Pletcher Has Three in Line for Derby

No trainer -- not even Wayne Lukas, his former mentor -- marched on the Kentucky Derby the way Todd Pletcher did in 2000. At 32, Pletcher started four horses in his first Derby.

His best finishers from that quartet were Impeachment and More Than Ready, who ran third and fourth, and Pletcher has been back every year since. The closest he has come, out of seven starters, was when Invisible Ink, a 55-1 shot, ran second to Monarchos in 2001.

This year, with the May 3 Derby only six weeks away, Pletcher is again dealing in multiples. He’ll saddle Lion Tamer, the 6-5 favorite in today’s $500,000 Lane’s End Stakes at Turfway Park, and in the wings are Indy Dancer and Aristocat, who were roughed up in their last starts but will get another chance in Derby preps in New York and Kentucky on April 12.

Lion Tamer, who has run only four times, never farther than seven furlongs, gets his first two-turn test in the 1 1/8-mile Lane’s End, which when it was called the Jim Beam produced the Kentucky Derby winner Lil E. Tee in 1992.

Lion Tamer, who is such a slight horse that Pletcher says he’s built more like a filly than a colt, made his stakes debut in the Hutcheson at Gulfstream Park five weeks ago and won by six lengths. When Pletcher talks about the colt, he seems more concerned about the Triple Crown grind -- three races at 1 3/16 miles to 1 1/2 miles in five weeks -- than he is the Derby alone.

“My biggest worry is what will happen down the road,” Pletcher said, “when we want to start crunching all those races together.”

Lion Tamer is owned by Michael Tabor, who won the Derby with the Lukas-trained Thunder Gulch in 1995. Pletcher worked closely with Thunder Gulch as a Lukas assistant and less than a year after that Derby saddled his first winner with his own stable.

Eight other horses are entered in the Jim Beam, and Lion Tamer’s biggest threat is Champali, whose last three races -- all wins -- have come at Turfway. Overall, Champali has won six of seven starts, his only loss a fifth-place finish as a 2-year-old in the Kentucky Jockey Club at Churchill Downs. Named after the former heavyweight champion, the horse’s name is pronounced “Champ Ali.”

Pletcher won the Turfway race in 2001 with Balto Star, who then ran 14th in the Derby. Balto Star was a son of Glitterman, who also sired Champali. The others in the Lane’s End field are Saintly Look, Lots Of Sizzle, Ozzie Cat, Wendlar, New York Hero, Chicken Soup Kid and Eugene’s Third Son. Lion Tamer drew the outside post. He’ll be ridden by John Velazquez, who has been aboard in all his races. Jason Lumpkins rides Champali.

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Victor Espinoza, who won last year’s Kentucky Derby with War Emblem for trainer Bob Baffert, will be replaced -- perhaps by Pat Valenzuela -- when the Baffert-trained Kafwain runs in the Santa Anita Derby on April 5. Espinoza has moved on to Ministers Wild Cat, who will also run in the Santa Anita Derby. The mount on Ministers Wild Cat opened up when Kent Desormeaux elected to ride Ocean Terrace. Undefeated in three starts, Ocean Terrace beat Ministers Wild Cat by 1 1/2 lengths in the El Camino Real Derby at Golden Gate Fields and is also expected to run at Santa Anita.