SANTA ANITA : 17-1 Choice Delegant Overcomes Valdali to Win San Juan Capistrano

Another San Juan Capistrano. Another victory for Whittingham.

Ho, hum, you say. Well, actually, the 51st running of Santa Anita’s longest race Sunday was anything but routine.

Where father Charlie had stood 14 times before, Michael Whittingham was the trainer in the winner’s circle this time after Delegant’s improbable 17-1 upset victory in the $500,000 Grade I race.

Running the race of his life, the 6-year-old son of Grey Dawn II closed to beat another 17-1 shot, Valdali, a length and three quarters in 2:46 3/5 for the mile and three quarters.

What was a memorable Capistrano for Michael Whittingham was one Charlie Whittingham would just as soon forget.

Live The Dream, one of his two entries, was sixth at 21-1. The only horse he finished in front of was Frankly Perfect, who broke down in the stretch and whose racing days are over.

Hawkster, the 6-5 favorite, was third, a half-length behind Valdali. Allowed to roll on the lead in his two previous tries over the course, the Silver Hawk colt seemed to resent being restrained and it didn’t help that he was joined down the backside by Santangelo, the longest shot in the race at 45-1.

El Senor, the 2-1 second choice, was fourth, almost 3 1/2 lengths behind Hawkster. He never really ignited as he had when winning last month’s San Luis Rey.

In scoring the largest upset in San Juan history--in terms of odds, anyway--Delegant provided Kent Desormeaux with his biggest victory and Mike Whittingham with his biggest since Skywalker took the 1986 Breeders’ Cup Classic.

“It feels good because he’s a barn favorite,” Whittingham said. “He’s just a character. He’s got a lot of personality.

“Plus, I love this race. It’s my favorite race to watch. Delegant deteriorated a little last year, but he’s really come around since he came back to California. He ran well when he was in Chicago, but he didn’t have his usual kick.

“I expected him to run well, but he ran better than I expected. I felt the further he went, the better he’d run. He came up to the race well, and we had pointed him for this race.

“I thought he could win, but I never could have expected him to win so easy. When I saw him coming, it wasn’t registering, but he just pulled away from them.”

Although Whittingham said Delegant had flourished since returning to Southern California, there was no reason to believe he could win the San Juan.

He had just finished fifth of six in the San Luis Rey, his ninth consecutive defeat. The son of the brilliant mare Dahlia hadn’t won since Sept. 4 at Arlington Park.

In receipt of nine pounds from Frankly Perfect, eight from Hawkster and six from El Senor, Delegant picked the right time to collect his seventh victory 31 starts.

“It was tight quarters leaving there and coming off the hill,” Desormeaux said. “Nobody figured where we’d be plodding around there for the first mile. I thought El Senor would be the main threat. I thought if I could stay a length ahead of him, he would push me home.

“This is the richest race I’ve won and my first Grade I. Everyone said you had to come to California to win the biggest races, and I guess they were right.”

Second in the San Luis Rey and and winner of the Oak Tree Invitational in his two previous appearances on the Santa Anita turf, Hawkster’s biggest problem Sunday, according to Pat Valenzuela, was Santangelo.

“I was happy with the way things were going until Robbie (Davis on Santangelo) came up at the five-eighths pole riding his horse. I couldn’t believe it.

“Robbie said his trainer (Gedaliah Goodman) told him to ride like that. Hawkster was relaxed until that point. I think (Hawkster’s) goal in the race was to get me beat and that’s what he did.”

A multiple-stakes winner owned by Bruce McNall, Wayne Gretzky and Jerry Buss--who recently purchased an interest--Frankly Perfect apparently stepped in a hole. Whittingham thought he had fractured a cannon bone and X-rays will be taken.

“Chris (McCarron) said he had a handful of horse and he hit a hole,” said Charlie Whittingham. “He said it was all he could do to pull him to keep him from falling.”

A horse a lot of people felt would have won the San Juan Capistrano made his U.S. debut earlier in the program.

Golden Pheasant, a 4-year-old son of Caro owned by McNall and Gretzky and trained by Charlie Whittingham, rallied from last to beat his nine outclassed allowance rivals in a swift 1:45 4/5 for the 1 1/8 miles.

First or second in five of his six starts in Europe, including a Group II victory and a near-miss in a Group I race, Golden Pheasant was hand-ridden to the wire by McCarron, beating Fly Till Dawn.

The 90-day Santa Anita meeting concludes today with the $113,400 San Jacinto Handicap at 1 1/4 miles on the turf.

A restricted race, the San Jacinto attracted 11 entrants, topped by Royal Reach, Wretham and Just As Lucky.

A reformed claimer, Royal Reach is vastly improved for trainer David Hofmans and was second in the San Marino and Santa Gertudes behind Super Ready and Super May, respectively. Previously, he had won an allowance race Feb. 11 by four lengths.

Trained by Neil Drysdale, Wretham was fourth in the San Luis Obispo despite a wide trip, and earlier he scored a 10-1 upset in the San Gabriel Handicap.

Overmatched in the San Luis Rey, Just As Lucky was third in the San Luis Obispo, and he has placed in 10 of 15 turf starts.

Others in the field include Crimson Slew, who will race coupled with Royal Reach; Master Treaty, who hasn’t won since he captured the San Jacinto last year; Kaboi, Glaros, Payant, Dream Of Fame, Silent Prince and Charlatan.

For the final program, there is a Pick Six carryover of more than $169,000.