DERBY CREAM RISES HERE.Byline: KEVIN MODESTI ARCADIA - In this most topsy-turvy of seasons for 3-year-old thoroughbreds, the nation's horseplayers are searching everywhere for a Kentucky Derby Kentucky Derby One of the classic U.S. Thoroughbred horse races. It was established in 1875 and run annually on the first Saturday in May at Churchill Downs track in Louisville, Ky. With the Preakness and the Belmont Stakes, it makes up U.S. racing's coveted Triple Crown. favorite. I don't know Don't know (DK, DKed) "Don't know the trade." A Street expression used whenever one party lacks knowledge of a trade or receives conflicting instructions from the other party. which horse they'll settle on, but I have an idea where they'll find him, and that's here at Santa Anita Santa Anita may refer to:
Next week's $750,000 Santa Anita Derby The Santa Anita Derby is an American Grade 1 thoroughbred horse race for three-year-olds run each April at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, California and carries a purse of $750,000. is shaping up as the strongest race in the final round of Triple Crown preps, with Wimbledon coming home to take on local stakes winners Imperialism, Lion Heart and St Averil in a projected field of nine. So the biggest Triple Crown prep west of the Mississippi has a good chance of producing the eventual Kentucky Derby favorite for the fourth time in seven years. Wimbledon, trained by four-time Santa Anita Derby winner and three-time Kentucky Derby winner Bob Baffert Bob Baffert (born January 13, 1953 in Nogales, Arizona) is an American horse owner and trainer. He graduated from the University of Arizona's Racetrack Management Program with a Bachelor of Science degree. , returns from New Orleans New Orleans (ôr`lēənz –lənz, ôrlēnz`), city (2006 pop. 187,525), coextensive with Orleans parish, SE La., between the Mississippi River and Lake Pontchartrain, 107 mi (172 km) by water from the river mouth; founded after winning the Louisiana Derby under jockey Javier Santiago. Imperialism comes off back-to-back upset victories in the San Vicente and San Rafael Stakes The San Rafael Stakes is a race for thoroughbred horses run at Santa Anita Park, located in Arcadia, California. The race is a Grade II event with a purse of $150,000 and is open to three-year-olds willing to race one mile (8 furlongs) on the dirt. . Lion Heart lost to Imperialism by a neck in the San Rafael after a 2 1/2-month layoff following his Hollywood Futurity romp. St Averil was nosed out by Baffert's Preachinatthebar in the San Felipe, his first start after taking the Santa Catalina. Santa Anita officials' ``probable'' entrants list for the Saturday, April 3 race: Wimbledon, with Santiago riding; Imperialism, Victor Espinoza; Lion Heart, Mike Smith; St Averil, Tyler Baze; Quinton's Gold Rush, Corey Nakatani; Rock Hard Ten, Gary Stevens; and Castledale, Lucky Pulpit and Totally Platinum, no riders assigned. With four graded-stakes winners, the Santa Anita Derby would outshine out·shine v. out·shone , out·shin·ing, out·shines v.tr. 1. a. To shine brighter than. b. To be more beautiful, splendid, or flamboyant than. 2. the April 10 Blue Grass Stakes The Blue Grass Stakes, currently sponsored by the Toyota Motor Corporation, is an American Grade 1 horse race for 3-year-old Thoroughbreds held annually in mid April at Keeneland Racecourse in Lexington, Kentucky. at Keeneland racetrack in Lexington, Ky. (with Preachinatthebar, Action This Day and Eurosilver), Wood Memorial at Aqueduct in New York New York, state, United States New York, Middle Atlantic state of the United States. It is bordered by Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and the Atlantic Ocean (E), New Jersey and Pennsylvania (S), Lakes Erie and Ontario and the Canadian province of (Read the Footnotes, Sinister G), and Arkansas Derby at Oaklawn Park (The Cliff's Edge). The Kentucky Derby is May 1. In most years, a leader among the candidates has emerged by now. This year, the candidates have been playing Howard Dean with the favorite's role. From the 14 graded-level stakes for 3-year-old males at 1 mile or longer in 2004, 14 different winners have emerged, all but two in odds-board upsets. Horses have been public choices for the Derby one minute and up the track in prep races the next, including Birdstone (fifth in the Lane's End), Read the Footnotes (fourth in the Florida Derby) and Action This Day (seventh in the San Felipe). It's so wide open that Smarty Jones, the Arkansas horse who's 5 for 5 after a high-rated Rebel Stakes victory, must be considered a contender despite the fact he wouldn't qualify to run for the roses if the race were held today. Not having run in a graded race, Smarty Jones will need a good finish in the Arkansas Derby to move onto the graded-stakes-earnings list used to pare the Kentucky Derby field to a manageable 20. Being the Kentucky Derby favorite has been no blessing, with 23 of the past 24 Kentucky Derby favorites losing the race. The recent beaten favorites include Santa Anita Derby products Point Given (2001), General Challenge (1999), Indian Charlie (1998), Mister Frisky (1990), Snow Chief (1986) and Marfa (1983). Then there's Dinard, the 1991 Santa Anita Derby winner who would have been favored in Louisville but was injured and couldn't race. Still, the favorite's role is not to be turned down, and the Santa Anita Derby winner is likely to have it - at least for a week. CAPTION(S): box Box: OUT OF THE GATE - Kevin Modesti |
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