Racing at Santa Anita’s Oak Tree Meeting : Zany Tactics Beats 2 Others in Muddy Feature

The rain was so heavy Wednesday before the $63,700 Ancient Title Handicap that the jockeys--all three of them--boarded their horses in Santa Anita’s roof-topped paddock instead of in the walking ring.

As Cowboy Jack Kaenel left the paddock on Zany Tactics, Don Brunette, the co-owner of the 6-year-old gelding, yelled: “You better win, or we’ll make you hitch-hike back to New York.”

Out of the corner of his mouth, Kaenel shouted back: “I’ve done that before.”

The 22-year-old Kaenel, who won the 1982 Preakness with Aloma’s Ruler, has been a gypsy almost ever since, and he has been riding at Aqueduct lately. But wherever Zany Tactics is, Kaenel is, and they were together in the slop Wednesday at Santa Anita, splashing to a half-length win over On the Line, with Carload 3 1/2 lengths farther back as five scratches reduced the Ancient Title field to three.

The Ancient Title result told Brunette, his wife, Vera, and trainer Blake Heap what they already knew, that Zany Tactics can handle an off track. He ran six furlongs in 1:09 with no reminders from Kaenel’s whip, and now the Brunettes and Heap must decide by noon Monday whether to pay the $120,000 that’s needed to supplement Zany Tactics to the $1-million Breeders’ Cup Sprint at Hollywood Park Nov. 21.

To have a chance at the national sprint title, Zany Tactics would have to beat Groovy, who is undefeated and scheduled to run in the Breeders’ Cup.

First place in the Breeders’ Cup is worth $450,000 and second place $225,000, but the Brunettes would lose money if Zany Tactics ran third, which pays $108,000.

“The odds are bad,” Don Brunette said. “I could bet $120,000 and do better. I do think Zany Tactics is one of the best sprinters, period. But you’re emotional after a race. We’ll take a couple of days, see how the horse is doing and then decide.

“If we ran, it would be for the horse’s prestige and to make the trainer and the jockey richer.”

The Ancient Title, which was won by Groovy last year before he ran fourth as the 2-5 favorite in the Breeders’ Cup, did little for Zany Tactics’ stature other than get him back in the winners’ circle. Since breaking the world record for six furlongs with a 1:06 4/5 clocking at Phoenix’s Turf Paradise in March, he had bled twice in two non-winning performances at Aqueduct, won two small stakes at Del Mar and finished fourth, beaten by a length, in the Island Whirl Handicap at Louisiana Downs Sept. 20.

“We should have just run him off the plane in Louisiana,” Brunette said. “He got there early, and I think he was depressed by race day. He went to the post washy (sweaty) and didn’t run his race.”

With win betting only, Zany Tactics paid $3.80 in the Ancient Title, earning $35,500 and increasing his total to $573,000. The Brunettes bought him as a 2-year-old for $6,000. They’ve gotten better odds on his career than they would in the Breeders’ Cup.

Horse Racing Notes Scratch Super Diamond from the Breeders’ Cup Classic. Roland and Ramona Sahm, who own the standout handicapper, can’t justify risking a supplementary fee of $360,000 to net an estimated $795,000 if he won the race. . . . Also, scratch Alysheba from the Goodwood Handicap at Santa Anita Saturday. It appears that he’ll go into the Breeders’ Cup Classic off only workouts. . . . The Goodwood will draw Ferdinand and Skywalker in a small field. . . . The father of Aaron Gryder, the 17-year-old apprentice, was killed in an automobile accident near Bishop Tuesday night. Gryder rode Wednesday at Santa Anita, winning the second race.