SANTA ANITA : Bayakoa Is Last Under 128 Pounds

In her quest to become the world’s richest female thoroughbred, Bayakoa moved closer to Lady’s Secret record in Saturday’s $157,200 Santa Maria Handicap at Santa Anita.

However, the 7-year-old Consultant’s Bid mare didn’t make the kind of leap everyone expected. Rather, she inched forward.

A week before she will win an Eclipse Award for the second consecutive year, Bayakoa finished fourth and last at 1-5 odds in the Grade I race. Instead of the expected $89,700 payday, she won $11,250 after finishing 11 lengths behind winner Little Brianne.

Making her first start on dirt in Southern California, Little Brianne, who had won a division of the Dahlia and the Las Palmas on turf last year, was third early, then asserted herself in the final furlong to beat Luna Elegante by two lengths in 1:41 3/5 for the 1 1/16 miles.

With victories in the Santa Margarita Feb. 16 and Oaklawn Park’s Apple Blossom in April, Bayakoa would retire ahead of Lady’s Secret, so the goal of trainer Ron McAnally and owners Frank and Jan Whitham is still within reach.

However, she is going to have improve considerably.

McAnally was quick to blame the weight--Bayakoa carried a career-high 128 pounds--but she had won under 127 pounds three times last year.

On a track where outside was best, Bayakoa, who broke somewhat slowly, set the pace with Luna Elegante alongside, but the fractions--22 4/5 and 46 2/5--were moderate and the champion was finished before the field reached the quarter-pole.

Seeing the cause was lost and with the Santa Margarita two weeks away, Laffit Pincay didn’t touch the Argentine mare with the whip through the stretch.

“Too much weight,” McAnally said. “It’s too much weight for any horse to carry first time back after a three-month layoff. I would have started her off with 126 and gone from there.”

Pincay didn’t offer any excuses. “On the backside, I thought she’d open up a length,” he said. “She just didn’t have it today. Sometimes after a layoff, it takes a race or two to get going again.”

The third choice at 6-1, Little Brianne provided trainer Jack Van Berg with back-to-back Saturday upsets. Seven days earlier, Fit To Scout won the La Canada at 9-1.

This means Van Berg could have two horses for the Santa Margarita, but he said he is not eager to run Fit To Scout and Little Brianne against each other. He might save the latter for the Santa Ana Handicap at 1 1/8 miles on turf March 10.

“I thought she liked turf awfully well, but you look back and she’d won five times on the dirt,” Van Berg said of Little Brianne. “As long as it’s a good, firm track, she’ll handle it.

“Last time (when eighth in the San Gorgonio Handicap) the turf was soggy. She didn’t handle that soggy ground. I could see right away she was laboring.”

Van Berg praised jockey Julio Garcia, who also rode Fit To Scout a week before and was successful on Beyond Perfection in the Bay Meadows Oaks Jan. 21.

“Julio’s a good race rider,” he said. “He’s a heady little devil. He’s got good hands, he’s very strong, he’s a good judge of pace and he gets them to relax. Horses run for him.”

Luna Elegante finished 2 1/2 lengths ahead of Somethingmerry, who finished 6 1/2 ahead of Bayakoa.

The $160,600 San Pasqual Handicap, the first prep for the $1-million Santa Anita Handicap next month, has attracted a small, but quality field today at Santa Anita.

Quiet American, who many observers say could be the nation’s best older horse this year, will make his 1991 debut in the Grade II race at 1 1/16 miles. His opposition includes multiple-stakes winner Flying Continental, a very sharp Farma Way and Hollywood Derby runner-up Septieme Ciel.

Skipped over when it came to selecting the field for the Breeders’ Cup Classic, Quiet American showed he was more than worthy of a spot by easily winning the NYRA Mile Nov. 3 at Aqueduct. He beat Dancing Spree by nearly five lengths and ran the distance in 1:32 4/5.

Rested since then by trainer Gary Jones, the 5-year-old Fappiano horse has a series of rapid works at Hollywood Park, topped by 1:10 3/5 for six furlongs six days ago. Owned by Sheik Mohammed bin Rashid al Maktoum, Quiet American has also shown he can win despite a layoff. He won Del Mar’s San Diego Handicap last August after being away for almost four months. Chris McCarron will be his jockey.

A 4-year-old son of Marfa, Farma Way has two sprint victories at the meeting, the latest a 3 1/2-length victory over Yes I’m Blue and five others in the seven-furlong San Carlos Handicap Jan. 13. He hasn’t won in five previous two-turn tries, but he is a better horse these days. Gary Stevens will ride again for trainer Wayne Lukas.

Flying Continental, who hasn’t run since finishing 11th in the Breeders’ Cup Classic, is the 122-pound highweight, meaning he will be spotting Quiet American two pounds and Farma Way six. The Flying Paster horse has also been training well and Corey Black will ride for trainer Jay Robbins.

Septieme Ciel, a son of Seattle Slew, will be making his first start on dirt in the San Pasqual, but he also has trained as if he will have no trouble handling the surface.

The other entrants are Variety Road, who is also entered in the Hallowed Envoy at Golden Gate Fields, and Stylish Stud, who has two consecutive victories over weaker opponents.

Jockey Alex Solis escaped serious injury after he was unseated by Partita before Saturday’s first race.

A 3-year-old Lemhi Gold filly, Partita broke through the starting gate and unseated Solis. The rider was trapped underneath the horse and television replays showed that Solis was stepped on several times, apparently in the stomach and groin areas.

Several people immediately rushed to Solis’ aid, including several jockeys who had mounts in the first race. Solis was first taken to the track’s first aid station, then to Arcadia Methodist Hospital. He was examined and later released.

Horse Racing Notes

Little Brianne paid $14.40. She has won 14 of 45 starts. . . . Formidable Lady was scratched from the Santa Maria. . . . Richard Eng, 36, has been hired as media relations manager, a new position, at Santa Anita. . . . Trainer Sandy Shulman ended a 24-race slump when favored Babyitscoldoutside won the ninth race.