Exotic Wood Waits Before Winning Again

There was an upset in the $200,000 Santa Maria Handicap.

No, 1-2 favorite Exotic Wood didn’t lose, winning her second Grade I race of the meeting for owners Pam and Marty Wygod and trainer Ron Ellis.

How she earned her 11th victory in 15 starts was the surprise.

Expected to lead her four rivals every step of the 1 1/16 miles, the 6-year-old Rahy mare was content to track Tuzla and Toda Una Dama most of the way, was taken to the outside by jockey Chris McCarron entering the stretch, then quickly came away.

Relishing the wet-fast track at Santa Anita, Exotic Wood wound up eight lengths in front of Toda Una Dama, the 3-1 second choice, who saved the place by a head over 9-1 outsider Tuxedo Junction. She ran the distance in a Santa Maria record 1:40 4/5.

In following up her victory in last month’s Santa Monica Handicap, Exotic Wood showed she could handle something other than a dry, fast track and that she doesn’t have to be in front to win around two turns.

“We never even considered [scratching],” Ellis said. “We just hoped for the best and that she would handle [the track].

“She hadn’t worked in a week, and with the forecast of more rain, I probably would have just ended up working her on a sloppy track later in the week to be ready for the Santa Margarita [on March 8].

“I really thought she would go wire-to-wire today because she has so much natural speed and anybody that goes with her has no chance. I have confidence in Chris. He knows her well, so I wasn’t worried about him keeping her nice and relaxed. She’s come off the pace in sprints and done very well, so this just adds another dimension.”

If the Kentucky-bred mare, who pushed her earnings to $780,695, comes back in the Santa Margarita, she could become only the second filly or mare in history to win the Santa Monica, Santa Maria and Santa Margarita in the same year. Silver Spoon did it for owner C.V. Whitney and trainer Bob Wheeler in 1960.

“Boy, she is something,” McCarron said. “I’ll accept congratulations, but it was all Exotic Wood.

“There’s not much I can say about this race. She was extremely content and relaxed. My mare cooperated when I decided to let [Tuzla] have the lead. It was a sweet win.”

Tuxedo Junction finished nine clear of Tuzla, the longest shot in the field at nearly 12-1 who tired after setting 22 4/5 and 45 4/5 splits, and Real Connection was last. Radu Cool was scratched.

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Trainer Wayne Lukas will try to win the $200,000 Las Virgenes Stakes for the third time in the last four years today when he sends out morning-line choice Star Of Broadway against eight other 3-year-old fillies at Santa Anita.

While Sharp Cat, who won the race for Lukas last year, was a near certainty in the Grade I, Star Of Broadway comes with some question marks.

A daughter of Broad Brush owned by James Spence, Star Of Broadway is unbeaten in three starts, winning by an average of more than four lengths, but the victories were in Kentucky and Louisiana and all were sprints.

She is stepping up into much tougher company today and trying two turns for the first time. The Las Virgenes is a mile.

With Gary Stevens riding, the 2-1 choice on Jeff Tufts’ line figures to have the lead and she is bred to handle a wet track should conditions remain sloppy.

Career Collection, beaten by 11 lengths by Love Lock in the Hollywood Starlet as the 1-2 favorite, is the 5-2 second choice as she makes her first start of 1998 for owners John and Betty Mabee and trainer Wally Dollase.

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Making his first start of 1998, Flag Down, the 5-2 second choice, rallied from far back to win the $189,000 Gulfstream Park Handicap Saturday.

Third in the Breeders’ Cup Turf and Hollywood Turf Cup in his final two starts of last year, the 8-year-old Deputy Minister horse beat 8-1 shot Buck’s Boy by three-quarters of a length in 2:12 2/5 for the 1 3/8 miles on turf.

Jose Santos rode the winner for trainer Christophe Clement and owner Allen Paulson. Copy Editor was third and Inkatha, the 13-10 favorite, was 10th of 12.

Horse Racing Notes

Prosperous Bid, successful in his first try around two turns on Friday, will make his stakes debut in the San Felipe Stakes on March 14, trainer Wally Dollase said. . . . Deputy Commander, third on the turf in his 1998 debut on Friday, will return in the New Orleans Handicap at the Fair Grounds in New Orleans on March 8. . . . Mr. Doubledown, a 16-1 shot ridden by Roberto Gonzalez, won the $100,000 Bay Meadows Express on Saturday at Bay Meadows.