Phone Trick, Pincay Too Quick for Opposition in San Carlos Handicap

Larry De Angelis and his wife watched the races Saturday at Santa Anita, then hopped a flight home to Chicago to see their favorite football team play the Rams today.

They might have gotten to Chicago faster by taking Phone Trick, the swift 4-year-old colt that De Angelis owns in partnership with Howell Wynne and their trainer, Dick Mandella.

Undefeated Phone Trick was a zephyr once again Saturday, winning the $134,700 San Carlos Handicap by 4 1/2 lengths before 39,229 fans for his seventh victory. After going the first half-mile in :43 4/5, Phone Trick, under no pressure from the five other horses in the field, completed the seven furlongs in 1:20 4/5, one of the fastest runnings of the stake.

Flying Paster, winning the San Carlos in 1981, holds the stake record with a clocking of 1:20 1/5. In 42 other runnings of the stake at its current distance, no horse has won it in a faster time than Phone Trick, with Solo Guy (1982) and Crusading (1973) also turning in times of 1:20 4/5. The track record for seven furlongs (1:20) was set by Spectacular Bid when he won the 1980 Malibu Stakes.

Phone Trick, who set and then broke the Hollywood Park record for six furlongs last year, has been a godsend for Laffit Pincay. Despite winning his fifth Eclipse Award with a record $13.4 million in purses last year, Pincay has struggled this season at Santa Anita, and he went all last week without a winner as the boos from the fans got louder by the day.

Phone Trick to the rescue, bringing Pincay out of an 0-for-22 funk. “If I had gotten beat,” Pincay said, “I would have had to jump over the backside and leave. They would have crucified me.”

Phone Trick, winning $78,200 and increasing his career total to more than $225,000, was the 2-5 favorite and paid $2.80, $2.20 and $2.10. Temerity Prince paid $2.60 and $2.20 after nosing out My Habitony for second; My Habitony paid $2.40.

When Phone Trick stumbled leaving the gate, Debonaire Junior grabbed a brief lead, but the winner of last year’s San Carlos was passed by Pincay’s colt at the start of the far turn and finished fourth. Two weeks ago, Debonaire Junior tried to repeat in the Palos Verdes Handicap and finished third, eight lengths behind Phone Trick.

In the San Carlos, Phone Trick carried 125 pounds, 4 more than Debonaire Junior, 3 more than Temerity Prince and from 8 to 13 more than the others.

Top weight made no difference to Phone Trick, nor did his heating up a bit in the paddock. “He’s done that before,” Mandella said. “I worry about it, but obviously the horse doesn’t.”

Going from the walking ring to his seat before the race, Wynne noted Phone Trick’s condition and said: “He’s just like me, he likes to sweat a little.”

Wynne, who lives in Dallas, was a classmate of De Angelis at Vanderbilt University and made the Chicago man a partner in Phone Trick after Mandella bought him out of a 2-year-old auction for $85,000. Phone Trick was De Angelis’ first horse--he now has an interest in two--which is the worst way to spoil a new owner in the racing game.

Mandella thought Chinook Pass, the 1983 national sprint champion, was the fastest sprinter he’s ever seen. “But this horse is changing my mind, just like he’s changing Laffit’s mind,” the trainer said.

Pincay also rode Chinook Pass. “He was the only horse I’ve seen or ridden that was faster than this horse,” Pincay said. “Chinook Pass was unbelievable. This one is close to him, but he doesn’t have the quick feet leaving the gate that Chinook had.”

Watching a rerun of the San Carlos on a television set in the stands, Mandella just shook his head as Phone Trick accelerated and pulled away from Debonaire Junior.

“Laffit’s got a hell of a hold on him here,” Mandella said. “That’s what makes it so amazing that he can still go that fast so easy.”

When Pincay heard track announcer Trevor Denman give Temerity Prince a call midway through the stretch, he went to whipping Phone Trick.

“That’s where all of my other horses have been falling apart all week,” Pincay said. Despite only 7 wins out of 79 mounts for the meeting, Pincay has won a season-high three stakes (two with Phone Trick) and finished second 17 times.