Plan capitalizes on ideal trip in Santa Barbara

Vamo a Galupiar and Camelia Rose, the slight 2-1 favorite and second choice,

respectively, were both well placed turning for home, but neither could pick up

like Capital Plan.

Meanwhile, the late-running Cambina, still last in midstretch, rallied boldly

without posing a serious challenge to the winner. Capital Plan stopped the

teletimer in 2:01 3/5 on the firm turf and returned $13.20, $7.20 and $5.80 as

the fourth choice at 5-1.

"Jerry (Hollendorfer) told me to play it by ear," Blanc said. "On paper, it

looked like the one (Hard Seven) and the three (Glowing Spirit) were going to be

the speed of the race. I didn't know what Joel's horse (Camelia Rose with Joel

Rosario) was going to do on the outside, and I was kind of waiting to see what he

would do.

"When everybody looked for cover on the front side, I kind of just let my

filly lope along and I just got a beautiful spot. I felt the momentum from there

and I asked her to pick it up. She really responded and took off the last

three-sixteenths."

"She came home well," Hollendorfer said. "It was a perfect ride by Brice

Blanc."

Cambina edged Hard Seven by a nose for runner-up honors. There was a gap of 2

1/2 lengths back to Camelia Rose in fourth. Bauble Queen, Vamo a Galupiar and

Glowing Spirit completed the order under the wire.

"The ground was too firm" for Vamo a Galupiar, Hall of Fame trainer Neil

Drysdale noted.

Capital Plan improved her resume to 10-4-2-0, $215,800. Originally campaigned

by Glen Hill Farm and trained by Tom Proctor, the June 1 foal didn't race at

two. She broke her maiden over Del Mar's Polytrack last summer in her third try,

and then joined her present connections. The bay cleared her first two allowance

conditions last fall, winning on the Santa Anita turf and the Hollywood Cushion

Track, before disappointing when fifth in the Grade 2 La Canada on the Santa

Anita dirt January 22. Capital Plan was subsequently second in a pair of

allowances, a February 10 event on the Tapeta at Golden Gate and a March 15

affair going a mile on this course.

"We're looking at a couple different options for her next race," Hollendorfer

said, "and one of them is in New York."

Bred by Madeleine A. Pickens and Diamond A Racing Corp. in Kentucky, Capital

Plan was a $50,000 Keeneland September yearling purchase. She is out of the

unraced Strawberry Road mare Miss Dahlia, who is also the dam of Grade 2-placed

Skellytown and the granddam of Grade 2-placed Our Dahlia.

Miss Dahlia was produced by Hall of Famer Dahlia, a two-time English Horse of

the Year. Successful in the 1973 and 1974 runnings of the Group 1 King George VI

and Queen Elizabeth Stakes, the elegant chestnut also captured such major races

as the Group 1 Irish Oaks, Group 1 Prix Saint-Alary, Group 1 Grand Prix de

Saint-Cloud and two consecutive editions of the Group 1 Benson and Hedges Gold

Cup. Dahlia plundered four premier races in North America as well -- the Grade 1

Washington D.C. International, Grade 1 Man o' War and Grade 1 Hollywood

Invitational and the Grade 2 Canadian International.

Dahlia went on to become a stellar broodmare responsible for multiple

Grade 1-winning millionaires Dahar and Rivlia; Grade 1 stars Delegant and

Dahlia's Dreamer; and Grade 2 winners Llandaff and Wajd, the latter the dam of

Group 1 St Leger hero Nedawi. Dahlia is the ancestress of Group 1 Ascot Gold Cup

victor Rite of Passage and New Zealand Group 1 scorer Mission Critical.