OAK TREE : Rash’s Fast Cure Wins Russell by Four Lengths Over D’Arros

With nearly half of the Oak Tree meeting complete, Rodney Rash remains the hottest trainer around.

Charlie Whittingham’s longtime assistant before going out on his own in 1991, Rash tops the trainer standings with seven victories from 20 starts.

Fast Cure added to Rash’s total with a four-length victory over D’Arros in the $82,350 Henry P. Russell Handicap on Saturday.

Winning for the first time since June 9, 1992, at Chantilly in France, Fast Cure tracked the early pace set by Russian Courage, moved to the lead on the far turn and coasted home under Chris McCarron in 2:00 for the 1 1/4 miles on turf. He paid $8.80 as the 3-1 second choice.

“He’s run into some monsters this year and they set a course record when he ran second last time against Slew Of Damascus (in the Bay Meadows Handicap on Oct. 2),” said Rash, who purchased the 4-year-old Cure The Blues colt last year for owner Mary Jones Bradley.

“This race set up real well for him. I didn’t give Chris any instructions. He knows this horse and he’s a good, heady rider. I knew it wouldn’t be a strong pace.”

Making his first U.S. start, Samourzakan finished fourth as the 9-10 favorite, slightly more than six lengths behind the winnner.

“He’s a one-paced horse and they ran very slow the first part,” jockey Kent Desormeaux said. “He broke very tentatively, like a confused horse, and he ran one-paced. The race turned into a sprint from the half-mile pole and they just left him. It wasn’t from his lack of trying. He’s just not quick.”

D’Arros, who raced coupled with Russian Courage, finished two lengths in front of El Meteoro and improved dramatically over his American debut with the addition of blinkers. Thirteen days earlier, he had finished last, beaten by 30 1/2 lengths, in the Oak Tree Invitational.

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Trainer Bobby Frankel has three of the seven entrants in the $108,600 Las Palmas Handicap, but his best female will be running in the third race today at Santa Anita.

Toussaud, who has won four in a row, will make her final start before the Breeders’ Cup Mile a $55,000 classified allowance at one mile on the turf.

Fourth and third in her first two American starts, the 4-year-old El Gran Senor filly won the Wilshire, Gamely and American handicaps at Hollywood Park, then returned to action with a victory in the Autumn Days Handicap on opening day of the Oak Tree season.

A minor hoof problem caused her to skip some training, and originally, next Saturday’s Morvich Handicap was going to be her final start before she took on Lure, Flawlessly and others in the Breeders’ Cup.

Desormeaux will again ride Toussaud, who is the 4-5 morning-line favorite against four rivals. The other entrants are Ravenwood, Gold Desert, who is also trained by Frankel, Acteur Francais and Looie Capote.

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Frankel’s trio of Villandry, Gravieres and Skimble will race as an entry in the Las Palmas, at 1 1/8 miles on the turf, and were established as the 8-5 morning-line favorites.

Gravieres and Skimble each won their last races. The former ran down favored Miss Turkana to win the California Jockey Club Handicap at Bay Meadows on Oct. 9, and the latter won a stakes at Louisiana Downs. Gary Stevens will ride Gravieres while Pat Day has the mount on Skimble. McCarron will be aboard Villandry, who hasn’t run since finishing fifth in the Honey Fox Handicap on Aug. 6 at Del Mar.

Feminine Wiles, fifth in the Osunitas Handicap in her only American start, is the 2-1 second morning-line choice. Miatuschka (8-1) and Campagnarde (6-1) round out the field.

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Stellar Cat earned a start in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies with a six-length victory over Slew Kitty Slew in the $188,000 Alcibiades at Keeneland on Saturday.

Owned by Overbrook Farm, trained by Wayne Lukas and ridden by Shane Sellers, Stellar Cat led wire to wire in the Grade II race and completed the 1 1/16 miles in 1:44 3/5. She paid $8.80 as the 3-1 third choice and won for the second time in as many starts at Keeneland after shipping from California.

My Sea Castles, the 4-5 favorite, finished fourth of six.

Horse Racing Notes

Fast Cure had lost 12 in a row before Saturday. . . . Trainer Rodney Rash had two seconds with Sky Gypsy and Constant Craving earlier in the program. . . . Kotashaan, who will be favored in the Breeders’ Cup Turf, worked five furlongs in 59 3/5 Saturday morning. Luazur, who upset Kotashaan in the Del Mar Handicap before finishing second in the Oak Tree Invitational, worked six furlongs in 1:13 4/5. He also is entered in the Breeders’ Cup Turf. . . . Aaron Gryder will begin riding at Santa Anita on Wednesday. Gryder, who has spent the last five years riding in the East and Midwest, has hired Jeff Franklin to be his agent.