4.6.2002	Photo by: Benoit & Associates
		Hall of Fame jockey Chris McCarron (above), won three graded stakes races at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, Calif. on Apr. 6, including the Santa Anita Derby (GI) on Came Home. McCarron also booted home Bosque Redondo for John Toffan, Trudy McCaffery and Paco Gonzalez - the connections of Came Home - in the San Bernardino Handicap (GII) and is shown above after winning the Arcadia Handicap (GII) on Nelson Bunker Hunt's Seinne (Chi).

Decisions, Decisions - Who Will Bailey Choose?
April 7, 2002
By, William F. Reed

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (April 7, 2002) - Now that Repent was soundly beaten by War Emblem in the Illinois Derby (GII) on Apr. 6, jockey Jerry Bailey, generally regarded as the nation's best rider, could have an interesting Kentucky Derby (GI) choice to make: Should he stick with Repent or jump to a horse that seems to be moving forward instead of backward?

And if Bailey switches to Blue Burner, whom he has been riding for New York Yankees owner George Steinbrenner, or one of the other contenders that will be available in the next three weeks, would Kenny McPeek, trainer of Repent, try to talk Tony D'Amico into, well, coming home?

While Repent was in Chicago, having his second troubled race with Bailey in his saddle, D'Amico was at Keeneland, where he rode the McPeek-trained Take Charge Lady to an impressive victory in the Ashland Stakes (GI).

At the beginning of the year, D'Amico was the regular rider of both Repent and stablemate Harlan's Holiday, but McPeek, not wanting to take his chances on a 46-year-old Derby rookie, replaced him with Bailey on Repent and Edgar Prado on Harlan's Holiday. Later, D'Amico also lost the mount on Perfect Drift, who was ridden to victory by Derby veteran Eddie Delahoussaye in the Lane's End Spiral Stakes (GII) at Turfway Park.

D'Amico was down, but not necessarily out.

No such controversy swirled around Chris McCarron, the only jock to ride Came Home for owners William S. Farish , John B. Goodman , Trudy McCaffery and John Toffan. The colt's name comes from the fact that the owners tried to sell him at auction three times, but each time they "came home" with him because no bidder had matched their asking price.

Heading into Saturday's Santa Anita Derby, some experts where questioning the son of Gone West's ability to go farther than a mile. But trainer Paco Gonzalez had the colt ready to handle the Santa Anita Derby's mile and an eighth, provided he had enough heart - Came Home came home magnificently.

Challenged by Easy Grades in the final furlong, Came Home responded to McCarron's whipping to draw away for a 2 1/4-length victory that will enable him to arrive at Churchill Downs with a sparkling 6-for-7 career record.

Although Came Home's time for the mile and an eighth was a dawdling 1:50.02, the slowest clocking since Candy Spot's 1:50 1/5 in 1963 and a few ticks slower than War Emblem's 1:49.92 in the Illinois Derby, McCarron shrugged it off.

"The track today wasn't that glib (bouncy)," McCarron said, "and maybe he needed the race."

So McCarron will try to win his third Derby with Came Home. Other jocks who appear set are Prado on Harlan's Holiday, the likely favorite in the Toyota Blue Grass Stakes (GI) on Apr. 13; Delahoussaye on Perfect Drift; John Velasquez on Saarland, the possible favorite in the Apr. 13 Wood Memorial (GI); Mick Kinane on Johannesburg; Jorge Chavez on Booklet; Donnie Meche on Easyfromthegitgo; and Alex Solis on Essence of Dubai.

Larry Sterling, Jr., a little-known, Chicago-based rider, rode War Emblem to victory in the Illinois Derby, but owner Russell Reineman and trainer Frank Springer said they probably wouldn't bring War Emblem to Churchill Downs.

"You need to leave it (the Derby) to horses who belong there," said Reineman. "If you don't belong, then stay the hell away. So that (the Derby) is probably one thing we don't want to do."

Yet the closer the first Saturday in May gets, the harder it is to fight off Derby fever. At 84, Reineman might be the key to the "elderly angle" in the Derby, which hasn't fared all that badly the past decade. Everything came up roses for elderly Frances Genter with Unbridled in '90, W. Cal Partee with Lil E. Tee in '92, Paul Mellon with Sea Hero in '93, William T. Young with Grindstone in '96 and Bob and Beverly Lewis with Silver Charm in '97 and Charismatic in '99.

Speaking of Mellon, Pat Day rides a Derby contender named Mr. Mellon for trainer Elliott Walden. Since Day also has first call on Ethan Man, winner of the Swale Stakes (GIII) at Gulfstream Park, and Request For Parole, third in the Lane's End Spiral Stakes (GII), he'll have to make a tough choice that could leave something open for Bailey, provided he decides to take off Repent.

So far, Repent's stock has dropped with Bailey aboard. The colt almost lost the Louisiana Derby (GII) because Bailey was fighting him to run straight and change leads in the stretch. Then came the Illinois Derby, where Repent's disappointing performance was blamed on a slow pace.

"This is a horse that has to have a lively pace in front of him," McPeek admitted. "He's always been that way and he's always going to be that way. If they run :48 and change (for a half-mile) and 1:13 (for six furlongs) in Louisville, then I don't think he can win the Derby."

As Bailey well knows, however, a horse seldom gets a perfect trip in the Derby, the race almost every horseman wants most to win. The winners tend to be versatile horses who can overcome whatever adversity the racing gods throw at them - Seattle Slew almost going to his knees at the start in '77, Alysheba taking a bad step in the stretch in '87, etc.

So what will Bailey do? Take a Derby chance with Repent on the colt's home track? Or jump to a colt that appears to be getting better instead of worse? A colt such as, say, Lusty Latin, who was six lengths back of the leaders with a furlong to go, but came flying to finish an eye-catching third behind Came Home in the Santa Anita Derby.

Bailey probably won't make his decision until he sees what happens in the Apr. 13 Blue Grass Stakes at Keeneland, Wood Memorial at Aqueduct and Arkansas Derby at Oaklawn Park. The horse he finally picks could give him his third Derby win. Or he could give Bailey, who rode Talk Is Money in last year's Derby, his second consecutive last-place finish.

You never know, which, of course. That is why the Derby is as hard for jocks and trainers to handicap as it is for you and I.

Native Kentuckian William F. "Billy" Reed has been a sports writer in various capacities for 42 years and has missed covering the Kentucky Derby a mere two times since 1966. He has been a high-profile sports writer in Kentucky for the Commonwealth's two largest daily newspapers, the Louisville Courier-Journal and the Lexington Herald-Leader and was a national columnist for Sports Illustrated, covering among other sports, Thoroughbred horse racing and college basketball. Reed currently pens a column for the Louisville Sports Report, contrbiutes features to the Keeneland program and will be, among varied other assignments, filing Kentucky Derby installments on www.kentuckyderby.com.

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