Now Will River Bay Enjoy Day in Sun?

A jockey change didn’t have the desired effect in the $400,000 Flower Bowl Handicap at Belmont Park.

Because of unhappiness with the ride Jose Santos had given Maxzene when she was beaten by a nose in the Violet Handicap at the Meadowlands on Sept. 18, her connections decided to use Corey Nakatani on Saturday.

Sent off as the 1-1 favorite, Maxzene finished last in the field of five as Auntie Mame improved to 5-0 on the Belmont Park grass with a one-length victory over B.A. Valentine.

Owner Henri Chalhoub hopes the same thing doesn’t happen to him in the $300,000 Oak Tree Turf Championship this afternoon at Santa Anita.

Displeased with Alex Solis’ performance on his River Bay when the horse was beaten by a head in the Del Mar Handicap last month, Chalhoub wanted trainer Bobby Frankel to make a rider change, so Pat Day will be aboard the 7-5 favorite today against four opponents in the Grade I at 1 1/4 miles on turf.

A 5-year-old son of Irish River, River Bay has won two of five since coming to the United States and the main reason he might be able to turn the tables on Bonapartiste, who is the 2-1 second choice, is that all five starters will carry 124 pounds.

In the Del Mar Handicap, River Bay was the 123-pound highweight, which was eight more than Bonapartiste carried, and seven more than Military, who finished third down south and is the 5-2 third choice today.

Trained by Ron McAnally, who will also send out longshot Amerique and who has won this race on five previous occasions, Bonapartiste will be looking for his sixth win in nine starts this year and he has been second in his three defeats. Chris McCarron will again ride the French-bred, who has two wins and a second in three races on the Santa Anita turf course.

Military, who has won two of three in this country for trainer Wally Dollase and owner Prince Ahmed Salman’s Thoroughbred Corporation, is the likely pacesetter in the Turf Championship, a race where the early fractions will almost certainly be very slow.

Besides Amerique, who has been fifth in three starts since winning the San Juan Capistrano at Santa Anita at 11-1 on April 19, the only other participant is Legend Of Russia, who won an optional claimer at Del Mar in his last race on Aug. 28.

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Santa Anita’s Autotote system was down for 78 minutes early Saturday afternoon because of a computer malfunction of unknown origin.

The problem surfaced immediately after favored Comical Cookie won the second race, and after the race was made official by the stewards, no prices went up. Fans at the track and various satellite facilities throughout the state were unable to bet on any races at Santa Anita or assorted simulcasts from Bay Meadows, around the country and Canada.

The day’s third race, the $100,000 California Sires Stakes, was delayed for more than 30 minutes, but it was finally decided to run the race without wagering, except for the bets that had been made before the system crashed.

There was no immediate estimate on how much the shutdown cost the track, but as a means of comparison, the total handle on the second race was $649,379 and the handle on the third was $139,992. Both races featured six-horse fields.

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McCarron became Oak Tree’s all-time leader in stakes victories, surpassing Bill Shoemaker, when he won his 63rd aboard favored Brave Act in the $80,500 Henry P. Russell Handicap. Trained by McAnally for owner Sid Craig, the 4-year-old Persian Bold colt pulled away down the stretch and went on to beat 7-2 shot Crystal Hearted by nearly two lengths in 1:47 2/5 for the 1 1/8 miles on turf.

“I’m very proud of the accomplishment,” McCarron said. “I’m pleased that it happened today. I went the whole meeting last year without winning a stakes and it was getting a little frustrating toward the end. It’s behind me now, but I’m very proud that I was able to do it.”

Earlier in the day, Controlled did the expected in the $100,000 California Sires Stakes, a race restricted to 2-year-old fillies bred in California, but it wasn’t quite as easy as expected.

The overwhelming 1-20 favorite, the daughter of In Excess led every step of the way under Gary Stevens, but was extended at the finish to beat 17-1 shot Here’s To You by a half-length in 1:22 3/5 for seven furlongs.

Trained by Ed Gregson for owner Edward Hand, Controlled won for the third time in as many starts and pushed her earnings to $150,300. Her full sister, Inexcessive Speed, won the same race a year ago.

“She’s a nice filly, sweet to ride,” said Stevens after his first win of the meeting. “She really likes to run the turns and I was rating her around the turns and I came into the stretch with a lot of horse.”

Horse Racing Notes

Ron McAnally became the all-time winningest trainer at Oak Tree when 14-1 shot Royal Prosper won Saturday’s fifth race. McAnally has 203 victories at Oak Tree. . . . I’monfireforyou is the 5-2 favorite against nine others in the $100,000 California Sires Stakes, which is restricted to colts and geldings bred in California. . . . Crowd Pleaser, the 7-5 favorite, won the $250,000 Virginia Derby at Colonial Downs. . . . Auntie Mame paid $5.90 as the second choice in the Flower Bowl Handicap and completed the 1 1/4 miles on turf in 1:59 1/5.