SANTA ANITA : Mandella Stakes a Claim on Grass as Romarin Wins the San Gabriel

Richard Mandella, who trains probably the nation’s best 3-year-old in Afternoon Deelites, also might have America’s top grass performer in his barn.

Romarin, a 5-year-old Brazilian-bred horse, won for the third time in as many California starts, beating his five rivals wire-to-wire in the $107,900 San Gabriel Handicap on Monday at Santa Anita.

After outsprinting Bertrando for the early lead, the 11-10 favorite was rated well by Corey Nakatani, then spurted 2 1/2 lengths clear an eighth of a mile from the finish and was never fully extended as he beat 4-1 second choice Inner City by 1 1/4 lengths. Romarin covered the 1 1/8 miles over a course still labeled good in 1:49 1/5.

The San Gabriel was one of two stakes victories on the card for Mandella. Five races earlier, Corrazona made a successful transition to the main track, winning the $161,50 Run For The Roses Handicap.

Owner Linneo Eduardo De Paula Machado’s horse has five victories in eight turf starts, and has also won three times in five races on dirt in Brazil.

“He’s run on the dirt and he’s run well there,” said Mandella, who is considering the $1-million Santa Anita Handicap on March 11 for Romarin. “So that’s going to be a possibility--or one of the next turf races.”

Nakatani, aboard for all of Romarin’s U.S. races, was impressed again Monday.

“He’s awesome,” the rider said. “He’s about as nice as they come right now. He’s got a tremendous kick when you ask him, and Richard is just doing a terrific job with him.

“I wasn’t surprised that Bertrando didn’t go with us. He would have either killed himself or vice versa. You can do anything with this horse--go to the lead or lay off the pace. So, I just kind of let him dictate things and be comfortable. He had plenty left turning for home. I really just knuckled him to the wire, and that was it.”

Inner City, who had struggled over the Santa Anita turf course as the beaten favorite in the Henry P. Russell Handicap last Oct. 22, finished well to beat Ianomami by a length for the place. Blaze O’Brien was fourth, followed by Saltgrass and Bertrando, who was oddly placed again. Supposedly set for retirement after he finished 10th in the NYRA Mile at Aqueduct on Nov. 26, the 6-year-old was kept in training to absorb another beating. He was about 10 lengths back Monday.

“That was the best my horse has ever run,” jockey Kent Desormeaux said of Inner Ciy. “The thing is, (Romarin) is a racehorse.”

And he isn’t Mandella’s only Brazilian star. Oak Tree Invitational winner Sandpit is a stablemate who figures to be seen later in Santa Anita’s long-distance grass series.

“We’ll just have to keep testing (Romarin),” Mandella said. “Anytime you see Bertrando and a horse like mine in there, you sweat all day about how quick they’re going to go, but either my horse or Bertando could go a quarter in 22 (seconds) and change pretty easy. So, it’s just not the first quarter, it’s what happens the next quarter, and they backed off, they both relaxed and settled down--and my horse ran great.”

Horse Racing Notes

A disappointment in her recent starts on turf, Corrazona beat runner-up Thirst For Peace by a length in the Run For The Roses, completing the mile in 1:35 2/5 and paying $7.80 as the 5-2 third choice. . . . Tabasco Cat, who will probably make his first 1995 start in the Strub Stakes next month, worked five furlongs in 1:01 1/5 from the gate Monday morning at Santa Anita. . . . Wekiva Springs, who will start next in the San Fernando Stakes on Jan. 14, ran six furlongs in 1:10 3/5. “He went well,” trainer Bob Hess, Jr. said. “It was faster than we expected, but I can’t say it was too fast. We never let him run, and he didn’t work up a sweat.” After losing his first start, Wekiva Springs has won his last five.