Notes on a Scorecard - May 5, 1994

LOUISVILLE, Ky. —  If they are playing “Call to the Post” when the baggage arrives at the airport carousel, this must be Derby week. . . .

“I’ve got the same feeling a quarterback probably has before the Super Bowl,” said Gary Stevens, who will ride Brocco on Saturday. “I’m excited, but I don’t want to get too caught up in all the hype. You can think about it too much.” . . .

Stevens said he was humbled on his first Derby Day in 1985 before riding Tanks Prospect to a seventh-place finish. . . .

“I envisioned a limousine picking me up and leaving me off at the front gate,” he said. “Instead, I was in a car that got caught in a huge traffic jam. I walked the last mile and a half, carrying my bag.” . . .

According to the Louisville Courier-Journal, the wettest Kentucky Derby was in 1918, when an inch of rain fell, and the driest was “during Prohibition.” . . .

You can’t fool the locals. Three days before the Derby, mint julep sales were dismal at Churchill Downs. . . .

Favorite jockey cliche this week: “My horse is full of himself.” . . .

Asked how filly Lakeway would do if she ran Saturday instead of Friday in the Kentucky Oaks, trainer Gary Jones said, “She’d have a chance, but would you rather be 3-2 or 13-1?” . . .

A local antique shop is asking $200 for a Derby souvenir glass autographed by Pat Day, who won in 1992 aboard Lil E. Tee. . . .

Wayne Lukas says the Triple Crown format should be changed. . . .

He suggests shortening the Derby distance from 1 1/4 miles to 1 1/8, giving the horses three weeks off instead of two before the Preakness and shortening the Belmont Stakes from 1 1/2 miles to 1 1/4. . . .

“The fields would be more competitive, fillies would have a better chance, and you might get more Triple Crown winners,” said Lukas, who will saddle Tabasco Cat on Saturday. “The traditionalists might complain, but they’re the same people who thought the three-point shot would ruin basketball.” . . .

The only thing wrong with Lukas’ plan is that it’s too logical. . . .

Calumet Farm, which was bought for $17 million at a foreclosure auction in 1992 by horse breeder Henryk de Kwiatkowski, is making a comeback. It is home to 173 horses four years after going into bankruptcy. . . .

Today, the final two tracts of another famous Lexington farm that has experienced hard times, Spendthrift, will be sold at auction. . . .

Kandaly is a longshot, but owner Ronnie Lamarque is sparing no expense publicizing his horse. . . .

There is a “Go, Kandaly, Go” billboard not far from the track, and Wednesday night Lamarque treated the media and friends to 2,000 pounds of Louisiana crayfish. . . .

The same cab ride that usually costs $10 will cost $21 on Oaks Day and $26 on Derby Day. . . .

Best place outside Louisville to watch the Derby will be Hollywood Park, where wagering also will be offered on five other stakes from Churchill Downs and nine live races. . . .

Favorite Holy Bull’s color is that of a shark. . . .

Trainer Charlie Whittingham, 81, wears a 72-year-old tattoo of Man ‘O War on his right arm. . . .

Whittingham has won the Derby twice--with Ferdinand in 1986 and Sunday Silence in 1989--but Man ‘O War didn’t run in the race. . . .

The horse some still consider the greatest of all time was eligible in 1920, but owner Samuel Riddle thought the race was too taxing and too early in the year. . . .

Chicago fan Randy Winick, the trainer of Brocco, wore a Dodger jacket and shed his Cub cap Wednesday. . . .

“The Cubs are embarrassing me,” he explained. . . .

Arnold Winick, who was a trainer for 35 years and often dominated the Florida circuit, couldn’t be more proud of his son. . . .

“Randy is a much better trainer than I was,” Arnold said. “He’s extremely conscientious and he loves what he’s doing. Brocco doesn’t remind me of any of my horses. He reminds me of the very special ones.” . . .

Winick’s other 3-year-old, Duca, was a $360,000 purchase. Brocco cost $215,000. . . .

The Kentucky Derby Museum makes a trip to Churchill Downs worthwhile, even on days when there is no racing. . . .

Steve Cauthen, whose election to the Racing Hall of Fame was announced Wednesday, has lost his British accent after riding in Europe from 1979-92. . . .

“The first thing you dream about after you sign up for your jockey’s license is winning the Kentucky Derby,” said Kent Desormeaux, who will ride Soul Of The Matter. “It would be precious.”