OAK TREE : Stalcreek Wins the Linda Vista as Delahoussaye Gains No. 8

Eddie Delahoussaye is going to be sorry to see the Oak Tree meeting end Monday.

A week after picking up his sixth and seventh Breeders’ Cup victories, Oak Tree’s runaway leading rider won his eighth stakes of the 29-day-old season, taking Stalcreek to a one-length victory in the $103,750 Linda Vista Breeders’ Cup Handicap.

Making only her second start since April after undergoing ankle surgery, the 3-year-old Stalwart filly stalked the slow pace set by heavily favored Sensational Eyes, took the lead early in the stretch and went on to beat 8-1 shot Golden Klair in 1:42 for the 1 1/16 miles.

It was the fourth victory in eight starts for Stalcreek, who has shown she can win on any kind of surface. The 3-1 second choice has also won in mud and on turf.

After winning her previous three races by a combined 14 3/4 lengths, Sensational Eyes broke awkwardly, then was wide on the first turn, but she was able to set the pace without pressure and simply faded to last after being caught by the winner.

“She got bothered a little bit at the start and we wound up wide on the first turn, but that isn’t what beat her today,” jockey Corey Black said. “She should have won from the three-eighths pole in, but she just wasn’t herself.

“The other day, when she worked (six furlongs in 1:15 last Monday), she wasn’t her usual brilliant self, either. But physically there wasn’t anything wrong with her. . . . Horses, and especially fillies, have peaks and valleys, and maybe she’s in a little valley right now.”

Delahoussaye was aboard Stalcreek for the first time Saturday.

“She tries on anything, grass or dirt,” said David Bernstein, who trains the filly for owners Gaylord Ailshie and Joe Shields. “Eddie rode her just the way we wanted. He gave her a breather and came on the inside.

“We’ll look for a race at Hollywood (Park) for her. I think she’s a little better on the grass, but we’ll look at the La Canada series here, too. She loves mud, so if any races are taken off the turf, it won’t hurt her.”

Golden Klair, the trailer most of the way, rallied to beat 17-1 shot Vinista by 1 1/4 lengths for second. Swazi’s Moment, the 5-1 third choice, was a head back in fourth.

*

Trainer Ron McAnally will try for his second consecutive victory in the $400,000 Yellow Ribbon today at Santa Anita when he saddles lukewarm favorite Let’s Elope in the 1 1/4-mile turf race.

Super Staff upset Flawlessly last year to give McAnally his first victory in the Grade I race, but Let’s Elope didn’t run well in her only other try on this turf course. She was a distant third behind Kotashaan and Luazur in the Oak Tree Invitational last month.

Let’s Elope, a 6-year-old Nassipour mare, has only an allowance victory to her credit in the United States. She was disqualified from first to third in the Beverly D. at Arlington Park on Aug. 28. Pat Valenzuela will again ride.

Miami Sands, one of five 3-year-olds in the field, is the 5-1 second choice. A troubled second in the Queen Elizabeth Cup on Oct. 30 at Keeneland, she beat males in an allowance race at Santa Anita before that. Laffit Pincay has the mount for trainer Richard Cross.

The remainder of the field, from the rail out: Bright Generation (Delahoussaye, 6-1); Miatuschka (Black, 15-1); Revasser (Kent Desormeaux, 12-1); Market Booster (Michael Kinane, 12-1); Lyphard’s Delta (Gary Stevens, 15-1); Hero’s Love (Earlie Fires, 8-1); Campagnarde (Alex Solis, 20-1); Lady Blessington (Jerry Bailey, 15-1); Possibly Perfect (Corey Nakatani, 8-1); Tribulation (Jean-Luc Samyn, 12-1) and Verveine (Mike Smith, 6-1). Market Booster and Tribulation will race coupled as the mutuel field.

*

Numerous, a $1.7-million yearling purchase last year by owner Howard B. Keck, broke his maiden in the second start of his career Saturday at Santa Anita.

Trained by Charlie Whittingham and ridden by Chris McCarron, the 2-year-old son of Mr. Prospector beat 14-1 shot Amarisingstar by a nose in 1:15 4/5 for the 6 1/2 furlongs.

The 6-5 favorite, Numerous had run fourth in his Del Mar debut on Sept. 11 after breaking slowly, then running greenly through the stretch.

Horse Racing Notes

Eddie Delahoussaye also rode favored Savinio to victory in the seventh and has 40 victories for the meeting, 13 more than Gary Stevens and Kent Desormeaux. . . . Laffit Pincay was off his mounts because of the illness of his wife, Jeanine. . . . Duca, the other highly regarded 2-year-old trained by Randy Winick, will be heavily favored against a field of maidens in today’s second race. Stevens will ride Duca against only five rivals in the mile race.