any Kentucky Derby plans for that one.

“[Bwana Bull] is going to have to run very well to keep on the Derby trail,” Hollendorfer said. “I think that is only realistic. That’s just the way I’m thinking and I think my owners agree with me.”

Owned by Paul Reddam and trained by Doug O’Neill, Liquidity is the 5-2 morning line choice, even though he has lost five in a row since winning his debut at six furlongs last September at Santa Anita.

Second to the now-injured Ravel in the Sham on Feb. 3 in his last local appearance, Liquidity did not run well in the Louisiana Derby at the Fair Grounds in New Orleans on March 10, finishing sixth at 5-2.

“He looks great and he’s trained well since that race, but until they show it in the afternoon, you never know,” O’Neill said. “We have definitely trained him a little bit harder. We’ve cranked on this guy a lot more than we did before the Louisiana Derby. We’re expecting to see some improvement.”

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The $750,000 Wood, a Grade I at 1 1/8 miles, was supposed to feature a showdown between Nobiz Like Shobiz and Circular Quay, but that was nixed when trainer Todd Pletcher announced earlier in the week that Circular Quay, the winner of the Louisiana Derby, would skip the Wood and train up to the Kentucky Derby.

In Circular Quay’s place, Pletcher will run Any Given Saturday. Winner of three of five, Any Given Saturday had been scheduled to make his third start of the year in the Blue Grass Stakes a week from today at Keeneland.

“By running him back in three weeks, he’ll have four weeks to the [Derby] instead of three,” Pletcher said of Any Given Saturday, who was second, losing by a nose to Street Sense in the Tampa Bay Derby on March 17 at Tampa Bay Downs. “I figured this was the best approach for him.”

The beaten favorite in the Fountain of Youth when last seen March 3, Nobiz Like Shobiz, who will break from the rail in the Wood, will race in blinkers for the first time for trainer Barclay Tagg.

“He’s got plenty of talent, but he’s still a little immature,” said Tagg, who won the 2003 Kentucky Derby with Funny Cide. “Hopefully, the blinkers will help. He did well on this track at this distance last fall, so I don’t see why he’d have a problem [today].”

Nobiz Like Shobiz won the nine-furlong Remsen by 6 1/2 lengths last November at Aqueduct.

The Wood is the biggest of four graded stakes on the card. The others are the $150,000 Bay Shore, the $300,000 Carter, a Grade I at seven furlongs featuring Malibu and San Carlos winner Latent Heat, and the $200,000 Excelsior Breeders’ Cup Handicap.

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bob.mieszerski@latimes.com