SANTA ANITA : Stevens Wins San Carlos Again; Answer Do Beats Individualist

The horse Gary Stevens won the 1991 San Carlos Handicap with went on to have himself a pretty good year.

Farma Way had several other stakes victories, including the San Antonio Handicap, Santa Anita Handicap and the Pimlico Special.

Stevens won the San Carlos again Saturday with Answer Do, who had the jockey reminiscing fondly about Farma Way.

“He reminds me a lot of the black horse I rode in this race last year,” said Stevens after the 6-year-old gelding beat Individualist by 1 1/2 lengths in 1:21 1/5 for the seven furlongs.

Sprinting has always been Answer Do’s forte, but his rider feels he could handle two turns these days.

“The way he’s relaxing now, I think he’ll run all day long,” he said. “I told (trainer Lyman Rollins) I hope he stays with the series (San Pasqual, San Antonio and Santa Anita Handicaps). (Answer Do is) not the same as he was when they tried routing him before (in 1989). He would run off on you then.

“He was all business today. When a horse has speed and can use it tactically, he’s dangerous. If he stays in the same state of mind, I have no doubt he’ll go on to longer distances. He’s so versatile now.”

Plans call for Answer Do, who was third most of the way while What A Spell and Media Plan set fast fractions, to remain in sprints. He is scheduled to come back in the El Conejo on Feb. 2, then go to Turf Paradise for the Phoenix Gold Cup three weeks later.

“It is a little tempting now to try to stretch him out because he is rating so kind now,” Rollins said after Answer Do’s 12th victory in 33 starts.

“We tried to route him a couple of times when he was a 3-year-old, but he was speed-crazy then.”

Individualist, who came from well back to win the Vernon O. Underwood Handicap at 7-1 last month at Hollywood Park, beat Media Plan by a head for second. Cardmania, who stumbled badly at the start, almost unseating Chris McCarron, was fourth. Then came What A Spell, Pleasant Tap and Express It. Frost Free and Blue Eyed Danny were scratched off the program.

Unbeaten in two previous starts at Santa Anita going seven furlongs, Pleasant Tap showed little as the 9-5 favorite.

“He didn’t fire at all,” jockey Eddie Delahoussaye said. “He broke OK and settled, but at the five-eighths pole, he wasn’t on the bit and, after 4 1/2 furlongs, I started riding him and he didn’t pick it up.

“He felt good . . . maybe he’s a little flat. It just wasn’t his day.”

Sha Tha, who will be making her first start on dirt, is the 7-2 morning line favorite for today’s $113,000 El Encino Stakes, the second leg of the La Canada Series.

A 4-year-old daughter of Mr. Prospector, Sha Tha was a troubled fourth behind Flawlessly, Fire The Groom and Free At Last in the Matriarch on turf Dec. 1 at Hollywood Park. Bred to handle the main track, she has trained well in recent weeks and Delahoussaye will ride. Her trainer, Neil Drysdale, also will send out Damewood, who was second to Paseana in the Silver Belles Handicap across town.

From the rail out, the remainder of the field for the 1 1/16 mile El Encino: Garden Gal (Martin Pedroza, 12-1), Paula Revere (Kent Desormeaux, 15-1), Teresa Mc (Pat Valenzuela, 5-1), Lady Isis (Stevens, 6-1), Exchange (Laffit Pincay, 9-2), Cuddles (David Flores, 15-1), Fappies Cosy Miss (Frank Alvarado, 15-1) and Grand Girlfriend (McCarron, 8-1).

Royal Ninja, an 11-1 shot, rallied to win the $100,000 Appleton Handicap at Gulfstream Park, beating Archies Laughter and favored Native Boundary.

Ridden by Jerry Bailey, Royal Ninja won by 1 1/4 lengths and completed the 1 1/16 miles on turf in 1:42 2/5. Native Boundary, who is trained by Mike Machowsky, had a half-length lead a furlong from the finish but was overrun late by the winner and 6-1 shot Archies Laugh.

Craig Perret rode Native Boundary, the 11-10 favorite who had won the Political Ambition last month at Hollywood Park after finishing second to Eternity Star in a division of the Hollywood Derby.

Horse Racing Notes

Gary Stevens said there is no truth to a rumor that he is about to fire agent Ray Kravagna and replace him with Mike Mitchell, a longtime trainer. “Ray and I are together for life,” Stevens said. . . . Admirallus, trained by Vladimir Cerin, won the $100,000 William P. Kyne Handicap at Bay Meadows, a race simulcast at Santa Anita. Joe Judice rode the winner, who caught Charts, the longest shot in the field, in the final strides. Sea Cadet, the 1-5 favorite at Santa Anita, was a distant third under highweight of 124 pounds.

Ebonair, the winner of the California Cup Juvenile, has a minor injury, according to trainer Bob Baffert. Baffert said that Ebonair will be sidelined for about four months. . . . Jockey Frank Alvarado swept the early double Saturday, winning the first with longshot Wendy’s Star and the second aboard Incessant. . . . There was one winning ticket in the Pick Six and it was worth more than $232,000.