Wonderboy defeated in Santa Anita

Kentucky Derby favourite Stevie Wonderboy suffered a surprise defeat by Brother Derek in the San Rafael Stakes at Santa Anita yesterday.

Doug O’Neill’s three-year-old, a winner of the Grade One Bessemer Trust Breeders’ Cup Juvenile on his penultimate start, stayed on strongly but could not collar the winner, who made almost every inch to score by one and a half lengths.

Brother Derek’s trainer Dan Hendricks was understandably delighted with the outcome f the 150,000 contest.

Hendricks said: “He’s a solid, good-minded, talented three-year-old and we’re all just overjoyed to be along for the ride.

“The fractions were a little soft and I thought Stevie (Wonderboy) was a little closer than I wanted him to be but it worked out.

“Alex (Solis) had a lot of horse. He knows the horse and he rode him perfect.”

O’Neill was not too dispirited by Stevie Wonderboy’s defeat and insists the best has yet to come from his colt this season.

“He ran huge,” O’Neill told www.thebloodhorse.com. “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.”