SANTA ANITA : Frankel Scores Closing Double

Unable to win a stakes race the first 86 days of the Santa Anita meeting, trainer Bobby Frankel made up for it in the final two programs.

A day after Mashkour won the $500,000 San Juan Capistrano, Frankel won with Missionary Ridge in the closing-day feature, the $103,400 San Jacinto Handicap.

Nursed along on the lead through some very slow fractions by David Flores in the compact field of four, Missionary Ridge outbattled favored Tartas through the final quarter mile to win by a half-length.

Missionary Ridge, a 4-year-old colt bred in England, ran 1 1/4 miles on turf in 1:59 2/5, completing the last two furlongs in a splendid 22 4/5. He was the longshot of the San Jacinto field at 3-1.

No better than fourth in his first three American starts, Missionary Ridge had worked well recently for Frankel and was able to make the lead Monday, something he hadn’t been close to previously in the United States.

“In England, he was on the lead in all his races,” said Frankel, who finished the Santa Anita meeting in third place in the trainer standings with 25 victories. “If you look at his form, anytime he makes the lead, he wins. “So, we’ll take him to the Hollywood Turf Cup (next month). It’s been a great couple of days. It feels real good.”

Tartas moved within a head of Missionary Ridge in the final furlong, but he was losing ground at the wire.

“I thought I was in perfect shape all the way,” said Jose Santos, who rode Tartas. “I was very confident at the half-mile pole and still at the quarter pole. He never stopped, but the other horse has a little more experience and had run 1 1/4 miles before.”

So, too, had Tartas, although not in this country. He had finished third at the distance in France in the second start of his career and he also was second at 1 3/8 miles.

The Medic, the 2-1 second choice, was third, five lengths behind Tartas and Hecquet, who hesitated at the start, was last. Aksar and Intelligently, who competed in the San Juan Capistrano, were scratched.

Santa Anita’s 54th meeting showed declines in attendance and handle. The average daily attendance was 22,893, continuing a downward trend since the introduction of intertrack wagering. Last year’s daily average was 23,973. The average daily handle on-track was $5,346,255, down 7.4% from 1989-90.

Adding in the intertrack, Santa Anita was off 4.4% in attendance and 7% in handle.

Cliff Goodrich, Santa Anita’s president and chief operating officer, said he wished things had been better, but added that there were far greater declines in the East.

“Other tracks, especially in the East, have had 15-25% declines,” Goodrich said. “So in contrast, we’re holding our own. We all know we still have a lot of work to do.”

Not surprisingly, Farma Way and Dinard were the main winners in Santa Anita’s best-of-the-meeting balloting.

In voting done by members of the press, Farma Way was a unanimous choice as the top older horse and he and Dinard tied in the voting for best development. Farma Way’s sweep of the San Pasqual, San Antonio and Santa Anita handicaps was chosen as top achievement.

Dinard, who broke his maiden the first day of the meeting, Dec. 26, and capped his season with a win in the Santa Anita Derby, was named the top 3-year-old. The San Rafael, in which he beat Apollo and Best Pal in a three-way photo, was selected best race of the meeting.

Bill Spawr, who finished with 36 winners, was named top trainer and Chris McCarron was the top jockey. The top apprentice jockey was Omar Berrio.

Other winners were Apollo (top sprinter), Lite Light (top 3-year-old filly), Little Brianne (top older filly or mare), Mashkour (grass champion), Bequest (top grass filly or mare) and Cobra Classic (top claiming horse).

In winning the Santa Anita riding championship for the third time, McCarron finished with 112 victories--including 18 in stakes--from 501 mounts.

“The thing that means the most to me about winning the title is that I proved to everybody I ride for that I still ride as aggressively as I did before,.” McCarron said.

Horse Racing Notes

Racing resumes Wednesday at Hollywood Park. First post is 1 p.m. . . . .Olympio, winner of Saturday’s Arkansas Derby, is likely to skip the Kentucky Derby and go instead in the Preakness. “He ran very relaxed,” said Eddie Delahoussaye of the Naskra colt. “He’s more mature and (trainer) Ron McAnally has him on the upswing. That’s a nice, good track and it really agreed with him. It’s not hard..” . . . Kent Desormeaux, who broke his wrist in a spill last month, said he’ll return in 2-3 weeks . . . Jack Wood, a valet in the jockey’s room on the Southern California racing circuit since 1959, worked his final day Monday. Wood, 64, has served as Chris McCarron’s valet in recent years along with Desormeaux, Sandy Hawley and Robbie Davis. “I’ve been around the racetrack all my life,” he said. “It’s time to relax, play some golf and do some traveling.”