Stevens Shops for a Star

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. —  In Florida one day and back home in California the next, jockey Gary Stevens goes windmill-tilting this weekend.

Stevens will be at Gulfstream Park today to ride High Star in the $1-million Florida Derby, then Sunday will ride Puerto Banus in the $250,000 San Felipe Stakes at Santa Anita, and although both colts are longshots, it’s the kind of a year when a late-developing horse could win the Kentucky Derby.

Stevens, a three-time Kentucky Derby winner, was disappointed and perplexed after Point Given, the favorite, ran fifth at Churchill Downs in the only race he lost all last year. Still shopping for a Derby mount this year, Stevens didn’t have to be asked twice when trainer Nick Zito, a two-time Kentucky Derby winner, called recently to ask if he’d ride High Star in the Florida Derby. Zito even threw in a bonus, the chance for Stevens to ride another of his 3-year-olds, Governor Hickel, in the $150,000 Swale on the Florida Derby undercard.

“Any time Gary comes east, I’ll ride him,” Zito said. “I haven’t had the chance to ride him much over the years, but I know we have a tremendous winning percentage together. Gary’s the ultimate best. He’s one of the three brainiest jockeys there are. The other two are Jerry Bailey and Chris McCarron.”

McCarron came from California to ride Zito’s second Kentucky Derby winner, Go For Gin, in 1994. Bailey will be riding Siphonic, who’ll be the odds-on favorite Sunday in the San Felipe.

High Star, who finished only 11/2 lengths behind Repent, one of the early favorites for this year’s Kentucky Derby, when they raced late last year, was ridden by Jorge Chavez in both of his wins, but Chavez is tied up with Booklet, the 4-1 second choice in the Florida Derby behind 5-2 favorite Harlan’s Holiday. John Ward Jr., who trains Booklet, used Chavez to win the Kentucky Derby with Monarchos last year.

At Santa Anita on Sunday, six horses will oppose Siphonic in the 11/16-mile San Felipe. The others running are Tracemark, Gobi Dan, Medaglia D’Oro, Shah Jehan, U S S Tinosa and Puerto Banus, who runs for the Point Given team of Prince Ahmed Salman and trainer Bob Baffert. Puerto Banus ran second, 41/2 lengths behind U S S Tinosa, in the 11/8-mile Sham at Santa Anita on Feb. 8.

“My horse [U S S Tinosa] was drawing away in the last race,” trainer Jerry Hollendorfer said. “He was impressive. I worry that we’re cutting back in distance, but I think this is the best path. We’ll see what our horse can do against the major players, and he does like the Santa Anita track.”

Third in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile, Siphonic won the Hollywood Futurity in December, but in his first start this year, in the Santa Catalina on Jan. 19, under Bailey, he almost went down leaving the gate and finished second, 51/2 lengths behind Labamta Babe, who since has been injured.

Trainer David Hofmans vanned Siphonic from his Hollywood Park headquarters over to Santa Anita for a half-mile workout on Wednesday. Siphonic broke well and was clocked in 47 seconds, fastest time of the morning for that distance.

Trainer Patrick Biancone, who has Mayakovsky, the 6-5 morning-line favorite in Sunday’s $200,000 Gotham at Aqueduct, believes that Came Home, not Siphonic, is the best California contender for the Kentucky Derby. In Mayakovsky’s last race, before a fractured left hind leg sent him to the sidelines, Came Home beat Biancone’s horse by two lengths in the Hopeful at Saratoga in September.

“Came Home would be my first pick,” Biancone said. “He’s an exceptional horse. He’s a monster.”

*

Squirtle Squirt, last year’s champion sprinter, is to undergo arthroscopic surgery on his left knee and will be out at least three months.... Bien Bien, who won four Grade I races at Santa Anita and Hollywood Park, finished second in the 1993 Breeders’ Cup Turf and earned $2.3 million, died Tuesday, apparently of a heart attack, after being bred to a mare in England. Bien Bien, 13, sired Bienamado, who earned $1.2 million.