Riboletta Makes the Grade

Trainer Eduardo Inda’s first winner of the meet at Santa Anita came at a good time.

Inda, after failing to win with his first 19 starters, had his Riboletta, a 5-1 shot, emerge as the winner of the Grade I $300,000 Santa Margarita Handicap Sunday.

Riboletta, a 5-year-old Brazilian-bred mare, led virtually wire-to-wire under jockey Corey Nakatani in running the 1 1/8 miles in 1:50 2/5 over a track labeled sloppy and beating 2-1 second choice Bordelaise by three lengths. Riboletta’s victory was Inda’s first for owners Aaron and Marie Jones. The couple had transferred their horses from Bob Baffert to Inda on Jan. 9.

“I was happy when it rained, but I was really happy when it came up a little slow,” Inda said. “She won in South America on a track like this and I thought she would love it. This win’s important for me and I’m glad [for the Joneses].”

Bordelaise, trained by Inda’s former longtime boss Ron McAnally, finished four clear of 7-5 favorite Snowberg, then came Ta Ta Be True and Gourmet Girl. Keeper Hill and Zante were scratched.

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The only time Commitisize wins is when he’s able to make the lead by himself and the 5-year-old got his kind of race in winning the $200,000 Arcadia Handicap.

In a race moved from the turf to the dirt because of the rain and reduced to five after four were scratched, Commitisize and jockey Victor took control from the outset, then had enough left to beat 7-5 favorite Chullo by a half-length in 1:36 3/5 for the mile.

It was the ninth win in 27 starts for Commitisize, owned by Mike Pegram and trained by Baffert. Commitisize, the 4-1 second choice ridden by Victor Espinoza, was making his first main track start since winning the 1997 Hollywood Prevue Stakes at Hollywood Park.

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Horse Racing Notes

Allen’s Oop, a 45-1 shot ridden by Willie Martinez, was the winner of the of the $500,000 New Orleans Handicap Sunday at the Fair Grounds in New Orleans. Allen’s Oop, a 5-year-old maiden who broke his maiden in a claiming race at Santa Anita in 1998, took over from pacesetter Wild Imagination entering the stretch and went on to beat 30-1 shot Take Note Of Me by a length in running the 1 1/8 miles in 1:48 4/5. Ecton Park, who had won the $500,000 Super Derby last year at the Fair Grounds, was third as the 5-2 second choice. Elaborate, shipped in from California by owners John Toffan and Trudy McCaffery and trainer Paco Gonzalez, was fourth under jockey David Flores. Golden Missile, the even-money favorite on the strength of his second-place finish behind Stephen Got Even in last month’s Donn Handicap at Gulfstream Park, was fifth. Allen’s Oop is trained by Dallas Keen and owned by James Jackson, who had a maiden, 35-1 shot Valhol, win the $500,000 Arkansas Derby last year. Valhol’s jockey, Billy Patin, was found have used an illegal electric stimulation device during the race. . . . Lisieux Rose, making her American debut for trainer Christophe Clement, earned her first victory since 1998, winning the $200,000 Orchid Handicap at Gulfstream Park. Lisieux Rose, a 5-year-old mare ridden by Jose Santos, took over from pacesetter and 9-10 favorite Idle Rich with about a furlong to run and beat 18-1 shot Champagne Royal by three-quarters of a length. She paid $17.40 and finished the 1 1/2 miles on turf in 2:25 3/5. . . . Jockey Corey Nakatani has won four of the last eight Santa Margarita handicaps. . . . The Santa Margarita win was the third Grade I victory for Eduardo Inda and all have come at Santa Anita. He won the 1997 Santa Monica Handicap with Toga Toga Toga and the 1999 Santa Maria Handicap with India Divina.