DATE: Thursday, April 24, 1997              TAG: 9704240589

SECTION: SPORTS                  PAGE: C1   EDITION: FINAL 

SOURCE: BY RICH RADFORD, STAFF WRITER 

                                            LENGTH:   36 lines

DERBY HOPEFUL BACK ON TRACK PACIFICBOUNTY RUNS WITHOUT PAIN AT CHURCHILL DOWNS.

Pacificbounty's health took an upward turn when the horse galloped 1 1/4 miles pain-free Wednesday morning at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Ky., where the Kentucky Derby will be run May 3.

The 3-year-old colt, owned in part by Norfolk's Donald and Lynn Grey, is recovering from a right front hoof injury sustained 12 days ago when he finished third in the Arkansas Derby.

``It looks like the foot is toughening up,'' said the horse's trainer, Walt Greenman.

Pacificbounty cut the bulb of the hoof when his front feet tangled coming out of the gate in the Arkansas Derby. Greenman equated the injury to ``pulling a fingernail. And you can't run a mile and a quarter with that.''

The Kentucky Derby, the first jewel of thoroughbred racing's Triple Crown, is run at 1 1/4 miles.

Pacificbounty, with exercise rider Jose Cuevas up shortly after the track opened, galloped while wearing a bar shoe, designed to take the pressure off the injured area of the hoof. The bar shoe was placed on Pacificbounty five days ago.

Greenman said the colt would work six furlongs either Monday or Tuesday, also with the bar shoe on, but will not race with the bar shoe.

Such injuries typically take between two and three weeks to heal. The Arkansas Derby was run exactly three weeks prior to the Kentucky Derby.

``I'm sure some of the other horses are also battling minor injuries,'' said Gordon Sinkoff, who has a one-third interest in the horse. ``It's just that ours is more publicized than others.''

The injury has not hindered Pacificbounty's odds in Las Vegas. Caesar's Palace has Pacificbounty as the fifth favorite at 10-to-1.

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