SANTA ANITA DERBY Becerra hopes for strong showing from St Averil

The 3-year-old is an early Kentucky Derby candidate.
ARCADIA, Calif. (AP) -- Trainer Rafael Becerra believes he has a solid Kentucky Derby candidate in St Averil. Now the dark bay colt has to prove it.
Like a lot of this year's 3-year-olds, how St Averil does in the Santa Anita Derby on Saturday will decide if he moves on to race the first Saturday in May at Churchill Downs.
If St Averil doesn't win, Becerra would like to see a top-three finish for the colt who has never been worse than second in four career starts.
"I'm excited more than nervous," Becerra said inside his barn at Santa Anita. "I know my horse is doing real well."
St Averil won the Santa Catalina Stakes on Jan. 17. Then, he rallied to finish second by a nose to Preachinatthebar in the San Felipe Stakes last month. Last year, he finished second to Lion Heart in the Hollywood Futurity.
Both of those horses are skipping the $750,000 Santa Anita Derby in favor of other prep races. But St Averil still has to contend with early 5-2 favorite Wimbledon and 3-1 second choice Rock Hard Ten.
St Averil and Imperialism are the co-third choices at 7-2.
Strange trip
In the San Felipe, St Averil had a strange trip. He was pushed four-wide on the first turn and another horse lost his rider at the start, but kept running with the field. St Averil overcame both obstacles to rally at the end.
"There's no doubt in my mind he was the best horse that day," Becerra said. "My horse made a good run. He had to work real hard to get there. He's got one move and when you ask him, he gives it to you."
Despite more than 30 years in racing, Becerra hasn't had many horses like St Averil.
The 49-year-old Mexico native spent most of that time working for Farrell Jones and his son Gary before taking out his trainer's license in 1996. He saddled his first winner that April at Hollywood Park.
His best year so far was 2002, when Crackup won two stakes races, including the California Cup Juvenile. Becerra also won two more stakes with other horses.
"If we keep good horses around, that's the key. Good horses make a good trainer and a good trainer makes a good horse," he said. "If you get a good owner, it makes everything easy."
Becerra has one in Stan Fulton, who owns Sunland Park racetrack and casino in New Mexico. He doesn't interfere with Becerra's training methods, and was willing to spend $500,000 in purchasing St Averil as a yearling.
Without Lion Heart as the speed horse in the 1 1-8-mile Derby, someone else is going to have to go to the lead.
"My horse can be off the pace a little bit," Becerra said. "If there's more speed, you got a little more to play around. The distance is going to be interesting for everybody."
A victory would be Becerra's first in a Grade 1 stakes, the richest and highest-profile kind of race.