HORSE RACING : FAIRPLEX : Mahaska Shows Her Track Bias

Mahaska remained unbeaten on five-eighths-mile ovals Monday, scoring a three-quarter-length, wire-to-wire victory over Skeeter in the $50,300 Bangles and Beads Stakes at Fairplex Park.

Jockey Gary Boulanger had Mahaska 2 1/2 lengths ahead past the opening quarter and held off Skeeter’s late bid, covering 6 1/2 furlongs in 1:16. Jig’s Jove was another half-length behind in third, with 3-2 favorite Power Bidder 11 lengths farther back in fourth.

Power Bidder, winner of five consecutive races in Northern California, lugged out around the turns and steadily faded in the final quarter.

Mahaska paid $7.20 as the third choice, scoring her third stakes victory in a row.

“I really thought we had the advantage,” winning trainer Mike Puhich said. “She has run three races this year over bull rings (smaller tracks) and won all three.”

In her previous race at Los Alamitos, Mahaska scored a front-running victory in the Chapman Handicap, and won a stakes race in July at Exhibition Park in Vancouver.

“Before she ever ran her first race last year, she had some nice works over this track,” Puhich said. “This time, we had been working her here for a month before this race.”

The Bangles and Beads lost some of its luster when favorite Mama Simba was scratched early Monday morning.

“The trainer (Richard Mandella) thought the race would come up a little easier,” said Bill Barisoff, agent for leading jockey David Flores, who rode Mama Simba to victory in last week’s Las Ninas Stakes. “He didn’t want to wheel her back this quickly.”

Flores still enjoyed a big afternoon, winning four races and increasing his lead to 20-15 over runner-up Julio Garcia, who had a riding double.

Fairplex Notes

Mike Mitchell, Bill Spawr, Alfredo Marquez and Bryan Webb are tied for first in the trainers’ standings with four victories each. Mel Stute and Richard Mandella have three apiece. . . . Yes I’m Blue, winner of the Aprisa Handicap, heads the field for today’s $50,000-added Governor’s Cup Handicap at 6 1/2 furlongs.

Monday’s total mutuel handle of $2,622,517 topped last year’s $2,553,205 for the same day. Track attendance of 7,780 was down from the 8,210 in 1989.