Strub Field Draws a Universal Yawn

The richest race of the three stakes to be run at Santa Anita today is the one attracting the least interest.

Nobody has talked much about the $500,000 Strub Stakes, which will be run for the 50th time this afternoon. Rather, the focus has been on the first meeting of Gentlemen and Alphabet Soup in the $300,000 San Antonio Handicap and the return of 1996 2-year-old champion Boston Harbor in the $100,000 Santa Catalina Stakes.

The reason the Strub is being virtually ignored is that few are enthralled with the field.

Granted, Victory Speech has had his moments, including wins in the Dwyer, Swaps and Lazaro Barrera that have helped him earn nearly $924,000, but his two races at this meeting have been subpar. He finished sixth as the favorite in both the Malibu and San Fernando, the two preps for the 1 1/4-mile Strub.

Trainer Wayne Lukas’ other representative, Editor’s Note, won the Belmont Stakes last year, but he isn’t consistent and he’s being asked to run 10 furlongs in his first race since he finished 12th of 13 in the Breeders’ Cup Classic on Oct. 26.

As for the rest, none are going to make anybody forget Best Pal, Alysheba, Snow Chief, Spectacular Bid, Affirmed and many other Strub winners.

Besides Editor’s Note, there are four entrants in the Strub who didn’t compete in the San Fernando, a race in which the first six finishers were separated by less than five lengths.

The newcomers are Mateo, who will be making his first start since losing by half a length to heavily favored Megan’s Interco in the Cal Cup Classic on Nov. 2; Mirobolant, who overcame trouble to win an allowance race in his second start on the main track; The Barking Shark, who hasn’t run since finishing last in the Hollywood Derby on Dec. 1, and Phantom Quest, a Bobby Frankel-trained colt who will be making his initial start on the dirt.

Holdovers from the San Fernando, aside from Victory Speech, include Northern Afleet, who was the upset winner at 10-1; Ready To Order, a troubled third at nearly 34-1; runner-up Ambivalent and Zanferrier, who bled when fifth and is scheduled to be treated with Lasix for the first time.

Trying to provide Lukas with his first Strub victory, Editor’s Note was established as the 5-2 favorite. Northern Afleet is the 9-2 second choice.

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In the San Antonio, Gentlemen is the 4-5 favorite and Alphabet Soup, who will be racing for the first time since his surprise of Cigar and others in the Breeders’ Cup Classic, is the 8-5 second choice. Just Java, Eltish and Kingdom Found round out the field.

A winner of six of seven lifetime, Boston Harbor is the 9-5 favorite in the 1 1/16-mile Santa Catalina. Swiss Yodeler, who has six wins, is the 7-2 second choice.

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High Stakes Player became the first two-time stakes winner of the Santa Anita meeting when he won the $211,600 Palos Verdes Handicap Saturday.

Successful in the El Conejo Handicap four weeks earlier, the 5-year-old gelding and 5-2 second choice ran down 16-1 shot Rotsaluck to win by 1 1/4 lengths in 1:08 2/5 for the six furlongs. Larry The Legend finished third.

Horse Racing Notes

Breeders’ Cup Juvenile winner Boston Harbor and Storm Song, winner of the Breeders’ Cup Fillies, head the list of 375 3-year-olds nominated for this year’s $5-million Triple Crown Challenge. The Triple Crown’s first leg, the 123rd running of the Kentucky Derby, will be May 3 at Churchill Downs in Louisville. Then comes the Preakness Stakes on May 17 at Pimlico in Baltimore and the Belmont Stakes, June 7 at Belmont Park in Elmont, N.Y.

Kingskey and Camptown Dancer, longshots in Saturday’s last race, were eliminated at the break when they reared in the air and there were some boos when the stewards ruled that there would be no refunds. It looked as if they might be declared non-starters, but replays indicated the right decision was made. “We were satisfied the horses caused their own problems,” steward Pete Pederson said. Tom Ward, another steward, said Rene Douglas, the jockey on Camptown Dancer, said the 6-year-old gelding caused his own trouble and Joy Scott, who rode Kingskey, said her horse reared when Camptown Dancer did then “froze.” . . . Post time today is noon. . . . There was only one winning ticket in the Pick Six Saturday and it was worth more than $117,000.