Photo By: Jeremy Lyverse   Trainer Jeff Mullins (above), who is currently second in the trainer's standings at the ultra-competitive Santa Anita winter meet, conditions San Felipe Stakes (GII) winner Buddy Gil, the 5-2 second choice on the morning line for the Apr. 5 Santa Anita Derby (GI).

Deep Santa Anita Derby To Put Hazy West Coast 3-Year-Old Picture In Focus
By: John Gaver III

(Apr. 4, 2003) - A contentious field of nine colts and one gelding has been assembled for Saturday's 66th running of the $750,000 Santa Anita Derby (GI) and with high-profile sophomores such as Atswhatimtalknbout, Buddy Gil, Kafwain, Ocean Terrace, Ministers Wild Cat and Domestic Dispute in the mix, the outcome of the nine-furlong test should sharpen the nebulous Kentucky Derby (GI) picture that has been developing West of the Mississippi River.

The 9-5 morning line favorite for the Santa Anita Derby, despite his never having won a stakes race, is B. Wayne Hughes and Biscuit Stable LLC's Atswhatimtalknbout, a dark bay or brown A.P. Indy colt. The Ron Ellis trainee is coming off a visually impressive performance in the Grade II San Felipe Stakes - his black-type debut - where he hit his best stride too late in the final sixteenth of a mile and came up on the losing end of a tight photo finish.

The late-running colt's gallop-out after the San Felipe was actually more impressive than his quick turn of foot in deep stretch, as the colt was a good sixteenth of a mile ahead of the field as they were pulling up in the clubhouse turn .

The colt has his final major work for the Santa Anita Derby on Mar. 31, when he sizzled five furlongs in a sharp :58 4/5 under regular rider David Flores. Ellis schooled Atswhatimtalknbout in the paddock at Santa Anita on Apr. 4 and is satisfied the way his charge is coming up to the race.

"I took him back to the paddock (for schooling), he was real calm," Ellis said. "My rider says he's real happy. Another horse galloped up to him and he just stayed in front of him. Everything's on go right now."

The bay gelding Buddy Gil - a late nominee to the Visa Triple Crown on Mar. 31 for a fee of $6,000 - is out to garner respect from the general public in Saturday's race, as the gelded son of Eastern Echo overcame a troubled trip to win the San Felipe at odds of nearly 9-1, but it was Atswhatimtalknbout's whirlwind finish that everyone was talking about after the race.

Kentucky-bred Buddy Gil is a perfect two-for-two since he entered Jeff Mullins' barn earlier in the year, having not only won the San Felipe around two-turns on dirt, but also the Grade III Baldwin Stakes going 6 ½-furlongs on turf down the hill at Santa Anita. He is a consistent, hard-knocking colt who has only finished out of the money twice - both times over "off" main tracks - from eight lifetime starts.

"He's doing just as good as he was before," Mullins said on Apr. 2. "He's still right on the money, other than he's still gaining weight and feeling better. He's still training just as good as he ever was. He's tearing the barn down and hopefully he'll get a little better trip [than he did in the san Felipe]."

Trainer Bob Baffert has won the Santa Anita Anita Derby four times and will send a triumvirate of colts postward in this year's renewal of the race, highlighted by The Thoroughbred Corp.'s consistent Kafwain, who is coming off a second-place finish in the competitive Louisiana Derby (GII), only to be disqualified and placed last after excessive amounts of the bronchodilator Clenbuterol was detected in his system in a post-race urine test.

Kafwain has been very sharp in his morning works since the Louisiana Derby, evidenced by a smoking six-furlong work in a "bullet" 1:10 4/5 on Mar. 25, followed up by a five-furlong move in :59 3/5 six days later. The son of Cherokee Run will have the services of Santa Anita's current leading rider - Patrick Valenzuela - for the first time in Saturday's race.

"He worked very well," Valenzuela said of Kafwain's five-furlong drill on Mar. 31. "He passed a horse that was in front of him relatively easy, and he shows me he's a very good horse with a very good chance to win the Santa Anita Derby. I know he likes this race track (Kafwain is a perfect 2-for-2 in Arcadia, Calif.) and I love this race track, so let's get lucky."

Baffert will also tighten the elastics on Domestic Dispute, an overlaid 15-1 on the morning line, and Indian Express, who will be making his two-turn debut. Domestic Dispute, who was the beaten favorite in the San Felipe, will be ridden by Corey Nakatani for the first time and Indian Express figures to be on or near the early lead under jockey Tyler Baze stretching out to a mile and an eighth off a 6 ½-furlong race that was stepped off in a quick 1:15 1/5.

Undefeated Ocean Terrace, who has yet to be seriously tested in his three career starts, is bred top and bottom - he's by Saint Ballado out of a Black Tie Affair mare - to relish nine-furlongs on the main track, and he will get a ground-saving trip on the fence under jockey Kent Desormeaux, who chose this colt over fellow Santa Anita Derby entrant Ministers Wild Cat.

Ocean Terrace, who is owned by the Fog City Stable of Bill Bianco and David Shimmon, was in touch with a quick early pace in winning his most recent start, the Grade III El Camino Real Derby, and his trainer Bob Hess, Jr., figures his charge will on or near the early pace on Saturday.

"I think we have a great rider and an athletic horse," Hess, Jr. said. "We'll kind of let them run away from there and see how they position themselves. I think they'll [Ocean Terrace and Desormeaux] get in a great spot, whether it's on the lead or just off it."

Tight-lipped, Hall of Fame trainer Neil Drysdale has been talking, on the record, about the improvement Irving and Marjorie Cowan's blueblood colt Ministers Wild Cat has made - mentally - since his effort in the El Camino Real Derby, where he finished second, a length and a half off Ocean Terrace. The bay son of Deputy Minister and Hollywood Wildcat gets a new rider in Victor Espinoza, will be equipped with blinkers for the first time and has three public works under his belt since his last start - all the ingredients to run a big race. He merits lengthy consideration, especially if he goes off anywhere near his 10-1 morning line odds, which are high, but indicative of the depth of Saturday's field.

The field for the 66th Santa Anita Derby, from the rail out with riders and morning line odds is Ocean Terrace, Kent Desormeaux, 6-1; Indian Express, Tyler Baze, 30-1; Iron Lad, Mark Johnston, 50-1; Buddy Gil, Gary Stevens, 5-2; Ministers Wild Cat, Victor Espinoza, 10-1; Atswhatimtalknbout, David Flores, 9-5; Flirt With Fortune, Martin Pedroza, 30-1; Kafwain, Pat Valenzuela, 4-1; Logician, Jose Valdivia Jr., 15-1; and Domestic Dispute, Corey Nakatani, 15-1. All horses will carry 122 pounds.

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