Jewel Princess Tries to Put End to Trend

Jewel Princess, who clinched an Eclipse award as the top older filly or mare with a win in the Breeders’ Cup Distaff, will try to change a trend this afternoon in the $150,000 Santa Maria Handicap.

Of the six active winners of last year’s Breeders’ Cup events, three have tried--and failed--to win in their 1997 debuts.

A week ago, Storm Song, who romped in the Juvenile Fillies, was fifth behind Glitter Woman in the Davona Dale at Gulfstream Park. Earlier, Alphabet Soup, the Classic champion, was beaten by Gentlemen in the San Antonio, and Boston Harbor, the Juvenile winner, was fourth to Hello in the Santa Catalina.

A winner of five graded stakes last year, Jewel Princess, a 5-year-old Key To The Mint mare, was beaten the last time she raced at Santa Anita. Twenty days before the Distaff, she fell half a length short of catching Top Rung in the Lady’s Secret Breeders’ Cup Handicap.

“She runs very well fresh,” said Wally Dollase, who trains Jewel Princess for owners Richard and Martha Stephen and the Thoroughbred Corp. “The only thing is, she’s a little vulnerable at a mile and a sixteenth [the distance of the Santa Maria]. She’s better going an extra half-furlong.”

Still, Jewel Princess, the 8-5 favorite, has four wins and three seconds in eight tries at 1 1/16 miles, and the pace figures to be legitimate with Top Rung on the inside and Cat’s Cradle on the outside in the field of seven.

“I expect her to run a big race,” Dollase said of Jewel Princess. “[But] first time back, I’m not going to knock her out to win the race. We do have other objectives down the road. But she’s got the ability to win this race.”

Inactive since her Lady’s Secret victory, Top Rung has trained well for Willard Proctor and will be seeking her fifth win in 10 tries at Santa Anita.

Fresh off an easy win on turf, Cat’s Cradle is the 5-2 second choice. Also in the field for the Grade I event are La Rosa, Toga Toga Toga, Fast Nancy and Hidden Lake.

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En route to another easy victory in the $158,800 Las Virgenes Stakes on Saturday at Santa Anita, Sharp Cat decided to add a little drama to the race.

Not happy about jockey Corey Nakatani’s decision to use a left-handed whip, the 3-10 favorite ducked to the right in deep stretch.

In winning for the sixth time in nine starts for owner Prince Ahmed bin Salman’s Thoroughbred Corp. and trainer Wayne Lukas, the daughter of Storm Cat had 5 1/2 lengths on High Heeled Hope after a 1:35 2/5 mile.

The Las Virgenes came a little more than a month after Sharp Cat’s 14-length victory in the Santa Ysabel. The only time she has lost in California was in her career debut at Hollywood Park last July 6. She was a well-beaten sixth at 3-5, but has won five in a row since.

“I thought the whole thing was a solid, solid effort on her part,” Lukas said. “She’s been getting better. She put on over 150 pounds over the winter, and I think it’s all in the right places. I feel comfortable where we’re at.”

Sharp Cat dislikes being whipped, however. She also drifted out in the final sixteenth in the Santa Ysabel.

“Corey [Nakatani] and I have talked about this over and over, and he felt today that he needed to get her attention a little bit,” Lukas said. “But, in all fairness to Corey, she’s not easy to ride. If you grab her, she gets rank.

“She can have a mind of her own. She’s a Storm Cat, and they are temperamental. You have to kind of finesse them. You just don’t force them to do anything and they resent you trying to.”

Horse Racing Notes

There is a Pick Six carryover of $131,035.86 for today. . . . Jockey Jerry Bailey won six races at Gulfstream Park on Saturday, including the $169,150 Gulfstream Park Breeders’ Cup Handicap aboard 7-1 shot Lassigny.