Santa Anita Notebook

SANTA ANITA NOTEBOOK

FEBRUARY 16, 2008

by John Mucciolo

The embattled Cushion Track re-opened on Saturday and the weekend was action

packed with stakes events.

Santa Maria H. (G1): Patricia Bozzano's DOUBLE TROUBLE (Brz) (Wild

Event) swept to the lead turning for home and cruised home a dominant, 4

1/2-length winner in here for trainer Bobby Frankel. The five-year-old, who

spent a good portion of her career in turf events, took to this surface with

ease in clocking the 1 1/16 miles in 1:42 2/5 under Rafael Bejarano.

Las Virgenes S. (G1): Ron McCauley's recent purchase of GOLDEN DOC A

(Unusual Heat) paid instant dividends, as the filly made her move approaching

the final turn and got up in time despite an eventful stretch run to annex her

first graded score. The Barry Abrams charge, who just missed in the recent Santa

Ynez S. (G2) in her previous outing, went in 1:35 4/5 for the one-mile affair

beneath Bejarano.

San Antonio H. (G2): WinStar Farms' WELL ARMED (Tiznow) took advantage

of his excellent tactical speed to open up an insurmountable lead in the lane en

route to a tally for Eoin Harty. Piloted by Aaron Gryder, the five-year-old was

exiting a solid runner-up effort in the San Pasqual H. (G2) in his latest try

and finished off nine panels in 1:47 3/5 in here.

La Canada S. (G2): Ike Thrash's DAWN AFTER DAWN (Successful Appeal)

established a tortoise-like pace under Garrett Gomez early and was never

challenged late in posting her initial stakes win. The John Sadler trainee

finished off 1 1/8 miles in 1:50 1/5 to take home the top prize in this affair.

San Vicente S. (G2): George Schwary's homebred GEORGIE BOY (Tribal

Rule) pounced on the dueling Into Mischief (Dixie Union) and Massive Drama

(Kafwain) in midstretch and powered clear to a convincing 3 1/4-length score for

trainer Kathy Walsh. The Grade 1-winning sophomore endured a dream trip under

Bejarano en route to reaching the wire in 1:20 for the seven-furlong test.

Track Stats

From a total of 29 races held over the Arcadia, California, racetrack during

the week, favorites won at a 24-percent clip and the top-two betting choices

combined for 41 percent of the wins. From 17 frays contested on the Cushion

Track, three animals won in wire-to-wire fashion (18 percent), while two of the

12 grassy tussles went all the way on the lead (16 percent).

Speed on the Cushion Track was of very little advantage during the weekend,

with two of the wire-to-wire winners being obvious lone-speed types with

quality. Two winners over the grass on Sunday led at every call, while another

battled back after being headed in the lane. This lawn has always been nice to

closers, so it's worth keeping an eye on if more pacesetters hang on in the

upcoming weeks.

Inside posts had a tough time of it in the recent past, especially on the

main oval, and we were witness to many winners staying off the rail for the

duration of their respective trips. One could only guess if the newest form of

maintenance over this troubled oval is a little heavier along the inside path(s).

It must be noted that this venue has missed 12 days of racing since the

commencement of the meet on the day after Christmas, meaning there have been

just a little more than twice as many racing days as canceled ones.

I've been mum, for the most part, in regards to the recent happenings at the

self-proclaimed "Great Race Place," but this situation has bordered on

ridiculous and the track has surely lost some devoted fans, due to their

inadequacy. I would believe that it's been especially difficult on handicappers;

with horses getting thrown off their training schedules and the uncertainty of

the racing strip and dates of operation. The '(occasionally)

great-when-it-races' place should be rolling out the red carpet to the bettors

who have stuck with them through these hard times, and also compensating the

numerous employees who surely took a hit in their wallets due to the inactivity

on the track.

Meet Totals

RACES:		233
DIRT:		166
TURF:		67
FAVORITES:		62 (27 percent)
2ND CHOICES:		42 (18 percent)
TURF WIRE:		9 (13 percent)
DIRT WIRE:		33 (20 percent)

Post Positions (wins)

RAIL:		23 (10 percent)
1-3:		71 (31 percent)
4-6:		94 (40 percent)
7-out:		69 (29 percent)

HORSES TO WATCH

Saturday (2/9)

2ND - LIGHTMYFIREBABY (Unusual Heat) battled back gamely after being

confronted by a horse with all the momentum in here. The Abrams-trained

mare bears watching in her next contest, especially at a route.

5TH - RENAGADE RUBY (El Corredor) opened up a nice advantage turning for home

but tired late for Julio Canani, but we'll give the filly a break in her first

try versus winners. Tab this miss next out, possibly going down the hillside

turf course.

6TH - The well-bred DECORATOR (Storm Cat) was awesome in her second try for

Richard Mandella, cruising home a sharp winner beneath Tyler Baze. The sophomore

filly could win right back.

7TH - TASHA'S MIRACLE (Harlan's Holiday) is much better than her third-place

showing in the Las Virgenes and will likely benefit from some added ground and a switch to

the dirt.

9TH - MAST TRACK (Mizzen Mast) fought back gamely in this spot and is a very

useful competitor for Frankel. The four-year-old has kept good

company throughout his career and should probably keep to sprinting on the sod

in the near future.

Sunday (2/10)

5TH - RETURNING (Forest Wildcat) gave Mandella another talented sophomore

with a solid score in his debut in this one. The three-year-old colt outclassed

more experienced foes and looks like a stakes performer in the near future.

6TH - LOTACAT (Tale of the Cat) was a clear second in here and shouldn't be a

maiden for long for trainer Dan Hendricks. The three-year-old was at the mercy

of a talented, loose on the lead winner and closed well beneath Alex Solis.

8TH - Massive Drama was pressured every step of the way in the San

Vicente but still put in a useful showing for Bob Baffert. I still believe that

the expensive yearling purchase would be better on the main oval, and his

tenacity should allow him to stretch out some.

Monday (2/11)

3RD - BONDI BABE (Swiss Yodeler) did everything right but win this event, and

the Paddy Gallagher charge should be very tough in her subsequent effort.

7TH - SOUPY (Alphabet Soup) has a tendency to settle for minor awards, but was simply second best on this occasion.

We we expect the John Sadler charge

to be a difficult one to upend in his third off the mini-break.

A Look Ahead

The $150,000 San Carlos H. (G2), featuring the return of Grade 1 victor

CIRCULAR QUAY (Thunder Gulch), will be the highlight of the Saturday card at

Santa Anita. Grade 1 winners GREG'S GOLD (Lake George) and JOHNNY EVES

(Skimming) will also travel seven-eighths in the deep field.

Sunday's headliner is the $75,000 Daytona H. on the green, while the

President's Day main event is the $150,000 Buena Vista H. (G2) for the ladies on

the lawn.