Brother Derek Upsets Stevie Wonderboy in San Rafael

Brother Derek upsets favorite Stevie Wonderboy 's 3-year-old debut to win the $150,000 San Rafael Stakes on Saturday at Santa Anita Park, muddling the early Kentucky Derby picture.

Brother Derek won by 1 1/2 lengths in what was essentially a match race between him and Stevie Wonderboy, the Breeders' Cup Juvenile champion making his 3-year -old debut. "It would've been nice to win today, but there's bigger things down the road, as well," Stevie Wonderboy's trainer Doug O'Neill said.

Owned by hotel and television magnate Merv Griffin , Stevie Wonderboy was making his first start since the Breeders' Cup 11 weeks ago. The colt's style has been to rally in the last half-mile, but he didn't do so in his first start.

Wonderboy, the likely 2005 Eclipse winner as the nation's top 2-year-old, acquitted himself well for jockey Garrett Gomez, but in spite of urging in the stretch, he was no match on this day for Brother Derek, who had everything going his way.

Brother Derek, a $275,000 Barretts buy in March 2005, won his third graded stakes race for owner Cecil N. Peacock of Calgary and avenged his fourth-place finish behind Stevie Wonderboy in the BC Juvenile Oct. 29 at Belmont Park. Both colts carried 122 pounds Saturday. He also won the Norfolk (gr. II) last year, now sports a record of four wins in six starts with earnings of $592,080.

Derek and Wonderboy will meet again in the Santa Catalina Stakes (gr. II) at Santa Anita on March 4.

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