Racing at Santa Anita : Miss Brio’s Surge Caps Big Day for Farish

It’s nice to have a friend in the White House, as Will Farish does. But the election of George Bush is unrelated to the good fortune Farish is enjoying these days.

Another election, that of Alysheba as horse of the year, has impacted Farish, because the Kentucky horseman will be standing the champion at his 1,800-acre Lane’s End Farm. That sobriquet preceding a stallion’s name greatly increases the animal’s value as a stud.

At Santa Anita Saturday, several hours after the horse-of-the-year announcement, Farish had another cause to celebrate. His 5-year-old mare, Miss Brio, justified her favorite’s role in the $135,250 Santa Maria Handicap and overtook Bayakoa in the last sixteenth of a mile for a three-quarter-length victory before 33,211 fans.

Farish, 49, entertained Bush at the 1983 Kentucky Derby and hosts Queen Elizabeth II whenever she comes to Kentucky.

Should they return, Farish can now introduce them to Alysheba and tell them tales of how Miss Brio cleaned up at Santa Anita one winter. The Chilean-bred mare has already won 2 stakes at the meeting, and she’ll be trying to win the $300,000 Santa Margarita Handicap on Feb. 19.

Miss Brio, earning $79,000, ran 1 1/16 miles in 1:41, tying the stakes record set by Sangue in 1983. Bayakoa finished 1 1/2 lengths ahead of Annoconnor, who frequently runs on the lead but was third all the way around Saturday.

Miss Brio, ridden by Eddie Delahoussaye for his fourth stakes win of the meeting, paid $4.80, $3.20 and $2.20. Bayakoa paid $5 and $3, and Annoconnor, under Chris McCarron, returned $2.40.

Bayakoa broke through the gate just before the start and dumped jockey Laffit Pincay. The 5-year-old Argentine-bred was 5-2 at the time, but bettors raced to the windows to cancel about $18,000 worth of tickets, and her price jumped to 4-1.

Despite the incident, Bayakoa shot to the lead and had 2 1/2 lengths on Miss Brio after three-quarters of a mile. “She was trying to win,” Pincay said. “Every time I asked her, she gave it to me.”

Neil Drysdale, who trains Miss Brio, also saddled the winner of the race preceding the Santa Maria and now has 11 wins from 20 starters at the meeting.

“Things have just been falling into place,” Drysdale said. “You have spells like this sometime, but there’s no reason for it. Things have just come together.”

Drysdale was happy to see Delahoussaye sit comfortably behind Bayakoa though modest early fractions.

“I was afraid of letting Laffit go, but I didn’t want to go with him, either,” Delahoussaye said. “Bayakoa fought back at the end, too. When Chris moved inside with Annoconnor, I moved a little bit, but I waited until we straightened out before I really asked her.”

Miss Brio carried 119 pounds, 3 fewer than Annoconnor and 1 more than Bayakoa.

Horse Racing Notes

Trainer Julio Canani, whose Malkhatoun ran second to Neil Drysdale’s Lyphka in Saturday’s seventh race, had better luck out of town. At Turf Paradise, Canani’s Patchy Groundfog, with Frank Olivares aboard, won the $100,000 Turf Paradise Handicap, finishing 1 1/4 lengths ahead of Reincarnate. Kadial was third and Mohamed Abdu fourth. At Golden Gate Fields, Canani won an overnight handicap with Honest John.

Trainer Wayne Lukas’ 3-year-old fillies, Bright Asset and Solid Eight, ran 1-2 in the $50,000 Vallejo at Golden Gate. . . . Lukas has the favorite, On the Line, in today’s San Pasqual Handicap at Santa Anita. . . . At Gulfstream Park Saturday, Dixieland Brass, an 11-1 shot, won the Hutcheson, with Western Playboy 6 lengths back and Tricky Creek finishing third, another 4 1/4 lengths behind. Winners Laugh, the favorite, ran eighth.