Ocean Terrace Remains Undefeated With Decisive Victory In El Camino Real Derby
By: John Gaver III

(Mar. 8, 2003) - The lightly raced 3-year-old colt Ocean Terrace passed his stakes and two-turn test with flying colors, as the flashy chestnut colt powered his way to a 1 ½-length win over 6-5 favorite Ministers Wild Cat in the 22nd running of the $200,000 El Camino Real Derby (GIII) at Golden Gate Fields in Albany, Calif. on Mar. 8.

A resolute Ten Most Wanted ran gamely and was scant nose back third, a length in front of Winning Stripes, who charged down the middle of the stretch to finish a good fourth. Onebadshark, Crackup, Ozzie Cat, Mr. Technique, Frisco Johnny and Allwood completed the official order of finish.

Sent off as the 9-2 second choice in the field of nine colts and one gelding, Ocean Terrace, who is owned by David Shimmon and Bill Bianco's Fog City Stable and trained by Bob Hess, Jr., broke a step slow under jockey Mike Smith but quickly recovered to stalk pacesetting Onebadshark and tracking Ten Most Wanted through an opening quarter-mile in :22.73 and a half in :45.47.

Long shot Onebadshark was a still a length in front after he stepped off three-quarters of a mile in 1:09.47, but Ocean Terrace had been rating comfortably and when Smith asked his mount, the son of Saint Ballado collared the front-runner on the far turn and swept to the lead in the stretch. Ocean Terrace finished with good interest and seemed to relish the added distance, as he had more than enough left in the tank to fend off late runs from Ministers Wild Cat, Ten Most Wanted and Winning Stripes.

Ocean Terrace covered a mile and a sixteenth over a "fast" track at Golden Gate in 1:42 1/5. He returned $11.60, $4.20 and $3.40 to his backers.

"We'll sit down and talk with Bob about our next race," said Shimmon, the colt's co-owner. "We're leaning toward the Santa Anita Derby (Grade I, Apr. 5). This race was incredibly important to us and he ran a bigger race than I thought he could."

In defeat, Irving and Marjorie Cowan's homebred Ministers Wild Cat ran a much more professional race than he did in the Golden State Mile, where he was rank early and ran greenly in the stretch. In the El Camino Real, he overcame the widest post of all to be beaten a length and a half for the win, and demonstrated that he has matured mentally.

"I thought it was a tremendous effort," said Ministers Wild Cat's jockey, Kent Desormeaux. "I think he improved 10 lengths from his last start. I like everything he did today. In the last race he was keen early and I had to tell him what to do. Today I only had to ask him. I was able to ride him with my fingertips. The winner is a very, very good horse. The top three horses can really run. I've ridden them all and I wish they could have stayed apart. But I'm really, really happy with my horse."

With the victory, Ocean Terrace improved his career record to a perfect three-for-three lifetime. The $110,000 winner's share of the El Camino Real purse increased the colt's lifetime earnings to $160,400.

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