The Kentucky Derby trail sweeps through Maryland today as Millions, a budding star at 2, makes his long-awaited debut as a 3-year-old in the $50,000 Private Terms Stakes at Laurel Park.
His trainer, the East Baltimore native Leon Blusiewicz, will know in about 1 minute, 50 seconds -- the time it takes Millions to run 1 1/8 miles -- whether his strategy of the past four months was correct. Millions hasn't raced since Nov. 28 when he finished second in the Remsen Stakes at Aqueduct.
Instead of shipping the son of Dehere to Florida for the traditional winter East Coast preps, Blusiewicz sent Millions to a training center in South Carolina. As the top Derby contenders butted heads in Florida and California, Blusiewicz prepared Millions for a minor March stakes at Laurel Park.
That stakes, the Herat, took place three weeks ago -- without Millions. He had spiked a fever in South Carolina and missed a key workout, forcing Blusiewicz to postpone his 1999 debut until today and schedule his second start in two weeks in the Wood Memorial Stakes at Aqueduct.
With the Kentucky Derby five weeks away, there is no room for error.
"I've got to win both races before I'll run in the Derby," Blusiewicz said. "I'm going to let him take me to the Derby. I'm not going to take him."
Blusiewicz said he is confident that Millions, ranked 17th among Derby contenders by the Daily Racing Form, will run authoritatively in the Private Terms. Millions has breezed five, five, six and seven furlongs in each of the past four weeks.
Last Saturday, between the first and second races at Laurel Park, he worked seven furlongs in 1: 26. He drifted wide around the turn and down the homestretch, a tendency that sometimes indicates a physical problem.
"Everybody thinks right away something's wrong," Blusiewicz said. "Nothing's wrong with him. He was looking for a partner, looking for a horse to work with, that's all."
Blusiewicz, 67, owns Millions with his long-time friend Clayton Peters, who also grew up in East Baltimore. After a lengthy career in the steel business, Peters, 64, founded Peters' Pallets 10 years ago. Based in Towson, his company sells wooden pallets and skids.
Three hours before Millions begins his season, eight other 3-year-olds, including several with Derby potential, clash in the $750,000 Gallery Furniture.com Stakes at Turfway Park. Formerly the Jim Beam Stakes, the race is sponsored by Jim McIngvale, who owns the Texas-based Gallery Furniture company. The race will be shown on ABC beginning at 2 p.m.
The undefeated Straight Man is the early 8-5 favorite. After winning his maiden race and then an allowance race at Santa Anita Park, Straight Man might be a vulnerable favorite -- just as the highly touted California shippers General Challenge and Apremont were in the Louisiana Derby and Gotham Stakes, respectively. Both were odds-on and lost.
Yet Bob Baffert, who trains Straight Man, is apparently signaling his confidence by flying back from Dubai before the World Cup to saddle the Saint Ballado colt. The Baffert-trained Silver Charm competes tomorrow in the $5 million Dubai World Cup. Beverly and Bob Lewis own both horses.
Straight Man's main threat may be K One King, runaway winner of two straight stakes at Turfway Park, and Epic Honor, winner of two consecutive stakes in northern California. In addition, Aly's Alley and The Groom Is Red, two promising 3-year-olds who foundered in Florida, will attempt to revive their Kentucky Derby hopes. Edgar Prado, who rode Aly's Alley in his past three starts, will remain in Maryland to ride Millions.
Finally, the astonishing time of Worldly Manner in last weekend's trial race at Dubai's Nad Al Sheba Racecourse -- a reported 1: 46 2/5 seconds for 1 1/8 miles -- has come under attack.
Gary West, turf writer for the Dallas Morning News, said the time was simply unbelievable. It was 22 lengths faster than Vicar's Florida Derby, and two lengths quicker than the fastest Florida Derby ever run.
Or else, West reported, Worldly Manner is the greatest horse since Secretariat.
Pub Date: 3/27/99