OAK TREE AT SANTA ANITA : Reluctant Guest Slips Through to Win Rowan

Trainer Richard Mandella thought Reluctant Guest would run well in Sunday’s $87,000 Louis R. Rowan Handicap at Santa Anita, and the 5-year-old Hostage mare didn’t disappoint him.

Able to slip through along the rail under Chris McCarron, the 5-1 shot pulled clear into the stretch and defeated the late-running Island Jamboree by 1 1/4 lengths.

A multiple-stakes winner in 1990, Reluctant Guest was injured in last year’s Yellow Ribbon Stakes while trying to avoid Baldomero, who had broken down in front of her. Reluctant Guest went to the sidelines for more than six months, and, although she won in her second start back, she was off the board in three other appearances. Mandella sidelined Reluctant Guest again after she finished sixth of seven in a division of the Palomar Handicap on July 28 at Del Mar.

A 1:39 mile work nine days before the Rowan boosted the trainer’s confidence, and Reluctant Guest won her first stake since her 14-1 upset in Arlington Park’s Beverly D. on Sept. 1, 1990.

“I needed that,” Mandella said after owner Robert Folsom’s mare completed the mile in 1:33. “She came back with a smile on her face. She’s just a very temperamental mare. Her mind wasn’t right.

“I’m going to point her to the Matriarch at Hollywood Park. She’s sound, so she could stay in training, but it will be up to Mr. Folsom (whether she continues racing).”

The fifth choice in the field of nine fillies and mares, Reluctant Guest had luck on her side. McCarron got through along the inside the entire way, which is difficult when the turf course is as narrow as it was Sunday because of the placement of the rails.

“She was strong today and very responsive when I asked her,” McCarron said. “I asked her to run on the backside, because if I don’t move then, I don’t have a chance later on to make that decision. I saw it open a little bit. It was a little tight, but we squeezed through.”

Island Jamboree, who was forced to go widest of all into the stretch, finished 1 1/4 lengths ahead of Queenemara, who had some traffic problems when she started to rally in the final quarter of a mile. Re Toss was fourth, and she was followed by Agirlfromars, Quilma, the 5-2 favorite, Tasteful T.V., Native Twine and Zapateado.

“Chris’ mare ran a great race,” said Gary Stevens, Island Jamboree’s rider. “My mare ran a great race, too, but lost all that ground. With the rail out, they bunch up so much there’s nowhere to go.”

Pat Valenzuela was like everyone else who saw the races the day after Breeders’ Cup VII. He couldn’t stop talking about Arazi.

The 2-year-old French colt gave Valenzuela one of his two Breeders’ Cup victories--the other came on longshot Opening Verse in the Mile--and did so in a manner that evoked comparisons to Secretariat. Considering the move the son of Blushing Groom made to blow past front-running Bertrando and the ease with which he won, Valenzuela wasn’t going to disagree with that assessment.

“It was just unbelievable,” he said. “I’ve seen films of Secretariat, and this horse has to compare with him. I probably could have won by 15 lengths. I don’t think I’ve ever been on a better horse.”

This from the man who rode Sunday Silence to victory in the Kentucky Derby and Preakness.

“He was the easiest of winners,” Valenzuela said. “He probably could have cooled him out and brought him back for the Classic. He relaxed great, ran right into the dirt and all I had to do was try to find a place to go.

“It’s a great feeling to know you’re on the best 2-year-old in the world and that, if things go right, he’ll win the Derby next year.”

Opening Verse’s victory came the race before Arazi’s domination of the Juvenile, and it wasn’t as big a shock to Valenzuela as it was to the bettors. The 5-year-old son of The Minstrel paid $55.40 at Churchill Downs and $64.80 here.

“I wasn’t surprised,” he said. “He won in course-record time over that turf, and he had just breezed six furlongs in 1:13. He was coming up to the race super and he bled when Itsallgreektome beat him. He’s always been a hard-knocking horse.”

Six of the 10 winning tickets from Saturday’s Breeders’ Cup National Pick Seven that were purchased at Santa Anita or its intertrack satellites have been cashed.

The ticket purchased and cashed on-track at Santa Anita cost $128. Its only loser was in the Breeders’ Cup Sprint, won by Sheikh Albadou. All of the other tickets cashed had multiple consolations, and all were perfect except for the Mile, won by Opening Verse. One $48 ticket bought at the Alpine Indian Reservation had two horses in the Mile, so it was worth $465,512,40 before taxes. A third ticket was good for three $232,756.20 consolations because it had three horses in the Mile. It cost $486 and was bought and cashed at Los Alamitos.

Horse Racing Notes

Reluctant Guest paid $12.60 to win. She was won $697,225. . . . Jockeys Kent Desormeaux and Eddie Delahoussaye each won twice Sunday.