With Win, Serena’s Song Again Shows She’s in Class by Herself

Nobody would like to see Serena’s Song take on Cigar in the Santa Anita Handicap on March 2 more than Ron Ellis.

The trainer has tried two of the country’s top females--Exotic Wood and Twice The Vice--against the nation’s best filly or mare in the last three weeks and he’d just as soon avoid facing her again.

“I’d love to see her run [in the Big ‘Cap],” said Ellis after Serena’s Song’s 10th Grade I victory in the $155,800 Santa Maria Handicap, a 1 1/4-length decision over Twice The Vice. “It wouldn’t hurt my feelings at all.

“Both [Exotic Wood, who was beaten by half a length in the Santa Monica, and Twice The Vice] gave their best. Serena’s Song is just too tough. She’s an exceptional, extraordinary filly. It’s a bad year to have a good filly with her around.”

Content to track Klassy Kim through a pedestrian half-mile, the 3-10 favorite moved when Twice The Vice, the 5-2 second choice, and Chris McCarron began to move on her outside.

With Gary Stevens in his familiar place atop her back, Serena’s Song responded with a remarkable 22 4/5 third quarter and went on to win for the 15th time in 25 starts.

Now, the question is whether she’ll make her next start in the Santa Margarita Invitational Handicap on March 10 or run eight days earlier against Cigar, the best horse of the 1990s.

Trainer Wayne Lukas said it’s at least “50-50” she’ll run in the Big ‘Cap, adding he’ll sit down and talk it over with Bob Lewis, who owns Serena’s Song with wife Beverly.

“We’ll look it over a little bit,” said Lukas. “Probably, the logical step is the Santa Margarita, but you know, we dare to be great once in a while and we want her to do that too. I think we’ll look at it very seriously.

“We’ll probably work her the first of the week [either Feb. 26 or 27], then make our decision. I think Cigar should get 129-130 pounds and we would get five pounds automatically [a sex allowance], so we should be in the 113-114 range. We’re unbeaten at Santa Anita [six wins], but we’ve never won going 1 1/4 miles [the Big ‘Cap distance].”

Spotting six pounds (124-118) to Twice The Vice, Serena’s Song returned to a loud ovation and Saturday’s check of $95,800 pushed her career earnings to $2,314,855. She ran the 1 1/16 miles in 1:42 1/5.

“She is something else,” Stevens said. “Down the backside, [Twice The Vice] got a little rank to kind of force the issue. He tried to close the door on me and I was forced to use my filly a little earlier than I wanted to.”

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Cara Rafaela, who didn’t handle an off track when the beaten favorite in the El Camino Real Derby last month at Bay Meadows, is the 7-5 favorite to redeem herself today in the $150,000 Las Virgenes.

Sent north to take on the boys after beating Advancing Star in the Hollywood Starlet, Cara Rafaela went without mud stickers and jockey Gary Stevens said she was slipping and sliding all the way around. She finished fourth as the 1-2 favorite in a race won by Cavonnier.

Back on dry land today and against her own sex, the 3-year-old Quiet American filly will be looking for her fourth win in 11 starts. Stevens retains the mount for the Grade I.

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Horse Racing Notes

Leading rider Corey Nakatani won five times Saturday. He took the first three with Sheer Elegance, Imua Keoki and Supercilious, then won the fifth with Master Runner and the ninth with C. J. Maxx. . . . Julie Krone will be at Santa Anita to ride March 23, and there is talk of a match race with Gary Stevens. . . . Speaking of Stevens, he will become the 47th recipient of the George Woolf Memorial Jockey Award in a ceremony in the walking ring after the fourth race today.