Columnist Ralph Siraco: Weekend races feature 12 of sport’s top 3-year-olds

Ralph Siraco

Monday, March 21, 2005 | 9:01 a.m.

Ralph Siraco's horse racing column appears Monday and his Southern California selections run Tuesday-Sunday.

It's not just March Madness for college basketball -- Kentucky Derby hopefuls are going through their bracket eliminations, as well.

A dozen 3-year-olds on the Daily Racing Form top 25 Derby Watch list set out in four Derby prep races over the weekend.

Of those, High Limit, High Fly, Sweet Catomine, Lost In The Fog (although now his connections say they are not going to the Kentucky Derby), Noble Causeway, Bellamy Road, Magna Graduate and Uncle Denny all found the winners circle in their latest starts.

Three of the top four on the list -- Afleet Alex (No. 1), Sun King (2) and Rockport Harbor (4) -- plus nine more spanning Wilko at No. 8 to Naughty New Yorker at No. 21 put their Derby hopes on the track.

While the Tampa Bay Derby was expected to be no more than an afternoon workout for Sun King and the Gotham in New York had the weakest field of Derby hopefuls, it was the Rebel Stakes at Oaklawn Park and the San Felipe Stakes at Santa Anita that produced the most interesting of sophomore competition.

The Rebel, final steppingstone to the April 16 Arkansas Derby at Oaklawn Park, brought together Afleet Alex, the undefeated Rockport Harbor and improving sophomore Greater Good.

Although Afleet Alex had already won the Mountain Valley Stakes in his sophomore debut over the Oaklawn track, Rockport Harbor, who suffered a training setback with foot problems, was making his sophomore debut with high fanfare. His trainer, John Servis, and rider Stewart Elliott were heading into the Rebel with an undefeated colt, repeating their scenario from last year with Derby-Preakness winner Smarty Jones.

The Rebel was eventful from the start. Rockport Harbor was roughed while leaving the starting gate in the 1/16-mile affair, and Greater Good found himself on the lead early. Afleet Alex settled into a stalker's position at the rail. Rockport Harbor quickly recovered to take the lead away from Greater Good, who assumed his usual early spot near the back of the pack.

Rolling on an uncontested lead, Rockport Harbor went into the final turn looking as though he was on cruise control. Afleet Alex never looked comfortable and offered no challenge. But, Greater Good started his usual stretch run that brought him to the throatlatch of Rockport Harbor by the time they reached mid-stretch.

Greater Good went on to win. Rockport Harbor had a legitimate excuse for his first career loss while a post-race test showed that Afleet Alex had been harboring a lung infection that was blamed for the lackluster effort by his camp.

The San Felipe gathered a field that included Breeders' Cup Juvenile winner Wilko, a re-tooled Roman Ruler, the San Vicente runner-up Don't Get Mad, San Vicente flop Consolidator and constant bridesmaid Giacomo.

Wilko was making his sophomore debut, Don't Get Mad was keeping the Derby-hopeful banner flying for the barn of Declan's Moon and the juvenile flash of Roman Ruler was trying to be rekindled by the Bob Baffert barn.

But it was the correction of Hall Of Fame trainer D. Wayne Lukas on his tutor Consolidator that proved most potent.

Lukas, who has started more horses in the Kentucky Derby than any other trainer in history, admitted when his San Vicente favorite failed to fire that Consolidator's effort was his fault. Lukas said he had babied his prize trainee before the San Vicente loss, but fans would see the "real" Consolidator on Saturday.

They did.

Consolidator ran a talented but excuse-filled field of classmates off their feet, winning the prime Santa Anita Derby prep in stakes record time of 1:40:11 for 1 1/16 miles. Now owners Bob and Beverly Lewis -- two-time Kentucky Derby winning owners -- find themselves in the thick of the Kentucky Derby picture again, hoping to score a third to go along with Silver Charm in 1996 and Charismatic in 1999.

Sun King did what was expected in the Tampa Bay Derby at Tampa Bay Downs, and The Gotham proved to be an entertaining renewal at Aqueduct, although it probably did not produce a solid Derby contender.

Survivalist was a most appropriate winner of the one mile prep for the April 9 Wood Memorial. In a driving finish, Survivalist also survived a stewards inquiry in a race that produced the disqualification of runner-up Pavo.