Columnist Ralph Siraco: Hughes may have to choose between two horses to run

Ralph Siraco

Monday, May 2, 2005 | 9:28 a.m.

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

Churchill Downs race track, in Louisville, Ky., opened its doors to a new era Saturday, one week before the renewal of its marquee race, the Kentucky Derby.

After several years of renovations, to the tune of $121 million, only the trademark twin spires stand on the new grandstand structure as an original reminder of the first Kentucky Derby 130 years ago. Then, in 1875, Aristides won the first race on the card, and little did his connections know that his name would forever be the first link to America's most famous horse race.

This year's run for the roses may still need a few links -- of the 20-horse limit -- in the starting gate chain before Wednesday's Derby draw clarifies the exact number and names of the participants for Saturday's Kentucky Derby.

Thoroughbred owner B. Wayne Hughes may be wishing he could hide at least one more Derby hopeful into one of his Public Storage units. The owner and creator of the storage empire also has a pair of Derby runners. Right now, however, his problem is too much horseflesh and not enough space.

But when his Don't Get Mad roared down the Churchill Downs homestretch under those twin spires to capture the $100,000 Derby Trial on Saturday, Hughes may have solved his own storage problem.

Don't Get Mad, who has taken all three of his career victories over the Churchill Downs racing surface, pushed into the top 20 Derby qualifiers to ensure Hughes' famous purple and orange silks will be carried by at least one of his candidates for the 131st Kentucky Derby.

Not only does the Derby boast a $2 million purse this year, it traditionally is an over-subscribed race. Each year thousands of sophomores whittle down to the hundreds of nominees and then down to the approximately two dozen that survive until the race is drawn.

The first criteria to qualify is Graded earnings by the horses that were nominated to the Triple Crown, then all other nominated horses, followed by any other 3-year-old who pays the entry fee.

Hughes paid and nominated Don't Get Mad to the Derby, but failed to pay the $600 nomination fee for his other star sophomore Greeley's Galaxy.

The $300,000 of Graded earning that Greeley's Galaxy banked while winning the Grade II Illinois Derby on April 9 would have put the son of Mr. Greeley squarely in the Kentucky Derby field at No. 12.

As a result of the oversight, any nominated Graded and non-Graded earners have first preference over Greeley's Galaxy now. Don't Get Mad sits at No. 19 with only 21 horses lining up for the first jewel of the Triple Crown.

So, Hughes will at least have the fate of his two Derby hopefuls in his own hands now. Does he wheel Don't Get Mad back in just a week's time, or open the last slot to his Greeley's Galaxy instead?

Greeley's Galaxy won the Illinois Derby by daylight and is an improving sophomore. But, Hughes must pay a $200,000 supplemental fee for Greeley's Galaxy's participation.

Or does he keep Don't Get Mad in the race, knowing the son of Stephen Got Even loves the Derby track with a trio of victories over that Louisville tan.

At 21 horses still on the list, Greeley's Galaxy would be the odd horse out. However, Hughes would probably lean toward pulling Don't Get Mad in favor of getting Greeley's Galaxy in -- to a billionaire, $200,000 is loose change.

So the clock continues ticking to see if Hughes must make that decision. Just one more Derby defection -- for any reason -- and it's purple-and-orange double Derby vision.

Moments after the Derby Trial victory, Hughes was asked the obvious question. He smiled and just said, "Let's keep positive thoughts."

Running a horse in a race like the Kentucky Derby with a week between starts is certainly unorthodox in this day of spacing races months instead of weeks apart.

But then, this could be a very unconventional year of sophomores. Certainly, it puts soap opera drama into Wednesday's Kentucky Derby draw. So, Don't Get Mad if Hughes goes with Greeley's Galaxy.