THOROUGHBRED RACING : Magical Maiden Won’t Receive Time Off for Her Good Behavior

If trainer Warren Stute and owner Clement Hirsch’s wish comes true, they will return to the winner’s circle with Magical Maiden next Saturday.

Winning the Linda Vista Breeders’ Cup Handicap at Santa Anita on Saturday was nice, but a victory in the $1-million Breeders’ Cup Distaff would be a whole lot better.

Provided the Lord Avie filly is sound after her five-length victory over six of her 3-year-old classmates, she will leave for Gulfstream Park on Tuesday.

“If she’s all right on Tuesday, she’ll go back,” said Hirsch, who has never before had a Breeders’ Cup starter. “You can do it once (ship and bring a horse back in a week) sometimes.”

Third behind Cadillac Women and 4-5 favorite Race The Wild Wind early, the 5-2 second choice gained the lead down the backstretch when Gary Stevens saw an opening along the rail. Magical Maiden was timed in 1:45 4/5 for the 1 1/16 miles.

Autumn Mood, the longest shot in the field at 101-1, rallied to beat Terre Haute by 1 1/2 lengths for second. Race The Wild Wind came up empty and was virtually eased through the stretch by Chris McCarron. The Sunny’s Halo filly, who has had a history of bleeding, ran without mud caulks--unlike Magical Maiden and several other winners on Saturday’s program.

“I don’t know why she ran like she did,” McCarron said. “I don’t even want to hazard a guess. That’s the worst race she’s run in her life. I thought she was going well, but only for a half-mile.

“When I asked her to run, at the time (Magical Maiden) made her move inside of (Cadillac Women), I made my move on the outside of them. It was a little short move, not like I know she can do. For whatever reason, she didn’t run anywhere close to her race.”

The victory was the fifth in 12 starts for Magical Maiden and her second of the meeting. She won an allowance race on Oct. 9, after being sidelined since June 20 because of a virus.

The Volante Handicap was easily the most exciting race of last year’s Oak Tree meeting.

Mr. P. And Max, who finished 10th in the 1 1/8-mile turf race, was only beaten by about three lengths. General Meeting won by a nose, beating Dominion Gold, who was a nose in front of Eternity Star. Another head back in fourth was Track Monarch.

With another full field of 12 3-year-olds set to go today, the Volante might provide another close finish. Major Impact is the lukewarm 7-2 favorite on the morning line.

Never worse than third in nine starts, Major Impact was beaten by a nose in the Ascot Handicap at Bay Meadows in his last appearance Sept. 19. Stevens will ride the Roberto colt for trainer Willard Proctor.

Blacksburg, who won a division of the Oceanside Handicap and the La Jolla Handicap at Del Mar, is the 4-1 second choice. Almost certain to be on the lead today, Blacksburg weakened as the favorite in the Del Mar Derby, then was beaten by nearly 31 lengths in the dirt in the Del Mar Budweiser Breeders’ Cup Handicap against older rivals. Alex Solis will ride for trainer Wayne Lukas.

Captive Miss, ridden by Julie Krone, held off Suivi to win the $200,000 Queen Elizabeth Challenge Cup by a neck at Keeneland.

The 9-2 third choice, Captive Miss split horses in deep stretch after being outrun early, got the lead and won in 1:48 3/5 for the 1 1/8 miles on turf.

Losing for the first time in four grass starts, Suivi was wide throughout as the 2-1 favorite and rallied seven-wide into the stretch under Alex Solis. She finished a length in front of Trampoli, the 5-2 third choice.

“She ran well,” Solis said. “The post (No. 10) killed us. She was too wide the first part--the second turn, too. I never had a chance to drop in.”

Horse Racing Notes

Trainer A.C. Avila was fined $1,500, given a 30-day suspension and put on probation through Dec. 31 after one of his horses tested positive for the prohibited medication promazine sulfoxide. Musical Lane tested positive after finishing fourth in the fourth race at Fairplex Park on Sept. 18. The purse money of $1,500 was redistributed. Avila’s suspension was stayed provided he has no further equivalent medication violations during the probationary period.

Trainer Mike Mitchell made it seven victories from 11 starters at Oak Tree when he swept the early double with favorites Chile Missouri and Viva El Capitan. Gary Stevens rode both horses. . . . Favored Bountiful Native scored her fourth consecutive victory and fifth in her last six starts when she won the $100,000 Charles H. Russell Handicap at Bay Meadows. Mi Lucia was second in the six-furlong race, which was simulcast at Santa Anita. Pat Valenzuela rode the winner for trainer Dan Hendricks.