Top filly favored in Santa Anita Derby

By: SPORTS NETWORK

Arcadia, CA (Sports Network) - Sweet Catomine, the 2004 champion two-year-old

 filly, will face 10 three-year-old males in Saturday's $750,000 Santa Anita Derby

at Santa Anita Park. The Santa Anita Derby is the final west coast prep for the Kentucky Derby.

Sweet Catomine has been made the 7-5 morning-line favorite for the 1 1/8 mile

 race. The filly will start from post two and jockey Corey Nakatani has the riding

 assignment. Owned by Mr. and Mrs. Martin Wygod, Sweet Catomine has won both

 starts this year, including last month's Santa Anita Oaks. In her career, she has

 won five of six races for $1,044,600. Under trainer Julio Canani, Sweet Catomine

 has won all five stakes races she has run, including last year's Breeders' Cup

 Juvenile Filly.

The last filly to capture the Santa Anita Derby was Winning Colors in 1988 on

her way to winning the Kentucky Derby. A total of three females have won this

 race, including Ciencia in 1939 and Silver Spoon in 1959.

Also entered in the Santa Anita Derby is 2004 Breeders' Cup Juvenile winner

 Wilko. The colt is coming off a fourth-place finish in the recently-run San Felipe

 Stakes at Santa Anita. Wilko is the third choice in the program at 9-2. He will

 be ridden by Frankie Dettori, who guided Wilko in the Breeders' Cup victory.

Wilko will break from the outside post for trainer Craig Dollase. The three-year-old

has winnings of just under $1 million in 13 starts.

The 7-2 second choice is Don't Get Mad, who will start from post three with

Tyler Baze in the saddle. The colt is owned by B. Wayne Hughes and trained

by Paul McGee. This year he was second in the San Vicente Stakes and third

in the San Felipe. Don't Get Mad has won half his four career starts for better

 than $100,000.

Giacomo, the second-place finisher in the San Felipe, is 5-1 in the morning line

 for trainer John Shirreffs. Giacomo will break from the inside post with

Mike Smith riding. Earlier this year the gray colt was third in the Sham Stakes

 at Santa Anita at 1 1/8 miles. Owned by Mr. and Mrs. Jerome Moss, Giacomo

 has just one win in six starts for almost $150,000.

Completing the field for the Santa Anita Derby are the entry of Allright

and Go Coyote Joe, Customer, General Joe B, A.P. Arrow, Wannawinemall

and Buzzards Bay.