3.5.2003 Photo By: Orin France   Ministers Wild Cat and his exercise rider, Marcelino Olguin (above), returned from a jog at Hollywood Park on Wednesday, Mar. 5. The 3-year-old colt makes his next start in the El Camino Real Derby (GIII) on Saturday, Mar. 8 at Golden Gate Fields near San Francisco, Calif.

Ministers Wild Cat To Further Education In El Camino Real Derby
By: John Gaver III

(Mar. 6, 2003) - Irving and Marjorie Cowan's blueblood homebred Ministers Wild Cat will face a field of eight colts and one gelding while breaking from the widest post position of all when the lightly raced bay colt goes postward favored in the 22nd running of the El Camino Real Derby (GIII) at Golden Gate Fields in Albany, Calif. on Mar. 8.

A son of champion Deputy Minister and the champion race mare Hollywood Wildcat, Ministers Wild Cat won the $66,000 Golden State Mile in his stakes debut on Feb. 9 as the hot 1-5 favorite. Despite the length and a quarter victory in that eight furlong event, the colt was rank early in his two turn debut and ran greenly in the stretch - to be expected from a colt making just his third career start - finishing on his wrong lead and lugging-in inside the final furlong.

"I think we accomplished our goals and we're going home happy," Ministers Wild Cat's jockey, Kent Desormeaux, said following the Golden State Mile. "We got him to go two turns and he learned some things today. He was gawking and dawdling in the lane and not laying his body down."

The colt has improved in each of his career starts to date, and drilled six furlongs in 1:14 2/5 for Hall of Fame conditioner Neil Drysdale on Mar. 3 at Hollywood Park in his final tune-up for Saturday's race. Though the colt is regarded as a top Kentucky Derby (GI) contender nationally, he'll have to earn his way to Louisville, Ky. for the conservative, taciturn Drysdale.

"He'd have to merit it [a trip to Kentucky]," said Drysdale. "We'll see how he does in the race Saturday and then make a decision on the next stop, whether it's the Santa Anita Derby ( Grade I on Apr. 5 at Santa Anita) or the Wood Memorial ( Grade I on Apr. 12 at Aqueduct)."

A quartet of Southern California based horses - Ten Most Wanted, Ozzie Cat, Crackup and Ocean Terrace - will be the primary competition for Ministers Wild Cat in the El Camino Real Derby, which is carded as the eighth of 10 races at Golden Gate on Saturday, and carries a post time of 4:22 p.m. (PST).

Ocean Terrace, a $700,000 yearling purchase by Bill Bianco and David Shimmon's Fog City Stable, will make his two-turn and stakes debut in the El Camino Real for trainer Bob Hess, Jr. The chestnut colt is coming off an impressive entry-level allowance win at Santa Anita on Feb. 16, when he won a seven furlong event dueling on the lead throughout in 1:22 3/5 in his first start off a eight-week freshening.

"In a perfect world, he would have run in a two-turn allowance race before trying it in a stakes race," Hess, Jr. told Daily Racing Form "All that being said, I love the horse."

Ocean Terrace is bred top and bottom to relish the stretch-out, as he's by Saint Ballado out of a Black Tie Affair mare, and Hess, Jr. noted that his charge has an excellent confirmation as well.

"Looks don't win races, but physically, he's the most perfect horse you'll see," said Hess, Jr. "He's a good athlete, too. But he's got a lot to prove."

Kent Desormeaux, who has ridden Ministers Wild Cat and Ocean Terrace in all of their previous starts, will ride Ministers Wild Cat. Mike Smith has the call on Ocean Terrace.

Hall of Fame jockey Pat Day will make a rare appearance at Golden Gate Fields on Saturday to ride Ten Most Wanted for trainer Wally Dollase. The son of Travers Stakes (GI) winner Deputy Commander was bumped at the start and finished fourth in the restricted Sham Stakes on Feb. 7 in his most recent start. That effort was the colt's first outing against winners and his first time trying a nine-furlong trip. He will be turning back a sixteenth of a mile in the El Camino Real and will run without blinkers.

"Everybody is shopping around for 3-year-olds right now and we're light in that department," said Day. "Wally [trainer Dollase] is very keen on the horse and we've had success together. We're going on Wally's assessment of horseflesh and hoping the horse runs well Saturday."

The Distorted Humor colt Crackup will be making his first start for trainer Rafael Becerra since bleeding through Lasix in the Santa Catalina Stakes (GII) on Jan. 18. The bay colt has been training well in the mornings in preparation for his return to the races, including a "bullet" seven furlong move at Santa Anita in 1:23 3/5 on Feb. 21.

Trainer D. Wayne Lukas is hoping for a reversal of form with the Overbrook Farm homebred Ozzie Cat, who was shipped to South Florida for the Fountain of Youth Stakes (GI) and subsequently finished last, beaten 27 lengths. The Storm Cat colt did finish second, beaten a neck in the mud by Standard Setter, in the Golden Gate Derby (GIII) when last seen at Golden Gate Fields.

Of the locally based horses at Golden Gate, Winning Stripes, who finished well on the rail in the Golden State Mile to be beaten a length and a quarter by Ministers Wild Cat, has the best chance of winning this year's renewal of the El Camino Real Derby. A consistent son of Candy Stripes, Winning Stripes has yet to put forth a poor effort from six starts lifetime for trainer William Morey, Jr. and the colt has never been worse than second at Golden Gate.

The complete field for the El Camino Real Derby, in post position order with riders and weights is Onebadshark, Ronnie Warren, Jr., 115; Ten Most Wanted, Day, 115; Ozzie Cat, Jose Valdivia, Jr., 115; Mr. Technique, Frank Alvarado, 115; Allwood, Chance Rollins, 115; Winning Stripes, Russell Baze, 115; Frisco Johnny, Francisco Duran, 115; Crackup, Tyler Baze, 120; Ocean Terrace, Smith, 115 and Ministers Wild Cat, Desormeaux, 115.

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