With Frankel, There’s Always a Shot to Win

Trainer Bobby Frankel has staged some major upsets in graded stakes races before, but his win Sunday with Keeper Hill in the $200,000 Las Virgenes Stakes at Santa Anita topped them all.

The second longest shot in the field of nine 3-year-old fillies at 56-1, the daughter of Deputy Minister won the Grade I as if she should have been the odds-on choice.

Saving ground throughout under jockey David Flores, Keeper Hill moved through an opening along the rail early in the stretch and went on to win by 5 1/2 lengths in 1:36 4/5 for the mile.

Keeper Hill made quite a leap in winning the Las Virgenes. It was only her fifth career start and it came a month after her initial win--a neck victory over maidens on the turf as the 9-10 favorite.

Frankel, who in this decade has scored big stakes surprises with Marquetry in the 1991 Hollywood Gold Cup and Missionary Ridge in the 1992 Pacific Classic, decided to try the Kentucky-bred filly in the tougher spot for a couple of reasons.

For one, he thought Keeper Hill--owned by John and Alice Chandler--would run well on dirt and the addition of blinkers would also help.

“The Chandlers were here for the Eclipse Awards [last Tuesday] and I told them after she won on the grass, I thought that this filly would run well on the dirt,” Frankel said.

“The only time she had run on dirt, she was beaten by [Ninth Inning] and that filly came back and won the [Astarita Stakes at Aqueduct]. To be honest with you, I thought there were a bunch of sprinters in the race and I thought the distance might be too short for her, but the Chandlers gave me the confidence to run her.”

Now, Frankel is thinking about bigger and better things for Keeper Hill, who was trained by Shug McGaughey when she raced in New York last year.

“It looks like we might have a [Santa Anita and Kentucky] Oaks filly,” he said. “She’s very well bred and this makes her a very valuable filly.”

Star Of Broadway, who entered unbeaten in three starts in Kentucky and Louisiana, set the pace as the 8-5 favorite and held on for second by three-quarters of a length over 5-1 third choice Occhi Verdi. Career Collection, the 9-5 second choice, was fourth, beaten nearly eight lengths.

“[Star Of Broadway] had never been two turns and I think it was one of those cases where she needed a race under her belt,” said trainer Wayne Lukas, who was seeking his third Las Virgenes win in four years. “I don’t think I’d change anything with her. I think she’ll benefit from it.”

Horse Racing Notes

As scheduled, jockey Gary Stevens held a short news conference Sunday morning in the Santa Anita press box, but those who attended didn’t hear what they came to hear. Stevens was expected to announce whether he was going to ride Gentlemen or Silver Charm in the $1-million Santa Anita Handicap on March 7, but that didn’t happen. Instead, he said he’s under no pressure from either trainer--Richard Mandella with Gentlemen or Bob Baffert with Silver Charm-- to make up his mind, so he’s going to take his time. “I’ve been afforded the luxury of having more time to make a decision and I’m going to take that time,” he said. “I don’t know when there will be a decision and I don’t really want to say anything more about it.”

There is a Pick Six carryover for today of more than $115,000. . . . Bienvenido, who had a horrible trip when second in the San Marcos Handicap last month, is the 2-1 choice in the $200,000 San Luis Obispo Handicap today. The Grade II, which will be run at 1 1/2 miles on turf, also drew, from the rail out, Pass Me The Gold, L’Africain Bleu, Boggle, San Marcos winner Prize Giving, Kessem Power, Callisthene and Lord Cromby. . . . Radu Cool, who was scratched from Saturday’s Santa Maria, will leave for Kentucky on Wednesday and will be bred to A.P. Indy. Owned by 505 Farms, the 6-year-old Carnivaly mare had nine victories in 20 starts and earnings in excess of $572,000.