Eton Lad Sets World Record in U.S. Debut

Another horse joined trainer Bobby Frankel’s parade of turf winners Thursday when Eton Lad, making his first American start, not only won at Santa Anita but also shattered the world record for 1 1/8 miles on grass.

Eton Lad, a 4-year-old English-bred colt who was winless in seven races abroad this year, took the lead at the top of the stretch and won by two lengths over Diable Au Corps. Eton Lad’s time of 1:44 broke the record by four-fifths of a second. Frosty The Snowman set the mark at Woodbine in 1989, and it was tied a year ago by Exclusive Partner at Santa Anita.

Eton Lad, carrying 115 pounds and ridden by Gary Stevens, is owned by Edmund Gann, who teamed with Frankel in winning the $500,000 Oak Tree Invitational with Filago last Sunday.

Eton Lad set his record over the same turf course that Bel Bolide used to tie the track record for the about-6 1/2-furlong distance Wednesday. Her time was 1:11 4/5.

Eton Lad paid $13.40 to win. First Spring, the winner of the first race in the Pick Six, paid $17, but the other winners paid shorter prices and there were 21 tickets with all six winners, each worth $58,210.60. The Pick Six pool, which had a three-day carryover of $634,000, totaled $1.4 million.