DEL MAR : Marquetry Wins Eddie Read in a Three-Way Photo Finish

Strange as it might seem, there was a penalty attached to Marquetry’s $550,000 victory in the Hollywood Gold Cup last year.

The Gold Cup made a dirt horse out of Marquetry, who had run on the grass in every race but one before his 27-1 shocker at Hollywood Park.

Marquetry came back to win on the dirt again, taking the New England Classic at Rockingham Park three weeks after the Gold Cup, but then he lost eight in a row, only one of them on grass.

Trainer Bobby Frankel returned Marquetry to the grass on June 14 and he ran second in the John Henry Handicap at Hollywood Park. That proved to be a tuneup for Sunday, when the 5-year-old chestnut won the $322,250 Eddie Read Handicap in a three-horse photo finish with Luthier Enchanteur, his stablemate, and Leger Cat.

The victory, before 19,825, was Marquetry’s first since the New England Classic, 12 1/2 months ago.

Frankel has won the Eddie Read six times, and this time he finished 1-2, with Marquetry beating Luthier Enchanteur by a nose and Leger Cat, who was in between them at the wire, running third, another head back.

Leger Cat finished four lengths ahead of Tight Spot, the winner of the Read a year ago. Tight Spot contested the lead with Forty Niner Days until the top of the stretch, when the first three finishers took over. While Leger Cat and Luthier Enchanteur were blowing past Forty Niner Days, space opened on the inside and Marquetry and his jockey, David Flores, were able to split Tight Spot and Forty Niner Days.

Marquetry, coupled with Luthier Enchanteur in the betting because Frankel trains both horses and is a part owner of Marquetry, paid $5.80 and earned $187,250. Marquetry’s time for 1 1/8 miles was 1:47 1/5, three-fifths of a second slower than the stakes record, set in 1986 by Al Mamoon, another Frankel trainee. Marquetry carried 118 pounds, seven fewer than Tight Spot and four fewer than Golden Pheasant.

Marquetry, a son of Conquistador Cielo and Regent’s Walk, a Vice Regent mare, underwent an ownership change about a week ago, when Morley Engelson and Frankel joined Prince Khalid Abdullah of Saudi Arabia in a partnership. The first time Marquetry was sold, he brought $110,000 at a Kentucky yearling auction.

Despite his losing streak, Marquetry ran some tough races, finishing second four times, including a runner-up performance to Sultry Song in this year’s Hollywood Gold Cup, which was his last start.

Frankel said Marquetry and Luthier Enchanteur are possibilities for the Arlington Million on Sept. 5, although it would cost $50,000 apiece to supplement them into the race. The Million has been a hard-luck race for the trainer, who has started seven horses and never finished better than fifth.

Luthier Enchanteur almost gave owner Edmund Gann his fourth victory in the Read. The others came with Frankel-trained horses, Wickerr in 1981-82 and Al Mamoon.

“I didn’t nominate Marquetry (for the Million) because I was going to keep him on dirt, but then Exbourne got hurt and Marquetry did so well in the John Henry,” Frankel said. “He’s a better horse than people give him credit for. He can go from behind or be put on the lead, grass or dirt, and I’m sure he’d love the mud.”

Flores got his chance with Marquetry because the horse was assigned a feathery 110 pounds for the 1990 Hollywood Gold Cup, and Alex Solis would have had to take a few pounds of overweight if he had ridden him.

On Sunday, while Forty Niner Days and Tight Spot battled for the lead through slow early fractions, Flores had Marquetry in fourth place, on the outside of Leger Cat. Leaving the backstretch, Marquetry edged past Leger Cat into third place. At the top of the stretch, however, Leger Cat kicked in and took the lead, with Luthier Enchanteur joining the hunt from the far outside.

“The way it came up, I had to stay inside and pray for room,” Flores said. “I had four horses outside me all the way and couldn’t even think of going out. I just had to wait. I say that gray horse (Forty Niner Days) was wanting to get out, so I thought I’d get my chance. It worked. I knew this horse was going to run a big one. I worked him five-eighths (of a mile) the other morning (in 1:02 on grass), and he felt great.”

Frankel said that he couldn’t tell which of his horses had his nose on the wire, and Pat Valenzuela, aboard Luthier Enchanteur, waved his whip crossing the finish line.

“I thought I won it,” Valenzuela said. “At the wire, I thought I had them, but I looked over and saw that white blaze (on Marquetry’s face) out of the corner of my eye, and that made me doubt. If David (Flores) doesn’t get through, I win.”

Kent Desormeaux was aboard Leger Cat, a 9-1 shot. “Those two showed me how good they are,” Desormeaux said. “Turning for home, I figure nobody beats me. My horse ran great. Those other two just ran better.”

Tight Spot, last year’s Arlington Million winner and the champion male grass horse, came into the race with 10 victories in 11 starts on the turf, but he hadn’t run since March 21 and trainer Ron McAnally was chary.

“He ran like he was a little short,” said Laffit Pincay, Tight Spot’s jockey. “He shortened stride right at the finish. He came back OK. He needed the race.”

Gary Stevens, finishing fifth aboard Golden Pheasant, had an early triple Sunday, marking the 14th time that a jockey has won three or more races on a card during this meeting.