SANTA ANITA: SAN VICENTE STAKES : Olympio Takes Over at Finish

A furlong from the finish of Sunday’s $106,075 San Vicente Stakes at Santa Anita, Dinard appeared well on his way to his third consecutive victory.

To everyone, with the possible exception of Eddie Delahoussaye.

Swung to the outside by Chris McCarron, Dinard had caught Olympio and drawn almost a half-length clear.

But Delahoussaye and Olympio were far from finished. They rallied inside the 7-10 favorite and won by a nose in a swift 1:21 2/5 for the seven furlongs.

The 3-1 second choice, Olympio finished six lengths behind Dinard in the Los Feliz Stakes Jan. 11, but he had some excuses that day. For one, that race was around two turns. It is becoming more and more apparent that Olympio is more effective sprinting. For another, he bled during that race; he was treated with Lasix Sunday.

There was another difference, according to Delahoussaye, after the 3-year-old Naskra colt won for the third time in six starts.

“He was a lot quieter today,” he said. “He still got hot, but not as bad as last time. He wasn’t as antsy.

“He’s a genuine colt, but I don’t know how far he’ll go. He ran a mile last time and got beat by six, but he bled. It’s hard to tell how much difference the Lasix would make. Maybe he’ll go on, but that’s up to (trainer) Ron McAnally.

“What I liked today is that the other horse got in front of him and he came back again. He’s a game little son of a gun.”

In losing for the first time, Dinard finished nine lengths ahead of third-place finisher Scan.

“I haven’t lost any faith in him,” McCarron said. “I still know he can run a whole bunch. The rail didn’t bother him. He’s as professional as a green horse can be. Nothing fazes him. He fought hard and was running the whole way. I’m proud of him.”