Santa Anita Handicap : Luck of Draw Favors Precisionist: He Gets No. 4

Eddie Arcaro, who handled the draw Friday for Sunday’s $1 million Santa Anita Handicap, would figure to know a thing or two about the race.

After all, Arcaro, 70, rode in it no fewer than 14 times, starting with the inaugural race in 1935 and ending in 1960. He made it to the winner’s circle twice--aboard Talon in 1948 and Mark-Ye-Well in 1953--placed second once and finished third once.

So, when Arcaro voiced a quick aside to trainer Ross Fenstermaker during Friday’s draw, it was worth noting.

“That’s a pretty good post position, I’ll tell you that,” Arcaro said to Fenstermaker after Precisionist had been drawn into the No. 4 hole for the 49th running of the Big ‘Cap.

The selection did nothing to hurt the chances of Fred Hooper’s Eclipse Award-winning sprinter. Precisionist, who heads a field of 13, is the 8-5 favorite in the morning line.

The son of Crozier, 1963 Santa Anita Handicap winner, Precisionist has earned more than $1.9 million in purses and has won 13 of 27 races, including a sweep of the Strub Series last year and a victory in the Breeders’ Cup Sprint. He scored his most recent win in the San Pasqual Handicap Jan. 25.

“I couldn’t really say Precisionist is a better horse than he was then,” Fenstermaker said. “He’s the same horse. But right now, he’s seasoned good and he’s fit. They’ve got him high weight (at 126 pounds), so I guess everybody figures he’s the best horse. We’re going to do our best with him.

“I’m just glad of the post position. I’ve got to thank Eddie for drawing it for me.”

All joking aside, Precisionist, who worked six furlongs Tuesday in a blazing 1:08 3/5, is likely to be tough to beat. Two Charlie Whittingham-trained horses, Greinton and Dahar, are coupled in the wagering as the second choice at 5-2, with Greinton the more likely threat.

Precisionist and Greinton have met on six occasions, with each winning three times. The presence of a couple of speed horses in the field and the late entry of Vanlandingham are factors that cannot be ignored, however.

“Right now, Precisionist is a little more mature and he’s learning how to rate,” Fenstermaker said. “In the San Pasqual, he laid back second off the pace very easy, so I’m not too concerned with the pace like I used to be. They used to send all the rabbits after me, but now it’s not bothering us too much.”

Vanlandingham, trained by Shug McGaughey, drew an outside post position Friday, being put in the No. 11 hole, but still is an 8-1 choice, and Fenstermaker was cautious in his assessment of last year’s male handicap champion. Precisionist and Vanlandingham have not raced one another.

“Vanlandingham looks like he’s solid,” Fenstermaker said. “We’ve got to hook him sometime in the year. We might as well do it now as later. He had a good race down at Gulfstream Park on the turf (winning the Canadian Turf Handicap Feb. 15 while tying the track record) that kind of set him up for this race.”

Vanlandingham, who will be ridden by Don MacBeth, has been assigned 125 pounds, one fewer than the favorite. Precisionist’s weight, in fact, was the subject of some discussion Friday.

Racing Secretary Tommy Robbins, one of four handicappers who put together the weights, said the decision to assign Precisionist 126 pounds was unanimous.

“Precisionist we all agreed upon at 126,” he said. “It’s the same weight that he carried in the San Pasqual, beating a field that I don’t think really compares to the Santa Anita Handicap field.

“(Sunday’s race) is a mile and a quarter, slightly longer than the San Pasqual. We felt that might not help his chances. . . . We also were concerned about the spread between some of the other horses that would be participating. So, that was more or less our reason for the high weight of 126.

“This is a million-dollar race, it’s the only million-dollar handicap, and maybe we were conservative. Most of these races are usually equal weights or weight-for-age, and that might have been on our minds when we assigned these weights.”

Whittingham had no problem with the weights but remembered when they were more severe.

“I thought they were very fair for everyone,” he said. “They don’t weight horses much anymore. I remember Ack Ack running this race (and winning in 1971). He had 130 pounds on him. I know he was a good horse but I don’t think he was that much better than some of these horses in here.

“I think it’s very fair on everyone. I think the weights when you get ‘em too high, you’re just helping eliminate a horse maybe from future races by making him carry a lot of weight he really doesn’t need.”

Fenstermaker, meanwhile, hopes the weight will not be a factor, that Precisionist will win convincingly.

“I’d truly like to see the horse do well,” he said. “If he wins, that would put him in the same category with John Henry as the only two ever to win two million-dollar races. That would mean a lot to me.”

The field, in order of post position and including jockey and weight: Fast Account, Gary Stevens, 116; My Habitony, Darrel McHargue, 115; Greinton, Laffit Pincay, 122; Precisionist, Chris McCarron, 126; Roo Art, Angel Cordero, 116; Alphabatim, Bill Shoemaker, 120; Right Con, Pat Valenzuela, 117; Dahar, Alex Solis, 118; Gate Dancer, Jorge Velasquez, 122; Hatim, Eddie Delahoussaye, 118; Vanlandingham, Don MacBeth, 125; Proof, Eddie Maple, 116, and Herat, Pat Day, 112.

Horse Racing Notes

Bill Shoemaker, who will ride Alphabatim for the first time in Sunday’s race, suggests he not be written off. “What you don’t understand about this race is that this is a lucky race for me,” he said. “I’ve won it 11 times, so look out.” . . . Eddie Arcaro on the Big ‘Cap: “I’ve always thought it was the greatest winter classic that was ever run. I rode in the first one and that was 51 years ago. I didn’t think I’d make it this far, but I’m very happy to be here to see this one 51 years later.” . . . Precisionist’s owner, 88-year-old Fred Hooper, will fly in Saturday night to attend Sunday’s race. . . . Gates will open at 9 a.m. Sunday, with the first post at 12:30 p.m. instead of 1 p.m.