Weekend Racing at Oak Tree : Best of Both Doesn’t Look Like Best Bet for Drysdale

Trainer Neil Drysdale has horses going in all directions this weekend. His weekend will start today with a couple of rich races--the $100,000 Tanforan Handicap at Bay Meadows and the $150,000 Alcibiades Stakes at Keeneland.

Both Ends Burning will run for Drysdale in the Tanforan, trying to become the second horse to ever repeat as the winner of the stake, and Python, his 2-year-old filly, will probably be favored in the Alcibiades.

Closer to home, Drysdale has the least chance of winning. He will start Best of Both in Sunday’s $100,000 Carleton F. Burke Handicap at Santa Anita. Best of Both is usually close, with two wins, a second and and two thirds in eight starts this year, but he hasn’t won since March and hasn’t been able to handle horses of the caliber that will run in the Burke.

Tsunami Slew, winner of the American Handicap at Hollywood Park and the Eddie Read at Del Mar this year but seventh in the Budweiser-Arlington Million in his last start, will share top weight at 121 pounds with Yashgan Sunday. Yashgan is a European horse whose best finish was fourth out of three New York starts this summer.

Best of Both, with Eddie Delahoussaye riding, has drawn the rail for the Burke, which is 1 miles on grass and has drawn eight runners. Outside Best of Both, in order, are My Habitony, with Darrel McHargue; El Asesor, Laffit Pincay; Tsunami Slew, Gary Stevens; Yashgan, Chris McCarron; Ends Well, Mike Morgan; Dr. Daly, Bill Shoemaker, and Barberstown, Fernando Toro.

Horse Racing Notes With an off track likely, Creme Fraiche should be favored today in the Jockey Club Gold Cup at Belmont Park. Creme Fraiche won the Belmont Stakes in the mud. Also in the seven-horse field is Greinton, still a horse-of-the-year candidate despite hard-luck finishes in his last three races. CBS, however, has opted not to televise the race, citing “business considerations.” Ratings were low for CBS’ last race, the Marlboro Cup, and the network has elected to go with college football today. . . . Santa Anita will introduce its Pick Nine wager, with a minimum bet of $1, next Saturday. The Pick Nine is one track’s rebuttal to competition from the California lottery. Two other tracks, Hollywood Park and Los Alamitos, are selling lottery tickets. . . . Laffit Pincay will ride Greinton and Chris McCarron will be astride Gate Dancer in today’s Jockey Club Gold Cup. Eddie Delahoussaye will ride Python at Keeneland, Fernando Toro has the mount on Eastland in the Golden Harvest Handicap at Louisiana Downs and Bill Shoemaker will be on The Noble Player in the Tanforan Handicap at Bay Meadows.