OAK TREE : Ancient Title Handicap Is Won by Gray Slewpy

A mixed bag of ailments has kept Gray Slewpy on the sidelines for much of his career, but the silver 4-year-old ran the race of his life Monday and earned a trip to the Breeders’ Cup at Gulfstream Park on Oct. 31.

Gray Slewpy, giving Kent Desormeaux his third stakes victory at Santa Anita in two days, came from off the pace to beat longshot Trick Me by a neck in the $107,950 Ancient Title Breeders’ Cup Handicap.

The six-furlong race was only the 11th start for Gray Slewpy, and his first since he ran second to Southern Justice in the Oakland Handicap at Golden Gate Fields more than four months ago.

Sore heels sidelined Gray Slewpy after that, but after Monday’s 1:08 2/5 performance, the 33-year-old trainer says that his horse is peaking at the right time. Looking ahead to the $1-million Breeders’ Cup Sprint, Hendricks said: “Sheikh Albadou (winner of last year’s Sprint) is the best sprinter in Europe, Rubiano’s the best in New York and Gray Slewpy’s now the best from California. Let the winner take all. I wouldn’t trade places with anybody.”

Gray Slewpy has won seven of 11 starts and earned $308,075 for owner Ed Friendly. Last year, the son of Slewpy and Beau Griss, a Grey Dawn II mare, underwent arthroscopic surgery for a chipped knee and also had a testicle removed in an operation similar to the one that helped A.P. Indy develop into a multiple stakes winner.

“He won this race on heart,” trainer Dan Hendricks said. Gray Slewpy and Desormeaux sat behind 25-1 shot Trick Me and the favored Three Peat, who ran a fast 43 3/5 for a half-mile. At the top of the stretch, after Trick Me’s five-eighths time of 55 3/5, Three Peat dropped out of contention, finishing eighth in the nine-horse field.

With Trick Me 1 1/2 lengths ahead with an eighth of a mile left, Gray Slewpy began his winning drive in the center of the track. “Was I worried?” Friendly said as he entered the winner’s circle. “Only for a minute, 8 1/2 seconds was I worried.”

Desormeaux was also worried. “They were rolling up there,” he said. “I tried not to panic. I tried to take into consideration that they were head and head, and there wasn’t a horse up there by himself. That was the only thing that saved me and helped me relax back there. Then a horse ran up inside me, and he moved me from the position where I was. I’m glad he did, because I almost didn’t get there in time.”

On Sunday, Desormeaux rode River Special to victory in the Norfolk Stakes and also won the Goodwood Handicap with Reign Road. River Special is headed for the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile on Oct. 31.

Gray Slewpy, the second betting choice, paid $5.80 and earned $62,950.

Trick Me, owned by John Brunetti, president of Hialeah, is also a candidate for the Breeders’ Cup Sprint. The Ancient Title was only his fifth race and his first stake.

“I thought I was going to make it,” said David Flores, who rode Trick Me. “For a moment, I didn’t feel anybody coming. He was running on the bridle good, but then he started looking around a little, and then he came back on and finished well.”

Light Of Morn, winner of the Pat O’Brien Handicap at Del Mar in his last start, finished third, about 1 1/4 lengths behind Gray Slewpy. Answer Do, second to Frost Free in last year’s Ancient Title and Monday’s high weight at 120 pounds, broke through the gate before the start Monday and finished sixth. Gray Slewpy carried 118 pounds.

Three Peat had two victories and four seconds in six starts before Monday. “Besides having a lot of pressure from Trick Me, he tried to get out on the turn, and he’s never done that before,” said Pat Valenzuela, who rode Three Peat. “After that, he just couldn’t keep up.”