Savannah Slew Is the Spoiler Again for Lady’s Secret

Take Lady’s Secret outside California and she is almost unbeatable. In New York this year, she so impressed the horseplayers that she went off at 1-2 odds or less in 6 of her 10 starts.

But while New York is Mecca for Lady’s Secret, California is hard times. Early in her career, the 3-year-old filly had trouble winning here, and the pattern continued Friday at Santa Anita, where Savannah Slew, a horse with only one significant stakes win to her credit, outgamed Lady’s Secret through a tough stretch drive for a half-length win in the $66,150 La Brea Stakes before 27,047 fans.

Another pattern that continued Friday was the post-Breeders’ Cup blahs for some of this year’s best horses. Death Valley is really located at Hollywood Park and Santa Anita, where Precisionist, Vanlandingham, Twilight Ridge, Dontstop Themusic, Yashgan, Family Style, Estrapade, Win, Pancho Villa and now Lady’s Secret have compromised their Eclipse Awards chances by being unable to win.

Lady’s Secret was the second Secretariat offspring to lose as the odds-on favorite at Santa Anita in as many days. On Thursday, in the opening-day Malibu Stakes, Pancho Villa ran fifth as Banner Bob captured the race.

Lady’s Secret, who went off at 4-5, came into the La Brea with lifetime earnings of $1 million and with 10 stakes wins this year, including wins over older fillies and mares at Belmont Park this fall. Even a second-place finish in the Breeders’ Cup in her last start, which ended an eight-race winning streak, had been an impressive outing, because the horse that beat her, stablemate Life’s Magic, was the top 3-year-old filly of 1984.

But most of those wins were compiled in New York, where Lady’s Secret has won 8 of 12 lifetime starts. Away from Broadway, she’s vulnerable--going into the La Brea, she had won but 3 of 10 starts in California.

In particular, Savannah Slew has Lady’s Secret’s number on the West Coast. The daughter of Seattle Slew, who cost her owner, Allen Paulson, $460,000 as a yearling, beat Lady’s Secret by 1 1/2 lengths with an eight-pound weight advantage in the Vallejo Stakes at Golden Gate Fields last February.

The two fillies didn’t meet again until Friday. Savannah Slew struggled through the summer--unable to even win in allowance company at Del Mar--while Lady’s Secret was lighting up New York.

Going into the La Brea, however, Savannah Slew appeared to be peaking, and she had another edge in the weights, this time five pounds. Savannah Slew won stakes at Canterbury Downs, near Minneapolis, and at Santa Anita in her last two starts.

Savannah Slew didn’t win the La Brea without being in a horse race. Reigning Countess split Lady’s Secret and Savannah Slew going down the backstretch of the seven-furlong stake, but by the time the seven-horse field hit the turn, it was the daughter of Seattle Slew against the daughter of Secretariat.

Lady’s Secret, on the rail, was the leader until they straightened out for the stretch run. “Then the other filly got a good neck in front of me,” said Chris McCarron, who was riding Lady’s Secret for only the second time.

Bill Shoemaker, winning a career-record 937th stake aboard Savannah Slew, watched the television rerun alongside McCarron in the jockeys’ room.

As the fillies reached the eighth pole, Shoemaker said: “Here, I thought you were gonna beat me.”

“You were a full half-length ahead, but then my horse came back again,” McCarron said. “Yeah, I thought I had you.”

Earlier, when Savannah Slew edged ahead at the top of the stretch, Shoemaker thought he had the winner. “My horse hung a little when she got the lead,” Shoemaker said. “She hadn’t been out in quite a while (since Nov. 3).”

Timed in 1:22 2/5, Savannah Slew earned $39,150, pushing her over the $200,000 career mark for Paulson, who’s been hospitalized with a back operation. Savannah Slew’s prices as the second choice were $9.40, $3.40 and $3.20. Lady’s Secret paid $2.80 and $2.80 and Ambra Ridge, who finished three lengths behind Lady’s Secret, returned $4.20.

Both Savannah Slew and Lady’s Secret will be back as 4-year-olds in 1986, with trainer Ron McAnally pointing Friday’s winner for the three-race La Canada series at Santa Anita. Lady’s Secret might be there, too, even though a return to New York figures to be more rewarding.

Horse Racing Notes

Wayne Lukas, Lady’s Secret’s trainer, is still seeking his 70th stakes win this year and he has good shots today with North Sider in the Bay Meadows Debutante and Alabama Nana in the Firenze Handicap at Aqueduct. . . . Eddie Delahoussaye, still feeling the effects of a spill several days ago at Hollywood Park, has missed the first two days at Santa Anita. Delahoussaye got to the jockeys’ room early Friday, but after taking some antibiotics, still didn’t feel well enough to ride. . . . Laffit Pincay, who’ll be 39 Sunday, rides undefeated Phone Trick in the $80,000 Palos Verdes Handicap. The other five in the race are Debonaire Junior, Charging Falls, My Favorite Moment, Five North and Coyotero. . . . Lady Maxine D. is the only multiple stakes winner among 12 California-breds running today in the $100,000 California Breeders’ Champion for 2-year-old fillies