San Rafael

Brother Derek evened the scales against rival Stevie Wonderboy (Alex Evers/Horsephotos.com) The adage “speed kills” was in full display Saturday as the classy BROTHER DEREK (Benchmark) grabbed an easy early lead in the $147,000 San Rafael S. (G2) and led wire to wire. The Grade 1-winning colt faced a challenge from soon-to-be crowned juvenile champion Stevie Wonderboy (Stephen Got Even) at the top of the stretch, but jockey Alex Solis had plenty in reserve aboard Brother Derek and confidently guided the Dan Hendricks charge to a 1 1/2-length decision over the 3-5 favorite. Sent off the 6-5 second choice in the four-horse field, the Cecil Peacock-owned Brother Derek quickly assumed pacesetting duties after the break and held a one-length advantage over Wanna Runner (El Corredor) through early splits in :23 2/5 and :46 4/5. Stevie Wonderboy rated in last but was only a few lengths behind the leader as the field entered the backstretch in the one-mile event. Brother Derek cornered beautifully and edged a bit clear while leaving the far bend, getting six panels in 1:10 2/5, as Stevie Wonderboy, who was under urging from Garrett Gomez, passed the other two contestants and entered the stretch full of steam. The runner-up finished well through the stretch, but Brother Derek had too much left in the tank to be caught. “The fractions were a little soft and I thought Stevie was a little closer than I wanted him to be, but it worked out,” Hendricks said. “Alex had a lot of horse.” His jockey echoed those sentiments.

“He broke really sharp and as soon as he took the lead he sat, so I was happy
with that,” Solis explained. “He was still going really strong (when Stevie
Wonderboy made his challenge in the stretch). He was just waiting for
competition.”

The California-bred winner stopped the teletimer over the rain-saturated fast
track in 1:36 and gave back $4.60 and $2.10. Stevie Wonderboy paid $2.10. The
exacta totaled $3.10 for $1. Wanna Runner, who finished another 3 1/4 lengths
back in third, completed the paltry $4.60 (2-5-4) trifecta ($1) and was followed
under the wire by Woody Be Quick (Woodman). M. J. Pkay (Gold Knuckles) and
Sailors Sunset (Petionville) were both scratched.

Brother Derek, who garnered a measure of revenge after finishing fourth to
Stevie Wonderboy in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile S. (G1), notched his third stakes score, adding to
wins in the Hollywood Futurity (G1) and Norfolk S. (G2). He also owns a third in
the I’m Smokin S. at Del Mar. With the $90,000 payout, the bay colt has now
earned $592,080 from a 6-3-0-1 mark.

Stevie Wonderboy had his three-race winning skein snapped, but trainer Doug
O’Neill wasn’t disappointed with the effort.

“He (Stevie Wonderboy) ran huge, O’Neill said. “Anytime you get Brother Derek
out there on the front end going 23 and change, you know you’ve got trouble. One
of our concerns was that he’d get an easy lead and when he does he’s a tough
horse. My horse ran a good race. You don’t want to peak too early in the year.”

The winner was bred in the Golden State by Mary H. Caldwell and went through
the sales ring twice, bringing $150,000 as a 2004 Keeneland September yearling
before being purchased by his current connections for $275,000 at the Barretts
March two-year-old sale. The sophomore hails from the unraced Miss Soft Sell (Siyah
Kalem) and is a full brother to the multiple stakes-winning Don’tsellmeshort,
who has earned more than $400,000. Brother Derek’s four-year-old half-brother,
Swissle Stick (Swiss Yodeler), is stakes-placed and there is also an unnamed
juvenile half-brother by Swiss Yodeler and a yearling half-brother by Silver
Charm. His granddam, Solamente Un Vez (Relaunch), was a three-time stakes
heroine.

The 1 1/16-mile Santa Catalina S. (G2) on March 4 is the next scheduled start
for the top two finishers.