Sinister
Minister Wins the 82nd Running of the Blue Grass Stakes The
Toyota Blue Grass Stakes, was run on Saturday, April 15th at Keeneland, in Lexington,
Kentucky. The fourth choice in the betting, Sinister Minister (Old Trieste - Sweet
Minister by The Prime Minister) led from flag fall to that's all, to
take the winners share of $465,000 for co-owners the Lanni Family
Trust (J. Terrence Lanni), Mercedes Stable,LLC (Ernie Moody) and Bernard C. Schiappa.
(Sinister Minister and Garrett Gomez alone in the lead at the head of the stretch.)
Ridden
by Garret Gomez and trained by Bob Baffert, Sinister Minister had never run off
the west coast in his four previous starts and had been trained in his first two
starts by Rafael Becerra. He broke his maiden in his second start at Santa Anita
on the twentieth of January of this year. He then moved to Bob Baffert's barn
and ran an unimpressive sixth, beaten nineteen lengths, in the San Vincente, a
Grade 2, also at Santa Anita.
On March 11th, he ran second to Cause To
Believe, beaten four lengths at  Golden
Gate, in northern Californiain, in the 1 1/16 mile California Derby. Keeneland
has a speed bias on the main track. Gomez and Sinister Minister set a very fast
pace (22.91; 45.88; 109.94; 1:35.45 and 148.85) and won as they pleased. (Storm
Treasure and Mark Guidry who finished second are pictured at the left in the post
parade.)
The pre-race favorites Bluegrass Cat and First Samurai basically
never raised a gallop and finished off the board in fourth and fifth place respectively.
Bluegrass Cat was beaten 21 1/4 lengths by Sinister Minister who won by 12 3/4
lenghts from the 65 -1 Storm Treasure, ridden by Mark Guidry, and the co-second
favorite Strong Contender, who placed third under Edgar Prado.
The only
formful part about the surprising Blue Grass result was that speed
held up. Now Sinister Minister will be in the top six or seven most favored Derby
runners and will give Bob Baffert three legitamate Derby contenders.
(Strong Contender and Edgar Prado, who finished third, are pictured at the right
in the post parade.) Among
the favorites for the May 6th Kentucky Derby will be: Barbaro,
The Florida Derby winner, trained by Michael Matz, a former Show Jumping
Olympian for the United States, ridden by Edgar Prado. Bob
and John, the Wood Memorial Winner, trained by Bob Baffert, ridden
by Garrett Gomez . Brother
Derek, the Santa Anita Derby winner and favorite for the Kentucky Derby, trained
by Dan Hendricks and ridden by Alex Solis.
Lawyer Ron,
the Arkansas Derby winner, trained by Bob Holthus and ridden by John
McKee. Point
Determined, second in the Santa Anita Derby, trained by Bob Baffert
and ridden by Rafael Bejarano.
Sinister Minister, the Blue
Grass Winner, trained by Bob Baffert and ridden by Garrett Gomez. (Obviously
Gomez cannot ride both Bob and John and Sinister Minister.
Another jockey will have to be named on one of these horses.)
Sweet
Northern Saint, the Illinois Derby winner, trained by Trombetta and
ridden by Kent Desormeaux.
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