LOS ALAMITOS : Speedy Lunch Gives Marrs Stakes Victory

Speedy Lunch, one of the most consistent 870-yard horses in the nation, lived up to his reputation last Saturday night, winning the $21,800 James S. Smith Memorial Handicap at Los Alamitos.

The handicap shaped up as a tough race. All seven horses were stakes winners and in the field was three-time champion Griswold. But the 8-year-old Speedy Lunch proved his dominance, controlling the Grade 3 race from start to finish.

“He looked better than ever coming back,” said trainer Brian Koriner, dispelling fears that Speedy Lunch might be slowing down. “I don’t ever recall him losing his first race back after a layoff.”

Posting an impressive time of 44.95 seconds, Speedy Lunch was never seriously challenged, galloping home to a 3 1/4-length victory for owners Pat Marckesano and Victor Rodas.

The stakes victory was the fourth at Los Alamitos for Speedy Lunch, but the first for his jockey, Robert Marrs.

Marrs, in his first season at Los Alamitos, got the mount when the gelding’s regular rider, Guillermo Gutierrez, was injured.

“I’ve run against him, I’ve watched him run, and chased him around a couple of times,” said Marrs with a smile. “He’s easy [to ride]. Just sit up there and look pretty.”

A 25-year-old native of Carlsbad, N.M., Marrs started riding in the Midwest nearly 10 years ago. After spending a few weeks in California last year, he decided to try Los Alamitos full time in 1995.

“I liked it out here, and it’s a long meet,” Marrs said. “They run quarter horses quite a bit, so you don’t have to move around so much.”

Marrs is off to a good start, having won five races through the first month of the meet.

“It’s a thrill,” Marrs said of winning races. “But when you cross the wire for the big money like that [in a stakes race] . . . it’s an unbelievable natural high.”

Marrs is testing the waters at Los Alamitos before making the move permanent.

“If I continue to do good here, and put a good taste in everyone’s mouth, I’ll come back here [next year],” he said. “[The other jockeys and trainers] have treated me great. I couldn’t ask to be treated any better.”

Los Alamitos Notes

Jockey Dewey Smith was suspended for 15 days, beginning last Monday. Smith allegedly punched leading rider Eddie Garcia in the nose for cutting him off in a race a few days earlier.

Most suspensions are for racing days only, meaning the Thursday through Sunday races at Los Alamitos. Smith, however, was suspended for 15 consecutive days. According to the Los Alamitos stewards, Smith’s hefty suspension included calendar days, since the incident did not occur during a race, and so that Smith, who is from the Midwest, could not dodge his suspension by riding in Texas and Oklahoma on days that Los Alamitos doesn’t run. Smith is appealing the ruling.