6,000

Eddie Delahoussaye, 47, became the 14th jockey in North America to reach 6,000 victories when he won aboard favored Sweetcakesanshakes in the third race at Santa Anita on Sunday.

Joining a list of jockeys that includes two others currently riding at Santa Anita--Laffit Pincay and Chris McCarron--Delahoussaye took Sweetcakesanshakes right to the front en route a 4 1/2-length victory in the six-furlong race.

Delahoussaye was met in the winner’s circle by a small army, including fellow jockeys, family, and friends, and given a loud ovation by many of those in attendance. In a brief ceremony, he was presented with a crystal likeness of a horse’s head by Cliff Goodrich, Santa Anita’s executive vice president and general manager.

“I’m kind of lost right now, but I want to thank all of the trainers and all of the owners who have helped me over the years and I want to thank Santa Anita and all of the fans who came out today and all my family and friends,” Delahoussaye said. “I hope it continues for me for at least another year.

“It’s a great achievement. It ranks with the top, right up there with being in the Hall of Fame and winning the Kentucky Derby. It’s fantastic.”

Delahoussaye, inducted into the horse racing Hall of Fame in 1993, reached the milestone nearly six years after winning his 5,000th race at Santa Anita.

“Chris [McCarron] was getting ready to throw me out of the corner [of the jockey’s room because it took longer than expected to reach 6,000],” joked Delahoussaye. “He said, ‘I’m getting tired of all this stuff.’ I said, ‘Me, too, I’m trying to get it over with.’

“It was great, though. For the last three days, my wife [Juanita] has brought all of her friends to the track, a couple of busloads worth, and they were all losing a lot of money. I’m sure they were all glad to get it over with.”

Delahoussaye’s 6,000th victory was also special for Leonard Dorfman, the trainer of Sweetcakesanshakes. Dorfman, 76, currently has only three horses in his barn and had only 13 starters in 1998.

“This means a whole lot to me,” Dorfman said. “Of all the riders I’ve known through the years, I don’t think I’ve liked anybody better than Eddie.”

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Free House, making his first start since a 16 3/4-length loss in the Woodward Stakes at Belmont on Oct. 17, defeated Malek by a neck in the $300,000 San Antonio Handicap, the seventh race at Santa Anita.

Free House was pressed throughout the race by Malek, the 1998 Santa Anita Handicap winner, before prevailing in the 1 1/8-mile race in 1:48 2/5.

The victory was Free House’s eighth in 20 starts and it increased his career earnings $2.478 million. The 5-year-old son of Smokester is owned by John Toffan and Trudy McCaffery and trained by Paco Gonzalez.

The San Antonio served as prep race for Free House for the $1-million Santa Anita Handicap on March 6, in which he and Malek are expected to run against Silver Charm, Puerto Madero and Event Of The Year, among others.

On the lead throughout through snail-like early fractions (48 2/5 and 1:12) in the San Antonio, Free House was joined immediately by Malek. Dramatic Gold, the longshot in the field of four at 10-1, joined them on the far turn, but couldn’t keep up through the stretch and wound up four lengths behind Malek. Lord Grillo trailed throughout and Cavonnier was scratched earlier in the day.

“I knew he [Free House] was ready, but I didn’t think he was going to be pressured all the way around,” Gonzalez said. “We thought Dramatic Gold would be on the lead and that we’d be laying second and Malek would come from behind. When (Dramatic Gold) took back, we had to be on the lead. Malek put pressure on us all the way and he had already run one race this year and we hadn’t run in four months and we had high weight [123 pounds to 119 for Malek].”

McCarron, who has been aboard for Free House’s last three victories, thinks the California-bred will show improvement in the Santa Anita Handicap.

“It will set him up fine,” McCarron said. “When you worry about a horse [regressing], it’s usually when they run better than their fitness. I believe he was very fit today, so I believe he’ll move forward.”

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Heavily-favored Manistique won for the sixth time in seven starts, beating Magical Allure by 2 1/2 lengths in the $200,000 La Canada Stakes, the fifth race at Santa Anita.

It was the second stakes victory of the meet for Manistique, who took the El Encino last month.

Content to stalk the moderate pace set by Magical Allure, Manistique--ridden by Gary Stevens--took the lead in midstretch and pulled away late to win in 1:48 4/5 for the 1 1/8 miles.

Manistique, a 4-year-old daughter of Unbridled owned by Marshall Naify’s 505 Farms and trained by John Shirreffs, is an oversized filly at 17 hands.

“I still kind of think she’s learning the game,” said Shirreffs, who has won with the last six horses he has run at Santa Anita. “I think she’s to be better over a longer distance and I think the 1 1/8 miles was to her advantage today. The longer they go, the better it is for her.”

Magical Allure finished 2 1/2 lengths ahead of Gourmet Girl, who made her first start for owner Gary Tanaka after being purchased for a reported $1 million a few days earlier. Then came Tranquility Lake, the 4-1 second choice, Allegedly Yours, Black Velvet and Glorious.

Horse Racing Notes

Along with Eddie Delahoussaye, Chris McCarron and Laffit Pincay, other jockeys from North America with 6,000 victories are Bill Shoemaker, Pat Day, David Gall, Angel Cordero, Jorge Velasquez, Sandy Hawley, Russell Baze, Larry Snyder, Carl Gambardella, Earlie Fires and John Longden. . . . Sweetcakesanshakes is a 4-year-old daughter of Something Lucky owned by Mike Willman and Nikki Hunt. . . . Wayne Lukas has more 3-year-olds nominated for this year’s Triple Crown--21--than any other trainer. Bob Baffert is next with 16. The total number of nominees is 396, third highest total ever. . . . In working out for the first time since his dull third-place finish in the Donn Handicap on Jan. 30, Silver Charm went three furlongs in 34 1/5, the fastest time at the distance on Sunday morning at Santa Anita. . . . Excellent Meeting, who hasn’t raced since winning the Hollywood Starlet by eight lengths on Dec. 13, will make her 3-year-old debut in the $200,000 Las Virgenes Stakes on Saturday. . . . Manistique will likely return in the Santa Margarita Handicap on March 7.