Victimized by a brutal trip, California-bred General Challenge fails to rewrite the record books.
By MICHAEL COMPTON
General Challenge’s bid to become the first California-bred since
Decidedly in 1962 and the first gelding since 1929 to capture the Kentucky Derby failed to
materialize May 1 under a cloudless, blue sky at historic Churchill Downs.
Sent off as the race favorite, coupled with Excellent Meeting, in the 125th running of the Kentucky Derby, General Challenge attempted to improve on fellow Cal-bred Indian Charlie’s game third-place effort as the favorite a year ago. The striking chestnut, however, encountered extensive trouble throughout the 1 1/4-mile journey under jockey Gary Stevens and crossed the finish line a well-beaten and battered eleventh, far behind the winner—Robert and Beverly Lewis’ Charismatic.
Slammed hard from both sides at the break (from First American to his outside and Prime Timber on his inside), General Challenge was bumped continuously around the first turn and simply never had enough room to stretch his long stride in a packed 19-horse field. At the end of his rough and tumble journey, the son of California’s leading sire General Meeting returned to be unsaddled bleeding from his mouth. Stevens’ Golden Eagle silks sported blood as did the coat of General Challenge. It was later reported that the fractious Cal-bred bit his tongue at the beginning of the race.
The roughly run contest even took its toll on Stevens, who collapsed in the tunnel while walking back to the jockeys’ room after cramping up from fighting a head strong mount through a grueling trip.
"It’s a disappointing outcome," said trainer Bob Baffert, who was seeking his third consecutive Derby victory. "We never had a chance to run. There were just too many horses and so much traffic. I knew we were dead at the first turn.
"General Challenge just had a horrible, horrible trip," he added. "His eyes were full of dirt and stuff. The poor guy, he probably took the worst of it of all of them."
Excellent Meeting, General Challenge’s California conceived entrymate, also endured a terrible trip, but somehow managed to close an abundance of ground late to finish fifth, just a nose behind stablemate Prime Timber.
"She ran unbelievable," Baffert said of Excellent Meeting. "She was like dead last and she came ten wide. Kent (Desormeaux) had her just so wide coming for home and she only gets beat two and a half or three lengths."
As for the winner, jockey Chris Antley kept Charismatic clear of
the trouble and had him ready to pounce on stablemate Cat Thief through the lane. Under
Antley’s urging through the final sixteenth, Charismatic had enough left to fend off
the charge of a fast-closing Menifee.
The day after the Derby in front of a throng of reporters, winning trainer D. Wayne Lukas was asked if the evenly-matched level of the field diminished the victory.
"You can only beat the ones that show up," Lukas responded. "You can’t put together the field. You go over in the 125th year and you beat the ones that show up. That’s the way it is."
Kentucky Derby Notes: The winner, California-based Charismatic, is a half-brother to California stallion Tossofthecoin, who stands at Ron and Fran Stolich’s Blooming Hills Farm in Clements. While runner-up Menifee is a son of Harlan out of the mare Anne Campbell, making him a half-brother to California stallions Bold Badgett and Desert Wine.
Although General Challenge failed to hit the board this year, two Cal-bred geldings have run well at Churchill Downs on the first Saturday in May. Golden Eagle’s Farm’s Best Pal finished second in 1991, and Cavonnier went down to defeat by the slimmest of noses in 1996 when Grindstone ran him down in the final stride. Other standout Cal-bred efforts of note were turned in by Free House in 1997 (third) and Indian Charlie last year (third).