Santa Anita : Gulch Beats Very Subtle in Field of 3

Gulch turned on the speed late in the stretch Wednesday to beat Very Subtle by 1 lengths in a virtual match race of the two sprint stars at Santa Anita.

After two other horses scratched, the two 4-year-old millionaires were joined in the 6 1/2-furlong, $70,300 Potrero Grande Handicap by only Gallant Sailor, who didn’t win a race in 1987 or in four tries this year.

For only the third time in 51 years of racing at the Arcadia track, there were only three horses in a stakes race.

Thus, wagering for the crowd of 34,853 was limited to win betting, with Gulch returning $4.40 for a $2 wager, and exacta betting, with the Gulch-Very Subtle combination paying $15.50 for a $5 exacta ticket.

Gulch, with Eddie Delayhoussaye up, took a one-length lead at the outset, only to be overtaken by Chris McCarron and Very Subtle, a filly, who pulled a length ahead going into the far turn.

Gulch, carrying 123 pounds, narrowed the lead as they started down the stretch and moved ahead of Very Subtle, carrying 120 pounds, with a sixteenth of a mile to go. Gallant Sailor, ridden by Frank Olivares and carrying 111 ponds, finished another 2 lengths back.

Gulch was clocked in 1:15 flat.

Gulch won his first five races as a sprinter, but last year campaigned successfully in longer races

After a disappointing ninth-place finish in the $3 million Breeders’ Cup Classic last Nov. 21 at Hollywood Park, Gulch made his next start at six furlongs at Santa Anita and won in 1:08 4-5.

Very Subtle, after winning the Breeders’ Cup Sprint, tried longer distances unsuccessfully. She boasts a $1,410,660 bankroll.

Gulch earned $44,050, boosting his career earnings to $1,808,981 with his 10th victory in 23 starts.

The other two stakes races with only three starters at Santa Anita were the San Miguel Stakes on Dec. 31, 1985, and the Bradbury Stakes on March 12, 1975.