LOS ALAMITOS : It’s Been Time to Bet the Ranch

Legacy Ranch has raced many good horses, among them three-time distance champion Griswold and his brother, Apprehend, a champion aged gelding. The Chino ranch was 12th on the national list of owners of leading money earners last year, and owns Merridoc, fifth among leading sires of money earners in 1993.

So it was surprising when Legacy Ranch failed to win a major stakes race through the first 4 1/2 months of the 1994 Los Alamitos meeting.

“It was very frustrating,” said Pete Parella, co-owner of Legacy Ranch with Jerry Moreland. “It was really tough for us for a while. We’ve been doing everything the same as in past years, and it seemed everything was going wrong for us. It just wasn’t working.”

Legacy Ranch’s drought ended in September, when the stakes victories started pouring in.

The 3-year-old Merridoc gelding, Daily Triple, gave Legacy its ice breaker in the $85,000 Governor’s Cup Derby on Sept. 9. Daily Triple, part of an entry with Movados, was lightly regarded in the derby field, despite having won the Kindergarten Futurity last year, and was sent off at 25-1.

“I thought we were better than 25-1,” Parella said. “(Daily Triple) ran a good race in the trials and I thought he was due to win one.

“We have good horses and good trainers. It was only a matter of time.”

Shortly thereafter, Parella was talking about his next stakes entrant, Griswold, who was scheduled to start in the Katella Handicap on Sept. 17.

“He’s been doing everything we ask of him,” Parella said. “I think Griswold will run a big race in the Katella Handicap.”

The 8-year-old gelding, also by Merridoc, is trying for his fourth consecutive championship season in 1994. Earlier this year, he had met strong competition from multiple stakes winner Mr Diddy Wa Diddy, who defeated Griswold in the Pat Hyland Memorial Handicap in August.

As Parella predicted, Griswold followed Daily Triple’s victory with one in the $20,000 Katella Handicap. Griswold held off the closing charge of Mr Diddy Wa Diddy and won the 870-yard race by a nose, earning $11,000.

Then, on Oct. 7, for the third time in less than a month, Legacy Ranch was in the winner’s circle after a stake, this time with Movados in the $80,000 California Derby.

Movados had been running a strong stakes schedule, finishing seventh in the competitive Los Alamitos Derby, in which the first six finishers were separated by half a length; second to Artesias Special Gal in the Southern California Derby, and fifth to stablemate Daily Triple in the Governor’s Cup Derby.

“I thought that of (Daily Triple and Movados), Movados was the better horse,” Parella said. “I don’t know why he didn’t fire (in the Governor’s Cup Derby).”

Movados, still another Merridoc gelding, was sent off at 6-1 in the California Derby. Jumping Tac Flash was the favorite. The talented filly is generally unpredictable, showing flashes of speed and brilliance between tantrums at the starting gates.

The 1993 champion 2-year-old filly caused only minimal problems before the California Derby, showing only slight reluctance to enter the gate. But Parella said that was all the edge Movados needed.

“I didn’t know if we could beat Jumping Tac Flash,” Parella said. “That was the horse I thought we had to beat. When she wouldn’t load, I thought we had her beat. It was a gut instinct.”

Movados quickly took the lead in the 400-yard race, widening the margin to half a length over Moo Vin First at the wire.

The first-place money of $33,600, combined with Daily Triple and Griswold’s earnings, totaled $91,350 for Legacy Ranch. Not bad for a month’s work.

“Our horses are starting to peak at the right time for us, so I hope we can catch a couple of more,” Parella said.

Los Alamitos Notes

For the first time in Los Alamitos history, there were three dead heats in the same race, the California Derby. Jumping Tac Flash and Comes A Storm tied for third, The Money Crunch and Untamed Heart tied for fifth, and Sean Casady and Her First Cin tied for seventh. . . . Refrigerator and Avison are scheduled to meet again in the $100,000 Los Alamitos Championship on Friday night.