Monday, April 25, 2005 | 9:35 a.m.
Ralph Siraco's horse racing column appears Monday and his Southern California selections run Tuesday-Sunday.
With fewer than seven weeks before this year's Kentucky Derby, trainer Todd Pletcher was still searching for a Derby contender from the record 34 nominees under his care. Coming off an Eclipse Award-winning year, it was a little disconcerting to have more horses than any other trainer eligible to compete in America's most famous horse race and yet have no real contenders. This, while trainer Nick Zito was cultivating one-fourth the occupancy in the precious 20-horse starting gate of Derby hopefuls.
Pletcher has had his Derby chances, having started as many as the four he saddled when Fusaichi Pegasus won the 2000 edition, while still looking for his first Derby victory.
While Zito was solidifying his Derby arsenal with Florida Derby winner High Fly and runner-up Noble Causeway, along with Tampa Bay Derby winner Sun King, Arkansas Derby-third Adromeda's Hero and the smashing Wood Memorial winner Bellamy Road, Pletcher was waiting for his sophomores to step up and be counted.
Then, two weeks ago, it happened.
On April 16, Pletcher struck with a pair of Derby contenders. Bandini, who had been runner-up to High Fly in the March 5 Fountain Of Youth stakes at Gulfstream Park, put it all together with an authoritative victory in the Blue Grass Stakes at Keeneland. The son of Fusaichi Pegasus overcame a minor interruption in his training schedule -- which prevented a rematch with High Fly in the Florida Derby -- to take the most contentious Derby prep race of the season.
Before the glow of the Blue Grass victory disappeared, Pletcher watched the simulcast of the Arkansas Derby, where his Lane's End winner, Flower Alley, chased the impressive Afleet Alex home at Oaklawn Park. Although beaten by eight lengths by the winner, Flower Alley was best of the rest to earn a spot in that starting gate at Churchill Downs, joining stablemate Bandini.
On Saturday, while it was last-gasp time for Rockport Harbor, Going Wild and Sort It Out in Keeneland's Coolmore Lexington Stakes, Pletcher started another of his 3-year-olds, Coin Silver. A winner of just one of his previous four starts, Coin Silver rallied from well behind to capture the final Derby prep race and give Pletcher a third Derby starter.
Although the Grade II race is only two weeks removed from the main event, Pletcher hopes to duplicate the Lexington-Kentucky Derby parlay of Charismatic in 1999. The winner's share of the $325,000 purse will easily qualify Coin Silver as one of the top 20 graded money-earners for the race, which is the first criteria for making the cut in the Kentucky Derby.
While Zito and Pletcher are flush for the Derby, other mainstay Derby trainers didn't make the cut.
Although trainer D. Wayne Lukas -- who has the best Kentucky Derby participation record ever -- will have a starter in San Felipe Stakes winner Consolidator, his Going Wild flopped in the Lexington. Duplicating a dismal Wood Memorial performance, Going Wild was in contention before the wheels fell off.
Trainer Bob Baffert, who won the Derby with Silver Charm in 1997, Real Quiet in 1998 and War Emblem in 2002, sent Sort It Out in the Lexington trying to make it back to Louisville. While Sort It Out did rally to finish runner-up, the $65,000 as the first graded monies he earned will not be enough to crack the top 20 for the Derby.
The most disappointing Derby defection as a result of the Lexington is Rockport Harbor. Gaining recognition last year as an undefeated 2-year-old, his connections were hoping for a little Derby deja vu.
Trained by John Servis and ridden by Stewart Elliott of Smarty Jones fame, the pair were banking on Rockport Harbor to send them back to the big show.
But the son of Unbridled's Song could not overcome setbacks that forced him to miss all but one race this year before Saturday's appearance.
Servis said before the 1 1/16-mile Lexington that Rocky must perform well to move up the road to Louisville. But Servis knew the 6-5 favorite was done early in the race. Servis said his horse never got hold of the sloppy race track and did not care for the off conditions. Servis also indicated he has no immediate plans for Rockport Harbor, saying only that they will, "regroup and get him ready for something else."
With all the preliminaries now out of the way, Zito and Pletcher are in, Baffert and Servis are out and Hall Of Famers Lukas and Bobby Frankel -- with High Limit -- will at least make the starting gate.
Next stop, Louisville.
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