Senior Citizens on Parade : San Marcos Field Had Plenty of Oldies, but Zoffany Was Goodie

Trainer John Gosden said that Sunday’s $127,100 San Marcos Handicap reminded him of an “old-age pensioners’ race.”

Written as a 1-mile grass stake for 4-year-olds and up, the San Marcos also could have been called a race for 9-year-olds and younger. There was only one 4-year-old who ran and the rest of the eight-horse field consisted of a 9-year-old, an 8-year-old, a 7-year-old, a 6-year-old and three 5-year-olds. An 8-year-old, Inevitable Leader, was scratched, someone joking that his handlers couldn’t find the horse’s teeth.

The San Marcos could just as well have been called the Ponce de Leon, however, because in 34 previous runnings, several winners have found it to be a fountain of youth, including Desert Wind III as a 9-year-old in 1965.

Silveyville, who won the race last year, was another 9-year-old trying to win the San Marcos Sunday, but he tired in the stretch and Gosden’s Zoffany, a mere 7, exploded from the eighth pole home to win by two lengths and earn $64,100 for his English owners, Anthony Speelman and John and Anthony Bodie. Silveyville finished fifth.

Charlie Whittingham saddled three horses in the race and they were the immediate pursuers of Zoffany across the finish line. Louis Le Grand was second, three lengths ahead of Strawberry Road II, and it was 1 lengths farther back to Swink, the 4-year-old, in fourth place.

Zoffany, timed in 2:00 4/5, the same winning time as Silveyville last year, was already a millionaire going into the race--as were Silveyville and Strawberry Road--and he increased his earnings to $1,071,645.

Ridden by Eddie Delahoussaye, Zoffany was the second betting choice in a crowd of 34,294 and paid $5.60, $3.20 and $3.20. Favored Louis Le Grand and Strawberry Road, who ran as an entry because they are both owned by Allen Paulson, had payoffs of $2.40 and $2.40.

The San Marcos was the first win for Zoffany since his victory in the Sunset Handicap at Hollywood Park last July. At 7-2, Zoffany was given a good chance of winning the Budweiser-Arlington Million seven weeks later, but he and Alphabatim, a stablemate, bumped on the first turn, dashing both of their chances.

Zoffany finished last and was taken off the track in a van. He suffered a torn muscle in his rump and Gosden fretted that he might show mental scars as well.

The next time he ran, however, Zoffany was fourth, beaten by only three-quarters of a length, as three of Sunday’s starters--Louis Le Grand, Schiller and Silveyville--finished ahead of him in the Burke Handicap at Santa Anita in November.

“This horse thinks and worries but he would have won that race if he hadn’t gotten shut off,” Gosden said. “Then the next race (the Hollywood Turf Cup), he was another close fourth, but it was good to see him run on at the end.”

A son of Our Native and Grey Dawn Girl, Zoffany is a New Jersey-bred who didn’t draw much interest from breeders at the end of his 6-year-old season.

“If you can’t get the right price for a horse, you might as well keep racing him,” Gosden said.

Making his first start since the Turf Cup, Zoffany was in a good early position Sunday, running fourth on the fence behind Silveyville, Mangaki and Strawberry Road, second in the race a year ago, but a nonstarter for almost eight months.

Zoffany survived a misstep that he took about halfway down the back stretch.

In upper stretch, there was a quick exchange of leads. Silveyville was replaced on the front by Strawberry Road for an instant at the eighth pole, but Zoffany breezed past both a moment later.

Swink, who also appeared to be closing strongly, couldn’t get through on the inside, being blocked by Mangaki.

“The horse outside me was dying and lugging in a little,” said Gary Baze, Swink’s jockey. “He tightened it up in there.”

There has been some interest from Australia in buying Zoffany, who won his 14th race in his 34th start. Regardless of ownership, Gosden believes that this will be Zoffany’s last year on the track.

“It’s like an old car,” the trainer said. “After a while, the parts wear out. But if I could get $50 for every mile he’s run, I could retire.”

Gosden, like his owners, is an Englishman who started training in California in 1979. On Sunday, he showed that his Americanization is complete. Asked in the winner’s circle if he would like to drink champagne in the directors’ room, Gosden said: “Sorry. I want to see the second half of the Super Bowl.”

Horse Racing Notes

Vicky Aragon, who set a record for a female jockey by winning 232 races last year, most of them at Longacres, is leaving Santa Anita next month to ride at Golden Gate Fields. Aragon didn’t win a race in 25 starts this season at Santa Anita, finishing second once and third three times. . . . Lady’s Secret, who is expected to be named horse of the year when the announcement is made Friday in New York, probably will make her first start this year in the Santa Margarita Handicap at Santa Anita March 1, trainer Wayne Lukas said Sunday. Lady’s Secret won last year’s Santa Margarita, one of her 10 stakes wins in 1986. Could she return a week later, to run in the Santa Anita Handicap March 8? “There’s only a remote chance that she would do that,” Lukas said. . . . Hairless Heiress, winner of the seventh race Sunday, gave trainer Brian Mayberry his fourth win in five days and his seventh of the meeting. . . . Dick Mandella saddled consecutive winners in the fifth and sixth races. . . . Trainer Mike Mitchell also had two winners Sunday.