A.P. WARRIOR PUTS SHIRREFFS BACK IN DERBY TRAINER OF LAST YEAR'S LONG SHOT GIACOMO HAS ANOTHER UPSET.

Byline: Kevin Modesti Staff Writer

ARCADIA - John Shirreffs doesn't crave the Kentucky Derby spotlight. Or any spotlight.

But Shirreffs was only joking when he tried to sound reluctant after A.P. Warrior's victory at Santa Anita on Saturday gave the trainer of 2005 Kentucky Derby winner Giacomo a reason to book a return trip to Louisville.

``It's tough on horse trainers - the pressure!'' Shirreffs said with a laugh after A.P. Warrior ($17) and jockey Corey Nakatani rallied on the outside to win the $250,000 San Felipe Stakes by one-half length over Point Determined with favored Bob and John third.

A.P. Warrior produced one of the three upsets in the four stakes with Derby implications that were run Saturday. Like Now ($74.50) held off Keyed Entry in New York's Gotham Stakes, and Deputy Glitters ($18.60) handled Bluegrass Cat in the Tampa Bay Derby. On an afternoon of TV-watching that felt like March Madness for thoroughbreds, the lone high seed to stand up was the sharp-looking Lawyer Ron ($5.60) in Arkansas' Rebel Stakes.

Though Shirreffs kids about pressure, in truth he faced little scrutiny as he prepared Giacomo to win the Derby at 50-1 odds.

It might be different if Shirreffs takes the better-regarded A.P. Warrior to Churchill Downs for this year's Derby.

Saturday's race marked A.P. Warrior's first start for Shirreffs, and the 60-year-old trainer will get a lot of credit if the colt does well in the April 8 Santa Anita Derby and the May 6 Kentucky Derby.

A.P. Warrior, a son of A.P. Indy who sold for $1.3 million as a yearling, commanded attention from the beginning while running for trainer Eoin Harty. He was the tote-board favorite in the Norfolk Stakes won in October by Brother Derek, now the Derby favorite.

But after fourth-place finishes in the Hollywood Futurity (to Brother Derek) and El Camino Real Derby (to Cause to Believe), owner Stan Fulton of Las Vegas moved A.P. Warrior from Harty to Shirreffs.

In the San Felipe, A.P. Warrior dropped back to sixth in the nine-horse field before challenging the leaders four-wide on the turn, opening a clear lead in mid-stretch and holding off Point Determined. The 1 1/16-mile clocking of 1:42.40 was better than average for a race that counts Sunday Silence, Fusaichi Pegasus and Point Given among its recent winners and Silver Charm, Real Quiet and Giacomo among its runners-up.

Trainer Bob Baffert had a mixed day with Point Determined, Bob and John, and last-place Sky Diving.

Elsewhere, Lawyer Ron looked like a leading 3-year-old when he and jockey John McKee rallied to win the $300,000 Rebel at Oaklawn Park in Hot Springs, Ark., by three lengths over 22-1 Red Raymond as trainer Bob Holthus swept the exacta. Lawyer Ron is 6 for 6 on dirt tracks and 0 for 7 on turf and Poly track surfaces.

Private Vow finished seventh in the Rebel, his first start of 2006.

In the $200,000 Gotham at Aqueduct in New York, stretching-out sprinter Like Now and jockey Fernando Jara took the lead from previously unbeaten Keyed Entry at the start of the 1 1/16 miles and never gave it up. Achilles of Troy finished fifth and was vanned off the track.

In the $250,000 Tampa Bay (Fla.) Derby, Deputy Glitters and Jose Lezcano scored the colt's second victory by reversing the order of a second-place finish to Bluegrass Cat in their previous race.

Kevin Modesti, [phone]

heymodesti(at)aol.com