SANTA ANITA : McCarron Passes Day for National Title in Money

Chris McCarron rode D’or Ruckus, the longest shot on the board, to victory in the first division of Sunday’s La Brea Stakes at Santa Anita, then an hour later rode a winner that will give him the national money title over Pat Day.

When the day ended, McCarron had an unofficial total of $14,416,283 in purses for the year. He passed Day, who has $14,400,348 and is not scheduled to ride again this year. McCarron, who trailed Day by about $82,000 before Sunday, will ride on Tuesday at Santa Anita.

The record for purses in one year is $14,877,298, set by Jose Santos in 1988. McCarron’s total is the second highest.

This will be the fourth time McCarron has won the national money title, the other championships coming in 1980, 1981 and 1984.

In only one of those years was McCarron voted the Eclipse Award for outstanding jockey.

“Gary Stevens was first in money last year and should have won the Eclipse Award, but he didn’t,” McCarron said. “I know the voters look at the leaders on the (money) list, but they don’t give it enough consideration sometimes.”

The victory that sent McCarron past Day came aboard Rocket Gibralter, who nosed out Candyman Bee in the seventh race. McCarron finished third aboard Suziqcute in the second half of the La Brea, which was won by Teresa Mc on a rainy day that accounted for a small crowd of 11,358.

Asked about finishing first in purses, McCarron said: “It’s a good way to measure success. Even winning the Kentucky Derby doesn’t match accomplishments of a whole season in terms of the pride you feel. Something like this means a whole lot to me. I’m more proud I could bounce back off an injury and get the title this year.”

McCarron suffered broken legs and an arm in a spill at Hollywood Park in June of 1990, then returned to action less than three months later.

Exchange and Sha Tha, two of the favorites in the first division of the La Brea, were scratched when the track came up sloppy.

D’or Ruckus, who had won only two of 17 starts, overtook Rejoice in the last sixteenth of a mile to win by 2 3/4 lengths, covering seven furlongs in 1:22 and paying $34.80 to win. Good Potential, the favorite, finished second, a head in front of Garden Gal, and Rejoice was fourth.

“The sloppy track was the only reason I ran her,” trainer Gerald Moerman said of D’or Ruckus. “She improves a sixteenth of a mile over this track. She doesn’t like to go beyond 6 1/2 furlongs, but she can take seven over this kind of track.”

Horse Racing Notes

Big Al’s Express is no longer a maiden. The 3-year-old colt, who had unnerved Churchill Downs officials when he showed up to run in the Kentucky Derby, won for the first time on his seventh try Sunday, surviving a foul claim to win the fourth race by one length. Ridden by Fabio Arguello Sr., Big Al’s Express paid $15.40. His trainer and co-owner, Thomas Allen, had vanned the horse from Northern California to Churchill Downs in April, even though Big Al’s Express had never started. After running last in the 11-horse Derby Trial the week before the Derby, Big Al’s Express was returned to California, where his best finish had been a third in July. Because of New Year’s Eve, Santa Anita has a Tuesday program scheduled. . . . More than two inches of rain fell at the track during the weekend.