SANTA ANITA : Lone Filly Delivers $75.20 Surprise

Even though Effusive Bounty had just finished fifth in a stakes against her own sex at Bay Meadows, Dan Hendricks decided to take a shot and run her in Saturday’s $111,400 B.J. Ridder Stakes.

This seemed a curious decision because the one-mile Ridder featured some promising California-breds, including the unbeaten French Seventyfive, Shapiro’s Hero, Navy Flag and Individualist I.

Obviously, Hendricks’ move was the right one because the lone filly in the field of 10 socked it to the boys.

The second longest shot at 36-1, the daughter of Pirate’s Bounty tracked Due To The King for the first six furlongs, then came away through the stretch to beat Individualist I nearly two lengths in 1:36 3/5 before 27,619. Due To The King held third, three and a half lengths ahead of Navy Flag.

The winner returned $75.20, $25.80 and $10.60.

A longtime assistant to Richard Mandella, Hendricks, 30, was picking up his second hundred-thousand-dollar race in the last three months. In another upset, he won the Del Mar Oaks with Stylish Star.

“I knew (Effusive Bounty) had some ability,” he said. “She worked a mile in 1:39 before the stakes (Burlingame) up north. That race looks worse than it actually was. I actually thought it was a pretty good race for her first time around two turns.

“This opens up a lot more doors. We might look at the (Hollywood) Starlet. It would be a great race for her with her speed, but I don’t think she’s nominated. She was very solid all over when she came from the farm. The only thing she needed was the blinkers we added for her second start.”

Her second outing was her only other victory, a 7-1 victory against maidens under Robbie Davis, who was aboard again Saturday.

“Her maiden win was a good one,” said Davis. “I was concerned about her race at Bay Meadows, but I was told they had to gun her from the rail and she came up empty.

“She ran super today. She wanted to ease herself up through the lane. She was kind of waiting on horses.”

Some of the males who chased Effusive Bounty had less than perfect voyages.

The runner-up was forced extremely wide into the first turn, then had to check approaching the stretch. French Seventyfive also had his problems on the initial turn, then seemed to lose interest and wound up last.

“It was a pretty rough trip,” said Russell Baze, Individualist I’s rider. “I had to steady a little bit at a crucial point of the race. I couldn’t get running in time again to catch the winner.”

Shapiro’s Hero, the 5-2 favorite, had no excuses. He simply never fired. Far back for six furlongs, he passed only tired horses late to finish sixth.

“He acted like something was bugging him,” said Eddie Delahoussaye. “He wasn’t striding out and he didn’t want to change leads on the backstretch.”

Stylish King lived up to the advertisements.

Making his debut four days after he worked five furlongs in a sharp :57 2/5, the 2-year-old son of Roberto beat maidens by 4 1/2 lengths and covered six furlongs in a solid 1:09 2/5.

Sent off the 11-10 favorite, Stylish King obviously showed no ill effects from his exceptionally quick drill last Tuesday. A fear for some was he might have run his race that morning, bringing to mind Precisionist’s fast six-furlong workout a few days before he flopped in the 1986 Santa Anita Handicap.

Trained by Jay Robbins for owner Jack Kent Cooke, Stylish King quickly put to rest any of those doubts.

Completing a triple for leading rider Delahoussaye, the youngster was right with the leader after a quarter of a mile, had a head advantage after a :44 3/5 half, then drew off through the stretch.

“He’s just a plodder,” Delahoussaye laughed, in reference to reports that said Stylish King didn’t possess much early speed. ‘He’s not a quarter horse, but he has speed. He acts like a good horse. He’s got a good disposition and a beautiful stride on him.”

Delahoussaye was aboard for Tuesday’s memorable exercise when Stylish King hooked in with the stakes-winning, 2-year-old filly Dramatic Joy.

“I knew he was moving, but I didn’t think he went that fast,” said the jockey, who also won with Excellent Lady and Hemet Gossip Saturday. “He just pulled me up there. He just breezed. He’s a dream to work and let’s just keep our fingers crossed.”

Notes

Colorado Dancer, Be Exclusive and Sherarda, the three Europeans who are among 11 scheduled to start in the $400,000 Yellow Ribbon Stakes today, got acquainted with Santa Anita Saturday. Each filly walked the track in reverse, galloped once around, then toured the paddock and the saddling area before going back to their stalls. The remainder of the field for the Grade I turf event includes Claire Marine, Las Palmas Handicap winner Nikishka, Brown Bess, No Review, River Memories, Miss Unnameable, Darby’s Daughter and Delighter, who won the 1988 Yellow Ribbon.

Precious Verna, a $32,000 3-year-old filly, had to be humanely destroyed on the track when she broke down in the second race. . . Eddie Delahoussaye and Ron McAnally have wrapped up the jockey and trainer titles. With two days remaining, Delahoussaye leads Russell Baze, 38-26, and McAnally, after winning the third with Codex’s Bride Saturday, holds a 13-9 advantage over Ron Ellis and Eddie Gregson. . . . Oak Wine, who hadn’t won for nearly two years, scored the day’s biggest upset when he won the first under Dave Patton at $99.40.

A field of 11 was entered Saturday morning for Monday’s closing-day feature, the $226,400 Carleton F. Burke Handicap. Frankly Perfect, idle since he was beaten by a nose in the Sunset Handicap at Hollywood Park, tops the cast. Others entered include Mill Native, Delegant, Mister Wonderful, Haut Arandu, Pranke, London Fix, Brownsboro, Alwuhush, Speedratic and Skip Out Front.