San Vicente Stakes at Santa Anita : Grand Allegiance’s Reversal Continues in Win

The scouting report on Grand Allegiance as a 2-year-old sounded like the one on a young Fred Astaire, only it was worse.

About Astaire, a Hollywood talent scout wrote: “Can’t sing, can’t act, but can dance a little.”

About Grand Allegiance, his own trainer said: “Last spring at Hollywood Park, he was the slowest 2-year-old I had. He couldn’t beat anybody in the mornings when I worked him in company. Not only that, he looked like what you’d say was an ugly horse.”

At least Astaire could dance a little, but it seemed as though Grand Allegiance had no attributes. Trainer Lou Carno has changed his opinion now, after Grand Allegiance has given him three wins in four starts, the latest a 1 3/4-length victory Saturday in the $87,050 San Vicente Stakes before 37,683 fans at Santa Anita.

“This is a different horse,” Carno said. “He’s just developed extremely late and he’s much more muscular now. I’ve never had a horse (in 35 years of training) who’s gone from one extreme to another like this one has.”

The San Vicente, a minor stake for 3-year-olds, was won in the long ago by Hill Gail, Swaps, Lucky Debonair and Majestic Prince, who went on to capture the Kentucky Derby, but Saturday’s field was lackluster. Four of the seven starters had run for claiming prices, their trainers not even paying the $600 to nominate them for the Triple Crown races.

Grand Allegiance, bred and owned by John and Dorothy Popkess of Palm Desert, has been nominated for the Triple Crown but not the Santa Anita Derby. With the formidable Snow Chief scheduled to run in the April 6 Santa Anita Derby, trainers will be shopping for easier spots, and Carno’s loosely formed plans might call for Grand Allegiance to run in the California Derby at Golden Gate Fields on April 19.

In the seven-furlong San Vicente, the first three finishers were California breds, with Royal Treasure, the longest price in the field at 24-1, taking second by a neck over Dancing Pirate.

Favored Grand Allegiance, ridden by Ruben Hernandez, earned $51,050, was timed in 1:23 1/5 on a fast but dull track and paid $4.80, $3.40 and $3. Royal Treasure’s prices were $10.40 and $4.20, and Dancing Pirate paid $4.40.

Prince Bobby B., who had broken his maiden with an eight-length win in his last start, shot to the lead from the outside post, but Hernandez kept Grand Allegiance close.

Royal Treasure and Dancing Pirate began advancing on the turn, and at the top of the stretch Prince Bobby B. was through, finishing fifth. Royal Treasure, ridden by Bill Shoemaker, never threatened the winner.

“My horse was running as hard as he could,” Shoemaker said, “but he couldn’t beat the other horse.”

Grand Allegiance made his career debut in December at Hollywood Park, winning by eight lengths. He won by six at Santa Anita on New Year’s Day and then finished third, behind the promising Ferdinand and Variety Road, in the 1 1/16-mile Santa Catalina Stakes on Jan. 29.

“Some people didn’t like the way we ran the horse in that last race, not sending him to the lead,” Carno said. “But there’s no sense killing a horse.

“Ruben rode him perfectly today. The California Derby’s only a thought--we still don’t know if this horse is of that caliber. My only plan now is to find a longer race for him to run.”

The San Vicente was Hernandez’s first stakes win in California since he took the Hollywood Derby with Steve’s Friend in 1977. The 35-year-old Hernandez had ridden only occasionally at local tracks since then, before leaving New York to try the California circuit for the first time last year.

Hernandez, who has ridden Grand Allegiance in all four of his races, had two other winners Saturday.

“He was tired at the end, but that’s because I pushed him early,” Hernandez said. “He’s a nice little horse with a big heart, and I think he can go a distance.”

Ray Sibille was another jockey rooting for Grand Allegiance. Sibille leases Grand Allegiance’s sire, Pledge Allegiance, and stands him at stud at his father’s farm in Sunset, La.

In California, Pledge Allegiance reportedly had trouble receiving mares to be bred. But now that one of his sons, the erstwhile ugly duckling, has won a stake, maybe business will pick up in the breeding shed.

Horse Racing Notes

Lady’s Secret and Videogenic are high-weighted at 126 pounds apiece for today’s $150,000 La Canada Stakes. Lady’s Secret was runner-up to the retired Mom’s Command in last year’s Eclipse Awards voting for 3-year-old fillies and Videogenic finished third. Videogenic seems as comfortable on dirt as she is on the grass, her last start a week ago being a turf win in the Orchid Handicap at Gulfstream Park. The La Canada is 1 1/8 miles on dirt. . . . Laffit Pincay, who hasn’t ridden since last Sunday, will be aboard Shywing in the La Canada. Pincay has been in Florida, where he accepted a fifth Eclipse Award for top jockey at a dinner Friday night. . . . John Cisneros, who won Saturday’s fourth race with Bombay Bartender, is a 27-year-old Bolivian jockey who had won 31 races in Northern California before coming to Santa Anita. . . . Rafael Meza, injured in a four-jockey spill on Jan. 20, is expected to resume riding Wednesday. . . . There were gremlins in track announcer Trevor Denman’s sound system Saturday, preventing the crowd from hearing his calls of the early races. . . . Gasper Moschera, who trains Videogenic, claimed Alitina, the winner of Saturday’s seventh race, for $80,000. Susan Spencer, the previous owner of the 4-year-old filly, was crying in the winner’s circle after the race.