Ron the Greek conquers Big 'Cap

by Jennifer Caldwell

Wachtel Stable, Brous Stable and breeder Jack T. Hammer's Ron the Greek bided

his time as 2-1 favorite Ultimate Eagle set suicidal fractions on the front end

of Saturday's Grade 1, $750,000

Santa

Anita Handicap before putting in a furious rally down the center of the

track to take the prestigious event by 3 1/2 lengths.

The Bill Mott trainee hadn't been able to challenge against graded rivals

since taking the Grade 3 Lecomte Stakes in 2010, but took full advantage of the

sizzling pace to finish 1 1/4 miles on Santa Anita's fast dirt in 2:00 2/5 under

jockey Jose Lezcano.

"There was a lot of speed in the race," Mott assistant trainer Rodolphe

Brisset acknowledged. "We just wanted to stalk the pace and see what happens. We

were not expecting :44 on the lead. That's sprinting. (Lezcano) did very good to

make a move on the backside and give him a little break on the turn and he just

came running again, so it was a very good race."

Brisset, 28, has been with Mott five years. Ron the Greek arrived in

California Wednesday night and is due to return East on Tuesday.

The swift early pace took its toll on Ultimate Eagle and the Grade 1 winner

began weakening as soon as he entered the lane. Unfortunately he bore in as he

tired, closing up the gap that Thirtyfirststreet was sliding through and forcing

that one nearly over the fence. Thirtyfirststreet played ping-pong with the rail

for a moment before recovering his balance, but the bay colt's momentum was

shattered.

Lezcano, by this point, had swung Ron the Greek four wide into the stretch

and the pair gunned it down the middle of the track. They kept motoring all the

way to the wire, forcing last year's Big 'Cap runner-up Setsuko to settle for

second once again.

"At the half-mile pole I had a lot of horse, but I had to keep asking my

horse," Lezcano said. "My horse is like a bicycle, you keep asking and he will

keep running. The last three races he has been improving. His last race in

Florida he was racing a shorter distance and the other horse opened up early and

I couldn't catch him. He was really coming the last three-sixteenths, but the

other horse opened up too early."

Ron the Greek was worth $9.20, $4.40 and $3.40 as the 7-2 third pick. Setsuko

was bumped at the start before settling into a stalking position early on. The

unlucky five-year-old put in a game try, but just couldn't get the win while

holding second by a half-length over Uh Oh Bango.

"We're very, very disappointed -- I wanted to cry," a despondent Martin

Pedroza said after Ultimate Eagle's loss. "They came like a rabbit. The race is

not a quarter of a mile. We're not at Los Alamitos. We're running a mile and a

quarter. They're trying to hurt me -- for what? I can understand if you're going

to win, but if you're not even going to hit the board..."

"They were hell-bent on getting the lead -- (Joel) Rosario and (John)

Sadler's horse (Gladding) -- and when you go 44 and change going a mile and a

quarter..." said Michael Pender, who trains Ultimate Eagle. "Like we said,

anybody who tries to chase us is going to pay the price, and Gladding was

hitting the reverse button at the three-eighths pole. We kept on going -- credit

to our horse. You can't go a mile and a quarter in 44 and change. It's literally

impossible -- unless you're Secretariat."

Ron the Greek showed signs of his three-year-old form when taking the Sunny

and Mild Stakes by five lengths in November before adding a 2 1/4-length win in

the Queens County Stakes to his line one month later. Making his five-year-old

bow on January 28 in the Florida Sunshine Millions Classic, the son of Full

Mandate rallied to be second behind Mucho Macho Man on that day, setting him up

perfectly for Saturday's career high victory.