Surfside Wins Impressively

The notion to run Surfside in the 2000 Kentucky Derby didn’t lose any steam Sunday at Santa Anita when the long-striding filly beat only three rivals to win the $102,704 Santa Ysabel Stakes by eight lengths.

Trainer Wayne Lukas made post-race comparisons between Surfside and Winning Colors, the filly he saddled to win the Kentucky Derby in 1988.

“This filly has the dimension to get the Derby distance of a mile and a quarter,” said Lukas, who has started four fillies in the Derby. “She might even be able to get a mile and a half [the distance of the Belmont Stakes]. Winning Colors wasn’t really a mile-and-a-quarter horse, but she ran the race of her life, under perfect conditions, to win the Derby.”

Ridden by Pat Day, Surfside notched her fifth win in seven starts. She ran 1 1/16 miles in 1:45 3/5, with Day never touching her with his whip, and paid $2.40 and $2.10. There was no show betting after Penny Blues was scratched. The order of finish after Surfside was Rings A Chime, She’s Classy and Trust Your Heart.

Bred and owned by William T. Young of Overbrook Farm, Seaside is a daughter of Seattle Slew, the 1977 Triple Crown champion, and Flanders, whose career ended after she was injured while winning the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies in 1994.

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Manistique is scheduled to run in the Santa Maria Handicap on Feb. 13. . . . After Buck’s Boy, the 3-10 favorite, and Special Coach cooked each other in a heated pace duel, Unite’s Big Red won the $100,000 Mac Diarmida Handicap by one length over Thesaurus at Gulfstream Park. Buck’s Boy, ridden by Garrett Gomez, finished last in the seven-horse field.