Victory Has Familiar ‘Ring to It

What had already been a great weekend got even better for Prince Ahmed Salman on Sunday at Santa Anita.

The day after Anees’ shocking come-from-behind victory in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile at Gulfstream Park, Salman’s Thoroughbred Corporation had another stakes winner in Sapphire Ring, who stormed from well off the pace to win the $250,000 Las Palmas Handicap.

Sapphire Ring, after finishing no better than fourth in her previous three starts, got back on the beam in covering the Las Palmas distance of 1 1/8 miles on turf in in 1:48 1/5..

This was the fifth win in 11 starts in the United States for Sapphire Ring, the 4-1 fourth choice, and all of the victories have come with jockey Gary Stevens. Sapphire is winless with four other jockeys.

Content to run well off the moderate pace set by Candy Lonly, the daughter of Irish sire Marju found room between horses in the stretch and went on to win by two lengths. Cyrillic, a 20-1 shot, outfinished 43-1 outsider Country Garden by a nose for second and Candy Lonly was a head back in fourth.

“She was awesome today,” said Stevens. “Neil has done a great job of getting her to settle. She used to pull pretty good and waste a lot of energy.

“She had a real rough trip in her last race [the Ramona Handicap at Del Mar on Sept. 4]. We didn’t get any chance to run at all down there and I felt like we were lucky to be standing at the end. The race on her form didn’t really do justice to how well she ran. I was looking forward to riding her today.

“She’s got a really nice kick when she settles like she did today. We’ll just keep our fingers crossed for the Matriarch [Nov. 28 at Hollywood Park]. It would be a nice way to close out the year.”

Isle De France, the 5-2 favorite, finished eighth while Lexa, the 3-1 second choice, never mounted a rally and was in ninth in the field of 11.

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Musical Gambler, who will be running his first race since last Dec. 20, is the 8-5 favorite today against six others in the $65,000 Skywalker Handicap, the closing day feature race of the Oak Tree meet.

The one-mile race also marks the return of 1996 Kentucky Derby runner-up Cavonnier, whose last race was on March 14.

Cavonnier, a 6-year-old gelding owned by Robert and Barbara Walter, won the Ack Ack Handicap at Santa Anita last Dec. 27 in what was his first start since he was injured in the 1996 Belmont Stakes.

Cavonnier will be ridden for the first time by Laffit Pincay, Jr., who won the second race with favored Naninja on Sunday to move within 24 victories of Bill Shoemaker’s career record of 8,833. The California-bred is the 5-2 second choice on the morning line.

Completing the field are Tuscany, Pleasant Drive, Another Star, Koslanin and Bold Words.

Horse Racing Notes

Jockey Emile Ramsammy will begin a three-day suspension on Thursday after being disqualified from first to second aboard Kahal in Saturday’s Morvich Handicap. . . . Heavily-favored Bourbon Belle won the $200,000 Safely Kept Stakes Sunday at Gulfstream Park. Other stakes winners on the third and final day of the special Breeders’ Cup meet at the Florida track included Pico Tenerife in the $150,000 Pebbles Stakes, Elite Mercedes in the $75,000 Rhythm Stakes, Terreavigne in the $100,000 Gaily Gaily Stakes, Intidab in the $75,000 Eillo Stakes, Capital Request in the $150,000 Miesque Stakes, Mountain Top in the $100,000 Dancing Spree Stakes and Beckon The King in the $200,000 Steinlen Stakes. . . . The Las Palmas victory was the seventh in 19 lifetime starts for Sapphire Ring and increased her earnings to $448,934.