Santa Anita Beats the Weather, Gets a Fast Start on Fast Track

Just when it seemed as if barnacles were about to form on area race tracks, the sun came out and the track turned fast Monday for the opening of Santa Anita’s 52nd season.

After heavy rains at the end of the Hollywood Park season had officials there looking for an ark, Santa Anita left the sandbags in storage as a crowd of 65,164 turned out in honor of dry land.

There were probably as many people exchanging Christmas gifts at the shopping center next door, and it seemed as if there were that many horses running in the opening feature.

There were 13 runners in the 7-furlong $115,550 Malibu Stakes--trainer Bill Spawr wanted mud for Drouilly’s Boy and scratched his 3-year-old--and Oraibi, a colt who would have stayed in the barn had there been an off track, took the lead at the top of the stretch and held off Perceive Arrogance for a three-quarter-length victory.

Speedratic, who had won the Affirmed Handicap in the mud at Hollywood Park a month ago, finished third, a neck behind Perceive Arrogance. Mi Preferido, the 2-1 favorite, lost a photo for third and finished fourth.

After fast early fractions, Oraibi wound up with a clocking of 1:21 3/5, which compares favorably with other winners of the Malibu in recent years. Despite going into the Malibu with a 3-race winning streak, Oraibi was the third choice in the betting and paid $14, $7 and $5. Perceive Arrogance, who was 11-1, paid $9.60 and $5.80. Speedratic’s show price was $4.

Under Laffit Pincay, who won the Malibu for the first time since he won the stake three straight times in 1981-83, Oraibi was in fourth place and tight quarters early, then gained the lead coming out of the turn.

Prospectors Gamble, who had been a factor down the backstretch, tired in the stretch and finished fifth. No Commitment, another horse with early speed, also had nothing left for the drive and wound up ninth.

Trainer Dick Mandella has never been sure about pronouncing Oraibi’s name. “I was giving him an Irish pronunciation until the owners corrected me,” Mandella said. Oh-RYE-bee is prefered pronunciation.

What Mandella did know about Oraibi--which means rock and is the name of a small Indian village in northeast Arizona--is that he was a horse with promise, despite a history of sore shins. When Oraibi finished fourth in his first start, last April at Santa Anita, Mandella was disappointed, but Pincay told him afterward that the horse ran as though he had shin problems, which was a correct diagnosis.

So Oraibi got a rest and didn’t return to the races until 6 months later, and he has done nothing but win ever since. There were two victories at Santa Anita in October, then another victory at Hollywood Park last month.

“Forli (the sire) colts can develop late, so I had patience with this one,” Mandella said. “This is a gorgeous horse to look at, and I didn’t want to trade my chances with anyone going into this race if the track was fast, even though there were a lot of horses with a chance to win today. If the track had come up muddy, we had nominated him for the Palos Verdes (on Friday).”

Oraibi was bred by his owners, Ralph and Aury Todd of Santa Ynez, by a mating between Forli and Dancing Liz, a Northern Dancer mare who won a division of the Autumn Days Handicap for them in 1976. Forli, who sired three-time horse-of-the-year Forego, died a few months ago.

“I had to work on my horse to keep my position,” Pincay said. “We were brushing on the turn. The last time, he got tired going a mile, but I thought he had a good chance to win at 7 furlongs. I think he might go on, the way he went today.”

The next stake in the 3-race Strub series is the 1 1/8-mile San Fernando Jan. 15.

“He acts like he will handle a longer distance,” Mandella said. “At least he trains in the morning like he will.” Mandella isn’t sure, however, whether the San Fernando will be Oraibi’s next race.

The runner-up horse, Perceive Arrogance, has already won at 1 1/8 miles and seems more certain to be in the San Fernando field.

Angel Cordero, the New York jockey riding Perceive Arrogance for the first time, said that the horse was acting up in the gate and an assistant starter had ahold of one of the horse’s ears when the stall opened.

“As a result, he came out of there walking,” said Albert Barrera, Perceive Arrogance’s trainer. “Then he was wide all the way. I think he’ll be a lot tougher at longer distances and can beat this group next time. Angel said that his horse was the only one who was really running at the end.”

Oraibi earned $70,550. He was the most inexperienced starter in the Malibu field, and the only horse who had never run in a stake before. Now he’s a horse that his trainer as well as the public should be able to pronounce.

Horse Racing Notes

Counting off-track customers, 75,071 fans bet on Santa Anita’s opening card, with the on-track handle and business at eight off-track sites totaling $10.7 million. The on-track handle of $9.2 million was second to the $9.4 million that was bet in 1986, before the introduction of off-track betting. . . . Laffit Pincay rode 3 winners. . . . It was a day for horses to end slumps. K.’s Charger, who had won 1 of his last 29 starts, took the first race, and Alandvon, 0 for 16 this year, was the winner of the fifth. . . . Apprentice James Corral, who has been sidelined since suffering a fractured vertebra in a spill at Santa Anita Oct. 9, returned Monday and won the last race.