Juveniles Today Never Think About the Future

If you’re going to the Breeders’ Cup on Saturday at Hollywood Park to see the horse of the year, you might be rewarded. A victory in the Classic could give Touch Gold the nod over Silver Charm, who is not scheduled to race again until after Christmas.

If you’re going to the Breeders’ Cup to see next year’s Kentucky Derby winner, go to the beach instead.

You’re just as likely to see him or her there, and there are no windows where you can lose money.

In the 13-year history of the Breeders’ Cup, never has the winner of either race for 2-year-olds, the Juvenile and the Juvenile Fillies, gone on to win the Derby.

Chief’s Crown won the first Breeders’ Cup Juvenile in 1984, then finished third in the Derby and Belmont and second in the Preakness.

Since, the only Juvenile winner to have success in the Triple Crown races was Timber Country, third in the Derby and first in the Preakness in 1995.

“Two-year-old champions don’t become 3-year-old champions because of the nature of races for 2-year-olds,” said trainer Wayne Lukas, who has had eight winners in the Juvenile and Juvenile Fillies, including Timber Country.

For example, he cites trainer Pat Byrne’s Favorite Trick, the probable favorite in the Juvenile. He has won seven races in seven starts. But only the most recent was at 1 1/16 miles, the Juvenile distance, and that was a Grade II race. None of the others were longer than seven furlongs.

“He’s bred to be a good miler,” Lukas said. “But how’s he going to be in a championship race like the Juvenile at 1 1/16 miles? Talking about the Triple Crown races next year, how’s he going to be at even longer distances? Everybody says he won’t figure at all.”

Another factor is that the season is too long for some 2-year-olds because of the late date of the Breeders’ Cup. Young horses often can’t rebound in time to prep for Triple Crown races.

None of the best 3-year-olds this year--Silver Charm, Touch Gold or Captain Bodgit--ran in last year’s Juvenile.

But that doesn’t mean none of this year’s horses are capable of winning at Churchill Downs.

Of his three entries in the Juvenile, Lukas is most optimistic about the future of Grand Slam, the only horse in the field who has won a Grade I race at 1 1/16 miles.

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On the day Glenn “Goose” Gregson was announced as the team’s new pitching coach, the old one, Dave Wallace, was back in a Dodger uniform. . . .

The New York Mets’ assistant general manager is fulfilling his commitment to coach at the Dodgers’ fantasy camp in Vero Beach, Fla. . . .

Many outside the organization believe there had to be more to his resignation than his desire to return to his roots on the East Coast and the promotion he received with the Mets. . . .

That sounds like reason enough to me. . . .

I put more credence in speculation Wallace wants to reunite the Martinez brothers, Pedro and Ramon, in New York when they’re available. . . .

Sources contend this flirtation between the New Coliseum Partners and the Minnesota Vikings didn’t begin last week. . . .

They report a sighting last summer of Councilman Mark Ridley-Thomas with Dennis Green. . . .

As some members of the state Legislature seem hung up on that tentative $1 lease offer to Ed Roski and Philip Anschutz for the Coliseum, their spokesman, John Semcken, wants them to forget they ever heard it. . . .

He says the New Coliseum Partners would pick up the tab for operation, maintenance and security at Exposition Park. If that’s not acceptable, he says they would agree to a higher lease. . . .

Either way, he figures the cost at between $1 million and $2 million a year. . . .

Magic Johnson is a potential new partner for New Coliseum Partners. . . .

Kevin Ollie, formerly of Crenshaw High, UConn and the CBA’s Connecticut Pride, is impressing the Dallas Mavericks as their backup point guard. . . .

Marques Johnson, now broadcasting Seattle games, reports that Ollie shut down Gary Payton in the second half of the Mavericks’ victory last Saturday. . . .

“He didn’t let Payton’s trash talk affect him one scintilla,” Johnson said. . . .

Nick Van Exel pulled a blue silk handkerchief from Chick Hearn’s coat pocket during the Lakers’ L.A. Sports Council/Chamber of Commerce tipoff luncheon Wednesday. . . .

“I’m just glad it was a handkerchief,” Del Harris said. . . .

Was that a Marv Albert joke?

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While wondering how Terry Collins could finish as low as fifth in AL manager-of-the-year voting, I was thinking: I bet he wouldn’t trade places today with the winner, the NFL still isn’t doing enough to protect quarterbacks, I like Deputy Commander in the Classic.