NEWS
Santa Anita Derby preview: Filly Surfside takes on the boys
Posted: Friday, April 07, 2000
Overbrook Farm's Surfside, the only filly considered a major candidate to the Kentucky Derby (G1), will compete against five of this year's top colts in the $1-million Santa Anita Derby (G1) on Saturday at Santa Anita Park.
The D. Wayne Lukas-trained daughter of 1977 Triple Crown winner Seattle Slew and '94 champion juvenile filly Flanders will receive five pounds from her rivals. She has won four consecutive starts since finishing a troubled third in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies (G1) last fall at Gulfstream Park, including the Santa Anita Oaks (G1) and the Las Virgenes (G1) and Hollywood Starlet (G1) Stakes. Pat Day is named aboard Surfside, who has been assigned morning-line odds of 6-to-1.
Undefeated War Chant, bred and owned by Marjorie and Irving Cowan, has been name dthe morning-line favorite at 9-to-5 as he moves up to Grade 1 company. In his stakes debut, the San Rafael Stakes (G2) on March 4, he recorded a half-length victory over Archer City Slew for trainer Neil Drysdale. Jerry Bailey takes over from Kent Desormeaux in the Santa Anita Derby; Desormeaux retains the mount on Drysdale's other leading Derby candidate, Fusaichi Pegasus, who is scheduled to start in the Wood Memorial Stakes (G2) on April 15 at Aqueduct.
The stellar field also includes Anees, Captain Steve, and The Deputy (Ire). Anees, last year's champion juvenile colt and Breeders' Cup Juvenile (G1) winner, finished third in the San Felipe Stakes (G2) at Santa Anita on March 19 in his three-year-old debut. Captain Steve won three graded stakes last year, including the Hollywood Futurity (G1), but has finished third in the Louisiana Derby (G2) and Santa Catalina Stakes (G2) in his only two starts this year. The Deputy won the Santa Catalina and followed that up with a second-place finish in the San Felipe.
The field, in post-position order, with jockey, weights, and morning-line odds:
1. Surfside, Pat Day, 115, 6-to-1;
2. Captain Steve, Robby Albarado, 120, 8-to-1;
3. Anees, Corey Nakatani, 120, 4 to 1;
4. War Chant, Jerry Bailey, 120, 9-to-5;
5. The Deputy (Ire), Chris McCarron, 120, 2–to-1; and
6. Cocky, Alex Solis, 120, 8-to-1.
