Local owners on Derby road
Three horses on the road to the Kentucky Derby have owners from Las Vegas: Pyro, Behindatthebar and Samba Rooster. Only one appears a certainty to run in America’s greatest race.
Louisiana Derby winner Pyro is owned by Winchell Thoroughbreds, which is operated by Ron Winchell and his mother, Joan.
They are continuing the racing legacy of family patriarch Verne Winchell, who passed away in 2002. He founded the Winchell’s Donuts chain that later was sold to Denny’s.
Pyro probably will be the third choice in Derby betting behind Florida Derby winner Big Brown and Santa Anita Derby winner Colonel John.
Don Stanley partly owns Lexington Stakes winner Behindatthebar.
In 1996, Stanley sold MTC Technology in Kansas City, Mo., and moved to Las Vegas. He and Mike Shustek sold 90 percent of Behindatthebar to Satish Sanan’s Padua Stables.
Trainer Todd Pletcher is undecided on whether to enter the Derby with the colt, who has enough graded earnings to make the probable 20-horse field.
Finally, three Las Vegans — Terry Lanni, Ernie Moody and Bernie Schiappa — own Lexington Stakes runner-up Samba Rooster.
Lanni is chairman of MGM Mirage, Moody is best known as the inventor of Triple Play Poker, and Schiappa is general manager of Fletcher Jones Imports.
Samba Rooster is not a Triple Crown nominee, so he would need to be supplemented to run in either the Derby, Preakness or Belmont Stakes.
The draw for the Kentucky Derby is scheduled for Wednesday.
• DERBY SEMINARS — Three free Derby handicapping seminars are scheduled for next week in Las Vegas.
On May 2, Jon Lindo, Ralph Siraco and Brad Bryant will be in the Planet Hollywood race book at 1 p.m. Then that night in the Sam’s Town race book, Gordon Jones, John Kelly, Patrick McQuiggan and Mike Willman will share their expertise. Finally, Lindo and Siraco will be at The Orleans’ Mardi Gras ballroom at 10 a.m. on May 3.
• CORRECTION — A sharp reader pointed out from last week’s column that Giacomo, as well as Sea Hero, did not run a triple-digit Beyer in a two-turn race before winning the Kentucky Derby.
Beyer ratings have been in the Daily Racing Form since 1992.
• SOUTH POINT — On Thursday, the South Point hosted the first of six tournament qualifiers leading up to the South Point Finale to be held April 17 and 18. The next qualifier will be June 19.
The South Point Finale joins the National Handicapping Championship and the Horseplayer World Series to form a trio of big-money, year-end handicapping tournaments.
• DERBY DATA — If you like to massage statistics in finding your Derby horse, try Derby Data Track by Leslie Huddleston. It can be found at cjderbydatatrack.com on the Internet.
Richard Eng’s horse racing column is published Friday. He can be reached at rich_eng@hotmail.com.
