In three previous start, Lawrence the Roman has crushed his opposition by nearly 30 combined lengths and generated excitement that this New York-bred could well be on the road to the Kentucky Derby.

But Saturday afternoon, the Point Given colt got a taste of his own medicine and a severe jolt to his Derby plans when he beat only one horse in Aqueduct’s 28th running of the $70,070 Whirlaway for three-year-olds at a mile and a sixteenth on the fast inner dirt track before a crowd of 3,671.

The hero of the day turned out to be Klaravich Stable and William H. Lawrence’s Summer Doldrums who notched the front-running, 5 ¼-length victory in 1:42.23 for trainer Rick Violette Jr. It was the start of a big afternoon for Violette, who moments later, saddled Dream Rush to an upset victory over previously undefeated Dreaming of Anna, the 2006 juvenile filly champion, in the Grade 3 Old Hat at Gulfstream Park in Hallandale, Fla.

The Whirlaway marked the third win in six starts for Summer Doldrums, a Street Cry colt, who returned $9.30 to win under jockey Mike Luzzi.

“We wanted Edgar (Prado, aboard Lawrence the Roman)to make a choice of whether to go or go back,” Luzzi said. “That was Rick’s idea and I was just following instructions. I thought the sprinter (Sports Town) would go a little quicker. I found myself a half-length in there, but he was comfortable. He finished up nice. It is hard to tell now. He’s pretty handy and Rick really likes him. He galloped out all the way around the turn. We’ll see what happens.”

Summer Doldrums was briefly challenged early by Sports Town after an opening quarter mile of :23.58; but Luzzi kept his mount busy on the inside and pulled away in the lane.

“He was pretty impressive,” Violette said via telephone. “He’s a handy little horse. He was a little sharper than he has been because we’ve been a little lighter on his training. There was some bumping on the first turn, which probably put him on the bridle. That wasn’t plan A. I thought Sports Town and Pink Viper would be ahead of us. It’s nice when you can have a horse go to plan B or C and still win the way he did. Mike (Luzzi) did a great job adapting. This is a very nice horse. I was devastated by his Remsen. I’m glad he’s reinforced the talent we thought he had. He’s won three of his last four starts now.”

Violette said he would likely run Summer Doldrums back in the Grade 3, $200,000 Gotham for three-year-olds at a mile and a sixteenth on Saturday, March 10.

“I like that it’s around two turns,” he said. “If it were one turn, I’d do something else.”

Sir Whimsey was second, followed by Sports Town, Brass Run, Lawrence the Roman and Count Fleet winner Pink Viper

“I don’t know what to tell you,” jockey Edgar Prado said of Lawrence the Roman. “He broke okay and was right behind the speed. I thought I was in a good spot. Down the backstretch, he threw the bit in and kept going backwards. He came back okay, so we’ll see.”