THE KENTUCKY DERBY : Snow Chief, 6-5 Favorite, Draws No. 12 Post : Top Rival Badger Land Receives No. 10 in Field of 16; Pillaster Out

LOUISVILLE, Ky. —  “Super.”

That was trainer Wayne Lukas’ reaction when his Badger Land received the No. 10 post position in the draw Thursday for Saturday’s $784,400 Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs.

“I couldn’t have picked it better myself,” Lukas said. “That’s exactly where we want to be. The run to the first turn is long enough for him to settle, and nobody should be crowding us.”

Some other trainers and owners of the 16 horses entered in the 112th Derby weren’t so happy. The owners of Snow Chief, who was installed as the 6-5 favorite, would have preferred being closer to the rail than their No. 12 spot. And Ferdinand, who drew the No. 1 post, is in a spot that hasn’t produced a Derby winner in 22 years.

Other trainers were puzzled by track handicapper Mike Battaglia’s morning line, which after Snow Chief listed Badger Land at 3-1 and then jumped to Mogambo and Broad Brush as the co-third choices at 10-1.

Lukas thought the odds were too high on Ferdinand, 20-1, and Vernon Castle, 30-1.

“Except for Snow Chief and Badger Land, the rest of the line is ridiculous,” said Phil Gleaves, who trains Wise Times. “All (Battaglia) did was handicap two horses.”

Snow Chief also had the No. 12 post in the 16-horse Florida Derby, a March 1 race he won by 1 3/4 lengths over Badger Land at Gulfstream Park.

“We were hoping for something between 3 and 8,” said Carl Grinstead, one of Snow Chief’s owners. “If this were a mile and a sixteenth race, instead of a mile and a quarter, I’d hate where we are. At a lot of tracks, I wouldn’t like No. 12. The only thing in our favor is that there’s a good, long run to the first turn.”

Before the draw for post positions, Mel Stute, Snow Chief’s trainer, said he would not be concerned with what number he got.

The one spot Lukas didn’t want was No. 1. “I’ve been there before--Althea was No. 1 (and finished 19th in the 1984 Derby),” he said. “I wouldn’t imagine that Charlie (Whittingham, who trains Ferdinand) is too happy.”

Horses with post positions of 10 or higher have won five of the last six Derbies.

A field of 17 had been anticipated, but trainer LeRoy Jolley decided not to run Pillaster, who was sixth in the Blue Grass Stakes at Keeneland last week. Mogambo, second to Broad Brush in the Wood Memorial, will be Jolley’s only hope for a third Derby win.

“I doubted that Pillaster is up to this kind of race,” Jolley said. “It is a very, very tough race, and I think Mogambo is up to it and he’ll run very well in it. Pillaster is better off staying out of it.”

Horse Racing Notes Pat Day, riding for the first time since his father died last week in Colorado, had four winners Thursday at Churchill Downs, including Lazer Show, who won the La Troienne Stakes for 3-year-old fillies by four lengths. Undefeated Lazer Show won her fifth straight, paying $3.60 to win. Miss Bid, ridden by Chris McCarron, finished second. . . . Bill Shoemaker won the fifth race with Marbie, a 9-1 shot. . . . Of the 16 horses running in the Kentucky Derby, only two--Ferdinand and Bold Arrangement--will not be treated with medication. There are five horses on Lasix--Rampage, Wheatly Hall, Groovy, Wise Times and Southern Appeal. Lasix is given to horses who have bleeding problems.

THE FIELD

PP HORSE JOCKEY TRAINER 1 Ferdinand Bill Shoemaker Charlie Whittingham 2 Mogambo Jacinto Vasquez LeRoy Jolley 3 f-Wise Times Keith Allen Phil Gleaves 4 Bold Arrangement Chris McCarron Clive Brittain 5 f-Icy Groom Eddie Maple Sam Ramer 6 f-Southern Appeal Jesse Davidson Marv Moncrief 7 Vernon Castle Eddie Delahoussaye John Sullivan 8 Rampage Pat Day Gary Thomas 9 Broad Brush Vince Bracciale Richard Small 10 Badger Land Jorge Velasquez Wayne Lukas 11 Wheatly Hall Gary Stevens Jack Van Berg 12 Snow Chief Alex Solis Mel Stute 13 Bachelor Beau Larry Melancon Phil Hauswald 14 Groovy Laffit Pincay Howard Crowell 15 f-Zabaleta Darrel McHargue John Gosden 16 f-Fobby Forbes Randy Romero Carlos Garcia

PP OWNER ODDS 1 Mrs. Howard Keck 20-1 2 Peter Brandt 10-1 3 Russell Reineman 12-1 4 Anthony and Ray Richards 12-1 5 William Fleming 12-1 6 Howard Bender 12-1 7 Allen Paulson 30-1 8 John and Nancy Reed 20-1 9 Robert Meyerhoff 10-1 10 Mel Hatley and Jeff Lukas 3-1 11 John McKinnon 30-1 12 Carl Grinstead and Ben Rochelle 6-5 13 Dick Waterfield and Jack Tafel 15-1 14 John Ballis 30-1 15 Michael Riordan 12-1 16 Due Process Stable 12-1

f--mutuel field.

FACTS & FIGURES WEIGHTS--126 pounds each. DISTANCE--1 miles. PURSE--$784,400 if 16 start. First place: $609,400. Second place: $100,000. Third place: $50,000. Fourth place: $25,000. POST TIME--2:38 p.m. PDT. TELEVISION--Channel 7.