Klassy Kim Cuts It So Close Even Connections View It Differently

Owner Bill Thomas and trainer Mel Stute have picked up in 1996 where they left off in 1995.

Very successful together last year with horses such as Real Connection, Score Quick and Klassy Kim, Thomas and Stute combined with the latter to win the $105,650 Monrovia Handicap Saturday at Santa Anita.

They had to sweat this one out, though, because Klassy Kim held on by the narrowest of noses over a fast-finishing Ski Dancer to win in 1:14 2/5 for the race of about 6 1/2 furlongs on turf.

Breaking from the rail under Goncalino Almeida, Klassy Kim outran Airistar for the lead, drew away by 3 1/2 lengths with an eighth of a mile to run, then barely held on.

Stute and Thomas had different opinions about the finish.

“After watching the [replay], I thought it was a dead heat,” said Stute. “All I told Goncalino [in the paddock] was, ‘Pretend you just robbed a bank and the sheriff is after you.’ ”

“All three of these horses [Klassy Kim, Real Connection and Score Quick] are about . . . 120% heart,” said Thomas, alluding to their penchant for winning photo finishes. “I’m always optimistic [watching a close race]. We were going to go down and get our picture taken regardless of who they declared the winner.”

Real Connection is scheduled to go in the San Gorgonio Handicap a week from today, and Score Quick is a probable starter in Saturday’s San Fernando Stakes.

As for Klassy Kim, the Monrovia Handicap victory pushed her earnings over $500,000 and was her first in four tries on Santa Anita’s unique hillside layout. She was the 6-1 fifth choice in the field of eight.

The loss was an extremely tough for Ski Dancer, the 3-1 second choice, who finished 3 1/2 lengths ahead of third-place finisher Baby Diamonds.

“She did everything I asked of her,” jockey Kent Desormeaux said of Ski Dancer. “She fought her way through and just fell a bob short. I had no idea if she had won or lost.

“I had my head buried. I didn’t even know when we passed the wire. I was just riding.”

Flying In The Lane, the 5-2 favorite, was fourth. Accountable Lady, Airistar, Miss Intergreen and Reason To Dance completed the order of finish.

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Lucky Forever, who set sizzling fractions in the Vernon O. Underwood Breeders’ Cup in his last start before getting beat by Powis Castle, is the 8-5 favorite in the $100,000 El Conejo Handicap today at Santa Anita.

A winner of six of 19 starts, Lucky Forever hasn’t enjoyed too much success at Santa Anita. He has only one victory in six starts on the track. In his most recent race at Santa Anita, he finished sixth and last in the Ancient Title last Oct. 9.

Lucky Forever will break from the rail, and the two horses he’ll have to hold off in the 5 1/2-furlong race are Lit De Justice and Lakota Brave.

Lit De Justice has two victories in three starts on the Santa Anita main track. Lakota Brave has won one of three. A terrible start cost Lit De Justice a victory in the Ancient Title.

Fu Man Slew, Andado and A.J. Jett round out the field.

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A track promotion turned into a pick six victory worth nearly $34,000 for grocery clerk Chris Lineman.

Lineman, 31, came to Santa Anita on Monday with one of 75,000 mutuel vouchers issued to members of the track’s Thoroughbreds club. The vouchers were valued anywhere from $2 to $10,000.

Lineman’s was worth $2, so he decided to invest the money in the pick six and wound up picking all six winners on his $2 ticket, and it was worth $33,814.60.

“I don’t bet the pick six that often because I always thought you’re never going to hit it,” said Lineman, who lives in Whittier. “But since there was carryover, I thought I’d use the $2 [voucher to play]. It just goes to show you that anything can happen.”

Returning to the track on Wednesday to cash the pick six, Lineman invested $8 more in the pick six and struck again. This time he had all six for $350.80.

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Apprentice jockey Jose Valdivia, who was the top jockey at the Fairplex Park meeting, is leaving in the next two weeks to ride in Northern California.

A 21-year-old Peruvian, Valdivia will lose his five-pound apprentice allowance on March 22, and he says that is why he’s leaving.

“I want to get rolling [up there] and have a chance to have some momentum going for myself when I become a journeyman,” he said.

“[Santa Anita] is a tough place for a rider, and I feel very fortunate to have done so well in Southern California. But when I lose the bug, it would be very tough here.

“The thing is, I can always come back to Santa Anita and Hollywood Park. But I don’t want to be here just to be here. I’ll go up north, work as hard as I can and hopefully win races.”

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In his second day back after being off because of knee surgery, Gary Stevens won three races Saturday. He won with longshots Busheto in the fourth race and Auriga in the fifth, and favored Cee Ghee in the ninth.