McCarron Could Be Back Soon

Despite three cracked ribs, Chris McCarron might still try to ride Hello next Saturday in the $750,000 Santa Anita Derby.

McCarron’s agent, Scotty McClellan, said Sunday that McCarron, who was injured last Saturday in the $600,000 Jim Beam Stakes at Turfway Park, will see his physician today and that examination will determine when he might return to action.

“If the doctor gives Chris the O.K., he’ll come back as soon as possible,� McClellan said. “But if the doctor feels that the injury might hinder him when he rides, then he’d have to miss some time.�

Approaching the sixteenth pole in the Beam, McCarron’s mount, Inexcessivelygood, broke down. Several trailing horses narrowly missed McCarron, who was sprawled on the track. McCarron spent the night at a Cincinnati-area hospital and flew back to Los Angeles Sunday.

Robin Platts, who rode Air Cool in the Beam, saw Inexcessivelygood go down just in front of his horse.

“I was right on top of the fence, and [McCarron’s] horse was rolling,� Platts said. “If he moved one jump to the inside, I would have run right over him. I don’t know if [McCarron] heard me [yelling to stay down]. He stayed exactly still, and I went right by him. I was the first one by him.�

After McCarron broke a leg in a spill at Santa Anita in the fall of 1986, he returned from a lengthy layoff and rode Alysheba to victory in the 1987 Kentucky Derby.

“You have to realize that these guys are real tough,� said Dan Landers, an assistant to Ron McAnally, the trainer of Hello. “It takes a lot to get the best of them. Chris would like to ride our horse Saturday. We’ll wait to see what his doctor says.�

Inexcessivelygood suffered a compound fracture of the right front ankle and was given a lethal injection. The California-bred colt needed six races to break his maiden, but he had been second in his next two races and lost by only three-quarters of a length to Funontherun in the San Rafael at Santa Anita on March 2.

Bob Baffert, Inexcessivelygood’s trainer, found out last year how unpredictable the Triple Crown trail can be. With McCarron, Baffert won the Santa Anita Derby with Cavonnier, who was second in the Kentucky Derby and fourth in the Preakness before pulling up lame in the Belmont Stakes. Cavonnier hasn’t run since.

In an earlier race on the Jim Beam card, Baffert saddled Anet, a 3-year-old colt who ran 1 1/16 miles in 1:40 3/5 to break the Turfway record.

“You could see [Inexcessivelygood] digging in, trying to win,� Baffert said. “It cost him his life. This horse had so much heart. Things like this are just like getting hit by lightning. It started out to be a great day. It’s hard to get ahead of this game.�

Baffert will saddle Silver Charm, one of the favorites, in the Santa Anita Derby. Others expected to run are Sharp Cat, Free House, Bagshot, Hello, Classic Credential, Effect, Steel Ruhlr and Swiss Yodeler.

Besides Cavonnier, McCarron also won the Santa Anita Derby with Dinard, in 1991. He has ridden 15 times in the race and also has two seconds and three thirds. McCarron has won twice with Hello, the first two times he rode the European import, and then they finished third in the San Rafael.

Horse Racing Notes

According to his new agent, Don Pierce, jockey Pat Valenzuela plans to reapply for a jockey’s license this week. Valenzuela, who has a history of drug abuse, was arrested twice by Arcadia police last Oct. 31-Nov. 1 and charged with vandalism and being under the influence of a controlled substance. A pre-trial hearing about those charges is scheduled for late April. Valenzuela, once one of the leading riders on the Southern California circuit, hasn’t ridden since Oct. 24. Pierce said that he is in good shape, but weighs 120 pounds, which is about five pounds more than his usual riding weight. The California Horse Racing Board may have difficulty approving Valenzuela’s license application while the charges are still outstanding.

Lavender, winner of the La Habra on grass, won at 6 1/2 furlongs on dirt Sunday, capturing the $104,550 Santa Paula Stakes by 2 1/2 lengths. . . . The $4-million Dubai World Cup, postponed Saturday because of rain, will be run Thursday at 8:15 a.m., Pacific time. . . . Funontherun, who was no threat when he was eased to avoid the spill in the Jim Beam, will return to Santa Anita. The Kentucky Derby on May 3 is out, but trainer Mel Stute mentioned the Preakness, two weeks later, as a possibility. . . . Trainer Wayne Lukas’ Kentucky Derby possibilities are down to three: Sharp Cat, Wrightwood and Deeds Not Words. Wrightwood will run in the Blue Grass at Keeneland on April 12, the same day that Deeds Not Words, fourth Saturday in the Gotham, will run in the Wood Memorial at Aqueduct.