SANTA ANITA : Steinlen Wins El Rincon Handicap

Of the three races Wayne Lukas won Sunday at Santa Anita, it was the least impressive.

Still, 1989 Eclipse Award winner Steinlen did what he was supposed to in his second start as a 7-year-old.

The 125-pound highweight and even-money favorite in the $108,900 El Rincon Handicap, Steinlen beat Bruho by a head while covering the mile in 1:33 2/5. While the time was a stakes record, it should be noted that Miami Dan, who was one for 17 before Sunday, had gone 1:34 in winning the fifth race.

Eleven victories ahead of Brian Mayberry and Richard Mandella in the Santa Anita trainer standings after earlier victories by On A Roll and Profit Key, Lukas was satisfied with his champion’s effort.

“It wasn’t too artistic, but he got the job done,” he said after the Habitat horse’s 18th victory in 37 lifetime starts boosted his earnings to more than $2.45 million.

“It takes him a couple of races to get his act together. If you remember, he ran a couple of sub-par races, then took off.

“He bled just a little last time. We scoped to find it and we found a few flakes, so we put him on Lasix as a precautionary thing, but I don’t think he’s going to be a horse that needs it. I like to run them on it for a couple of races, then get them off it.

“I’d rather give the credit (for the improvement) to the horse coming into form. That’s a good second effort for him--1:33 2/5. That wasn’t an easy race, but I’ll bet he improves off this one.”

Jose Santos, who was aboard for Steinlen’s victories in the Arlington Million and Breeders’ Cup Mile and two other ’89 successes, also feels the horse will move forward.

“He felt a lot better today, but I don’t think he’s 100% yet,” said Santos, who arrived from Florida Saturday night and left for New York Sunday evening. “When I rode him last time (when he finished seventh in the Arcadia Handicap March 4), he felt heavy and was kind of lazy. He broke from there, ran a half-mile and that was it.

“The race set up perfect for him today. He had a little trouble at the five-sixteenths pole, but when I got clear, it looked like he was going to win by two. He started getting a little tired in the last sixteenth of a mile, but I got after him and he won.”

Nine days after he went wire-to-wire against allowance rivals, Bruho hopped in the air at the start and was away last, then tried to come back on after Steinlen pulled ahead. The poor start had trainer Julio Canani seething and the object of his rage was starter Tucker Slender.

“That . . . cost me the race,” he said. “(Bruho) wasn’t even set yet and the gates were opened. There’s only six horses in the race, so what’s the hurry?”

Jockey Gary Stevens wasn’t willing to single out the start for the defeat.

“He wasn’t set when the gate opened,” he said. “He was stepping back to set himself when the gate opened. But I don’t blame the loss on that. I was satisfied with his position.

“But, down the backside, Wonder Dancer (the longest shot in the field at 35-1) kept coming out and bumping me. Bruho ran a powerful race. He was trying to come back again and that’s an Eclipse Award winner who beat me. He dug in when Steinlen came up to him.”

Wonder Dancer was third, five lengths behind Bruho, then came Santangelo, Music Merci, and Shining Steel.

Victorious for the first time in this country when he was taken off the pace and allowed to run late, Shining Steel ran off early Sunday and paid for it in the final furlongs.

“I couldn’t get him under any cover on the first turn and he tried to take off,” said jockey Robbie Davis of the 4-year-old Kris S. colt, who is owned by Bruce McNall and Wayne Gretzky. “In the other races, I was able to tuck him in and he relaxed fine. He’ll settle on the bit once he relaxes behind horses.”

Horse Racing Notes

Bayakoa worked a mile in 1:37 2/5 Sunday morning preparing for her rematch with Gorgeous in the Apple Blossom Handicap April 18. There’s a possibility the race will be simulcast at Santa Anita. . . . Silver Ending, who will run in the Arkansas Derby April 21, worked the same distance in 1:39 for trainer Ron McAnally. . . . Perfect in two starts as a 3-year-old after finishing second in both of his appearances at Del Mar, Profit Key will race next in the Debonair Stakes, the opening day feature at Hollywood Park April 25. This would pit him against Thirty Slews, the unbeaten son of Slewpy. “I’ve never seen Gary (Stevens) as high on a horse as he is on that one,” said trainer Wayne Lukas after Profit Key beat a troubled Jacodra by 2 1/2 lengths in 1:10. Profit Key is a son of Desert Wine and is a half-brother to Vinnie The Viper.