Thursday, May 02, 2002
Derby Notebook: Stevens upgrades ride with Johannesburg
By Neil Schmidt nschmidt@enquirer.com
The Cincinnati Enquirer
LOUISVILLE — When he woke up Wednesday morning, Hall of Fame jockey Gary Stevens didn't know which Kentucky Derby horse he would ride.
It paid to wait. He had committed to ride Sunday Break, who didn't end up making the field, and a saddle was waiting for him aboard co-fourth choice Johannesburg (6-1 odds).
“I'm pretty excited about the way it turned out,” Stevens said.
Johannesburg, the reigning 2-year-old champion, has been trained exclusively in Ireland and had run just one race since October. Regular jockey Michael Kinane was suspended two weeks ago for rough riding, and the final day of his ban is Saturday.
An appeal of the punishment came up empty. Stevens, a three- time Derby winner, came aboard.
“With the turn of events the last two weeks, with Sunday Break out and Kinane getting the suspension, those are the ways Derbys are won,” Stevens said.
He likened it to 1995, when he had committed to ride Larry the Legend. That colt was hurt shortly before the Derby.
“I got the phone call to ride Thunder Gulch and wound up in the winner's circle,” Stevens said. “I'm a believer.”
LAST ONE OUT: Wednesday morning, Steve Asmussen had two Derby horses. Then he had the rug pulled out from under one of them.
Windward Passage was bounced from the projected field when the Bob Baffert-trained Danthebluegrassman was entered at the last minute. When more than the maximum of 20 horses try to enter, the field is determined by graded-stakes earnings, and Baffert's late entry bumped Windward Passage to No.21.
“I was that close to having (another) one, and now I don't,” Asmussen said. Of Barry Irwin, leader of the Team Valor group that owns Windward Passage, he said, “There's no way in the world he shouldn't feel extremely disappointed.”
Four horses who wanted to enter couldn't: Windward Pas sage ($100,000 in earnings), USS Tinosa ($83,750), Sunday Break ($82,500) and Straight Gin ($52,500). Danthebluegrassman's earnings of $108,750 ranked 18th.
Windward Passage tied Wild Horses for the 20th-most earnings. The tiebreaker is earnings in unrestricted stakes races: Wild Horses had $20,000, Windward Passage $7,500.
Asmussen's lone Derby horse is Private Emblem, who tied for the sixth-most earnings at $300,000.
OAKS ODDS: Take Charge Lady, owned by Jerry and Feye Bach of Indian Hill, is the 2-1 morning line favorite for Friday's Kentucky Oaks, the 1í-mile race for fillies. The horses and odds, in order of post position:
1. Farda Amiga, 30-1; 2. Habibti, 6-1; 3. Take The Cake, 15-1; 4. You, 7-2; 5. Ms Brookski, 30-1; 6. Bella Bellucci, 3-1; 7. Imperial Gesture, 4-1; 8. Art Fair, 50-1; 9. Take Charge Lady, 2-1; 10. Ile De France, 30-1.
BOSS ISN'T BOSSY: George Steinbrenner's reputation as a hands-on owner apparently doesn't carry over to the racetrack. Bill Mott, who trains Steinbrenner's Blue Burner, said he was allowed to make his own decision about whether to enter the horse.
“I give him input, then he gives me just enough rope to hang myself,” Mott said, laughing.
Mott felt the horse's fifth-place finish in the Wood Memorial was mostly the result of a bad trip, so he felt confident enough to start Blue Burner in the Derby.
SECRET STALLIONS: Irish colts Johannesburg and Castle Godolpho arrived in Lexington from Ireland on Tuesday evening. The Aiden O'Brien-trained duo were to be quarantined at Keeneland for at least 48 hours after arriving. O'Brien said the colts will stay in Lexington until Saturday morning.
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Derby Notebook: Stevens upgrades ride with Johannesburg
