Scorecard

Brocco, No Bull

Senior writer William Nack assesses the field for Saturday's 120th running of the Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs.

Throughout the history of America's most celebrated race, only 21 horses have successfully dared the Fates and won on the front end, from wire to wire, certainly the gutsiest way to prevail in a 10-furlong race and often the most glorious and memorable as well. A lot of racetrackers hanging around Louisville these days believe that the next front-running Derby winner is presently domiciled in stall 17 of Barn 41 on the backstretch of Churchill Downs. Holy Bull is a large, gray colt with shoulders reminiscent of Secretariat's, the rear end of a ferry boat and enough speed to fry bacon, with toast on the side.

If Holy Bull gets loose on the lead on Saturday, with the 14 or so other horses allowing him to sail along unpressured and unchallenged for the first half mile, he will turn the race into the same kind of tour de force he made of this year's Florida Derby, in which he powered to a 5¾-length triumph in 1:47[2/5] for the nine furlongs, the fastest Kentucky Derby prep of the season. But the Derby has plenty of other speed this year—Smilin Singin Sam, Tabasco Cat, Ulises and Valiant Nature all have lick—and the thought here is that at least one of those horses will entertain the heavily favored Holy Bull on the front end, making an issue of the pace, and perhaps set the race up for a stretch runner.

This Derby has more horses of genuine quality than any in years; more than a half dozen could win if things get too hot for the Bull. Brocco, the Santa Anita Derby winner, is a colt of proven ability who has trained well at the Downs. And Strodes Creek, third at Santa Anita and lightly raced, is flourishing under trainer Charles Whittingham. I like Brocco to win, with the Creek chasing him in the exacta.

He Already Has
A note from Cal's spring football prospectus: "The loss of top receiver Mike Caldwell to graduation creates an opportunity for the talented Iheanyl Uwaezuoke to make a name for himself."

A Champion of Dignity

Over his 10-year pro career, Evander Holyfield gave the sometimes cruel sport of boxing his all, in the ring and in the gym. No heavyweight ever got more from his natural ability than did the soft-spoken Holyfield. "He has a heart as big as his body," says Lou Duva, Holyfield's longtime trainer.

It was sadly ironic, then, that his heart let him down. On April 25, three days after losing his heavyweight championship in a bruising and controversial upset to Michael Moorer, the 31-year-old Holyfield was told by doctors that a cardiac condition would preclude his ever fighting again. Holyfield took the news with characteristic equanimity. "I feel it's a blessing," he says. "For a while I had been trying to decide, Should I just walk away? The desire wasn't the same, and I didn't want to stay around for the wrong reasons."

The 1984 Olympic light heavyweight bronze medalist, Holyfield fought his first pro bout at 178 pounds, went on to unify the cruiserweight title and then, in 1988, began to campaign as a heavyweight. Two years later, at a spectacularly muscled 208 pounds, he knocked out Buster Douglas to win the crown, and successful defenses followed against George Foreman, Bert Cooper and Larry Holmes. But only after he lost the title to Riddick Bowe in November 1992—their 12-round battle was one of the best fights in recent years—did Holyfield, the consummate warrior, begin to gain the respect he deserved. After beating Bowe to regain the championship one year later, Holyfield settled into the role of champ, and in the weeks leading up to the Moorer bout, he talked of hanging around until 1996 and perhaps someday taking on Mike Tyson.