Columnist Ralph Siraco: Baffert's 1-2 punch gives him shot at history

Ralph Siraco's horse racing column appears Monday. His Southern California selections appear Tuesday through Friday on the scoreboard page. Write to him c /o Las Vegas Sun, 800 S. Valley View, Las Vegas NV 89107.

Farsighted people and this year's Kentucky Derby have one thing in common. The closer it gets, the less focused it becomes.

There are fewer than four weeks left until the field for this year's Kentucky Derby walks into the starting gate at Churchill Downs, and getting into one of the 20 stalls there may be tougher than getting a seat at a Rolling Stones concert.

No less than 26 Derby prep races since mid-January have been run at racetracks throughout the country, and only one horse has won more than one of the stepping-stone events. His name is Vicar, and the pair of victories under his belt are the Fountain Of Youth Stakes and the Florida Derby run at Gulfstream Park this winter.

The most recent two "eliminations" run on Saturday provided yet another chance to catch the Derby fever that is already at epidemic proportions.

The most important West Coast Kentucky Derby prep -- the Santa Anita Derby -- and the less prestigious Flamingo Stakes in Florida highlighted the latest Derby rush and added at least three to the growing number of steeds headed for Louisville on the first Saturday in May.

If the dash for Derby favoritism isn't already wide open enough, it's this year's sophomore fillies who have provided the most consistency. While only one, Three Ring, appears to be heading for a clash with the boys, it's the Kentucky Oaks on the Friday before the Derby that may hold the most intriguing showdown.

While trainer Bob Baffert is certainly positioned well for a record third consecutive Kentucky Derby victory after Saturday's Santa Anita Derby outcome, the silver-haired conditioner is also holding aces for the Kentucky Oaks following recent performances by his division-leading contingent of fillies.

On Saturday, March 27, Baffert traveled halfway around the world to saddle Derby hopeful Straight Man for the Gallery Furniture.com Stakes only to watch his horse slow the pace down and come up empty while finishing out of the money. Then the following morning, from the States, he watched his 1997 Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes winner Silver Charm finish up the track in the $5 million Dubai World Cup.

But by Friday Baffert was back in form with his ladies as Excellent Meeting won the Fantasy Stakes at Oaklawn Park, passing her opposition on the final turn as though they had turned to stone.

On Saturday, while waiting to saddle his pair of Derby contenders in Arcadia, Baffert watched his Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies winner, Silverbulletday, continue her winning ways as a 3-year-old in the prestigious Ashland Stakes at Keeneland. The Eclipse Award winner disposed of her competition with the same ease her stablemate did the day before in scoring over a muddy track for the second consecutive time this year. Jockey Jerry Bailey was so impressed with his partner that he compared her to Cigar, another champion he had the privilege to ride.

So by the time the Santa Anita Derby had rolled around, Baffert was back in the zone.

In the last ten years the Santa Anita Derby has been the most productive Kentucky Derby prep anywhere in the country.

The Santa Anita Derby was the pivotal race for Baffert's pair of Derby winners and was also the stepping-stone race for his near-miss 1996 Kentucky Derby runner-up Cavonnier. Silver Charm, while finishing second, used the Arcadia version to set up his Kentucky Derby victory and Triple Crown run of 1997. Last year, Real Quiet finished second in the Santa Anita Derby to Indian Charlie -- also a Baffert trainee -- and used that as a springboard for Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes victories.

On Saturday, Baffert sent out General Challenge and Prime Timber. The field was deep and the trainer knew he needed top performances by his runners to repeat his past Santa Anita Derby successes.

Jockey Gary Stevens, who rides first-call for Baffert, sensed a soft pace by front-running High Wire Act and jockey Chris McCarron. Stevens sent General Challenge after the leader with a half-mile left, and that move for was all it took to take down the winner's share of the $750,000 race.

Prime Timber rallied from his early fifth-place position to take second but was never a threat to his stablemate, with Desert Hero third.

Earlier in the day, First American won the Flamingo Stakes and immediately became a Kentucky Derby starter. Although he finished off the board against Vicar in his previous start -- the Florida Derby -- the Flamingo victory was enough to give his owners Derby fever.

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