By ED GOLDEN

Prosperous Bid.

Remember that name. This year’s Kentucky Derby winner. The next Cigar. Another Citation. The second coming of Secretariat.

Sure, the 3-year-old son of Mr. Prospector-Ubetshedid, has had only one race. But his reputation precedes him. He is not yet a household word, but among omniscient horsemen, Prosperous Bid already is the most touted and talked about Kentucky Derby prospect on the West Coast.

Prosperous Bid, a half-brother to Best Pal, the all-time California-bred money winner with nearly $6 million, won his maiden race at six furlongs by 7 1/2 lengths in 1:09 on Jan. 18. To those who care about such things, he earned a 111 Beyer rating. By comparison, the 3-year-old Coronado’s Quest, whose only loss in six 1997 starts came at the hands of unbeaten Breeders’ Cup champion Favorite Trick, drew a 105 Beyer in winning the Grade II Cowdin Stakes by 5 1/2 lengths last October.

"There never was any secret about Prosperous Bid’s ability. It was evident right from the start," said his trainer, Wally Dollase, who has four other top sophs. "Even the owners, Mr. and Mrs. (John) Mabee (who race as Golden Eagle Farm), and the farm’s trainer, Jack Haynes, said Prosperous Bid was the best horse to come through there, maybe ever. It’s hard to tell how good he is, but they told me about him before I even got him. I expected him to run a helluva race, but I didn’t know he’d get a 111 Beyer."

Now, everyone who knows which end of a horse eats anxiously is awaiting the colt’s next race, but Dollase wasn’t revealing his hand, fearful the race might not fill.

"I know where I’m going to go next with him, but I’d rather not say," said the 60-year-old Dollase, who trains exclusively for Prince Salman’s Thoroughbred Corp. However, the deal is structured to allow Dollase to train 10 horses for interests other than the Prince. One of those 10 is Prosperous Bid.

Prosperous Bid is eligible for a $55,200 allowance event at one mile on Feb. 13. An option is the seven-furlong San Vicente Stakes on Saturday. But another Dollase powerhouse, Orville N Wilbur’s, is pointing to the San Vicente, so Dollase is likely to keep the two on separate paths as long as he can.

"Orville N Wilbur’s will go in the San Vicente," Dollase said. "Moonlight Meeting (unbeaten in two starts) is raring to go. He just had a very good half-mile work in :47. I plan to run him in the Golden State Mile at Bay Meadows (Feb. 16)."

Dollase also has Futuristic, who trains in the name of his son, Craig, because of Wally’s limit of 10 outside horses. Yet another talented colt is Liquid Gold, a 9-length maiden winner, presently out with a quarter crack. He will miss the Kentucky Derby.

"My plans will depend on the weather," Dollase said, "so I’ve to play it by ear, which is why I’m very vague right now." Whatever the agenda for his Fab Four, no one would blame dominant Triple Crown players such as Wayne Lukas, Bob Baffert and Nick Zito for being green with envy.

"We don’t know which one’s the best yet," said Dollase. "We’re just kind of weeding them out. All four have done everything we’ve asked of them, that’s for sure. So I don’t know which is the best, but I guarantee we won’t have all four in the Kentucky Derby. You just don’t have that kind of luck. Between now and then (May 2), some will be better than the others. We just don’t know who right now. I’d say the most talented are Prosperous Bid and Orville N Wilbur’s."

Dollase dismisses criticism from rival trainers who suggest the breeding on his precocious sophomores won’t allow them to get the classic distances. "I have no doubts at all," Dollase said. "Prosperous Bid’s dam produced Best Pal, who was second in the (1991) Derby. He should get 1 1/4 pretty easily." Bet on this: Dollase’s peers know his 3-year-olds are legit, especially Prosperous Bid.

Baffert, who won last year’s Derby with Silver Charm and missed by a nose with Cavonnier in 1996, paid Prosperous Bid the ultimate compliment: "I like him because he’s by Mr. Prospector, he’s a half to Best Pal and he ran like a monster. I don’t think there’s any doubt that Mr. Prospector is a little bit better sire than Habitony (Best Pal’s sire). Let me tell you something. Forget all that crap about breeding. Prosperous Bid is a monster. Besides, you don’t know if you have a Derby horse until their last race in April. The last prep race before Kentucky, that’s when you know.

"I never knew about Silver Charm until the Santa Anita Derby (second by a head to Free House). You have to see your horse fighting to the end. If he doesn’t, he’s not a Derby horse. And Prosperous Bid is. He’s the only horse I’d trade one of my 3-year-olds for. In fact, I’d give two for one."

THE HOMESTRETCH:Tracker, two years ago hailed by Baffert as his best 2-year-old, finally broke his maiden at age four in his seventh attempt, this time under Dollase, his fifth trainer in just seven races. Tracker was conditioned after Baffert by Dick Mandella, Jenine Sahadi and Wayne Lukas before The Thoroughbred Corp. gave him to Dollase. The Gone West colt was favored in his first six starts, but paid $8 as second choice when he won . . . Baffert on a possible Santa Anita Handicap conflict for Gary Stevens, regular rider of both Silver Charm and Gentlemen: "If I think there’s going to be a problem, I’ll talk with Gary. But it’s too far away (March 7). If Silver Charm is training great and doing good, I think Gary will stick with him." . . . Through 24 days of the 86-day meet, Santa Anita’s on-track attendance increased 10.3 per cent from last year, with on-track handle up 9.5 percent. Total handle was up 18.6 percent. Increases were attributed to larger fields and resumption of wagering from Nevada, although total handle excluding Nevada was up 11.3 percent . . . Nijinsky’s Passion, who scored major upsets back-to-back in winning the California Breeders’ Champion Stakes and the Santa Ynez Stakes, was named by Vicky Roberts, wife of former top racing executive and Las Vegas disseminator, Tommy Roberts. "This is the first foal ever by her sire, Nijinsky’s Table," says Tommy of the 3-year-old California-bred filly . . . There’s no doubt who Southern California’s most popular rider is, both with fans and his fellow jockeys. It’s Laffit Pincay Jr. A class act who carries himself with modest confidence and compassionate sensitivity, the world’s winningest active rider had just finished fourth in a $16,000 claiming race when two boys, about 6 and 4, prompted by their father, asked Pincay if they could have the goggles he had worn in the race. Pincay removed the two pairs of goggles from his helmet and handed one to the older boy. Then the younger one, envious of his brother, asked for the other. Without hesitation, Pincay gave the boy his last pair of goggles. Pincay then smiled contentedly and walked alone to the jocks’ room.