SANTA ANITA : Olympic Prospect May Miss Match

Trainer John Sadler didn’t run Olympic Prospect in Wednesday’s $107,300 Potrero Grande Handicap, and now it appears that the speedy gelding will not meet quarter horse Griswold in a proposed $100,000 match race on April 20.

According to Santa Anita’s racing office, Sadler said Olympic Prospect, who was scratched Wednesday morning from the Potrero Grande, is out of the match race and he will release a statement today. When questioned earlier in the day by several reporters, Sadler said he didn’t want to shorten the horse up--from 6 1/2 furlongs to a half-mile for the match race--and that all was well with the lightly raced 7-year-old.

Valiant Pete, who is also trained by Sadler, is scheduled to take Olympic Prospect’s spot in the match. Sunny Blossom was the original thoroughbred contestant, but his connections backed out after he ran poorly in his 1991 debut on March 15.

Following Jacodra’s $51,60 upset in the Potrero Grande, Sadler was sorry he had started Frost Free. A winner in five of his previous six sprints at Santa Anita, the 6-year-old It’s Freezing gelding finished fourth Wednesday as the 5-2 favorite.

“The track’s changed again this week,” Sadler said. “They added (400 cubic yards of pine bark) on Monday and they dug it up Tuesday. I’m in the minority, but I don’t think the track’s that great here this year.

“It’s different all the time. Frost Free likes it a little firmer. I don’t think Olympic Prospect would have won on this track today. I’m glad I didn’t run him.”

There were no such complaints from trainer Hector Palma after Jacodra ran down Answer Do in the final yards to win in 1:15, giving jockey Corey Nakatani his second stakes victory in four days. He won Saturday’s San Bernardino Handicap aboard Anshan.

Beaten 8 1/2 lengths by Bruho in his last start, Jacodra saved ground throughout, was able to find room and accelerated to score by three-quarters of a length.

“I expected to be close to the pace sitting right behind them and, hopefully, I’d get lucky,” Nakatani said. “I had a lot of horse sitting behind them.

“When Chris (McCarron on Frost Free) drifted out a little, I was able to get through. Russell (Baze on Answer Do) rode a great race. I was lucky. It takes more luck than skill, I would say.”

A 4-year-old son of Highland Park, Jacodra has four victories in 13 well-spaced starts, and Palma said he finally has the colt right.

“He split a hoof as a 2-year-old and it’s continued to act up on him,” Palma said. “He trains in a full bar shoe, but I’ve been able to run him in a regular shoe his last two starts.

“He was cut out to be a real good horse, and I think I finally have him 100%.”

Bruho was third, a head in front of Frost Free. Lee’s Tanthem and Dominated Debut, the longest shot in the field at 39-1, were the final two finishers..

The Racing Times, publisher Robert Maxwell’s challenge to Rupert Murdoch’s Daily Racing Form, will make its official debut on April 12 with the distribution of the April 13 edition.

A four-page prototype, presented during a Wednesday news conference at Santa Anita, will be distributed free to fans this weekend at Santa Anita. The regular price for the paper will be $2.50, the same as the Daily Racing Form.

Former New York Times racing columnist Steven Crist is the editor-in-chief of the Racing Times, and former Los Angeles Daily News turf writer Jay Privman is the Western editor.

The new publication does have some features in its past performance lines not found in the Racing Form. Most notable are expanded comments plus horses’ records on wet tracks, at the distance being run that day and on the track where the race is being run. Also offered are the speed figures of handicapper-author Andrew Beyer.

Nine 3-year-olds are expected to be entered this morning for Saturday’s $500,000 Santa Anita Derby.

The probable favorite for the 1 1/8-mile Derby is Dinard, the Strawberry Road gelding who has won three of his four starts. Trained by Dick Lundy, he was a nose winner over Apollo in the San Rafael Stakes, and completed his preparation for the Derby with a :58 2/5 work Tuesday.

The rest of the field includes Best Pal (third in the San Rafael in his first start of 1991), San Felipe winner Sea Cadet, Media Plan (owned by the Oaktown Stable of M.C. Hammer’s family) Scan, Compelling Sound, Mane Minister, Conveyor and Bounding Back, who has yet to break his maiden. The Derby will be run as the fifth race Saturday and will be televised nationally by ABC.

Horse Racing Notes

Riding for the first time since he broke several ribs and a toe when dumped by My Boy Adam in the Santa Anita Handicap on March 9, Laffit Pincay won with his first mount of the day. He scored with favored Jaklin Loma Lad in the first race, giving leading trainer Bill Spawr his 31st winner of the meeting.

Bayakoa, who will try to turn the tables on Little Brianne in the Apple Blossom Handicap on April 19 at Oaklawn Park, worked a mile in 1:39 1/5 Wednesday. . . . Martin Pedroza will be at Keeneland Sunday to ride Ifyoucouldseemenow in the Beaumont Stakes, and Russell Baze will be at Aqueduct to ride Devil’s Orchid in the Bed of Roses Handicap.

The Santa Anita Derby will be the subject of a one-hour show tonight at 6:30 on Channel 18. The guests will include trainer Ian Jory; Corey Nakatani, who will ride Compelling Sound; Media Plan’s owner, Louis Burrell; Alex Hassinger, assistant to Lundy, and Randy Schulhofer. . . . Julio Garcia rode three winners Wednesday.