Frankel Holds All The Derby Day Aces

(Apr. 14, 2003) - Hall of Fame trainer Robert Frankel’s hand is bulging with aces and even the most poker-faced player at the Visa Triple Crown and $5-million Visa Triple Crown table would have trouble hiding that fact.

Frankel’s EMPIRE MAKER and PEACE RULES swept the weekend’s two most competitive Kentucky Derby preps to send Frankel on to the Kentucky Derby, the first jewel in Thoroughbred racing’s Visa Triple Crown, with what most likely will be the two favorites in the 1 1/4-mile classic on May 3 at Churchill Downs.

EMPIRE MAKER won Aqueduct’s Wood Memorial Saturday and PEACE RULES captured Keeneland’s Blue Grass Stakes, both Grade I events at 1 1/8 miles. EMPIRE MAKER’s win came with a half-length to spare and PEACE RULES held a 3 1/2-length bulge over his closest rival. The closeness of the Wood meant the win was accomplished the way Frankel wanted it - without pushing the son of 1990 Derby winner Unbridled anywhere close to his limits.

It took 55-1 shot SIR CHEROKEE to shake up the weekend a bit when he flew down the stretch at Oaklawn Park to capture the Grade II Arkansas Derby by a length and three-quarters. SIR CHEROKEE, who is stabled at Churchill Downs’ Trackside training facility, is expected to join the Frankel pair in the Derby starting gate.

A field of 18-to-20 could be shaping up for the Derby, including Wood and Blue Grass runners-up FUNNY CIDE and BRANCUSI and third-place Blue Grass finisher OFFLEE WILD. The jury remains out on third- and fourth-place Wood finishers KISSIN SAINT and NEW YORK HERO, both of whom finished far behind the first two.

EUGENE’S THIRD SON, who finished second in the Arkansas Derby, appears most likely to pass the Derby and head for the Preakness Stakes on May 17, but trainer Patrick Byrne says he will reserve the right to tackle the Derby "if it starts falling apart in the next two weeks," meaning if some of the major players fall by the wayside.

The top three finishers from the Grade I Santa Anita Derby - winner BUDDY GIL, runner-up INDIAN EXPRESS and third-place KAFWAIN - are expected in Kentucky on Tuesday, Apr. 15 on a flight from Southern California.

ATSWHATAIMTALKNBOUT, who ran fourth in the Santa Anita Derby, has been at Churchill Downs since early last week and has been reported as settling in well.

Also expected to tackle the Derby are the top two finishers in the Illinois Derby - TEN MOST WANTED, who already has joined a string of Wallace Dollase-trained horses at Keeneland, and FUND OF FUNDS, who returned to the New York barn of trainer Richard Violette Jr. following the Hawthorne race.

Still in the Derby mix are MINISTERS WILD CAT and OCEAN TERRACE, who are scheduled to run in Saturday’s (Apr. 19) Coolmore Lexington Stakes (GII) at Keeneland; and SUPAH BLITZ, second in the Aventura Stakes.

Those who appeared to have fallen by the wayside Saturday - though nothing is certain when it comes to a possible run in the Kentucky Derby - include ARISTOCAT, GREAT NOTION, INDY DANCER, LION TAMER, MAN AMONG MEN, SENOR SWINGER and TEN CENTS A SHINE.

Joining the Lexington Stakes as this weekend’s schedule of final preps for the Derby is Pimlico Race Course’s Federico Tesio Stakes. However, the Tesio seldom provides a Derby runner, acting more often as a prep for that track’s Preakness Stakes, the second jewel in the Visa Triple Crown.

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