COMMENTARY : This Ballot Will Require No Recount

While counting the hours until Santa Anita begins redoing its pathetic turf course--work is supposed to begin Tuesday, the day after the track’s 58th season ends--a reporter took time to fill out his best-of-the-meeting ballot.

Older horse--Urgent Request.

Even though the gray son of Rainbow Quest may turn out to be a one-race wonder in this country--he was nowhere in the Oaklawn Handicap last Saturday--he got the job done in the Santa Anita Handicap.

Hooked every step of the way, he fought gamely when it looked as if he was beaten and made a big winner out of owner Stewart Aitken.

Aitken bet $90,000 to win and $30,000 to show, driving the price from 9-1 to 3-1. That brought complaints from people who said they had bet Urgent Request at the higher odds. But if everyone who said that after the race indeed had bet on the 5-year-old, he would never have been 9-1.

Older filly or mare--Queens Court Queen.

An allowance-type mare on the turf during most of her career, the daughter of Lyphard put her act together when switched to the main track this winter. She strung together victories in the San Gorgonio, Santa Maria and Santa Margarita before suffering a career-ending injury.

Grass horse--Sandpit.

How fitting that a horse with that name would shine on this turf course. He dusted allowance rivals in his first race of 1995 early last month, came back to toy with his foes in the San Luis Rey and should return to the winner’s circle Sunday after the San Juan Capistrano.

Grass filly or mare--Wandesta.

Kept in the barn like most of trainer Bobby Frankel’s horses until the latter portion of the meeting, Wandesta was unbeaten in three starts here. She began her run with a narrow victory in an allowance race, then won consecutive Grade I’s in the Santa Ana and Santa Barbara. She and Possibly Perfect give Frankel a stranglehold on this division.

3-year-old, development--Larry The Legend.

Going from unstarted maiden to Santa Anita Derby winner in the course of the meeting makes him quite a development, doesn’t it?

Second to Louisiana Derby winner Petionville in his first start on Dec. 31, he didn’t lose again in four starts and capped the streak with an exciting victory in the Santa Anita Derby. He may be small, and he may not have a fancy pedigree, but the Local Talent colt has something that can’t be measured--an intense will to win. Unfortunately, a bone chip in his left knee will sideline him for several months.

3-year-old filly--Serena’s Song.

Like Larry The Legend, the daughter of Rahy doesn’t want to lose, and it has been a while since she has--in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies last Nov. 5.

Serena’s Song has won five in a row since that nose loss to Eclipse champion Flanders, sweeping the La Brea, Las Virgenes and Santa Anita Oaks locally. Given Thunder Gulch’s flop in the Blue Grass and Timber Country’s disappointing season, it seems likely she will run in the Kentucky Derby. If she does run, watch out.

Sprinter--Finder’s Fortune.

No main-track sprinter was able to take charge of the division, so why not go for this Buckfinder gelding?

All he did here was win four times on the hillside turf course, capping his season with an upset over Rotsaluck and Pembroke--those two had been perfect in their four previous tries on the course--in last Saturday’s San Simeon Handicap.

Claimer--Straight To Bed.

Along with Finder’s Fortune and Larry The Legend, he is a four-time winner this meeting and came very close to a fifth when third in a three-way photo with Sahara King and Certain Affair.

Trainer--Bob Baffert.

After losing with his first three starters, he won two races on the meeting’s third day and has remained hot. Through Wednesday, he was three winners ahead of Richard Mandella for the training title.

Jockey--Corey Nakatani and Kent Desormeaux.

How can anyone pick between these two? They have been engaged in a spirited duel for the riding title, and although Desormeaux now holds the upper hand (105-102), neither deserves to be singled out. Desormeaux has ridden at a higher percentage, but Nakatani has more stakes victories.

Apprentice--Obed Sanchez.

He has 15 victories going into the final five days, but let’s not forget that no apprentice since Nakatani has made it here after losing his five-pound allowance.

Achievement--Desormeaux’s 3,000th victory.

Less than nine years after beginning his career with a victory at Evangeline Downs in Louisiana, Desormeaux hit the milestone Sunday on Maisonsaire. At 25, he is the youngest to reach 3,000.

Also deserving is track superintendent Steve Wood, who kept the main track in great shape despite heavy winter rains.

Race--Santa Anita Derby.

Seldom does an event so heavily hyped live up to expectations, but this race did. Larry The Legend beat Afternoon Deelites by a head. The fast-finishing Jumron was only a neck farther back, and Timber Country was beaten by only about 1 1/2 lengths.