HORSE RACING SANTA ANITA : McCarron at a Loss This Weekend

Chris McCarron might have landed in the Breeders’ Cup catbird seat on Sunday Silence as a result of Pat Valenzuela’s 60-day cocaine suspension. But McCarron has been serving a five-day suspension of his own this week, for careless riding, and as a result he will have to merely watch as two of his best local mounts go favored in the weekend stakes events at Santa Anita.

Riding suspensions are few and far between for McCarron. It had been more than a year since his previous grounding. This one will end next Wednesday, in plenty of time for him to make his Breeders’ Cup Classic date with Sunday Silence and at least five other contenders on the $10-million card next Saturday.

In the meantime, Eddie Delahoussaye will be the beneficiary of McCarron’s absence. Delahoussaye will fill in aboard course-record holder Bosphorous in the $83,025 Henry P. Russell Handicap today, then take over on the classy colt River Master in the $112,400 Volante Handicap on Sunday. Both races are on the turf.

River Master has won three of four grass starts this season, losing only to Hawkster in the Del Mar Derby. In his last race, the Ascot Handicap at Bay Meadows Sept. 23, River Master survived a nightmare journey and won in dramatic style. McCarron related the tale:

“He was distracted at the gate, broke crooked and stumbled. Down the backstretch, the horse laying second dropped down in front of me and I had to snatch up to avoid clipping his heels.

“I moved to the outside and saw room to go between horses, but another jock decided not to let me through. I had to take up again to avoid clipping heels. At that point I must have been 10 lengths behind the leader with a furlong to run, and I truthfully did not believe we’d get up in time.”

But they did. McCarron and River Master muscled through an opening and went after the runaway leader, Summer Sale. They won by three-quarters of a length.

River Master, trained by Charlie Whittingham, will have competition in the Volante from his improving stablemate Seven Rivers, recent winners Tokatee, One Drink and Immortal Script, and the consistent Raise a Stanza. Others in the field include Strogien, Bruho, Art Work and Capel Meister.

Horse Racing Notes

John Henry, ornery as ever at 14, will lead a “Parade of Breeds” before the first race to kick off both days of Oak Tree’s Eque-Fest pageant at Santa Anita this weekend. Chris McCarron, John Henry’s most successful jockey, and owners Sam and Dorothy Rubin will be on hand for a special ceremony honoring the two-time horse of the year, who won the Oak Tree Invitational an unprecedented three times. . . . One Drink will be making his first start for owner Dan Agnew and trainer Jerry Fanning in the Volante. Victorious in this year’s Pomona Derby Trial, One Drink was purchased from his breeder, Preston Madden, after his victory on the Santa Anita turf Oct. 5.

Olympic Prospect prepped for a second try at the Breeders’ Cup Sprint with six furlongs in 1:11 2/5 Friday morning. After watching his gelding finish seventh in the mud at Churchill Downs last year, trainer John Sadler is hoping for a dry, firm track at Gulfstream Park this time around.