SANTA ANITA : Criminal Type Sticks to Work

For most of his career, Criminal Type has been the fraternizing type. To the detriment of his record and the consternation of his trainer, Criminal Type has preferred to pal around with other horses, rather than running past them in a race.

The trainer, Wayne Lukas, says the horse has been “too social.” One jockey after another--including some of the best in the game--has dismounted from Criminal Type and told Lukas that the horse had untapped ability.

“It bothers the hell out of you to hear that,” Lukas said.

Finally, as a 5-year-old, Criminal Type may have changed his clubby ways. On Sunday, in the $325,500 San Antonio Handicap, Criminal Type caught the early speed and kept right on running. He scored a one-length victory before 33,960 fans, giving him four consecutive wins, and in three weeks, for a supplementary fee of $20,000, he’ll give Lukas one of his rare opportunities to win a Santa Anita Handicap.

Stylish Winner, a 6-year-old gelding who has won only one stake in the past three years, ran second at 34-1, finishing 6 1/2 lengths ahead of the next horse, Ruhlmann, the 2-1 second choice who paid the penalty for hooking up in a speed duel with Complicate.

Chris McCarron rode Ruhlmann, after having ridden Criminal Type to victory in the San Pasqual Handicap two weeks ago.

“Maybe that horse’s name ought to be Compromise,” McCarron said of Complicate, who was 64-1, the longest price in the seven-horse field. “Because that’s what he did, he compromised our chances. But there’s nothing you can do about it, it’s just something you have to face. When you try to restrain my horse, he just wants to go faster.”

Complicate finished sixth, 19 lengths behind Criminal Type. Present Value, who went off the even-money favorite, never did fire and finished fifth.

Alex Solis, the meet’s third leading rider, rode his first stakes winner of the season, following Lukas’ instructions perfectly by patiently keeping Criminal Type in third place, several lengths behind Ruhlmann and Complicate, as the front-runners swallowed each other up down the backstretch.

After early splits of :45 2/5 for a half-mile and 1:09 4/5 for six furlongs, the final time was an ordinary 1:49. Criminal Type, a son of Alydar and Klepto, a No Robbery mare, earned $190,500 for Calumet Farm, his breeder and owner, and paid $11.40 to win as the third betting choice.

Complicate started fading into oblivion at the top of the stretch, but Ruhlmann took a little longer. Criminal Type took the lead in mid-stretch and held on comfortably.

“This is the first time I was ever on the horse,” Solis said. “He took the lead and waited a little. But as soon as he heard the other horse (Stylish Winner) coming, he took off again.”

Criminal Type had had only 15 starts, with five wins and purses of $203,677, before the San Antonio. Calumet had sent him to Europe, where the horse suffered from nutritional problems, before he was turned over to Lukas two years ago.

“I guess he’s legitimate now,” Lukas said. “The extra distance shouldn’t bother him. We’ll try to scrape up $20,000 from one of those moldy (Calumet) trusts (for the Big ‘Cap).”

Lukas had nominated Steinlen, last year’s national turf champion, for the Big ‘Cap, but he will keep that horse on grass. In three previous Big ‘Caps, the best finish for a Lukas horse was a third by Life’s Magic in 1985.

Criminal Type carried 117 pounds Sunday, which was five pounds less than the top-weighted Ruhlmann. Payant, a stablemate of Ruhlmann’s, was scratched by trainer Charlie Whittingham after he suffered a minor shoulder injury when he was kicked by another horse on Saturday.

Whittingham wasn’t happy about the rank outsider, Complicate, being at Ruhlmann’s throat in the early going.

“That set it up for the winner,” Whittingham said. “I knew the other horse had speed, but I didn’t think he’d chase us. It didn’t help him, either. You saw where he finished.”

McCarron wanted to change Complicate’s name to Compromise. Whittingham called Ruhlmann’s nemesis by a less complimentary name.

Horse Racing Notes

Variety Road finished fourth in the San Antonio, under substitute jockey Pat Valenzuela, who got the mount when Santa Anita wouldn’t let trainer Jerry Hollendorfer’s first choice, Ron Hansen, ride. Hansen, the leading jockey in the Bay Area, has been banned by Golden Gate Fields for undisclosed reasons and is awaiting hearings in court and before the California Horse Racing Board. Santa Anita is also banning Hansen under an exclusion rule. “I can understand Santa Anita’s position,” Hollendorfer said. “But I wanted to give Ron the call on this horse, because he’s been loyal to us and won some stakes races with him. Ron’s a good rider and I don’t want to prejudge him.” . . . Variety Road, a 7-year-old, will now leave the track and spend another spring at stud, at owner Kjell Qvale’s farm.

Santa Anita has a rare Monday program scheduled today. Wayne Lukas has a chance to win his fifth stake of the meet, sending out Bright Candles in the Santa Ysabel. . . . Prince Dantan (1974) and Martial Law (1989) are supplementary starters who have won the Santa Anita Handicap. . . . “This colt is as good as any horse on the grounds, but now we have to get lucky and keep him sound,” trainer Laz Barrera said about Mister Frisky, his San Vicente Breeders’ Cup Stakes winner on Saturday. Barrera has paid a $2,000 late fee to make Mister Frisky eligible for the Santa Anita Derby on April 7. “I’ll run him once before the Santa Anita Derby,” Barrera said. “After the Santa Anita Derby, the plan is to send him to Louisville for the Kentucky Derby (May 5). The horse doesn’t need any more than that much. He ran 13 times as a 2-year-old and the only breather he’s had was the first month he was with me after leaving Puerto Rico.”