Thoroughbred Beat

THOROUGHBRED BEAT

APRIL 6, 2006

by James Scully

Wood -- The Wood Memorial (G1) is the first of three major preps Saturday and

the 1 1/8-mile contest established Bellamy Road (Concerto) as the Kentucky Derby

(G1) favorite last year when he romped by 17 1/2 lengths. This year's event

looks much more wide open with four main contenders in BOB AND JOHN (Seeking the

Gold), DEPUTY GLITTERS (Deputy Commander), KEYED ENTRY (Honour and Glory)

and SHOWING UP (Strategic Mission). The first three are all graded stakes

winners this year, and the unbeaten Showing Up will make his stakes bow off a

smashing 2 1/2-length allowance score at Gulfstream Park that netted him a 107

BRIS Speed rating. Despite winning the Tampa Bay Derby (G3) in impressive

fashion last out, Deputy Glitters figures to be overlooked versus more highly

regarded rivals on Saturday. He earned a 106 Speed rating last time and has been

a different horse since stretching out to two turns.

Great Race Place -- BROTHER DEREK (Benchmark) has scared off the

opposition in Saturday's Santa Anita Derby (G1). Only five rivals will show up

to face the early Kentucky Derby favorite, and the California-bred looks like

the lone speed. He will at least have a couple of nice three-year-olds chasing

him in A. P. WARRIOR (A.P. Indy) and POINT DETERMINED (Point Given), and I'll be

looking for strong showings from the probable also-rans. The Santa Anita Derby

has produced 14 Kentucky Derby winners, and the last four -- Giacomo,

Charismatic, Real Quiet and Silver Charm -- all got beat.

Illinois -- CAUSE TO BELIEVE (Maria's Mon) is the only graded winner in the

nine-furlong Illinois Derby (G2) lineup but has yet to be seriously tested. The

El Camino Real Derby (G3) winner is bred to handle longer distances, but he

thrived in sprints at two and opened his 2006 campaign in the six-furlong San

Miguel S. Cause to Believe has never been past 1 1/16 miles, and I'll let the

one-run closer beat me at Hawthorne. California invaders RACKETEER (Awesome

Again) and MISTER TRIESTER (Old Trieste) are both interesting candidates.

Racketeer made his stakes bow with a close fourth in the San Felipe S. (G2) and

appears to own a big upside for trainer Bobby Frankel. Mister Triester, who

finished fourth to Brother Derek in the Santa Catalina S. (G2) after breaking

his maiden two back, is a speed threat for trainer Warren Stute.

Strategy -- Michael Matz's strategy to keep BARBARO (Dynaformer) fresh in

preparation for the Kentucky Derby makes sense because the conditioner has

options. He wasn't sure if the dirt would work out for his superb turf

performer and probably didn't want to jeopardize the colt's chances of returning

to the grass this summer. If Barbaro wins the Kentucky Derby, Matz will be hailed

for doing the seemingly impossible (one prep race in 13 weeks). If Barbaro

doesn't fire at Churchill Downs, we can chalk it up to him being a turf horse

and may never see him race on the main track again. Matz doesn't lose either way

if Barbaro remains healthy.

Ridiculous -- Why did John Servis raise a stink regarding weights in

Saturday's Apple Blossom H. (G1)? He didn't just state his unhappiness, he

slammed Oaklawn Park officials. If Servis couldn't live with ROUND POND's (Awesome

Again) assignment (a whopping 119 pounds), he could've bypassed the event without

insult and everybody would've dealt with the situation. Instead, Servis went

into a ridiculous diatribe about how STAR PARADE (Arg) (Parade Marshal) (who

received 117 pounds) deserved more weight than Round Pond. That's fine if he

believes it, but it doesn't make any sense to the rest of us because Star Parade isn't in the same class with

Round Pond or HAPPY TICKET (Anet). Star Parade ended a nine-race losing streak

recently, the other two are top contenders for this year's Eclipse Award.

Oaklawn's racing secretary would've looked like an imbecile making Star

Parade the highweight. Happy Ticket had to give Round Pond six pounds last

time in the Azeri Breeders' Cup S. (G3). Did trainer Andrew Leggio

Jr. ever complain or threaten not to run Happy Ticket? No, he handled the situation with class,

much to the delight of Thoroughbred racing fans everywhere. Servis acted in a different manner this week,

and we'll all feel cheated if Round Pond doesn't run Saturday.