TRIPLE CROWN RATINGS

REMARKS: Last fall, after trainer Ron McAnally had returned from a buying trip in Kentucky, he called Ange Costanza, an Arcadia restaurateur, and asked if he wanted to own 50% of one of the horses.

“OK,” Costanza said. “How much did you pay?”

“Fifteen,” McAnally said.

“I’ll send you the check for $7,500,” Costanza said, thinking McAnally meant $15,000.

“No,” McAnally said. “It’s only $750. I paid $1,500.”

So for $750, Costanza is an equal partner with Debbie McAnally, the trainer’s wife, in Silver Ending, winner of Saturday’s Arkansas Derby and one of the late-running threats for Mister Frisky, Summer Squall and the other speed horses in the Kentucky Derby, which will be run at Churchill Downs on May 5.

At Oaklawn Park Saturday, Silver Ending was able to use the finishing kick that he lacked when running ninth in the San Felipe Handicap at Santa Anita in his previous race.

“I think the difference was in the tracks,” McAnally said.

Santa Anita’s sandy track was notorious this winter for preventing come-from-behind horses from closing ground. On Saturday, Oaklawn had no such bias.

Santa Anita’s one-sided surface might have also resulted in lower opinions of California’s crop of 3-year-olds. Until recently, the California contenders in the Derby consisted of Mister Frisky and perhaps challengers to be named later, but now--only after they escaped from Santa Anita--some of these prospects have surfaced.

Besides Silver Ending, these late bloomers include Land Rush, who was fifth in the San Felipe but then ran a game second to Summer Squall in the Blue Grass at Keeneland; and Pendleton Ridge, the maiden who ran the fastest at the end of Saturday’s Wood Memorial at Aqueduct and finished fourth, less than two lengths behind the victorious Thirty Six Red.

Before the San Felipe, Canadian Frank Stronach offered almost $2 million to the owners of Silver Ending for 75% of the horse. Earlier this year, Stronach paid $2 million for Yonder, who ran fifth in the Wood.

Ron McAnally would have continued as Silver Ending’s trainer.

“That was quite a bit of money, but we thought we had a good horse and wanted to run him some more,” McAnally said. “A lot of the money would have gone to the government in taxes, anyway.”

Gary Stevens, who rode Silver Ending in the Arkansas Derby, is committed on Mister Frisky in the Kentucky Derby. Monday, McAnally hired Chris McCarron to ride Silver Ending. McCarron won the Derby with Alysheba in 1987.

Thirty Six Red and Burnt Hills, who ran 1-2 in the Wood, are headed for the Kentucky Derby, along with the fourth-place finisher Pendleton Ridge. But Champagneforashley, unbeaten in five previous starts and the 3-5 favorite in the Wood, will miss the Derby after running third.

Trainer Howie Tesher said that Champagneforashley came out of the Wood in good condition but that the Derby would present the third tough race for the horse in four weeks. Tesher is planning to run in the Preakness at Pimlico on May 19.

Still another 3-year-old who may have been victimized by the Santa Anita syndrome is Pleasant Tap, who runs at Keeneland today in the 1 1/16-mile Lexington Stakes, which has drawn 11 horses. Pleasant Tap ran sixth in the San Felipe.

Smelly, who seldom runs a dull race, will probably be favored in the Lexington, which has an intriguing cast. Another contender is Home at Last, who has won three of his last four starts, but wasn’t made eligible for the Triple Crown races.

Others in the field are Video Ranger, who was second to Mister Frisky in the Santa Anita Derby; Slew of Angels, who ran second to Champagneforashley in the Tampa Bay Derby before being scratched from the Blue Grass because of a muddy track; and Cardoba, English-raced as a 2-year-old and undefeated in two American starts this year. Scotty Schulhofer, Cardoba’s trainer, said that the colt must win today to earn a trip to the Derby.

Slew of Angels is a son of Slew o’ Gold, who also sired Thirty Six Red. When Slew o’ Gold was the champion handicap male in 1984, he was trained by John Hertler. Nick Zito, Thirty Six Red’s trainer, thought he was going to get Slew o’ Gold, but instead the colt’s owners sent him the lesser-regarded Slewpy.

One of those owners, Mickey Taylor, called Zito at his barn Sunday morning to congratulate him for winning the Wood. Zito hasn’t forgotten about not getting Slew o’ Gold.

“I shouldn’t have answered the phone, but I did,” Zito said.

Advisory panel for The Times’ Triple Crown Ratings: Lenny Hale, vice president for racing at Aqueduct, Belmont Park and Saratoga; Frank (Jimmy) Kilroe, vice president for racing at Santa Anita; and Tommy Trotter, racing secretary at Gulfstream Park.

Career Horse S 1 2 3 Earnings 1. Mister Frisky 16 16 0 0 $541,085 2. Summer Squall 8 7 1 0 785,078 3. Unbridled 10 3 2 4 519,234 4. Thirty Six Red 11 3 2 4 578,515 5. Champagneforashley 6 5 0 1 352,980 6. Silver Ending 8 4 0 3 638,900 7. Land Rush 9 2 3 1 139,737 8. Burnt Hills 7 3 3 1 263,410 9. Smelly 14 6 4 1 287,804 10. Real Cash 9 3 1 0 286,225