KENTUCKY DERBY NOTEBOOK: AT CHURCHILL DOWNS, TIME IS RELATIVE.

Byline: Kevin Modesti Staff Writer

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Kentucky Derby winner Monarchos ran fast, and took advantage of fast pacesetters, but those clockings must be put in perspective.

The Churchill Downs track played unusually fast Saturday. Although Monarchos' 1:59.97 for 1 1/4 miles is second-best to Secretariat's 1:59 2/5, you can't conclude he's the second-best Derby winner.

Churchill records at other distances were bettered four times on the Derby undercard.

The 3-year-old filly Love at Noon - trained by Bob Baffert and ridden by Gary Stevens - won the $42,000 first race in 1:14.34 for 6 1/2 furlongs to break Bet on Sunshine's 10-month-old Churchill record by .75.

Five-year-old Alannan won the Churchill Downs Handicap in 1:20.50 for 7 furlongs, .68 faster than Distorted Humor's 1998 record.

City Street and Open Story dead-heated for first in the Three Chimneys Juvenile in 57.28 seconds, .32 faster than Western Dreamer's 1995 record.

Dream Supreme's winning time in the Humana Distaff - 1:20.70 - bettered Distorted Humor but not new record holder Alannan.

Track superintendent Buch Lehr had said his crew would wet down the track between races to offset the week's hot, rainless weather. The track came up fast anyway.

``But the horses are winning from different places on the racetrack - whether they're on the outside or the inside - so that hasn't been a problem,'' Lehr said at mid-afternoon. ``I think right now we've got it perfect.''

The fear was that an ultrafast track would help front-runners to keep going. Monarchos was able to rally from 15 lengths behind to win.

--Also-rans: Thunder Blitz was a surprising fourth, meaning the odds on the top four finishers were 10-1, 55-1, 7-1 and 25-1. The $1 superfecta paid $62,986.90.

Among California horses, Jamaican Rum finished sixth, Startac 10th and Millennium Wind 11th.

Jockey Laffit Pincay had Millennium Wind as close as third but said, ``He came up empty.''

The worst finish by an expected contender was the 15th by Dollar Bill. He hit traffic again.

--Numbers: Monarchos was the fourth Kentucky Derby horse for jockey Jorge Chavez, the third for trainer John Ward, and the third for owner John Oxley. He's the first winner for each.

Monarchos, who started from post 16, is the fifth Derby winner in seven years from 15 or 16.

Monarchos has four wins in seven starts and earnings of more than $1.5 million. Oxley bought him for $170,000 at a Kentucky 2-year-olds auction.

The only Derby crowd larger than Saturday's 154,210 was the 163,628 who watched the 100th running in 1974.