Classic Olympio Won’t Be Rushed

Taking the conservative route paid off for owner Verne Winchell and trainer Ron McAnally in Wednesday’s $78,500 Anoakia Stakes at Santa Anita.

Rather than rushing to have Classic Olympio run a two-turn race after her seven-length maiden win Sept. 29, her connections decided to keep her sprinting against only five opponents in the Anoakia.

Taking advantage of a stalking trip, the 3-5 favorite wore down She’s Classy in the final yards to win by a half-length in 1:09 3/5 for six furlongs.

Classic Olympio, ridden by Alex Solis, has won both her races at Santa Anita after losing in her first two starts at Del Mar.

“She’s a nice little filly,” said Solis. “From the three-eighths pole, I thought I had the race won because she was going so easily.

“All of a sudden, at the eighth pole, [She’s Classy] got tough on me. We had to fight a little, but luckily, my filly showed her class. She’d had some little problems switching leads before, but she did that nicely today.”

She’s Classy, who had been overmatched when finishing last in the Oak Leaf Stakes behind Chilukki 11 days earlier, was three lengths clear of Bold Feat as the 5-2 second choice. Then came Flyers Legacy, High Margin and Vote Getter.

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Val Royal, an impressive winner of the Del Mar Derby in his U.S. debut last month for trainer Julio Canani, will be sidelined indefinitely after suffering a small tendon tear in his right foreleg.

Val Royal, who raced in France before being purchased by Canani for owner David Milch, was prepping for Saturday’s $250,000 Oak Tree Derby, a race in which he would have been favored.

“He’s definitely one of the best horses I’ve ever trained,” said Canani, 60. “It was very tough to have to call [Milch] early in the morning and tell him what had happened to this horse.”

With Val Royal out, the Derby will probably have a large field when entries are taken this morning.

Among those expected are multiple-stakes winner Eagleton, Fighting Falcon, Good Fellow Robin, Outstanding Hero, Prime Timber, Red Sea, Rhapsodist, Super Quercus, Digatreasure and Zanetti. Mr. Broad Blade, Mula Gula, Isaypete and Red Sky’s are considered possible.

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Although Hurricane Irene caused extensive flooding and some other damage at Gulfstream Park, the problems are not expected to have any effect on Breeders’ Cup XVI. The Florida track will be the host to the Breeders’ Cup for the third time Nov. 6.

“We have been handed a setback, but we will be ready,” said Doug Donn, the track’s president. “We have a tremendous group of people here and we’re all pulling together to get past this.”

Besides the flooding, some temporary tent facilities were damaged as were some roofs and gutters.

Horse Racing Notes

Jockey Laffit Pincay didn’t gain any ground Wednesday in his quest to catch Bill Shoemaker in the all-time jockey standings.

Pincay, 52, was winless with three mounts, leaving him 31 behind Shoemaker’s record 8,833 victories. Pincay is not named on any horses on today’s program and also has no mounts on Friday’s card. . . . Jockey Corey Nakatani, who took off his final three mounts Wednesday after finishing off the board on favored My Antonino in the third race, turns 29 today. . . . Manistique, who will make her next start in the Breeders’ Cup Distaff, worked five furlongs in 1:03 1/5 Wednesday morning at Hollywood Park for trainer John Shirreffs. . . . Malabar Gold, a $1-million yearling purchase trained by Shirreffs for owner Marshall Naify’s 505 Farms, was second in his debut Wednesday at Santa Anita. The odds-on favorite was beaten by 6-1 shot Hasty Kris. . . . Yellow Ribbon winner Spanish Fern went five furlongs in Inglewood in 59 1/5 for trainer Bobby Frankel as she preps for the Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Turf, a race that will be run for the first time this year. . . . Poteen, who was scratched from last Saturday’s Kelso Handicap at Belmont Park, will be out for at least six months because of an undisclosed injury, according to trainer Ben Cecil. The 5-year-old was considered a Breeders’ Cup Mile hopeful.