OAK TREE : Today’s Smile Is Near Cup Level

The only difference between the Breeders’ Cup Sprint and the Smile Handicap, one of three other stakes on today’s card at Santa Anita, is an extra zero in the purse.

While the 14 horses scheduled to run in the Breeders’ Cup Sprint are shooting for $1 million, the 12 in the seven-furlong Smile are aiming for $100,000 added. But the quality is the same. Some might even argue that the Smile is stronger.

Slerp, a stakes winner in California and New York, is the lukewarm 7-2 morning-line choice in the Smile, which will be run after the Breeders’ Cup Classic. Kent Desormeaux will ride the 4-year-old, who has won three of seven at Santa Anita, for trainer Bob Hess.

The Wicked North is the 9-2 second choice despite his defeat on soft turf in the D.C. International two weeks ago. Mike Smith will ride the 4-year-old Far North colt, who is two for four on the Santa Anita main track.

The remainder of the field includes Kashani, Scherando, Cal Cup Sprint winner Softshoe Sure Shot, Hill Pass, Portoferraio, Finder’s Fortune, Ibero, Memo, Harlan and Casual Lies, who will be making his first start since June 26. Bahatur and Premier Angel were scratched Friday.

The program begins with the $100,000 Cascapedia Handicap and concludes with the $150,000 Skywalker Handicap.

Interactive is the 2-1 favorite for the seven-furlong Cascapedia against five other fillies, while Region is the 9-5 favorite against eight rivals in the 1 1/8-mile Skywalker.

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Jeff Siegel and Barry Irwin’s Team Valor, which will be shooting for an upset in the Breeders’ Cup Sprint with Demaloot Demashoot, pulled a surprise Friday when 18-1 outsider Eastern Memories led wire to wire in the $111,800 Volante Handicap.

Treated with Lasix for the first time, the 3-year-old Don’t Forget Me colt beat 7-1 shot Cigar by two lengths in 1:48 for the 1 1/8 miles on turf. Jerry Bailey rode for trainer Mark Hennig. Snake Eyes was third and Tinners Way, the 11-10 favorite while coupled with Bon Point, was fourth.

“The race basically went to plan,” Bailey said. “It didn’t look like there was a lot of speed in the race, and he’s comfortable when he’s in front.

“He bled in his last race (eighth of nine in the Thompson at the Meadowlands on Sept. 24), and that’s really the only bad race he’s ever run. Based on that, he shouldn’t have been that big a price.”

In the race before the Volante, Twice The Vice won for the second time in three starts with a 4 1/2-length victory over favored Private Persuasion in the $82,650 Anoakia Stakes. Trained by Tom Bell and ridden by Eddie Delahoussaye, the 2-year-old Vice Regent paid $9.20 as the 7-2 second choice and covered the seven furlongs in 1:22 4/5.

Horse Racing Notes

Jockey Chris Antley, who is planning on making California his permanent base, was handed a five-day suspension for an incident Thursday, the first day he started riding locally. The suspension, which will begin Wednesday, came after Dixie Venture was disqualified from fourth to fifth in the fifth race. This summer, Antley was suspended when he came out to ride Valley Crossing in the Pacific Classic at Del Mar. He was cited for interference on Seven Rivers later that day.