Columnist Ralph Siraco: One Derby down, one to go for The Deputy

Ralph Siraco

Monday, April 10, 2000 | 9:21 a.m.

Ralph Siraco's horse racing column appears Monday. Write to him c/o Las Vegas Sun, 800 S. Valley View Blvd., Las Vegas, NV 89107.

It's finals week for the equine sophomores. The final major preps for this year's Kentucky Derby are upon us, and with less than four weeks to D-Day, it's crunch time for more than a few trying to make the cut.

The most important Kentucky Derby indicator of the last decade was run on Saturday, although if the trend holds up, winner The Deputy may be at a disadvantage in the run for the roses on the first Saturday in May.

The 63rd edition of the Santa Anita Derby drew a classy and talented field of six aspiring to parlay an Arcadia victory into a Louisville score. But if recent history continues, it's better to be a beaten participant in the Southern California race than the victor.

The last three Kentucky Derby champions came from the Santa Anita Derby field, but none won the race. Charismatic finished fourth before winning last year's Kentucky Derby, while Real Quiet in 1998 and Silver Charm in 1997 parlayed runner-up efforts in the Golden State into victories in the Bluegrass State.

Of course, that was far from the minds of the connections at this year's Santa Anita Derby renewal.

In fact, the tension of the race flowed over at Thursday's post position breakfast.

The breakfast, which includes owners, trainers and jockeys, also attracts a large media contingent.

As the interviews were being conducted, trainer Bob Baffert alluded to counterpart Jennie Sahadi's training habits with her starter, The Deputy. Baffert, who has become a Kentucky Derby celebrity of sorts, suggested that Sahadi might have a staff of "helpers" to tutor her Derby contender. The trainer who has won two of the last three Kentucky Derbies quipped that The Deputy's jockey, Chris McCarron, a two-time Kentucky Derby winner himself, was assisting in the horse's preparation for the race.

Sahadi did not see the humor in Baffert's remarks and was short in her response on the podium. Sahadi found Baffert's comments in bad taste and reminded Santa Anita's leading conditioner just who was training the horse: Ms. Sahadi.

Baffert, who has won three of the last four Santa Anita renewals, had Captain Steve as his lone Derby starter.

Although Captain Steve was a recent back-to-back stakes winner to close out his juvenile campaign, a pair of third-place finishes this year left Baffert in the Avis seat to The Deputy, who was entering Saturday's contest with two victories and a close runner-up effort in the recent Grade II San Felipe Stakes.

In addition to The Deputy and Captain Steve, a promising colt named War Chant was gaining support at the betting windows thanks to his unbeaten record in three career races. The Neil Drysdale trainee was jockey Jerry Bailey's flavor of the week for this Derby prep. Bailey had already ridden Captain Steve, Derby participant Anees and several other East-based sophomores.

Anees, last year's Breeders' Cup Juvenile champion, was getting a new pilot in Corey Nakatani for the race.

Trainer D. Wayne Lukas entered star filly Surfside in hopes of catching some Winning Colors deja vu. The new Hall of Famer was rather subdued during the eventful breakfast, but was nevertheless confident in his filly's ability against the boys. She had reeled off three consecutive victories including the Santa Anita Oaks. Lukas plotted the same course with Winning Colors in 1988 -- the first of his four Kentucky Derby victories.

Trainer Bobby Frankel brought Cocky to the proceedings, although the Hall of Fame conditioner believes his 3-year-old Aptitude, who runs this Saturday in the Wood Memorial at Aqueduct, represents his best chance in the Kentucky Derby.

As the gates opened for the 1 1/8-mile Grade I, $1 million race, Surfside engaged the favorite War Chant through decent-but-conservative fractions of 23:29 for the opening quarter and 47:24 through the half before The Deputy made it a line of three turning for home. Captain Steve was rolling into contention as well and Anees, who had been lagging way behind, came up with a menacing move that made all but Cocky contenders at the top of the stretch.

Surfside was the first to yield as War Chant braced for the challenge of The Deputy. Captain Steve was still on the dance floor as Anees flattened out from his threatening presence. From mid-stretch to the finish, it was War Chant and The Deputy to dispute the first Santa Anita Derby of the century.

In the shadow of the wire, The Deputy wore down the less experienced War Chant to prevail by a length in 1:49:08. He paid $6.80 to win as a close second choice.

War Chant certainly earned a ticket to Louisville -- if his conservative conditioner believes two is better than one.

Frankel does not have to worry about that problem as Cocky's performance wouldn't buy a trip to Barstow.

Surfside may now join her stablemate Shawnee Country as a formidable pair for the Kentucky Oaks while Anees may wind up in another shedrow before he tries to shake the Breeders' Cup Juvenile-Kentucky Derby parlay jinx.

* SUPER SATURDAY: The remaining three major Kentucky Derby preps are scheduled for this Saturday. The Wood Memorial at Aqueduct, the Toyota Blue Grass Stakes at Keeneland -- both with $750,000 purses -- and the Arkansas Derby at Oaklawn Park for $500,000 are on tap for the finals. The strongest field of contenders will be in the New York race, as the highly regarded Drysdale trainee Fusaichi Pegasus puts his once-beaten record on the line against the improving Gotham stakes winner Red Bullet and runner-up Aptitude. The three races will be linked to a special national Pick 3 wager that will be available in Las Vegas race books.