Super Staff Beats 1-2 Choice Flawlessly : Oak Tree: Desormeaux, who had lost twice to the favorite while riding Kostroma, gets revenge in the Las Palmas Handicap.

Frustrated twice by Flawlessly earlier this year while riding Kostroma, Kent Desormeaux got his revenge in the $134,000 Las Palmas Handicap at Santa Anita on Sunday.

Only this time, Oak Tree’s top jockey was aboard Super Staff. Riding the 4-year-old Secretariat filly for the first time, Desormeaux directed her to a wire-to-wire upset of Flawlessly, the 1-2 favorite.

Able to control the pace after the scratch of Visible Gold, the 7-2 second choice won by three-quarters of a length, completing the 1 1/8 miles on turf in 1:46 4/5.

This was the fifth victory in seven American starts for Super Staff, who had been ridden by Chris McCarron, Flawlessy’s jockey, in her first six races in this country.

“(Trainer) Ron (McAnally) actually told me that she’s a better filly coming off the pace, but she absolutely dragged me to the lead,” Desormeaux said. “She was so keen, just wanting to go on with it . . . when we reached the quarter pole, I just dropped her head and went for it. She just lengthened her stride and drove to the wire.

“It just goes to show that any horse, even Flawlessly, can get victimized when a horse gets an easy lead like that. It’s the same thing that happened to Kostroma at Del Mar (in the Ramona Handicap). Flawlessly was able to get an easy lead, and Kostroma never had a chance.”

Losing for only the second time in 10 starts on turf, Flawlessly had been in front in both of her victories this year, but McCarron was content to be behind Super Staff and Re Toss through fractions of :24 2/5, :48 1/5 and 1:11 4/5.

Neither McCarron nor trainer Charlie Whittingham seemed too upset about the defeat because it was Flawlessly’s first race since Aug. 15. She had been sick and she was spotting Super Staff eight pounds (124-116).

“She ran great,” McCarron said. “We just couldn’t catch the winner, but this should set her up perfectly for the ($400,000) Yellow Ribbon (on Nov. 4).”

The Grade I race will bring another match with Kostroma, who beat Flawlessly by two lengths in the 1991 Yellow Ribbon.

“The slow fractions didn’t help her, but sure this should help her for the next one,” Whittingham said. “I think if we’d been up there closer to the lead the first part of it, it could have made a difference. But not the way it turned out, not giving away that weight.”

Re Toss was third, four lengths behind Flawlessly, and was followed by Campagnarde--Whittingham’s other entrant--Guislaine, Elegance and Vijaya.

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With Pat Valenzuela fulfilling his obligation to ride owner Allen Paulson’s Fraise in the $2-million Breeders’ Cup Turf, trainer Rodney Rash is looking for a jockey for Navarone. Possibilities include McCarron and Jerry Bailey.

Fraise, runner-up to Sky Classic in the recent Turf Classic at Belmont Park, is one of four horses Valenzuela, who is under contract to Paulson, will ride for the owner. The others are Arazi, who will run in either the Mile or the Classic, Fowda (Distaff) and Eliza (Juvenile Fillies).

Valenzuela has been Navarone’s rider through his five-race winning streak, which includes victories in the Del Mar Handicap and the Oak Tree Invitational.

Horse Racing Notes

Jockey Gary Stevens won three times Sunday, and Chris McCarron had two victories. Stevens scored a consecutive triple with Two For Frenchy, No Social Graces and Cargo. . . . Gilded Time, probable favorite in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile, worked six furlongs in 1:11 4/5 Sunday morning for trainer Darrell Vienna. . . . Turkstand, runner-up to Zoonaqua in the Oak Leaf Stakes, will get a rematch with her in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies. A daughter of Turkoman, Turkstand worked a half-mile in 47 3/5 seconds Sunday morning at Hollywood Park for trainer Gary Jones.

Stephanie McCarron, 12, the daughter of the jockey, remains hospitalized in Virginia after a riding accident last week. McCarron said that the horse his daughter was riding bucked her off and stepped on her. She has a punctured lung and bruises. McCarron was to fly to Virginia on Sunday night and is hoping his daughter will come home with him on Tuesday. . . . Reign Road, who has come from far back to win two consecutive stakes, will leave for Florida Oct. 27 to run in the $3-million Breeders’ Cup Classic, according to trainer Jay Robbins.