Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, May 2, 1993 TAG: 9305020126
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: From Associated Press reports
DATELINE: LOUISVILLE LENGTH: Medium
\ The story of the Kentucky Derby was one of Two Old Men and a Sea Hero.
Virginia-bred colt Sea Hero stormed home along the rail on Saturday at Churchill Downs and won the Derby for Paul Mellon, a major figure in international racing who turns 86 on June 11, and 71-year-old trainer Mac Miller.
"It has been a long lifetime and I'm very happy to have made it by this age," Mellon said of his Derby victory in his fourth try and on his 46th wedding anniversary.
Before the Derby, Miller, a Hall of Fame trainer and a native Kentuckian, said of Sea Hero: "We're running out of time, and I can't think of anything more exciting than for him to do it."
After the race, Miller said: "This is the greatest, this is the epitome, this is the best. It makes you want to cry a little bit."
Sea Hero, winning for the first time this year, circled a horse on the turn for home, then ducked back to the rail and shot into the lead past Personal Hope just outside the eighth pole.
"It was like the Red Sea. When I got there, it parted," jockey Jerry Bailey said of the opening that set up the victory.
"There was just a wall of horses" as he straightened Sea Hero for the stretch run, Bailey said. "He was not stopping; he was full of speed."
Sea Hero got to the wire 2 1/2 lengths in front of favored Prairie Bayou, who was trying to become the first gelding to win the race since Clyde Van Dusen in 1929. Instead, Prairie Bayou became the 14th consecutive beaten favorite. The winning time was 2:02 2-5.
"He made his run and he tried real hard. That's all we wanted," said Tom Bohannon, Prairie Bayou's trainer. "We were second-best today. We'll see what happens next time."
Next time will the Preakness Stakes at Pimlico in two weeks. Miller said Sea Hero will take the second step in a bid for the Triple Crown.
Prairie Bayou got to the end of the 1 1/4 miles a head in front of Wild Gale, a member of the seven-horse mutuel field, who was a neck ahead of Personal Hope in the field of 19 3-year-olds, the largest since 20 contested the 1984 Derby won by Swale.
Finishing fifth, three lengths behind Personal Hope, was Diazo, the first Derby starter as a trainer for Bill Shoemaker, who won four Derbies as a jockey in 26 tries.
Diazo ran as an Allen Paulson entry with sixth-place Corby. Paulson was co-owner of Arazi, who finished a disappointing eighth as the favorite in the 1992 Derby.
Finishing eighth, behind Kissin Kris, was Silver of Silver, whose trainer, 74-year-old Skippy Shapoff, was in Louisville's Jewish Hospital, where he was admitted Friday. Churchill Downs announced that Shapoff was suffering congestive heart failure and respiratory failure and his condition was listed as serious.
Sea Hero paid $27.80, $12.80 and $8 in earning $735,900, boosting his career bankroll past $1 million. He picked up 10 points for the $1 million bonus that goes to the horse earning the most points in the three Triple Crown races.
Prairie Bayou, ridden by Mike Smith, lost for the first time in five races and first time in three starts at Churchill Downs. He returned $7.20 and $4.80.
Wild Gale, ridden by Shane Sellers, paid $4.20. The last field horse to win a Derby was Canonero II in 1971.
Storm Tower, the Wood Memorial winner, broke on top from the inside post, as expected, and led the field past the stands the first time, around the clubhouse turn and down the backstretch to the half-mile pole. On the turn, Personal Hope, the Santa Anita Derby winner ridden by Gary Stevens, took the lead and held it until Bailey shot Sea Hero past him with a little more than an eighth of a mile to go for his first Derby victory.
"It kind of blew my mind that Sea Hero was able to blow by him when my horse went into overdrive," Stevens said.
Miller, whose only previous Derby starter was Jig Time, fifth in 1968, said: "It's been a long time between drinks of water."
For this race, Miller took the blinkers off of Sea Hero, who had earned his Derby start with a fourth-place finish April 10 at Keeneland after running poorly in two races in Florida in February.
Completing the order of finish after eighth-place Silver of Silver were Ragtime Rebel, Truth of it All, Bull Inthe Heather, Dixieland Heat, Wallenda, Mi Cielo, Union City, Storm Tower, Rockamundo, El Bakan and Tossofthecoin.
"Everything I want is wrapped up in this horse," said Miller.
Keywords:
HORSE RACING
by CNB