Petruchio, Javanica ship up for El Camino Real Derby

Derby fever will come to a boil Saturday at Golden Gate Fields when the 40th El Camino Real Derby is run with a field of nine.

The $100,000 El Camino Real Derby, run at 1 1/8 miles over the Tapeta main track, offers 10 Kentucky Derby qualifying points and a berth in the Preakness to the winner.

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Although the race has never produced a Kentucky Derby winner, it has produced a pair of Kentucky Derby runners-up – Casual Lies in 1992 and Cavonnier in 1996.

It also produced four Preakness winners – Gate Dancer (1984), Tank’s Prospect (1985), Snow Chief (1986), and Tabasco Cat (1994).

Richard Mandella trains Petruchio, one of four Triple Crown nominees in the race, along with Waspirant, Tesoro, and Rombauer. Petruchio was third in the Grade 2 Los Alamitos Futurity on Dec. 19 behind Spielberg, who had already run second and third in a pair of Grade 1 starts, and The Great One, who won his next start by 14 lengths.

“The timing’s good, and he’s run well on turf and tough dirt competition,” said Mandella, who believes the gelded son of Into Mischief will appreciate Golden Gate’s synthetic surface.

Eoin Harty sends his “very nice filly” Javanica north to meet males. He thinks she also will like the synthetic surface, which has played well for turf runners. Javanica was runner-up in the Grade 3 Jimmy Durante at Del Mar and Blue Norther at Santa Anita on grass in her past two starts. She ran second last August in the Glorious Song over the Tapeta at Woodbine.

“We wanted to keep her on turf,” he said. “But I don’t think synthetic will bother her since she’s stakes-placed on a synthetic track in Canada.”

Doug O’Neill, who has several top Kentucky Derby candidates, sends King Glorious winner Play Chicken north for the El Camino Real Derby.

“He’s ready to go, and distance shouldn’t be a problem,” O’Neill said. “The synthetic surface should be good for him.”

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O.J. Jauregui has the top local entrant in Tesoro, who won at a mile in a maiden race in his only start, only to be disqualified for causing interference.

“I knew he had potential, and he was probably only about 70 percent ready for his debut, but he showed he can run,” Jauregui said.

Rombauer ran second in the Grade 1 American Pharoah at Santa Anita last September and then fifth in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile. Waspirant was fourth in both the American Pharoah and Grade 3 Sham, run Jan. 2 at Santa Anita.

Rounding out the field are Positivity, winner of the Graduation Stakes last summer at Del Mar; It’s My House, a sprint winner last out after running second here in his debut; and Govenor’s Party, who earned his diploma on a disqualification and comes off a one-mile starter win here.