Dark Islander wins Oak Tree Derby in U.S. debut

ARCADIA, Calif. Making his first start in the United States, Dark Islander rallied wide on the final turn to defeat the stakes winners Obrigado and A.P. Warrior in Saturdays $150,000 at Santa Anita.

Ridden by Jose Valdivia, Jr., Dark Islander ($8.80) ran 1 1/8 miles on turf in 1:46.21. He finished 1 1/2 lengths in front of Obrigado, who finished 2 1-4 lengths clear of A.P. Warrior in the field of six. A.P. Warrior was the 6-5 favorite.

Dark Islander raced behind the leaders for the first six furlongs, and reached contention quickly on the final turn. Valdivia tapped him with a whip on a few times and quickly got a response in the stretch.

Owned by Donald Kerr and trained by John Hills, Dark Islander has 4 four of 11 starts and $178,352. He won two minor handicaps in England in July and September.