BROTHER DEREK THE ONE TO WATCH CAL-BRED HORSE TABBED THE FAVORITE IN A CROWDED DERBY FIELD.

Byline: KEVIN MODESTI Staff Writer

LOUISVILLE, Ky. -- Being in a wheelchair hasn't stopped Dan Hendricks from training Brother Derek all the way to the Kentucky Derby. It will keep him from watching the Derby with his own eyes today.

There wouldn't be time to get up to the box seats after Hendricks supervises the saddling of Brother Derek. So he said he'll stay in the Churchill Downs paddock and watch the race of his life on the video screen, or move into the tunnel leading to the track.

``I may ask them to set up a TV in the tunnel,'' Hendricks said. ``There's a little room down there. I can go in there and celebrate, or hide.''

Although his chest-down paralysis from a 2004 dirt-biking accident brings some struggles with life's logistical details, Hendricks sees the big picture as well as any trainer in this Kentucky Derby. He knows what's at stake when 20 horses charge out of the starting gate sometime after 3 p.m. PDT.

For Cecil Peacock-owned Brother Derek, it's the chance to become the fourth California-bred horse -- the first since Decidedly in 1962 -- to win the Derby.

For jockey Alex Solis, it's the chance to win his first Derby after finishing second three times in 14 previous tries.

And for Hendricks, it's a chance to shine as an inspiring example of perseverance since the days when he wondered if his career could survive his injuries.

Santa Anita Derby winner Brother Derek is the 3-1 favorite on the morning line, and if the fans whose betting sets the final odds agree, he'll try to be the race's third winning favorite since 1979. Barbaro and Lawyer Ron are each 4-1.

Among horses from the California division that Brother Derek dominated this winter, A.P. Warrior is 15-1 for trainer John Shirreffs, who won the 2005 Derby with Giacomo; and Bob and John, Point Determined and Sinister Minister are 12-1 each for trainer Bob Baffert, a three-time Derby winner.

``It's been a whirlwind week. I haven't had much time to think about (the significance of all this),'' Hendricks said outside barn 42, where Brother Derek has spent most of the past two weeks. ``But I've got owners who say anything you do in horse racing is a part of history. And the Derby is the biggest part of (racing) history.''

Brother Derek won three Grade I and II stakes in as strong a Santa Anita season as any 3-year-old has enjoyed, and has won four races in a row overall.

Florida Derby winner Barbaro is undefeated in a five-race career. Arkansas Derby winner Lawyer Ron is undefeated in seven starts on dirt tracks after needing six tries to get his maiden victory.

Because they and a few other contenders tend to race close to the early lead, much of the discussion of Derby Week has concerned whether the pace will be so fast that the speedsters wilt.

How fast is fast? Keep an eye on the 6-furlong (three-quarter mile) fractional clocking, posted as the leaders get to the end of the backstretch, before the weakest of them begin to fade and the closers begin to rev up for the decisive stages of the 1 1/4-mile race.

Under normal conditions, if the 6-furlong time is 1:10.50 or faster, that favors the come-from-behind horses -- since 1980, six of nine such Derbies have been won by horses rallying from 13 th or worse. If it's 1:11.50 or slower, that's good for the speedsters -- since '80, eight of nine have been won by horses who ran seventh or better all the way.

Until Wednesday, when Kentucky Derby entries were finalized and Brother Derek wound up with the potentially tricky post position 18, the son of Benchmark and Miss Soft Sell had faced no adversity all season.

Hendricks, a 47-year-old Covina resident who is in his first Kentucky Derby in a nearly 20-year training career -- he was here in 1984 as Richard Mandella's assistant with Bedouin (15th) -- said Friday his week has gone smoothly.

He had feared feeling self-conscious and having trouble getting around the barns in his wheelchair.

``You guys have been great,'' he said of the media crush, which some people had warned him about. ``Hopefully it'll get worse on Sunday (which would mean Brother Derek won).''

Hendricks looked tired Friday. For all the right reasons, he explained.

``If I was going home (to his hotel) on time every night, I wouldn't be,'' he said. ``But that's part of it, going out and having fun. I've got a lot of owners back here, and we've been going out to dinner every night.''

And the horse?

``We're one day out, and he looks super,'' Hendricks said Friday. ``His coat's good. His appetite's good. It's up to Alex (how the race goes). They'll break the gate and go, and we'll see what happens.''

Good weather is forecast. Churchill Downs officials hope the crowd will top 150,000 for the fifth time in eight years.

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(1) guide to the 132nd kentucky derby

By Kevin Modesti

(2) 132nd KENTUCKY DERBY