Delahoussaye Is in Derby Form

A savvy ride by Eddie Delahoussaye helped Tranquility Lake win Saturday’s $250,000 Santa Barbara Handicap at Santa Anita. Another ride like this two weeks from Saturday and maybe Delahoussaye will come home with another longshot winner in the Kentucky Derby.

“This is why we call Eddie ‘The Mind,’ ” trainer Julio Canani said after saddling Tranquility Lake for her 4 1/2-length win. “We thought we’d be . . . in second place early, but when La Madame didn’t go, Eddie took over. This is a very good filly who’s really grown up since her last race.”

Tranquility Lake’s last start was March 7, when she won an optional claiming race by five lengths. Since Canani took over her training from David Hofmans late last year, the filly has won two out of six starts, with two seconds and one third. The 1 1/4-mile Santa Barbara was Tranquility Lake’s first graded stakes win.

Virginie finished second, 1 1/4 lengths ahead of Midnight Line, with See You Soon, the 9-5 favorite, running fifth in the seven-horse field. Tranquility Lake, paying $13.40 as the fourth choice, was timed in 2:01, earning $150,000 for her owners, Marty and Pam Wygod.

“The first part was easy on her [a half-mile in 48 4/5 seconds], and she has so much stamina,” Delahoussaye said. “I couldn’t have asked for a more perfect plan. [La Madame] propped [balked at running] early on and lost her momentum. I heard [announcer Trevor Denman] say something about [Virginie] in the stretch, but by then I wasn’t worried.”

Delahoussaye will be at Churchill Downs Tuesday morning for his introduction to First American, his mount for the May 1 Derby. After running fifth in the Florida Derby at Gulfstream Park, First American won the Flamingo April 3 at Hialeah.

Delahoussaye, who won the Derby in successive years, with Gato Del Sol at 21-1 in 1982 and Sunny’s Halo at 5-2 in 1983, was approached by the trainers of two other horses to ride in this year’s race, but he decided on First American. His other options were Lemon Drop Kid, who was fifth in the Blue Grass Stakes at Keeneland, and Ecton Park, fourth in the Arkansas Derby at Oaklawn Park.

“They say that First American didn’t beat anybody in the Flamingo, and maybe that’s true,” Delahoussaye said. “But his time, if you pay any attention to times, was as good as General Challenge [winner of the Santa Anita Derby]. Gary [Stevens] told me he rode [First American] once at Gulfstream and got him in all kinds of trouble, but he still finished third. He ran better when they put blinkers on him in the Flamingo. So I put all these things together and decided that it was worth a shot. It’s a wide-open year.”

Only seven jockeys--led by Eddie Arcaro and Bill Hartack with five wins apiece--have won the Derby more than twice. Since his back-to-back victories, Delahoussaye has ridden in only six of the last 15 Derbies, his best finishes a second with Strodes Creek in 1994 and a third with Risen Star in 1988.

“A lot depends on how a horse likes the track at Churchill,” Delahoussaye said. “I’ll find out that about this horse on Tuesday.”

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General Challenge and Prime Timber, the 1-2 finishers in the Santa Anita Derby and possible first and second choices in the Kentucky Derby, had their first workouts at Churchill Downs Saturday. They both went five furlongs, with General Challenge finishing in 1:00 1/5 before galloping out another furlong in 1:12 1/5. Prime Timber worked in 1:00 3/5, galloping out in 1:13 2/5.

Dana Barnes, who rode both horses, said the track surface was better when General Challenge worked. He was on the track shortly after the mid-morning maintenance break, while Prime Timber worked after dozens of other horses had been over the track. Prime Timber worked in company with another horse from trainer Bob Baffert’s barn.

Horse Racing Notes

Wondertross, treated for colic after finishing sixth in the Blue Grass, is back at trainer Nick Zito’s barn, but won’t run in the Kentucky Derby. . . . The entry of Single Empire and Montjoy is the 8-5 morning-line favorite in today’s San Juan Capistrano Handicap. . . . In another stake at Santa Anita on Saturday, Naninja--at 11-1--won the San Simeon Handicap by a neck over Expressionist. Naninja, ridden by Chris McCarron and trained by Mike Mitchell, hadn’t run since suffering a tendon injury while finishing seventh in last year’s San Simeon. . . . At Golden Gate Fields, favored Stop Traffic, ridden by Corey Black for trainer Richard Mandella, won the $100,000 Soviet Problem Handicap by three lengths over Woodman’s Dancer.