Silver Charm, Exotic Wood Become Santa Anita Stars

Heading into the final six days of Santa Anita’s 61st season, here are one man’s opinion on the bests of the meeting:

Older Horse--Silver Charm. Although America’s most popular horse missed the Santa Anita Handicap with what was called a foot bruise, he showed his stuff with victories in the San Fernando and Strub Stakes and could have won the opening-day Malibu if he hadn’t run into trouble.

Older Filly/Mare--Exotic Wood. Toda Una Dama shocked her in the Santa Margarita Handicap, but the classy mare was awesome in a pair of Grade I victories in the Santa Monica and Santa Maria Handicaps earlier in the season. It will be interesting to see when she surfaces and how she fares for new trainer Dave Hofmans. Former trainer Ron Ellis and owners Pam and Marty Wygod parted company last month.

Grass Horse--Hawksley Hill. Even though the $400,000 San Juan Capistrano Invitational Handicap has yet to be run, it is hard to imagine anybody being more impressive than this 5-year-old Rahy gelding has been in his two races in Arcadia. He returned from a five-month layoff to win the Arcadia Handicap in style, then was even more dominant in the El Rincon Handicap on Santa Anita Derby Day for trainer Neil Drysdale and owners David and Jill Heerensperger.

Grass Filly/Mare--Fiji. Drysdale could have the best male grass horse in the country with the aforementioned Hawksley Hill and this 4-year-old Rainbow Quest filly might be the best female. She won three of her four starts at the meeting--and was best when beaten a nose in her only loss--and jumped from allowance company into a graded stakes and smoked her rivals in the Santa Ana. She will be a short price to win again in the Santa Barbara Handicap on Saturday.

3-Year-Old, Horse of the Meet and Development--Indian Charlie. Idle since a 12-length maiden win at Del Mar last summer, the In Excess colt returned in style with an allowance win against overmatched rivals going seven furlongs, stretched out and won nicely again versus allowance types, then was dominant in the Santa Anita Derby and could very well be favored to give trainer Bob Baffert and jockey Gary Stevens their second consecutive win in the Kentucky Derby on May 2.

3-Year-Old Filly--Hedonist. Owner Jan, Mace and Samantha Siegel’s filly disappointed badly in the Ashland Stakes nine days ago at Keeneland, but she did everything asked at this track. She broke her maiden first time out for trainer Randy Bradshaw, stretched out to a mile and won easily despite being very wide throughout, then led every step of the way to capture the Santa Anita Oaks.

Sprinter--Reality Road. This guy has found a home since coming to California and joining Team Dollase--father Wally and son Craig--and knocked off a quality field in the seven-furlong San Carlos on Big ‘Cap Day. The race was flattered when Son Of A Pistol, who was third behind him, returned to set a track record in winning the Potrero Grande Breeders’ Cup Handicap on April 4.

Claimer--Budroyale. The gelded son of Cee’s Tizzy won against $50,000 types the day trainer Ted West took him for owner Jeffrey Sengara, then won an optional claimer while carrying an $80,000 tag before stepping up to a Grade II two days ago. All he did in the San Bernardino Handicap was win by five lengths and improve his record on the Santa Anita main track to seven wins in 12 starts. Also deserving of mention is Champagneforlunch, who has four victories at the meeting, and Love My Lisa, who has won three consecutive allowance races after being claimed away from trainer Laura Pinelli for $25,000. The latter two horses picked up all their wins for trainer Doug O’Neill, who has seven victories from only 16 starters at the meeting.

Trainer--Baffert. This is hardly a shocker given that, with 44 winners, he is only three away from tying Gary Jones’ 21-year-old record of 47 victories at a Santa Anita meeting. He has won with about 28% of his starters. Drysdale, whose barn has been more active than usual, also deserves mention because he leads all trainers with 10 stakes scores, four more than Baffert and Ron McAnally.

Jockey--Kent Desormeaux. He is comfortably in front in the jockey standings in his quest for his third title at the winter-spring session and has eight stakes wins. Gary Stevens would have made the race interesting had he stayed in town more, but leaving California has been very profitable for the man who is way overdue for an Eclipse Award. He won a pair of stakes at Keeneland on Saturday, including the Blue Grass with Halory Hunter, and two weeks earlier, won twice in Dubai, including the $4-million World Cup with Silver Charm. Stevens has 10 stakes victories at Santa Anita.

Apprentice Jockey--J.G. Gonzalez. He has 16 victories and has come back well from the nasty spill he had last fall.

Race--The third on Dec. 27. It was only a $60,000 allowance at 1 1/8 miles on the turf, but it featured the lightly-raced Sixy Saint and an unbeaten newcomer from England. Sixy Saint and Stevens and Fiji and Desormeaux hooked up on the backside and raced as a team to the wire with the former prevailing by the slimmest of noses. It is Fiji’s only loss and she would have won had she broken alertly.

Accomplishment--The 1-2 finish of Indian Charlie and Real Quiet in the Santa Anita Derby. It marked only the second time a trainer had completed the exacta in the race. The only other time it happened was when Jimmy Smith ran 1-2 with Knockdown and Star Pilot in 1946.

Horse Racing Notes

Commitisize, the 5-2 third choice, led every step of the way under jockey David Flores and won the $83,400 La Puente Stakes by a length over 5-2 second choice Tenbyssimo Sunday at Santa Anita. The 3-year-old Explodent colt, trained by Bob Baffert and owned by Mike Pegram, completed the mile on a good turf in 1:36 1/5 finish. Dernier Croise, who was coupled with Wrekin Pilot, finished third and the entry was the 19-10 favorite. . . . Jockey Alex Solis had three winners Sunday and trainers Bruce Headley and A.C. Avila both doubled. Both Avila victories came in tandem with jockey Frank Alvarado.