Full Field Seems Certain For Kentucky Derby 128
April 29, 2002

With a full field of 20 expected for Saturday's 128th running of the Grade I, $1-million Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Ky., racing fans throughout the world are girding for the first jewel in the 2002 Visa Triple Crown.

Only one of those 20 will be eligible to sweep the three races that make up the Visa Triple Crown - the Derby, the Preakness Stakes (GI) May 18 at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore and the Belmont Stakes (GI) June 8 at Belmont Park on New York's Long Island. The owner or owners of any horse accomplishing the feat will not only enter Thoroughbred racing's history books, but also will receive a $5-million bonus as the winner of the Visa Triple Crown Challenge.

This year's Visa Triple Crown has a distinct touch of internationalism, with horses from Ireland, the United Arab Emirates and Japan as potential starters. Because of the size restrictions on the field and because there are at least 23 prospects, graded-stakes earnings will come into play to determine what horses will go to the gate on Saturday. Horses will be entered on Wednesday morning and the post positions will be drawn late Wednesday afternoon.

Following are prospects and their connections, in alphabetical order:

BLUE BURNER: Despite a disappointing fifth-place finish in the Wood Memorial, this Florida Derby runner-up will be given another chance by owner George Steinbrenner's Kinsman Stable and Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott. The son of French Deputy carries graded money of $234,500, quite enough to get in the field.

BOOKLET: Though trainer John Ward, Jr. has said he's 99 percent sure his charge will not run in the Kentucky Derby, horsemen in the sport seldom say "never," so the son of Notebook, owned by John Oxley, remains a possibility. The tandem of Oxley and Ward brought racing the 2001 Derby winner, Monarchos.

BUDDHA: This strapping son of Unbridled's Song is the one that many observers have been waiting for. The winner of the Grade I Wood Memorial in his first stakes foray is considered a prime candidate for the winner's stand at Churchill Downs. He is owned by Gary and Mary West and trained by H. James Bond, and the colt has plenty of money in his poke.

CAME HOME: This is the guy nobody wanted when he went to the sales ring three times, so he was returned to his owner-breeders and his victory in the Grade I Santa Anita Derby sent his lifetime earnings to $871,440. He has come home first in six of seven lifetime starts, despite the continuing skepticism of those who think his pedigree will not let him cover the 1 1/4-miles of the Derby. His co-owners, breeders John Toffan and Trudy McCaffery and William S. Farish and John Goodman, and his trainer, Juan "Paco" Gonzalez think otherwise.

CASTLE GANDOLFO: Here's one of the two invaders from Ireland owned by Michael Tabor and Mrs. Susan Magnier and trained by Aidan O'Brien. He's only had one start this year, which is expected by most to leave him short of the 1 1/4-mile mark. However, he was a good second going 1 1/4-miles as a 2-year-old last year in the Group I Criterium de Saint-Cloud in France. He has three wins and two seconds in five starts.

EASY GRADES: Yet to win a stakes race, this son of Honor Grades nevertheless has posted two solid seconds behind Came Home to earn himself a shot at the Derby. He has enough money to make the field and he has an owner, Scott Guenther's Desperado Stables, and trainer, Ted H. West, who believe he'll relish the extra distance and the long stretch at Churchill Downs. Easy Grades is one of two geldings that will be trying to be the first to win the Derby since 1929's Clyde Van Dusen.

ESSENCE OF DUBAI: Is this the year Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al Maktoum's push to win the Derby for his homeland, Dubai, in the United Arab Emirates, will come to fruition? This son of Pulpit appears to give the sheikh his best chance so far. However, only two races against mostly stablemates in Dubai may be drawbacks for the colt trained by Saeed bin Suroor. He carries the heaviest moneybag in the field with $1.5 million in graded earnings.

HARLAN'S HOLIDAY: This is the guy who has turned heads over the past six weeks with two swooping victories in the Florida Derby (GI) and Toyota Blue Grass Stakes (GI), both Grade I events. He figures to be the wagering favorite in the race, though not anywhere close to an even-money favorite. He is owned by Jack and Laurie Wolf's Starlight Stable and is trained by Ken McPeek. His bankroll shows $1.2 million in graded money.

IT'SALLINTHECHASE: This son of Take Me Out finished ninth in the Arkansas Derby but that didn't deter owner Darwin Olson and trainer Wilson Brown from thinking Derby for the colt. He has enough money to make the field but figures to be, perhaps, the longest shot on the board.

JOHANNESBURG: Here's the other half of the Irish tandem and even though he is the reigning 2-year-old Eclipse Award winner by way of his victory in the 2001 Bessemer Trust Breeders' Cup Juvenile (GI) he likely will not be among the favorites in the Derby. One prep race - and that a loss - will be working against him. Though owned by Tabor and Mrs. Magnier, as is Castle Gandolfo, the two colts will not be coupled in the betting because of a rule allowing such separation in a million-dollar race. Aidan O'Brien trains Johannesburg, too.

LUSTY LATIN: A victory in the Kentucky Derby would be quite a story for this son of El Prado who was claimed for $62,500 last November and was made a late nominee to the Visa Triple Crown after it was decided to try him in the Grade I Santa Anita Derby. He finished a hard-charging third in that race to earn his ticket to the Derby for owners Joey and Wendy Platts and trainer Jeff Mullins.

MEDAGLIA D'ORO: Following a victory in his stakes debut in Santa Anita's Grade II San Felipe Stakes, the El Prado colt battled bravely down the stretch in the Wood Memorial (GI) before grudgingly giving way to a head loss to Buddha in a battle royal the length of the Aqueduct stretch. He's owned by Edmund Gann, who purchased the colt following his maiden win in Arkansas in February and turned him over to his longtime trainer, Hall of Famer Robert Frankel.

Ocean Sound (Ire): This veteran of 12 starts who was bought for $65,000 last October at a horses-in-training sale at Tattersalls in Newmarket, England, has a fourth, a third and a second in stakes company in his most recent starts in the United States. The second in the Grade III Rebel Stakes sent him on to the Grade I Blue Grass, where he almost caught Booklet for runner-up honors there. He's owned by the partnership of Jim Ford, the K M Stable of Kelly Mikules, and Deron Pearson and trained by James Cassidy.

PERFECT DRIFT: After a perfectly timed victory at the wire of the Grade II Lane's End Spiral Stakes (GII), the son of Dynaformer will go into the Derby off a six-week layoff. That, no doubt, will make a lot of bettors uncomfortable, but not trainer Murray Johnson nor owner-breeder Dr. William Reed. Perfect Drift, who has a record of three wins and three seconds in six career starts, is the other gelding seeking to be the first to win since Clyde Van Dusen in 1929.

PRIVATE EMBLEM: An impressive win in the Arkansas Derby moved this son of Our Emblem to Churchill Downs for the Run for the Roses. He's owned by James Cassels and Bob Zollars and trained by Steve Asmussen, the team that brought Fifty Stars to Derbytown last year. He has plenty of graded money so he'll make the field with ease.

PROUD CITIZEN: Hall of Fame trainer D. Wayne Lukas seems to have pulled another one out of the hat. All but sent to the sidelines for the second year in a row, Lukas came through again with a surprise package when Proud Citizen scored a solid victory in Keeneland's Coolmore Lexington Stakes (GII), the race that launched Charismatic to dual Visa Triple Crown wins and Horse of the Year honors in 1999. The lightly-raced son of Gone West, who has started only twice this year, is owned by partners Robert Baker, David Cornstein and William Mack.

REQUEST FOR PAROLE: Here's another runner that has been off for six weeks - since finishing third in the Lane's End Spiral Stakes (GII). He's owned by Sam and Jeri Knighton and trained by Steve Margolis. He has plenty of graded money to make the field on Saturday.

SAARLAND: ”This regally bred colt by Unbridled out of the mare Versailles Treaty turned in a disappointing fourth-place performance in the Wood Memorial (GI) but trainer Claude R. "Shug" McGaughey chose to give him another chance. He underwent throat surgery recently but McGaughey said he is on the mend and still on target for the Derby. He is owned by Cynthia Phipps, daughter of Thoroughbred racing and breeding titan Ogden Phipps, who died last week.

SUNDAY BREAK: A gallant third in the Grade I Wood Memorial in his stakes debut may have to satisfy owner Koji Maeda and trainer Neil Drysdale, because he's one of the Derby prospects who are short on graded-stakes money. The Japanese-bred son of Forty Niner has $82,500 in graded money and will have to wait for dropouts on the list above him.

U S S TINOSA: Here's another who is on the cusp, just a thousand dollars in front of Sunday Break (Jpn). Named after a submarine, this colt needs a periscope to see his way to the gate on Derby Day, but owners Peter Abruzzo and Barry Thiriot and trainer Jerry Hollendorfer are unflinchingly looking forward.

WAR EMBLEM: A gate-to-wire victory in the Grade II Illinois Derby at Sportsman's Park not only sent this colt to the Derby, but also to the barn of Bob Baffert after he was bought by The Thoroughbred Corp. of Prince Ahmed bin Salman. Prior to the sale, it appeared that Baffert, a two-time winner of the Run for the Roses, would miss the first jewel of the Visa Triple Crown for the first time since 1996. He saddled the winners in 1997 and 1998 with Silver Charm and Real Quiet.

WILD HORSES: ”This Arkansas Derby (GII) runner-up might well be the final horse for the start of the Derby - depending on earnings. His $100,000 in graded money ties him with Windward Passage, but he has more non-graded earnings than the latter and would beat him to the gate. The Saint Ballado colt is owned by Peachtree Stable and trained by Todd Pletcher, the team that sent Invisible Ink to second-place in last year's Derby.

WINDWARD PASSAGE: He sits and waits. Bred and owned by Team Valor and trained by Steve Asmussen, Windward Passage is a son of Captain Bodgit, who brought fans plenty of excitement to the 1997 Derby and Preakness as he battled to the wire with Silver Charm and Free House, finishing second in the Derby and third in the Preakness. Windward Passage dead-heated for third in the Arkansas Derby to move on to a chance in the Derby.

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