SANTA ANITA / Bob Mieszerski : San Felipe Key Test for 3-Year-Olds

Don’t knock the 1990 sophomore class around Ed Gregson.

“Off the (speed) figures, the 3-year-olds are anything but a modest bunch,” he said the other morning. “I think they’re above average. What happens in the next two-three weeks is going to tell a lot.”

Gregson should find out a lot about Tsu’s Dawning, his hope for a second Kentucky Derby victory, in the $171,600 San Felipe Handicap Sunday at Santa Anita. Several other trainers will also learn much more about their 3-year-olds.

With the exception of Mister Frisky, the probable favorite for the Santa Anita Derby April 7, the most promising local prospects will be in action in the 1 1/16-mile San Felipe, which was Sunday Silence’s springboard to success last year. He went on from the San Felipe to victory in the Santa Anita Derby and, a month later, at Churchill Downs.

The Grade II event also attracted some horses who figure to do nothing more than create traffic. There were 13 entrants Friday morning, but the two colts on the outside will get most of the attention.

Silver Ending, the 121-pound high weight and winner of the El Camino Real Derby in his most recent appearance Jan. 21, is the likely choice. A son of Silver Hawk, he is the best of Ron McAnally’s talented 3-year-olds. He has three wins and three thirds in six starts and is improving.

Because Santa Anita’s main track has been favoring speed horses lately, there had been some discussion about Silver Ending bypassing the San Felipe and going to Turfway Park in Florence, Ky., for the Jim Beam in two weeks.

But Eduardo Inda, McAnally’s assistant, said that the $1,500 yearling, owned by McAnally’s wife, Debbie, and family friend Angelo Costanza, will be a participant Sunday.

Silver Ending drew the extreme outside in the large field. Next to him is Pleasant Tap, the likely second choice.

Best known for his upset of Grand Canyon in the Sunny Slope Stakes last October, Pleasant Tap has raced only once in 1990. Heavily favored against an allowance field Feb. 4, he overcame some trouble in winning. Since then, he has worked sharply and had a clocking of 1:11 2/5 for six furlongs last Sunday. He blew out three furlongs in :34 flat Friday morning.

“He’s doing very well and he’s training superbly,” trainer Chris Speckert said. “I have no complaints at all. He worked a nice six the other day and finished very strong. He’s improved every time.”

Considering that Speckert is a former assistant to Charlie Whittingham, it’s not surprising that he has been patient with Pleasant Tap, who, actually, isn’t even 3 yet. The son of Pleasant Colony wasn’t foaled until May 8, which is three days after this year’s Kentucky Derby.

“He’s just too young,” he said. “You don’t want to get him ready in January and run in every race. I thought he ran two races in one (on Feb. 4). The time wasn’t much (1:38), but he had a lot of trouble.

“He got stopped, then picked it up again and came through a narrow gap. He hadn’t run (since Nov. 25) and I thought he showed tremendous class.

“He’s matured a lot. We didn’t stop on him. We just jogged him for about a month.”

Now, Pleasant Tap will get his first look at Silver Ending and other potential stars in Tsu’s Dawning, Land Rush and Warcraft, among others, in the San Felipe.

“Silver Ending won a $300,000 race this year and nobody else has,” Speckert said. “But all these horses have done the right things and now comes the crucial test.”

Even though he has won three of his five starts, Tsu’s Dawning has plenty of critics. In both of his Santa Anita victories, the Tsunami Slew colt was able to control things from the lead and his skeptics wonder whether he will be able to come from behind. Many say no.

“I’ll be shocked if he doesn’t run well in the San Felipe and I’ll be shocked if he doesn’t run in the Santa Anita Derby, but you never know,” said Gregson. The other entrants are Farma Way, who has been a disappointment since his runner-up effort in the Hollywood Futurity; Robyn Dancer, who has been away since finishing ninth in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile; Video Ranger, a $40,000 claim by trainer John Chlomos who finished well in running second to Tsu’s Dawning in the Bradbury Stakes; the quick Real Cash; Warcraft, Whittingham’s son of Ack Ack who won a recent allowance by six lengths; Music Prospect, who upset Tsu’s Dawning in the Santa Catalina; Land Rush, third in the San Rafael behind Mister Frisky and Tight Spot; Flying Reb, who liked the slop in a 6 1/2-length victory last month; Drag Race, and French Seventyfive.

The meeting’s biggest race for 3-year-old fillies--the Santa Anita Oaks--is the main event today.

Only six are scheduled to start in the Grade I and none has reminded anybody of Winning Colors, Bold ‘n Determined or Althea, each of whom won this race in the last 10 years.

Victimized by a nightmarish trip in the Las Virgenes last month, Fit To Scout should be favored to add the Oaks to her stakes wins in the La Centinela and Santa Ynez earlier in the season.

Trained by Jack Van Berg and ridden by Chris McCarron, Fit To Scout was trapped along the inside for a good portion of the mile, never really got an opportunity to run, yet was beaten by only 2 1/2 lengths while finishing fourth.

Her misfortune was a boon to Cheval Volant, who earned her third straight stakes win in the Las Virgenes Feb. 24 for trainer Ken Jumps. Previously, the Kris S. filly had won the Bay Meadows Oaks by a neck and had closed out her 2-year-old campaign with a 25-1 surprise in the $500,000 Hollywood Starlet. She has earned almost $513,000 and will be ridden by Alex Solis.

The other starters are the Wayne Lukas duo of Bright Candles and Hail Atlantis, Las Virgenes runner-up Nasers Pride and Annual Reunion.

Horse Racing Notes

Trainer Laz Barrera has filed a $25-million lawsuit against Truesdail Laboratories, claiming the state’s official testing facility was negligent when it reported a positive cocaine test for one of his horses last year. Charges against Barrera and several other trainers were later dropped. Last year, Roger Stein, another trainer whose horses showed positive, also filed a $25-million suit against the lab.

Burnt Hills, who was scheduled to start in the Louisiana Derby Sunday, came down with a temperature and won’t start. . . . Santa Anita line maker Jeff Tufts has made Silver Ending the 3-1 morning line favorite for the San Felipe. Tsu’s Dawning is next at 7-2, then comes Pleasant Tap at 4-1 and the Lukas entry of Real Cash and Land Rush at 5-1. Video Ranger is 12-1, Warcraft, Music Prospector and Flying Reb are 15-1, Farma Way, Robyn Dancer and French Seventyfive are all 20-1 and Drag Race is 30-1.