Declan's Moon Flies High

- OK to get excited about Declan’s Moon now. The Santa Catalina didn’t quite go the way it figured to as Going Wild was able to rate behind Spanish Chestnut, who was going at an even pace of :23 2/5, :46 4/5 and 1:10 4/5. Declan’s Moon was three wide on the first turn, and then three wide on the final one as well as Going Wild moved up to challenge and the three were across the track. But despite the wide trip the 2 yo champ was superior through the stretch, engaging the two and then drawing away without changing leads in the stretch, finishing in 1:42 2/5. Trainer Ron Ellis was understandably ecstatic after the race, and it’s on to the Santa Anita Derby.

Earlier, Peter Lurie on HRTV reported a conversation with Ellis in which the trainer said that should Don’t Get Mad run well in the San Felipe in 2 weeks, that he would go to either the Wood (yay) or the Arkansas Derby rather than face Declan’s Moon in the SA Derby.

- Decent day for Zito, eh? as High Fly takes the Fountain of Youth; Bailey gunned him out to ensure he wouldn’t get caught wide and instead it was Bandini who caught 3 wide. He had a perfect trip behind B.B. Best, forced Bandini 3 wide on the second turn, and won by a diminishing but safe length over Bandini, whose late spurt to get close probably keeps him alive in the Derby guessing game. High Fly came home in :13 1/5 and the final time of 1:49 3/5 was over a second faster than the earlier impressive win by Zito's Noble Causeway though Randy Moss on ABC said it was nine lengths slower than Eddington’s win at 1 3/16 miles the race before. Can we stop hearing about Defer now?