OAK TREE : Ailment Sidelines Kostroma

Kostroma won’t be defending her title in the $400,000 Yellow Ribbon Stakes on Sunday at Santa Anita.

“She has a lung infection which she’s been battling,” trainer Gary Jones said. “She was in distress when she came back from her workout (seven furlongs in 1:25 1/5) Monday morning.”

Jones said Kostroma came down with the infection shortly after winning the $500,000 Beverly D. Handicap on Sept. 3 at Arlington Park. “It’s something she got in Chicago and I’ve been battling it for a while,” he said.

Although there’s a possibility the 6-year-old mare may have run her last race, Jones is hopeful she will recover in time to run in the $400,000 Matriarch on Nov. 29 at Hollywood Park. Kostroma was the beaten favorite in that race last year and she has demonstrated that she is not particularly fond of the Hollywood Park grass course.

Besides the Beverly D. and Yellow Ribbon, Kostroma has also won the Santa Barbara and, overall, has 11 victories from 24 starts and $1,078,765 in earnings.

In her absence, Flawlessly, who was second in the Yellow Ribbon in 1991, will be a solid favorite to win the 1 1/4-mile race. Other probable starters are Polemic, Super Staff, Campagnarde, Marble Maiden, Rosefinch and Urban Sea.

Upset by Super Staff in the Las Palmas in her first start since winning the Ramona Handicap at Del Mar in August, Flawlessly worked five furlongs on the turf in 1:00 3/5 Tuesday morning.

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Entries will be taken this morning for the $1-million California Cup on Saturday.

This will be the third California Cup, which features $1 million in purses offered over nine races for California breds.

The $250,000 Classic is the richest race, and the probable choice in the 1 1/8-mile race is defending champion Charmonnier, who upset heavily favored Best Pal last year. A 4-year-old Batonnier gelding, he has not won since his 28-1 surprise.

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The $51,550 Blue Eyed Davy Stakes couldn’t have turned out any better for owner-breeder Allen Paulson Wednesday.

Four days after he won a pair of Breeders’ Cup races with Eliza and Fraise, Paulson saw Corby win and Siebe, a horse he bred and lost in a $40,000 claiming race on Oct. 8, finish second.

A 2-year-old son of Dahar, Corby figured to improve when he tried grass and he didn’t disappoint. Well-placed by Pat Valenzuela, the 5-2 second choice got the lead approaching the wire and won by a half-length in 1:14 1/5 for the 6 1/2 furlongs on turf.

This was the second victory in five starts for Corby, who is trained by John Sadler, and he was the runner-up in two of his defeats.

Claimed by trainer Frank Olivares for owner Earl Malley, Siebe, who is also a son of Dahar and a 31-1 shot, finished three-quarters of a length ahead of Silver Picea, who was nearly 26-1. Boss Soss, the 9-5 favorite, finished sixth under Kent Desormeaux.

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Takemi Sasaki, the winningest rider in Japanse racing and fourth on the all-time list, made his California debut Wednesday at Santa Anita.

Riding 32-1 shot King’s Thunder, Sasaki, 52, finished fifth, beaten by four lengths.

On a goodwill tour of the United States, Sasaki ranks behind Bill Shoemaker, Laffit Pincay and Angel Cordero in terms of victories. He has been the leading rider in the Tokyo area 17 times.

“I enjoyed riding her very much,” Sasaki said through an interpreter. “Everyone rides very well here. I tried to ride as I do in Japan, to get a good position, to do what has been successful for me there.”

Horse Racing Notes

Thelma Silbert, the widow of Harry Silbert, the longtime agent for Bill Shoemaker, died Tuesday after a long battle with cancer. Services will be held Friday at noon at Hillside Memorial in Los Angeles. . . . Superstrike, who finished ninth in the Breeders’ Cup Sprint, will have surgery to remove a chip in a knee. . . . Itsallgreektome, who worked a mile in 1:39 2/5 on Monday, will return to the races in the River City Stakes Nov. 15 at Churchill Downs. . . . Corey Black picked up his second victory since returning from Europe when he directed Bounty Mane to a $116 upset in the seventh race. . . . Paulson and Valenzuela also teamed to win the sixth race with favored Anzali.