SANTA ANITA : The Wicked North Wins San Antonio Handicap by 4 1/2 Lengths

When Slew of Damascus broke through the gate, dumped Pat Valenzuela and ran off shortly before the start of Sunday’s San Antonio Handicap, jockey Kent Desormeaux and trainer David Bernstein were already adding up their winning shares from the $268,000 Santa Anita stake.

“That was nice,” said Desormeaux, who then rode The Wicked North to a 4 1/2-length victory. “The Man Upstairs must like us.”

With Slew Of Damascus scratched from the San Antonio at 5-1, the pressure was off The Wicked North; both horses have a front-running style.

“Slew Of Damascus coming out of there was a blessing,” Bernstein said.

The Wicked North, a 5-year-old who has run only 13 times since his owner, Philip Hersh, bought the grandson of Northern Dancer for $10,000 at a yearling auction, dueled with Star Recruit through modest fractions for three-quarters of a mile, then pulled away in the stretch. The Wicked North’s sixth victory, worth $155,500, was the biggest of his career and sets him up for the $1-million Santa Anita Handicap on March 5.

“He grabbed himself (kicked a leg) when he ran off,” said Craig Roberts, Slew Of Damascus’ trainer. “I don’t think it’s anything serious. If he had run well in this race, he would have been 90-10 to run in the Santa Anita Handicap. Now, since he’s missed a race, he’s 50-50 for the race. We’ll also look at the Arcadia Handicap (a $100,000 race that’s also March 5).”

More disappointing than Slew Of Damascus, who’s on a four-race winning streak, was Best Pal, who got the chance to run and did nothing with it. Flirting with the $5-million earnings mark, Best Pal was the 9-5 favorite Sunday. He was last at the start, 11 lengths away from the lead, and finished seventh in the nine-horse field, more than 10 lengths behind The Wicked North. Best Pal hasn’t won an open race since his victory in the Hollywood Gold Cup 7 1/2 months ago. “Nothing would have helped us today,” said Best Pal’s owner, John Mabee, referring to the Slew Of Damascus incident. “We had no excuses.”

After finishing second, Hill Pass was disqualified to third place, with Region, whom he had beaten by a half-length, being moved up to second place by the three stewards.

Neither jockey Chris McCarron nor Hill Pass’ trainer, Jack Van Berg, agreed with the decision, which stemmed from tight quarters at the three-sixteenths pole.

“The other horse tried to go into a spot where he didn’t have room to go,” Van Berg said.

If McCarron receives a five-day suspension, he would be prevented from riding Dehere, one of the early Kentucky Derby favorites, in the Fountain of Youth Stakes on Saturday at Gulfstream Park.

The Wicked North is one of the largest horses on the grounds, going well over 1,000 pounds, and he was even bigger, maybe 1,300 pounds, when Bernstein was sprinting him. His last victory on dirt was in the six-furlong Bing Crosby Handicap at Del Mar 6 1/2 months ago.

Desormeaux was aboard The Wicked North for the first time since he successfully rode the horse at the end of 1992.

“I thought my chances were slim after my horse got so worked up before the race,” Desormeaux said Sunday. “He was absolutely drenched (with sweat). But my chances increased when Slew Of Damascus broke through the gate. So we got to gallop on the lead and I had plenty of horse to come home with.”

Cardmania, last year’s national sprint champion, didn’t run in the San Antonio because of a cracked cannon bone in his left hind leg and was to undergo surgery Sunday.

The Wicked North’s time for 1 1/8 miles was 1:47 2/5 and he paid $14.80 as the fourth betting choice. He carried 116 pounds, five less than top-weighted Best Pal.

Horse Racing Notes

Earlier Sunday, Fly’n J. Bryan, who won his first start, on Jan. 22, while running six furlongs in 1:08 2/5, moved into stakes company for trainer Doug Peterson and won the $103,825 San Vicente Breeders’ Cup Stakes by two lengths over Gracious Ghost.

The San Vicente was a furlong farther than Fly’n J. Bryan’s debut. “Mentally, this horse will go long,” Corey Black said. “I mean, he’ll relax enough to go long. You never know until you try them. I’m sure he’ll go a mile. Beyond that, we’ll have to wait and see.”

Fly’n J. Bryan has been on the lead in both of his victories. Peterson wasn’t sure about the 3-year-old colt’s next race.

Correcting an item in the Daily Racing Form that was excerpted in The Times, trainer Wayne Lukas said that his son, Jeff, may leave the hospital in three or four weeks to begin treatment at a rehabilitation center. “We’re very pleased with his progress, but he has a long way to go,” Lukas said. “He has taken solid food, but not consistently. He’s taking meals the next couple of days to see how well his stomach can handle it. He is participating in both physical and group therapy four hours a day, and he’s walking with the aid of a walker.” Jeff Lukas, his father’s No. 1 assistant, suffered multiple scull fractures when their top 3-year-old, Tabasco Cat, got loose and knocked him to the ground in the San Anita barn area on Dec. 15.