Sapphire Ring Wins With Stevens

Somebody had been missing in the three races Sapphire Ring has lost since she came to the United States last year.

Namely, Gary Stevens.

With her victory in the $108,600 Wilshire Handicap on Sunday at Hollywood Park, the 4-year-old, English-bred filly remained perfect in four collaborations with Stevens.

Picking up her first graded victory--the Wilshire is a Grade III--for owner Prince Ahmed Salman’s Thoroughbred Corp. and trainer Neil Drysdale, Sapphire Ring, the 5-2 favorite, took advantage of a perfect trip, rallying outside to beat pacesetter and 11-1 shot Bella Chiarra by two lengths in 1:33 4/5 for the mile on turf.

“It was awesome,” said Stevens, who has now won the Wilshire four times. “She really accelerated coming off the turn and won with a little something left. She’s going to have a big year. That was an awesome performance right there.”

Bella Chiarra was a half-length in front of Green Jewel, the 3-1 fourth choice who had some trouble at the start and lost position, then came Kitza, Que Belle, Cyrillic and Vyatka.

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Stevens, who will begin his six-month stint in England sometime next month, said the time was right to give Europe a try.

“This is something I’ve thought about for a number of years and I wanted to do it sooner rather than later in my career,” he said Sunday. “The opportunity to ride for [trainer Michael Stoute] is the opportunity of a lifetime. I consider him one of the best, and if I ever decide that I want to train, it would be quite an experience to be around him.”

One of the top trainers in England, Stoute has trained horses like Singspiel, Pilsudski and Shergar, among others, and Stevens will be his main rider.

Stevens is likely to return to America for various engagements on some of the stars in trainer Bob Baffert’s barn, including Real Quiet, who won the Pimlico Special on Saturday, and Silverbulletday, who may start in the Preakness Stakes this Saturday.

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Free House, who was second as the 3-5 favorite in the Pimlico Special on Saturday, came out of the race worse for wear.

Now winless in seven starts outside California, the 5-year-old son of Smokester and winner of this year’s Santa Anita Handicap apparently suffered a muscle pull behind his hip.

Scheduled to be flown back to California Tuesday, Free House will leave only if veterinarians feel he can travel safely. He had to be vanned from the test barn to the stakes barn after the Special, which he lost by a neck to Real Quiet.

“He still can’t put any weight on his left hind,” trainer Paco Gonzalez said. “They X-rayed his left hoof and his ankle and they were clean. He’s not in any distress.

“When we get back home, he’ll have a nuclear scan. We’re still hoping it’s just a muscle pull higher up on the leg.”