Wandesta Beats Alpride in Yellow Ribbon Prep

Although Alpride hasn’t won since last year’s Yellow Ribbon, trainer Ron McAnally believes his 5-year-old mare will have a better chance to repeat with Chris McCarron back aboard at the $600,000 Oak Tree stake at Santa Anita on Nov. 3.

In what amounted to a Yellow Ribbon prep for the first three finishers, Wandesta and Real Connection finished ahead of Alpride in Sunday’s $129,700 Las Palmas Handicap.

McAnally was unhappy with the ride of Eddie Delahoussaye, who got the call on Alpride because McCarron was sidelined by a three-day suspension.

Despite being on the shelf for almost six months, Wandesta was sent off a slight favorite over Alpride and rolled to a two-length victory over Real Connection, with Alpride third, beaten by 3 3/4 lengths.

“Eddie wasn’t familiar with my horse and he had her too far back,” McAnally said. “I think he overreacted to my instructions. I told him that the No. 1 horse [Wandesta] was the only horse to beat, and he left my horse with too much ground to make up.”

In a field of five going 1 1/8 miles on grass, Alpride was fourth after six furlongs, just behind Wandesta and almost four lengths behind the pace-setting Convertida, who finished last.

“She was on her wrong [lead foot], and I had to make her switch,” Delahoussaye said. “Then it looked like she was a little timid. Once I got her on the outside, she took off. But when the gray mare [Real Connection] came on the outside of us, she wouldn’t kick on with her. The mare that won is pretty tough.”

Carrying 120 pounds, the same as Alpride, Wandesta earned $79,700 for Prince Khalid Abdullah’s Juddmonte Farms, paying $4 after reaching the wire in 1:46 3/5. Wandesta, who hadn’t run since a third-place finish in the Santa Barbara Handicap at Santa Anita on April 20, won for the first time since her victory in the San Gorgonio Handicap on Jan. 14. The 5-year-old British-bred mare has won six of 19 starts. She ran sixth in last year’s Yellow Ribbon.

Under Corey Nakatani, Wandesta found room on the inside leaving the stretch turn.

Bobby Frankel, who trains Wandesta, was at Belmont Park, saddling Igotrhythm for her off-the-board finish in the $75,000 Gallant Bloom Handicap, won by Miss Golden Circle at 16-1.

“We were confident with Wandesta,” said Humberto Ascanio, Frankel’s assistant. “She had gotten sour on us earlier in the year and was acting tired. We give her plenty of time, and it paid off.”

Another big factor in the Yellow Ribbon will be Admise, who won the Oak Tree Turf Championship after the disqualification of Bon Point. Admise’s owners, Gary Biszantz and Gary Vandeweghe, have decided to stay home rather than run in the Breeders’ Cup Turf at Woodbine on Oct. 26.

Horse Racing Notes

An important pre-Breeders’ Cup workout for Skip Away is on hold. Sonny Hine, the colt’s 65-year-old trainer, was hospitalized Saturday night in Lexington, Ky., where he is trying to pass a kidney stone. Meantime, Skip Away’s scheduled Sunday workout has been postponed until at least Tuesday, the day Carolyn Hine, Skip Away’s owner and the trainer’s wife, must pay the first $160,000 of a $480,000 supplementary fee that would make her horse eligible for the $4-million Breeders’ Cup Classic. . . . Kent Desormeaux, whose three-day suspension ends Wednesday, picked up another day, next Saturday, when he rode last Saturday in the Maryland Million races at Laurel Park. California’s designated-race rule allows the stewards to suspend a jockey for a day when they ride in designated races in other jurisdictions. . . . Jockeys Chris Antley and Rene Douglas have dropped their appeals of suspensions. For infractions at Hollywood Park and Del Mar, Antley will serve 12 days, running from Wednesday through Nov. 3. Douglas, who had incurred suspensions from Del Mar races, will serve 10 days, from today through Oct. 27. . . . Red andRenteria are the morning-line co-favorites in one division of today’s California Series Stakes and the filly Inexcessivelylucky is favored in the other division.