Ain't No Indian Ponies, Son

Sports cliché watch -- prepare to gag: Ready, here it comes…

Back in the day (go ahead, gag, aaaarrrrggggg, gag, snuffle, snark, gag, gag) when the noted trainer Charles Whittingham, he of the Hall of Fame, the “The Bald Eagle” moniker, the tough veneer that when you peeked inside got even tougher, used to spit before he’d speak of the disdain eastern horsemen would use in reference to their western counterparts. “Why,” the grizzled ex-Marine would opine, “those boys think we’re still runnin’ Indian ponies out here!”

Well, Sir Charles, there’s still some of that sentiment around, though not near as much as back when. Led by guys like you and horses like yours (let’s try Ferdinand and Sunday Silence), western horsemen have convinced all but the hardest of head and heart that a good horse is a good horse, be he taking his oats north, south, east or west (and let’s not forget Peru, right Tomcito fans).

Which is by way of saying don’t forget the western steeds in your Derby calculations, even though the flame is flickering low right now. The light in the western sky will sparkle plenty before the roses are draped. You can count on it.

Let’s give a look and see what we can see. Down for the count, alas, are the nifty Mandella pair of Crown of Thorns and Into Mischief. Let’s hope we get to see them later in the year. And, after a less than stellar showing up Bay Area way on the weekend, the once promising Coast Guard appears to have abandoned the Derby ship.

Rising up – if only slightly – are the one, two finishers in Bay Meadows’ El Camino Real Derby, Autism Awareness and Nikki’sgoldensteed. The former is a wonderful story of hope; a tale of a father fighting back for his son. It would be grand if he could make it to the Derby (he’s not eligible yet) and spread the word even more, but he’ll probably have to run well in something like the Santa Anita Derby to pick up enough in graded earnings to make the field. The other colt, who is trained by Bob Hess, Jr., also is light in the earnings column and needs to do some damage somewhere, somehow. Put them both down as loveable-but-unlikely.

Coming up --- this Saturday in fact – are a crew of hopefuls pointing for the $200K, 1 and 1-16th mile San Felipe at Santa Anita. Among them are (shhhh, don’t tell) six-furlong world record holder Bob Black Jack, San Pedro winner Gayego (he’s trained by Paulo Lobo, which translates to “look out he’s good”) and Georgie Boy, a three-time stakes winner with a veteran lady trainer who was described in a Daily Racing Form article as “Jack Van Berg with a bra.” When Kathy Walsh was told of that, she let out a big belly laugh.

The thing about those three horses is that nary a one of them has ever seen the likes of two turns in serious competition. It’s merely been gallop around two to this point, but Saturday they’ll be asked to run, sweat and run some more and only the strong shall survive.

A guy couldn’t be blamed for giving a stretch-out edge to the California-bred Georgie Boy, a son of the very fast Storm Cat stallion Tribal Rule. The fact that he’ll have the hottest rider in North America in the boot (that would be Rafael Bejarano) won’t hurt, but perhaps more importantly is the way he finished so strongly in his latest dash (San Vicente) and what Walsh has seen from her charge in the mornings.

“You never know until you run a horse two turns, there’s no doubt about it,” the trainer noted in Monday morning’s Santa Anita notes. “You certainly know one that’s rank to train, and kind of a head case, and this horse is anything but that. He relaxes and does everything right.

“…I think he’ll settle well (in the San Felipe) and indications are he wants to go long. Garret (Gomez, who was aboard the gelding for his tally in the Grade I Del Mar Futurity at seven eighths) seems to think he can make two turns.”

Saturday, Garrett, Kathy and a whole host of watchers will find out.

Joining our stretch-out crew for the journey will be a couple of allowance winners – Indian Sun and Signature Move – that very much need to make their presence felt if they are to continue on the Derby trail, along with a Frenchman named Shediak making his stateside bow. Chalk the San Felipe up as interesting, indeed, and likely very telling for more than a few. Run on and a couple of Derbies (as in SA and KY) might be in your future. Run out of gas and expect your folks to be talking about how the Breeders’ Cup Sprint will be held at Santa Anita these next two years.

And all this is not to even mentioning the two heavy hitters who hang their hats on western shed rows, Colonel John and El Gato Malo. The SA Derby is on their radar for sure. The KY one still looms.

(And, real quite now, don’t dare tell anyone about Yankee Bravo, who snuck down to New Orleans, grabbed a handful of crawfish, and beat it back west before the locals could shout. Bravo might be the right phrase for him when that SA Derby comes around.)

So, Mr. Whittingham, sweet dreams to you tonight. There are still a few of those Indian ponies out on the reservations. But a man would have to drive a long way from the racetrack to see them run.