Derby Updates

MIDWEST/LAWYER RON STILL UNBEATEN ON DIRT WITH SOUTHWEST WIN - Lawyer Ron paid respects to late owner James T. Hines Jr. Saturday as he led from the start to score a three-quarter length victory in the $250,000 Southwest Stakes at Oaklawn Park.

Hines’ daughter, Laine Nunn, was among those watching as Lawyer Ron scored his latest victory on the day after her father’s funeral. The homebred son of Langfuhr remained unbeaten on the dirt as he held off Robert and Lawana Low’s Steppenwolfer to collect his fourth consecutive win and his fifth win in as many starts on the dirt. Regular jockey John McKee was in the irons.

Veteran Robert Holthus trains the winner and also saddled the late-charging third-place finisher Red Raymond. The highly regarded Music School rallied on the far turn, but flattened out to finish fourth in his stakes debut.

Lawyer Ron is now campaigned for the Hines estate with Lawyer Ron’s namesake, attorney Ron Bamberger, as executor. Hines, an Owensboro, Ky. businessman, was found dead at his home on Feb. 21.

Holthus won the Southwest for the second consecutive year and the fifth time overall as Lawyer Ron covered the one-mile distance on a “fast” track in 1:40.

Lawyer Ron, the 1-2 favorite, came into the race off an 8 ¼-length romp in the Risen Star (Grade III) at the Fair Grounds at Louisiana Downs. The winner’s share of the purse raised his career earnings to $440,008 from 12 starts. Lawyer Ron, Steppenwolfer and Red Raymond are expected to point toward the $300,000 Rebel (GIII) at Oaklawn on March 18. Trainer Neil Howard said he would consider his options for the lightly raced Music School, who lost for the first time in three career races.

The Rebel is Oaklawn’s major prep for its signature 3-year-old event, the Arkansas Derby (GII) on April 15.

Former Claimer Urban Guy Follows Afleet Alex’s Footsteps in Mountain Valley - Trainer Tim Ritchey used last year’s Mountain Valley as an unlikely season debut for 2005 3-year-old champion Afleet Alex, and Saturday he saddled Greg Warren’s Urban Guy to win the six furlong race for a second consecutive year.

Urban Guy stalked the pace and then drew clear for a 5 ¼-length win under jockey Robby Albarado.

While Afleet Alex came into his 2005 debut off one the top 2-year-old campaigns the previous year, Urban Guy was winless in his first three attempts for trainer Alan Goldberg before Ritchey claimed the son of Marquetry for $40,000 in a race that marked the colt’s first career win. Ritchey promptly stepped Urban Guy up in class, winning an allowance at Delaware Park before turning in runner-up finishes in the Huntington at Aqueduct and the Dixieland in his previous start at Oaklawn Park.

WEST/DECHERD DISAPPOINTS AS INDY WILDCAT WINS BORDERLAND - Indy Wildcat, trained and owned in partnership by Paula Capestro, found a nice spot for his first career victory as he scored an upset in Sunday’s $100,000 Borderland Derby at New Mexico’s Sunland Park.

The son of A.P. Indy rallied between rivals under jockey Michael Baze to win by a head, while Wait in Line and Disappearing Trick finished second and third, respectively. Mike McCarty’s heavily favored Doctor Decherd, winner of the Aventura Stakes at Gulfstream Park, finished a disappointing eighth for trainer Steve Asmussen.

Indy Wildcat edged Wait in Line, whose chances may have been compromised when jockey Alfredo Juarez, Jr. lost his whip in deep stretch. The winner covered the mile and a sixteenth in 1:44.82 as he won for the first time in four races. His earlier losses had come in maiden company at Hollywood Park and at Santa Anita.

David Lanzman Racing Stable’s Plagiarist, a Santa Anita shipper and the second choice in the Borderland Derby, was compromised by a poor trip and finished ninth.

The Borderland Derby is a prep for Sunland Park’s $600,000 WinStar Derby on April 1.

Latent Heat Ready for Santa Catalina - Juddmonte Farm’s impressive maiden winner Latent Heat turned has turned in his final major work for his stakes debut in Saturday’s Santa Catalina (GII) at Santa Anita.

The son of Maria’s Mon worked five furlongs on Sunday for trainer Bobby Frankel in 1:02.

Latent Heat finished second in his debut on Santa Anita’s opening day in a extremely strong maiden race that yielded subsequent winners Point Determined, Mister Triester and Paddy Murphy.

Latent Heat followed that race with a sharp 2 ¾-length maiden win on Jan. 21 in which his rivals included Indy Wildcat, who returned to score an upset win in Sunday’s Borderland Derby at Sunland Park.

Frankel’s colt will face an entirely new level of competition in the Santa Catalina as the field is expected to include by Cecil Peacock’s Brother Derek, winner of the Hollywood Futurity (GI) and San Rafael (GIII). The California-bred son of Benchmark is regarded as the top Kentucky Derby contender on the West Coast following an injury to 2005 juvenile champion Stevie Wonderboy that knocked that colt off of the Kentucky Derby trail.

Others considered possible at this point for Saturday’s race are Blazing Sunset, Niagara Causeway and Hawkinsville.

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