SANTA ANITA : River Special Out of San Rafael

Gilded Time and River Special were supposed to meet for the first time this year in the $150,000 San Rafael Stakes at Santa Anita next Saturday.

Now, neither of the 3-year-olds will be in one of the two remaining prep races for the Santa Anita Derby.

Problems with his left front hoof will keep Gilded Time out of the race and now River Special, the Kentucky Derby future book favorite in many corners, will remain in the barn.

“Wayne Seidel, who watches our barn at night, gave me a 911 call on my pager at 8:30 p.m. Friday,” trainer Bob Hess Jr. said while a guest with Kurt Hoover on intertrack television. “(Wayne) said when he went in the stall to fix (River Special’s) blanket, the horse was acting unusually quiet. I rushed to the track in 15 minutes, we took his temperature and it was 103.

“We gave him some butazolidin and antibiotics and his temperature was back down by (Saturday) morning. But his white blood count was still up.”

So, River Special, who won the Del Mar and Hollywood futurities last year along with the Norfolk Stakes, will make his 1993 debut instead in the $200,000 San Felipe Stakes on March 14. The plan is to go from there to the Santa Anita Derby, then on to Kentucky.

“We’ll probably walk him for three days before galloping,” Hess said. “We’re all disappointed, but it’s just a minor setback. It’s better that it happened now than later.”

In a release issued Saturday, the California Horsemen’s Benevolent and Protective Assn. reaffirmed that it might seek a temporary restraining order to prevent the California Horse Racing Board from issuing an edited version of the California Department of Justice’s report on the clenbuterol issue.

“The CHBPA joined the rest of the industry in requesting the investigation of what was perceived to be a gross mishandling of alleged positives by the CHRB’s Executive Secretary Dennis Hutcheson,” Brian Sweeney, the CHBPA’s chief operating officer, said in the statement.

“We were advised that the members of the CHRB were meeting in executive session last Tuesday, with respect to the release of this report in response to a suit filed under the Public Information Act. When we called their Sacramento office on Wednesday to see what transpired at the Tuesday meeting, we were advised of their plan to issue an edited version.”

The statement said it appears that the CHRB “is about to disregard its own regulations by disclosing names of the some of the accused trainers, who, in all cases, have not been accorded a hearing, and in at least one instance, never received notification of a complaint. . .”

The Times identified the trainers Friday as Darrell Vienna, Vladimir Cerin, Bruce Headley and Barbara Caganich.

Fabulous Champ held off Arrowtown by a half-length to win the $108,800 El Conejo Handicap on Saturday.

A 6-1 shot while coupled with Bailarin, the 4-year-old Somethingfabulous colt was third while his entrymate and Jimmy’s Trick battled for the lead, then took the lead in the final sixteenth to win the meeting’s shortest stake. He completed the 5 1/2 furlongs over a muddy track in 1:02 3/5.

Arrowtown, the 3-1 second choice, was second, a half-length ahead of Slerp, who beat Regal Groom by a nose. Gundaghia, the 9-5 favorite, finished last in his first start over an off track.

“He didn’t try at all,” jockey Eddie Delahoussaye said of Gundaghia, who also finished last in his previous race, the Palos Verdes. “I’ve never ridden him before, but I’ve watched his races and I know he’s a better horse than that. He broke flat-footed, and when I hit the five-eighths, I had to start chirping to him to get his attention. He never did try at all.”

This was the sixth victory in 19 starts for Fabulous Champ, who was ridden by Chris McCarron for the first time.

“He had a great trip,” McCarron said. “He was laying third comfortably. He really kicked in when I asked him coming off the turn.”

Star Of The Crop, who would have been favored in the El Conejo, was scratched because of the track condition.

“Don’t get me wrong, I would have loved to have run him,” trainer Willard Proctor said. “I’m just not comfortable with the idea of running him on an off-track.”

Horse Racing Notes

Suivi, an impressive winner in her last start, is the 3-1 morning line favorite for the $115,000 Buena Vista Handicap. The one-mile race is still scheduled to be run on the turf. Marble Maiden is the 4-1 second choice and Southern Truce, who will run only if the race is moved to the main track, and Gravieres are the co-third choices at 5-1. . . . Paseana, second in her 1993 debut under 126 pounds in the Santa Maria Handicap, will carry one less pound today as she tries to retain her title in the $300,000 Santa Margarita Invitational Handicap. The other entrants in the 1 1/8-mile race are Exchange, Pacific Squall, Alysbelle, Marble Maiden, Southern Truce, Campagnarde, Guiza, Re Toss, Avian Assembly, Interactive, Lite Light, Laura Ly and Now Showing. . . . Jockey Eddie Delahoussaye won once and is within five victories of 5,000.