SANTA ANITA : Baba Cool Keeps Her Cool to Win Rowan

Considering how well-matched the $111,500 Louis R. Rowan Handicap field looked on paper, the tight finish Sunday was hardly surprising.

Running on the inside, Baba Cool beat Davie’s Lamb by a head with Stylish Star another head back in third. Less than two lengths back were fourth- and fifth-place finishers Double Wedge and Sugarplum Gal.

Gaining her fifth victory in 24 starts, Baba Cool--the 2-1 favorite--covered the one mile grass course in 1:33 2/5, and ended a drought for trainer Michael Whittingham, the son of Charlie Whittingham.

The Rowan was Michael’s first stakes success at Santa Anita since Skywalker won the 1986 Breeders’ Cup Classic.

“When she didn’t break well, I thought, ‘We’re in trouble,’ ” Whittingham said. “I was worried, but Laffit (Pincay) found a hole.”

A 4-year-old daughter of Kings Lake, Baba Cool spent most of the summer at Arlington Park in suburban Chicago. She had a first and a second in five out-of-town starts before returning to California.

“She equalled a track record in her first race at Arlington, then she was second to Gaily Gaily,” Whittingham said. “That was a mile and three-sixteenths and that’s pushing her and it was a yielding course. She’s really getting better. She’s like a pet, real sweet. She was overdue.”

Baba Cool started slowly, and was in eighth place until she found room at the top of the stretch. There, she took the lead with about a sixteenth to go and held off Davie’s Lamb, ridden by Eddie Delahoussaye.

Stylish Star, who also started poorly, was in the photo finish despite having entered the stretch extremely wide.

“I thought (Baba Cool would) be closer to the pace, but her hind legs slid out from under her leaving the gate,” Pincay said.

Still, it was a nice finish to a big weekend for Pincay, who won with Bayakoa in the Breeders’ Cup Distaff Saturday.

“I was lucky getting through on the rail turning into the stretch,” Pincay said of Sunday’s victory. “When Eddie’s mare came at the end, she responded well.”

After losing his first 12 starts, Oh Dat Fox has suddenly found success.

He gained his third victory in his last four outings Sunday in an allowance race. It has been quite a turnaround for a gelding who once seemed content to finish second or third.

“There’s no difference in him,” said trainer Lewis Cenicola of the 4-year-old son of Tally Ho The Fox. “Some people said he lost his best friend when he broke his maiden, but he’s a trier.

“He is working a lot better in the morning, so maybe he likes this track. But he’s run well over every track. He did hang a few times, but maybe those other horses weren’t quitting and he did carry a lot of weight in many of those races.”

Indeed, Oh Dat Fox’s consistency cannot be faulted. He has been off the board only three times in 16 starts.

So, where will the horse surface next?

“We’ll see what comes up,” Cenicola said.

Oak Tree Notes

Alex Solis and Jesus Castanon were both absent Sunday afternoon. The former missed a flight from Florida after riding Olympic Prospect and Pleasant Variety in the Breeders’ Cup. Castanon, 16, was sore after a morning workout spill and was excused. . . . Brown Bess, from Northern California, worked a mile in 1:37 4/5 Sunday morning and will be shipped here Tuesday for the $400,000 Yellow Ribbon on Sunday. Among her scheduled opponents in the 10-furlong Grade I are the much-improved Nikishka, Claire Marine, No Review and defending champion Delighter. European fillies Colorado Dancer and Be Exclusive are expected to be flown to California Tuesday and clear quarantine Thursday. . . . Gary Boulanger, who recently arrived from Bay Meadows, got his first victory locally aboard first-time starter Mahaska in the second race. . . . Fernando Valenzuela escaped injury when his mount, Rule The Ocean, fell during the sixth race. . . . Even though favorites did not win Sunday, there were two perfect tickets in the Pick Six, each worth $157,024.20.

OAK TREE LEADERS

THROUGH NOV. 5

JOCKEY STARTS 1ST 2ND 3RD WIN% Eddie Delahoussaye 131 33 21 12 25 Russell Baze 174 26 18 25 15 Laffit Pincay Jr 140 21 21 24 15 Robbie Davis 140 21 25 15 15 Chris McCarron 82 16 13 11 20 Jesus Castanon 141 15 16 12 11 Martin Pedroza 120 13 9 25 11 Gary Stevens 73 12 21 8 16 Corey Nakatani 131 13 18 15 10 Alex Solis 158 12 10 18 8

TRAINER STARTS 1ST 2ND 3RD WIN% Ron McAnally 40 11 4 2 28 Ron Ellis 27 7 2 7 26 Wayne Lukas 40 6 9 4 15 Charles Whittingham 35 6 5 1 17 Eddie Gregson 29 6 4 4 21 Robert Frankel 19 6 3 3 32 Brian Mayberry 28 6 2 10 21 Jerry Fanning 35 6 2 3 17 Richard Mandella 32 5 12 2 16 Willie Washington 27 5 3 3 19 Danny Velasquez 25 5 2 4 20 David Hofmans 18 5 2 1 28 William Spahr 21 5 0 4 24