Oak Tree Meeting at Santa Anita : Longshot Air Display Wins Volante

The roller-coaster life of a horse trainer hit Darrell Vienna all in one afternoon Saturday.

While Vienna was at Bay Meadows, saddling Cheapskate for his last-place finish in the $100,000 Ascot Handicap, his stable assistants, newlyweds Gregg and Kim Otteson, were at Santa Anita for Air Display’s longshot win in the $107,450 Volante Handicap before a crowd of 34,925.

Vienna doesn’t like to run his horses against each other, and Cheapskate’s assignment at Bay Meadows looked easier than Air Display’s at Santa Anita.

But Air Display saved the day for the Vienna barn, rushing by the front-running and favored Vernon Castle late in the backstretch and going on to a four-length win, the European-raced colt’s first victory in the United States.

Air Display, covering 1 1/8 miles on grass in 1:48, paid $22.80, $9 and $5. Armada overtook Vernon Castle to finish second and paid $4.60 and $3.40. Vernon Castle, who went off as the 11-10 favorite, was another 1 lengths back and paid $2.80.

The Volante was a disappointing effort for Vernon Castle, a triple stakes winner this year, who is being pointed toward the $1-million Breeders’ Cup Mile at Santa Anita Nov. 1. Another Breeders’ Cup candidate, Double Feint, who was 5 for 7 on grass before Saturday, got nothing out of the race, being shut off by Bright Tom as he aimed for a hole on the rail at the far turn. Double Feint, the second betting choice at 3-1, finished sixth in the nine-horse field.

In Vernon Castle’s previous start, the Del Mar Handicap Sept. 1, the Seattle Slew colt finished last as the odds-on favorite. This time, Vernon Castle was where jockey Eddie Delahoussaye didn’t want him to be, on the early lead.

“I tried to take him back and he just tried to run off with me,” Delahoussaye said. “Then he got tired.”

The win was worth $64,700 to Air Display’s six owners, who acquired the Nikoli-Heather Bee 3-year-old shortly before he made his American debut by running last in the Del Mar Derby in August.

“We were told he was fit for that race, but he wasn’t,” said Kim Anderson Otteson, who is Vienna’s sister-in-law. “But we felt he’d be ready for this race because he had worked so well with Mountain Bear lately.”

Mountain Bear, a speedy mare who won the Santa Barbara and San Gorgonio handicaps at Santa Anita last winter, is running today against favored Hidden Light in the Las Palmas Handicap.

About two weeks ago, Air Display and Mountain Bear went six furlongs in the morning and Air Display beat the mare by a couple of lengths. A week ago Saturday, they again worked three-quarters of a mile together and hit the finish line at the same time.

In the Volante, Air Display didn’t have a perfect trip, either, getting knocked around while leaving the gate.

“That might have been a blessing in disguise,” jockey Gary Stevens said. “They were crawling down the backside, and I was able to go by on the outside while some of the other horses were trapped down on the inside. Then my horse really responded in the stretch.”

Although Air Display is eligible for the Breeders’ Cup, that might be a big step for a colt who had only won twice in Europe in 14 starts.

“We’ll have to see what Darrell says when we call him,” Kim Otteson said. It was going to be the kind of phone call that Vienna would welcome after what happened at Bay Meadows.

Horse Racing Notes

Russell Baze, who won the Ascot Handicap Saturday with Full Charm, has 17 winners at Bay Meadows in the last four days. Baze rides Justicara today in the Las Palmas Handicap at Santa Anita. . . . Hopeful Word, winner of the Budweiser Breeders’ Cup Friday at Bay Meadows, is headed for the Breeders’ Cup Classic at Santa Anita, as is Alphabatim, who was fourth in the race. . . . Fernando Toro rode Hopeful Word in place of Chris McCarron, who broke his leg in a five-horse spill Thursday at Santa Anita. Another scheduled McCarron mount, Demon’s Begone, was nosed out by undefeated Polish Navy Saturday in the Champagne at Belmont Park, with Bet Twice, who had been 5 for 5, finishing third. . . . With McCarron sidelined, trainer Gary Jones said there is a “90% chance” that Pat Day will ride Turkoman in the Breeders’ Cup Classic Nov. 1. . . . Bedside Promise, fourth in last Wednesday’s Ancient Title Handicap, is expected to return in the Breeders’ Cup Sprint, and Laffit Pincay probably will have the mount. . . . Bob Umphrey, who had been the racing secretary at Hollywood Park, has taken a similar position with Bay Meadows. . . . Martin Pedroza rode three winners Saturday.