Thoroughbred Beat

THOROUGHBRED BEAT

APRIL 27, 2006

by James Scully

Serpentine -- When his tail begins swishing, GLITTERNMEPORRIDGE (With

Approval) starts weaving. He did it in his first three starts, running

erratically through the stretch with his tail wagging wildly, and had to settle

for a pair of seconds and a fourth. The Richard Dutrow runner put on a real show

Saturday at Aqueduct, reaching the lead in upper stretch with Edgar Prado before

zig-zagging to the wire. Prado may have feared for his life as the

three-year-old gelding veered hard toward both the inner and outer rails through

the lane, but he held on and Glitternmeporridge did not give up the lead,

turning what would've been a daylight win into a 1 1/4-length decision.

Indian bargain -- She opened her career with four straight wins, three

over fellow New York-breds, but suffered a tough beat in her stakes bow,

finishing fifth by in the 2004 Alabama S. (G1). FLEET INDIAN (Indian Charlie)

didn't recover right away, turning in two-straight disappointing performances,

and went to the sidelines for nearly a year. She returned last fall and captured

two of her four starts, including a five-length tally over restricted rivals in

the Montauk H. at Aqueduct, and wrapped up her 2005 campaign with an allowance

win at Philadelphia Park. Fleet Indian passed through the Keeneland sales ring

in January, bringing $290,000, and she's already proven to be an outstanding

bargain for owner Paul Saylor. Making her first start back in the March 26 Next

Move H. (G3) for new trainer Todd Pletcher, the five-year-old mare drew off to

an easy one-length decision and earned a 109 BRIS Speed rating. In Saturday's

$250,000 Sixty Sails H. (G3), she crushed seven rivals, winning by 12 1/2

lengths and netting a 111 Speed number. Even more impressively, she completed 1

1/8 miles over the fast Hawthorne track in 1:49 1/5, more than three seconds

faster than the final time (1:52 2/5) in the National Jockey Club H. (G3) for

males two races earlier. Fleet Indian has already earned $213,720 this year, and

she's four-for-four at 1 1/8 miles in her career.

Baby races -- Steve Asmussen has captured six two-year-old races at

Keeneland. Since 2000, he's won at least 22 percent of his two-year-old starts,

with a 26 percent best in 2004, and has earned more than $7.45 million in

juvenile races during 2004 and 2005. Asmussen excels with the youngsters.

New agent time -- Garrett Gomez has replaced the injured John

Velazquez as the first-call rider for Todd Pletcher. Gomez abruptly left his

West Coast base and is riding at Keeneland/Churchill Downs before heading to New

York after the Kentucky Derby (G1). He'll ride first call until Velazquez

returns, but nobody knows when that will be or whether Gomez will return to

California at that point: the unusual arrangement has him picking up mounts from

Pletcher just for the time being. Gomez's business is going to pick up steam and

he could be the leading rider at Saratoga when Velazquez returns -- imagine if

that costs him the riding title in the final weeks of the meet. Gomez made

another move recently, canning his longtime agent Jim Pegram. Gomez was in jail

during 2003, battling alcohol and drug problems, and Pegram, who represented him

during that time, is credited with providing valuable support during the long

road back. Maybe I'm missing something, but does Gomez need to change agents? It

appears that he's gotten rid of the individual who stood by him when he was at

his lowest. He's now hired Jerry Bailey's former agent, Ron Anderson. What kind

a message does that send?

Closers -- How many horses in this year's Kentucky Derby field like to

race near the front? SINISTER MINISTER (Old Trieste), SHARP HUMOR (Distorted

Humor) and KEYED ENTRY (Honour and Glory) may wind up dueling through the

fastest opening half-mile in Kentucky Derby (G1) history, but where does that

leave the probable top four betting choices, BROTHER DEREK (Benchmark), LAWYER

RON (Langfuhr), BARBARO (Dynaformer) and SWEETNORTHERNSAINT (Sweetsouthernsaint)?

They all like to show the way or sit very close to the pace with their natural

speed, and none have had to make up much ground in a race this year. Sure,

there's been examples where all four of them have "rated," but there's a

difference between tracking the pace in second or third and actually having to

close ground from ninth or 10th. They're all candidates to stumble, because they

either resist being taken back for the first time or get burnt chasing the

speed. Late runners have a big edge in the Kentucky Derby when the early pace is

hot.

Below are the four fastest opening half-miles in Kentucky Derby history and

the running positions of the top four finishers at that split:

Year (half-mile split)		Winner's position after a half-mile		Runner-up		3rd placer		4th
2001 (:44 4/5)		13th		9th		5th		10th
2005 (:45 1/5)		18th		6th		11th		19th
1986 (:45 1/5)		16th		11th		6th		10th
1981 (:45 1/5)		16th		19th		12th		18th

Off-the-pace runners have dominated when speed-crazy sophomores run too fast

early in the Kentucky Derby. Every winner came from far back (at least 13th)

after the opening four furlongs, and at least three of the top four placings

have gone to horses ninth or worse at that point of the race. That doesn't bode

well for the favorites this year. Perhaps one or more of them can overcome the

adverse circumstances, but the short-priced horses look vulnerable if they don't

alter their running styles.