Stevens and Cecil Have Quite a Day

The final Saturday of the long Santa Anita meeting belonged to jockey Gary Stevens and trainer Ben Cecil.

Second behind Alex Solis in the rider standings, Stevens won four times, including the $156,550 Las Cienegas Handicap with Advancing Star and the $317,200 Santa Barbara Handicap with Donna Viola.

Cecil, meanwhile, won the third race with Lago, who was ridden by Stevens, and was one-two in the Santa Barbara with Donna Viola and Fanjica.

Coupled in the betting because they are owned by Gary Tanaka, Donna Viola and Fanjica drew away from everybody else, including 11-10 favorite Windsharp, in the stretch with the former winning by a head in 1:59 4/5 for the 1 1/4 miles on turf.

A 5-year-old mare bred in England, Donna Viola is now unbeaten in two starts at that distance over the Santa Anita turf course. She won the Yellow Ribbon last fall in her American debut.

Third behind Windsharp and Wheatly Special in her first start of 1997 in the Santa Ana, Donna Viola, who was the main reason the entry was the 3-1 second choice, ran close to the slow pace while wide, drew clear by a length with a furlong to run, then bravely fought off Fanjica and Alex Solis in a race in which the final quarter was run in a very quick 23 3/5.

Perhaps Cecil’s one-two finish was due to his tie. He had on the same red and blue number he had worn for a pair of stakes victories earlier in the meeting by the 3-year-old filly Lavender. “I don’t think I’ll ever be able to take it off,” he said with a smile.

Whatever, the English-born trainer thought Donna Viola would improve with a race behind her, judging by her history.

“That’s the best day I’ve had,” said Cecil, 28. “It’s quite nice. This definitely takes the biscuit, especially to run second as well.

“Donna Viola had trained great up to the race and I thought Fanjica would run a lot better today because the turf was too firm for her last time. I was confident I’d have a good shot.”

Stevens, who also won with Gold Record in the sixth, had his confidence for the Santa Barbara boosted after getting a feel for the turf course in the second race.

“I liked this mare’s chances after riding my first turf race today because the grass had a lot more give to it today,” he said. “She also had worked really, really well after [the Santa Ana]. We had some extra distance and she was really on her game today. She’s always been easy to ride, but she was a little more aggressive with me. I usually have to ride her a lot more early, but not today.”

Windsharp, who had never been worse than second in five earlier tries on the Santa Anita grass course, finished nearly three lengths behind Fanjica.

“I lost a lot of ground on the last turn, but the horses in front of me weren’t backing up,” said Eddie Delahoussaye of the favorite. “They kept running and my mare is one-paced. I might have been a little closer if I didn’t lose so much ground, but I don’t believe I would have won regardless. She just got outrun today, but it was only her second start [of 1997] and I’m confident she’ll have a good year.”

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Unsuccessful in her previous four starts, Advancing Star turned things around in a major way in the Las Cienegas, taking the lead right out of the gate and simply improving from there.

In winning for the fifth time in 12 outings for owners John and Betty Mabee’s Golden Eagle Farm and trainer Richard Mandella, the 4-year-old Soviet Star filly had 4 1/2 lengths on Ski Dancer at the finish, completing the about 6 1/2 furlongs on the turf in a rapid 1:12 2/5. She paid $10.40 as the 4-1 fourth choice in the field of six.

“She had it turned back around,” said Mandella. “With a little patience and not a lot of racing, she came back around. I thought she showed some signs of life in her last [second in the Linda Card on March 19]. She just got kind of sour and miserable with herself. She lost a little weight after those races in the mud [the La Brea and Santa Monica]. If you watch those races, you could see she didn’t have a chance five jumps out of the gate.”

Whether or not Raw Gold, the 19-10 favorite in the Las Cienegas, was sour or miserable wasn’t immediately known, but she certainly didn’t do any running Saturday. A month after an impressive victory over Advancing Star and four others in the Linda Card, she checked in last.

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I’m A Jewel, who broke his maiden against $13,500 claimers, came from last to win the $200,000 California Derby Saturday at Golden Gate Fields.

Ridden by Agapito Delgadillo for trainer and former jockey Bill Delia, the 9-1 shot rallied widest of all into the lane to beat 3-1 second choice Greed Is Good by 1 1/2 lengths in 1:52 2/5 for the 1 1/8 miles over a good turf course.

A winner only once in eight starts on the main track, I’m A Jewel, a gelded son of Somethingfabulous owned by Delia and Elaine Garrison, now has three victories in five starts on the grass.

Oakhurst was third, a neck behind Greed Is Good and Funontherun, the 6-5 favorite, was eased in the stretch by jockey Matt Garcia. It was the second bad effort in a row for Funontherun, who won the San Rafael Stakes at Santa Anita before being eased in the Jim Beam at Turfway Park.

Funontherun was outrun for the lead by 59-1 shot Crimson Policy through some fast fractions and was done after six furlongs.

King Of Swing, the 2-1 morning line favorite, was scratched because of a bruised foot.

Horse Racing Notes

Jockey Laffit Pincay galloped a horse Saturday for the first time since breaking his pelvis and ribs in a spill March 26 at Santa Anita. Pincay plans to return to racing Friday night for Hollywood Park’s opener. . . . Concerto solidified his position as a Kentucky Derby contender by pulling away in the stretch to win the $200,000 Federico Tesio Stakes at Pimlico in Baltimore. Concerto, the 1-9 favorite ridden by Carlos Marquez Jr., won by 1 1/2 lengths over longshot Bleu Madura and ran 1 1/8 miles in a 1:49 1/5. . . . The Nick Zito-trained Acceptable, runner-up to Pulpit in the Blue Grass Stakes and an expected starter in the Kentucky Derby, broke a bone in his left front leg and will be out indefinitely. . . . The Bobby Frankel-trained entry of Sunshack and Bon Point is the 8-5 favorite in the $400,000 San Juan Capistrano Handicap today at Santa Anita.