On This Day...

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Photo: Benoit & Associates

A.P. Indy at Santa Anita

A.P. Indy had everything going for him on the way to the classics.

He was by Seattle Slew, cost $2.9 million as a yearling, was a half-brother to Preakness (gr. I) winner Summer Squall, won the Hollywood Futurity (gr. I) in his sole added-money race as a juvenile, and was riding a four-race win streak going into the April 4 Santa Anita Derby (gr. I). He also employed a distinctive running style that delivered a subtle powerhouse punch and made him easy to follow.

A.P. Indy, who began his 3-year-old season with a victory in the San Rafael Stakes (gr. II), went off as the 4-5 Santa Anita Derby favorite. He appeared headed for a narrow victory, but quickened the pace by arching his neck low to the ground when rider Eddie Delahoussaye went to the whip near the sixteenth pole. At the finish, he had 1 3/4 lengths on second-betting choice Bertrando.

A.P. Indy, a narrow leader on the Triple Crown poll before the Santa Anita Derby, was now the undisputed leader over chief rival Arazi.

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