SANTA ANITA : Jory Admits That Best Horse Won

It wasn’t how Ian Jory thought the Santa Anita Derby would turn out.

After saying earlier in the week his Best Pal would win easily Saturday, the English-born trainer had to settle for second, beaten by a half-length by Dinard, who overcame a terrible first turn to win for the fourth time in five starts.

The margin between the two 3-year-old geldings was the same in the San Rafael Stakes five weeks earlier, which was Best Pal’s first 1991 appearance. Jory felt his horse would improve five lengths off that race. Hence, the bold prediction.

Jory, who finished fourth with longshot Video Ranger in last year’s Kentucky Derby, would be a lot shorter price if he returns with Best Pal. Jockey Gary Stevens certainly hopes the son of Habitony goes. The decision, however, rests with owners John and Betty Mabee, and the word has been that the gelding had to win Saturday to earn a trip to Churchill Downs.

“He ran a good race,” Jory said. “He may have been beaten by a better horse. He may still have been a little short, but I think the best horse won. I think (Dinard) deserves to be favored (in the Kentucky Derby).

“The plan was not to go to Kentucky if he got beat, but losing by so little, we’ll have to see. He was a little wide around the turn today, but no disaster.”

Stevens, who had won two of the previous three runnings of the Santa Anita Derby, didn’t offer any excuses for the 8-5 favorite. Even though he is 0-2 against Dinard, he’s hoping for a third meeting the first Saturday in May.

“I hope the Mabees aren’t too disappointed and would go ahead and go to Kentucky with him because this was only his second race of the year and it was a bang-up effort,” he said. “I think Fly So Free would have his hands full with these two horses.

“I expected a big effort from him today, and he gave it to me. He ran a very powerful race, and he figures to improve off the race. He was laboring a bit the final 50 yards but never gave up when (Dinard) came to him.

“Aside from checking a bit going into the first turn, I had a good trip. I thought we were in a good spot all the way, he relaxed perfectly for me and, at the top of the stretch, I thought we had it won.

“You have to give the other horse credit. He had some trouble, and he also figures to improve. After I got the lead, I was surprised when I saw him coming. I hope we get another crack at him.”

Sea Cadet, who finished third as the 7-2 third choice, wasn’t nominated to the Triple Crown and don’t look for him to be before the Monday deadline. A son of Bolger, he was losing ground at the end of Saturday’s race and 1 1/4 miles looks out of his reach. Plus, he probably had the best trip of any of the Santa Anita Derby participants.

“He was running relaxed and laying in good position,” said Eddie Delahoussaye, who rode the colt for the first time. “I couldn’t have asked for a better trip. He ran a good race, but the two best horses beat him.”

Scan, who followed Sea Cadet home in the San Felipe, and Compelling Sound, who added blinkers Saturday, were the Derby disappointments. The former finished fifth, a neck ahead of the maiden Bounding Back, and Compelling Sound beat only Conveyor and Media Plan.

“It was a dull effort,” said Jerry Bailey, completing what was less than a banner day for the Scotty Schulhofer barn. Not long before the Derby, Cahill Road flopped as the prohibitive favorite in Gulfstream Park’s Preview Stakes.

“When the pace quickened down the backstretch, my horse didn’t. This colt is a lot better than he showed today. He’ll be OK. Dinard was very impressive, and he’ll be very tough in Kentucky.”

The Derby wasn’t the only success for Chris McCarron Saturday.

En route to his third Santa Anita riding title, McCarron won four other races and became the first jockey in track history to win three stakes in one day.

The race after the Derby, he directed Suziqcute to a wire-to-wire victory in the $52,450 Jan Jessie, and two races after that, McCarron rode Jungle Pioneer to an easy victory in the $82,350 Santa Gertrudes Handicap.

Perfect in three American starts, Jungle Pioneer, the 5-2 second choice, defeated Askar by nearly two lengths while completing the 1 1/4 miles on turf in 1:58 2/5. The 5-year-old Conquistador Cielo horse is trained by Gary Jones.

A 3-year-old daughter of Silent Fox, Suziqcute has crossed the wire first in all four of her races, but she was disqualified and placed fourth in her second start. Trained by Ron McAnally, she beat 20-1 shot Shy Trick by a little more than a length Saturday, covering the 6 1/2 furlongs on turf in 1:14 2/5. She paid $10.

Horse Racing Notes

The $13,234,737 pari-mutuel handle at Santa Anita on Saturday was the highest on a Santa Anita Derby Day here and ranks sixth on the all-time list of single-day wagering at this track. The previous Derby Day record was $12,879,296 set a year ago. The $13.2 million was wagered by the 60,572 at Santa Anita and its Southern California satellites, plus those in four states where bets are commingled with the pool here. Several Nevada race books commingle their betting, as do Canterbury Downs in Minnesota, Birmingham race track in Alabama and Mountaineer Park in West Virginia. On-track attendance at Santa Anita Saturday was 46,415.

The handle on the Derby itself--the fifth race--was $2,700,665, highest ever on the Santa Anita Derby as well as the largest single-race pool ever recorded at Santa Anita. It was the first time that a trifecta was offered on the Derby, and the trifecta handle of $716,209 was a record for this form of wagering, which was introduced on March 20. The previous Derby race handle record was $2,065,858 set in 1988.