THOROUGHBRED RACING : Day Scores His Fifth Beam Victory as Lil E. Tee Wins Unimpressively

None of the first 10 winners of the Jim Beam Stakes went on to win the Kentucky Derby.

Don’t look for that streak to end this year.

Lil E. Tee, a son of At The Threshold, beat 10 other 3-year-olds to win the $500,000 Beam on Saturday at Turfway Park.

This was the fourth victory in seven starts for Lil E. Tee, but his first in a stakes race. In the process, he provided Pat Day with his fifth victory in the Grade II event.

Able to slip through along the rail at the top of the stretch when pacesetter Waki Warrior lugged out badly, Lil E. Tee went on to a one-length victory in a slow 1:53 2/5 for the 1 1/8 miles. The final eighth of a mile took nearly 14 seconds.

Vying Victor, the Remington Park Derby winner, was second, a neck in front of Treekster, who had finished second to A.P. Indy in last month’s San Rafael.

Treekster was the 5-2 favorite at Santa Anita, where the Beam was simulcast, but Big Sur was the 7-2 choice in Kentucky. The 17-1 upset winner of Oaklawn’s Southwest Stakes on March 7, Big Sur finished 10th Saturday.

Pat Valenzuela, Treekster’s rider, claimed foul against Ron Hansen, the jockey aboard Vying Victor, for interference in the stretch, but it was dismissed by the stewards.

“It was pretty eventful,” said Treekster’s trainer, Vladimir Cerin. “He was bumped pretty good down the backstretch by Big Sur, and he was bumped down the lane by Vying Victor. Considering the circumstances, I thought he did well.”

Treekster will return to California.

Lil E. Tee, who paid $11 at Turfway Park and $12.40 at Santa Anita, will return to Oaklawn Park and start preparing for the Arkansas Derby on April 18.

“I guess you can understand why people might overlook him,” winning trainer Lynn Whiting said. “He’s a lightly raced horse, and he hasn’t seen too many horses of extra quality. We caught a pretty good horse in Pine Bluff last time, and I think that Pine Bluff would have been 3-5 in this field today.”

Actually, Pine Bluff was only second in Lil E. Tee’s last race. Big Sur was the winner by 2 1/2 lengths.

Vying Victor, who raced wide throughout, might have earned a nomination to the Triple Crown. Trainer Ian Jory said he was going to discuss the possibility with the colt’s owners, Mr. and Mrs. Marvin Malmuth, Saturday evening. The late deadline to nominate is Wednesday.

“He had the worst of it,” Jory said. “I think maybe we had the best horse. He had a terrible trip all the way around. He’s a very gutsy horse.”

Casual Lies will be shipped to Santa Anita Monday and will be entered in Saturday’s $500,000 Santa Anita Derby.

Whether or not he runs against A.P. Indy and Bertrando remains to be seen. Owner-trainer Shelley Riley said she won’t make a decision until Thursday, Friday or possibly even Saturday. If she decides to skip the Santa Anita Derby, Casual Lies will come back a week later in the California Derby at Golden Gate Fields. The 3-year-old worked seven furlongs in 1:27 2/5 Saturday morning at Pleasanton.

The significance of Qathif’s victory by a neck over Latin American in the $83,025 Miramontes Handicap on Saturday was news to trainer Charlie Whittingham.

It was the 200th stakes victory at Santa Anita--excluding Oak Tree--for Whittingham. “I didn’t know,” he said. “I don’t keep track of those things.”

A 5-year-old son of Riverman, Qathif, the 2-1 favorite, was next-to-last after a half-mile, started to rally around the turn, then outfinished the 5-2 second choice to win in 1:49 for the 1 1/8 miles over a turf course listed as good.

Owned by Mr. and Mrs. Jerry Moss, Qathif now has four victories in eight U.S. starts. Alex Solis has been aboard for four victories and a second in five rides on the Kentucky-bred.

“I guess he likes me,” Solis said. “I get along really well with him. He can be difficult, but I know him so well. The main thing is to get him to relax. He relaxed nice. He was like a loaded gun, just waiting for you to pull the trigger. He wasn’t going to let (Latin American) go by him in the stretch.”

Latin American, who was behind Qathif early, was 3 1/2 lengths ahead of 22-1 shot Scottish Castle, who beat 22-1 shot and pacesetter Big Barton by a head. Irish Empire, River Traffic, Carnival Baby and Lord Charmer completed the order of finish.

Quest For Fame is the 6-5 favorite for today’s $300,00 added San Luis Rey Stakes at 1 1/2 miles on turf.

Winner of the San Luis Obispo, Quest For Fame will have only five opponents in the Grade I race, which is the major prep for next month’s San Juan Capistrano. Gary Stevens will ride for trainer Bobby Frankel.

Fly Till Dawn, who beat Itsallgreektome in the one-mile Arcadia Handicap in his last start, is the 2-1 second morning line choice. Fanatic Boy and Cool Gold Mood (5-1), Provins (10-1) and Seti I. (20-1) round out the field. All starters will carry 124 pounds.

Horse Racing Notes

Liginsky, the well-regarded 3-year-old trained by Charlie Whittingham, was second at 1-2 in his second career start. Ballet Boy, a first-time starter trained by Bill Shoemaker, won the race and paid $20.40. Third in his first start Dec. 8 at Hollywood Park, Liginsky is by Nijinsky II out of Hidden Light, a multiple-stakes winner several years ago for Whittingham.

Jockey Eddie Delahoussaye was beaten on three short-priced favorites--Liginsky, Mountains Of Lune (6-5) and Ziggy’s Act (4-5) and finished last on two other horses--La Cosa Nostra and Lord Charmer. . . . Tamara LaCroix, the wife of trainer David LaCroix, gave birth to the couple’s second child Saturday morning. Aleyna Elizabeth weighed 7 pounds 14 ounces.