Swoon and Semillero Share San Marino Handicap Wins

Favored Swoon and Chilean-import Semillero shared honors Sunday by winning $60,000 divisions of the San Marino Handicap on the turf at Santa Anita.

Swoon, ridden by Gary Stevens, cut between horses in a bold stretch move to score a nose victory over Palestiglio in the second division. Earlier, Semillero raced to an easy 2 1/2-length win.

Native Charmer and Palestiglio battled for the lead in the second division, while Swoon ran in fourth until the turn for home. There he moved up on the outside and then cut between the leaders for his narrow victory.

Swoon, carrying 121 pounds, was the 4-5 favorite of a crowd of 37,492 and paid $3.80, $3.20 and $2.60. Palestiglio, ridden by Rick Dominguez, carried 112 pounds and failed by inches in his first U.S. start since coming from South America. He paid $21 and $8. Native Charmer, ridden by Sandy Hawley, returned $3.80 for third.

The winner was clocked in 2:26 4/5 for the 1 1/2-mile race, and earned $39,400 for owner-breeder Aaron Jones of Eugene, Ore. Swoon, who had not won a stakes race in more than two years, is a seven-year old son of Secretariat.

In the first division, Semillero posted his first American stakes win, while jockey Darrell McHargue rode his first stakes-winning mount since returning from Europe last fall.

Semillero, timed in 2:27, paid $9.80 $5.80 and 4.20. Narr, who closed from next-to-last in the field of eight for Stevens, paid $6.20 and $4. Decadrachm paid $4.80 for third.