Derby winners come in shapes and prices

 As trainer Neil Drysdale, trying to keep things in perspective when Fusaichi Pegasus was being pegged as the Kentucky Derby winner three weeks before the race was run, said, "You never know where a Derby winner is coming from."

 The horse could be a homebred with blue bloodlines or one from an undistinguished lineage. He or she could be purchased privately or at one of several sales as a 2-year-old, a yearling or even a weanling.

 Fusaichi Pegasus came out of the Keeneland sales ring. So did Canonero II.

 One, however, was the rich kid from a good family. The other was a holes-in-the shoes kid who wound up in Venezuela as part of a package deal.

 Fusaichi Pegasus, by the late, great sire Mr. Prospector out of the Danzig mare Angel Fever, was the $4 million topper at the 1998 Keeneland July Select Sale, where Exchange Rate (11th in the Derby) was sold for $1.4 million and High Yield (15th) brought $1.05 million.

 Fusao Sekiguchi of Japan said he would have bid as high as $5 million for the colt, whose worth now is probably five times his purchase price. Fusaichi Pegasus was the highest-priced Keeneland yearling since 1985, the year $13.1 million was paid for a bay colt sired by Nikinsky II.

 Canonero II, by Pretendre out of Dixieland II, was bought at the 1969 Keeneland September sale for $1,200, making him 3,333 times cheaper than Fusaichi Pegasus. The top price at that sale in the age before million-dollar yearlings, was $95,000 for a filly. Of course, the Derby had a winner's purse of $145,500, compared with $888,400 this year.

 Stops Fusaichi Pegasus made on his way to winning the Derby were Hollywood Park, where he finished second in his only start last year; Santa Anita, where he won a maiden race, an allowance and the San Felipe; and Aqueduct, where he won the Wood Memorial.

 He arrived at Churchill Downs as the horse to beat, and when 18 other 3-year-olds couldn't, he became the fist winning favorite since Spectacular Bid (a $37,000 Keeneland September yearling) in 1979.

 Canonero II, owned by Edgar Caibett and trained by Juan Arias, won two of four starts in 1970, then won four more races in Venezuela as a 3-year-old before coming to the United States. One of the wins was at the Derby distance of 1 1/4 miles.

 When he arrived in Louisville, however, he looked like he didn't belong in the Derby. He was supposed to fly from Caracas to Miami, but because of an engine fire the plane had to return to Venezuela. Canonero was put on another plane with a bunch of chickens and ducks and arrived in Miami.

 It then was discovered he didn't have the proper papers and so he was flown to Panama until the papers were acquired. He finally got to Miami, then he was vanned 1,000 miles to Louisville, where he was virtually ignored the week of the Derby.

 For betting purposes, Canonero was put in the mutuel field with five other colts considered to have little chance of winning. While he won, the other five finished in the last five places in the 20-horse field.

 Canonero then won the Preakness, but he failed to win the Triple Crown when he finished fourth in the Belmont Stakes.

 Some other Derby winners bought as yearlings were Dust Commander, 1970 ($6,500), Seattle Slew, the 1977 Triple Crown winner ($17,500), Alysheba, 1987 ($500,000), the filly Winning Colors, 1988 ($575,000), and Real Quiet, 1998 ($17,000). Silver Charm, the 1997 Derby and Preakness winner, was bought as 2-year-old for $85,000. Grindstone, the 1996 Derby winner, was homebred.

 You never know where the Derby winner is coming from.

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