Pen Bal Lady and Fitzwilliam Place Meet Again

Hector Palma, who saddled his first winner in 1971, won his first major stakes race two weeks ago when Pen Bal Lady, via a stewards’ disqualification, was given the victory in the Santa Ana Handicap. Palma would like to win another major race, without help from above, when he runs Pen Bal Lady Sunday in the $150,000 Santa Barbara Handicap at Santa Anita.

To win the Santa Barbara, which at 1 miles on grass is one-eighth of a mile longer than the Santa Ana, Pen Bal Lady must beat Fitzwilliam Place, the horse she finished behind two weeks ago, plus eight others.

Thirteen horses were nominated to the Santa Barbara and 10 were entered. Any Song, with Bill Shoemaker riding and a 114-pound impost, will start from the rail, and outside her (in order) are Galunpe, with Fernando Toro and 119 pounds; Chapel of Dreams, Jose Santos, 116; Riverbride, Alex Solis, 111; Proper Mary, Laffit Pincay, 112; Quadrada, Frank Olivares, 112; Turn and Dance, Chris McCarron, 114; Carotene, Don Seymour, 121; Pen Bal Lady, Eddie Delahoussaye, 119, and Fitzwilliam Place, Jorge Velasquez, 119.

Both Velasquez and Fitzwilliam Place’s trainer, Charlie Whittingham, thought the stewards erred in penalizing their horse, a first-place finisher by a nose, for crowding Pen Bal Lady while leaving the far turn and almost sending her and Delahoussaye over the fence.

After the Santa Ana, Palma, who once worked as a groom for the late Buster Millerick, said there was only a 50-50 chance that Pen Bal Lady would return in the Santa Barbara.

“I don’t have that many good horses,” Palma said. “So when I get one like this, I have to take care of her.”

Since Pen Bal Lady came out of the Santa Ana in good order, she’ll try to beat Fitzwilliam Place on the track. Their weights are even Sunday, after Fitzwilliam Place carried a pound more in the Santa Ana.

There are two other horses out of the Santa Ana running Sunday, Galunpe having finished third despite a troubled trip and Carotene having run fourth with what appeared to be a misjudged ride by Seymour.

Galunpe finished only three-quarters of a length behind Fitzwilliam Place. “If she had had a better shot turning for home, she might have gotten there,” said her trainer, Bobby Frankel.

Whittingham, who has won the Santa Barbara two out of the last three years, with Fact Finder and Reloy, saddles both Fitzwilliam Place and Riverbride.