California Derby : All Thee Power Wins by 8 Lengths and Then Breaks Down

ALBANY, Calif. —  All Thee Power raced to an 8-length victory in the $250,000 California Derby Saturday at Golden Gate Fields and then broke down past the finish line.

Jockey Lafitt Pincay, who rode the winner, pulled up the son of Lines Of Power on the clubhouse turn . Trainer Jack Van Berg said All Thee Power suffered a broken right foreleg.

Earlier in the race, a hobbling Flying Victor, the second choice, was pulled up on the backstretch by jockey Russell Baze.

Moments later, in the stretch run, Ruhlmann, with jockey Ron Hansen, went down in a spectacular spill after Bel Air Dancer drifted out and appeared to cut Ruhlmann’s front legs out from under him. Bel Air Dancer then came in and bumped Slewbop.

A steward’s inquiry resulted in Bel Air Dancer being disqualified from second and placed last, with Slewbop elevated to second and Ongoing Mister to third.

Meanwhile, it was a bittersweet victory for All Thee Power’s owner, Sam Matar.

“One of the reasons I got into horse racing was because I wanted to go to the Kentucky Derby,” Matar said. “And when the horse crossed the finish line so far in front, I thought, ‘This is it. . . . I’m going to Kentucky.’ Now for this to happen--obviously I’m disappointed.”

Matar said the plans had been to send All Thee Power to Louisville Tuesday for the Derby May 7.

Pincay said he felt something was wrong at the three-eighths pole.

“He didn’t want to switch leads,” Pincay said. “Then in the stretch, he started lugging in toward the rail. I had a nice hold on him from the sixteenth pole to the wire. I could tell something was bothering him, and I was just praying that the wire would come up.”

After they crossed under the wire, Pincay pulled the colt up and dismounted. “By then he was limping,” the jockey said.

All Thee Power, carrying 117 pounds, ran the mile and one-eighth in 1:48 2/5 and paid $6.80, $4.40 and $3.20 as the favorite. He earned $137,500 for the victory, increasing his earnings to $199,000.

Meanwhile, Hansen appeared to be only bruised and shaken from his spill.

“We just barely ticked his heels, but that was enough, and I fell like a ton of bricks,” Hansen said.