This Race Belongs to Frankel

Even without his best filly or mare turf runner, trainer Bobby Frankel was able to win the $150,000 Santa Ana Handicap for the fifth time in nine years Sunday at Santa Anita.

With multiple-stakes winner Happyanunoit forced to miss the Grade II stakes because of a bruised right front foot, Spanish Fern stepped up and got the job done for Frankel, beating 9-5 favorite Virginie by a half-length in 1:49 1/5 for the 1 1/8 miles.

In her first victory since the Yellow Ribbon on the same grass course on Oct. 2, Spanish Fern trailed for six furlongs under jockey Victor Espinoza, rallied widest of all around the turn and kept on coming to win for the sixth time in 14 starts.

Owned by the Juddmonte Farms, Inc., the 5-year-old El Gran Senor mare paid $5.60 as the 9-5 second choice while coupled in the betting with Zante. The pacesetter through some very slow fractions (24 4/5, 49 4/5 and 1:14 1/5 for six furlongs), Zante weakened to sixth in the field of seven.

Making her first start since winning the Beverly Hills Handicap at Hollywood Park on July 3, Virginie lost for only the second time in 11 career races. The 6-year-old mare, who was ridden by David Flores because Laffit Pincay, Jr. was late returning from Dubai, outdistanced 16-1 shot Country Garden by a head. Pincay arrived at Santa Anita three minutes after the change to Flores had been announced.

Espinoza, one of the hottest riders around, was aboard Spanish Fern for the first time and he followed the instructions Frankel gave him via telephone before the race.

“He called me and told me just not to hit her too much, sit back and make one run,” Espinoza said. “The main thing was to get her relaxed. I know they went slow up front, but I didn’t have to worry about that because I knew she was much the best.

“As soon as I got a chance to make a run, I said, ‘This is it. It’s over.’ She just took off. She may not have had the best rider, but I had the best horse.”

Flores offered no excuses for the runner-up, who has been second in both of her defeats.

“I could see [Spanish Fern] flying, so I just cut the corner,” he said. “She went through really nice because there was a lot of space in there. She has a great turn of foot. She’s very honest. She was trying hard, we just got beat.”

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Brave Act’s second trip to Louisiana went a lot better than his first a year earlier.

A no-excuse fifth in the 1999 Explosive Bid Handicap at 3-1, the 6-year-old son of Persian Bold, who was 10th with three furlongs to run, surged strongly in the stretch to win the $600,000 Grade III Sunday at the Fair Grounds in New Orleans.

With Cash Asmussen sitting in for Alex Solis, who, along with fellow jockeys Kent Desormeaux and Corey Nakatani had trouble making flight connections after riding in Dubai on Saturday, Brave Act defeated 18-1 shot Where’s Taylor and 11 others to win for the 13th time in 27 starts.

Trained by Ron McAnally for owner Sid Craig, Brave Act has won his last three starts. His streak began with a neck victory in the Citation Handicap at Hollywood Park last Nov. 27, then he won the San Gabriel Handicap at Santa Anita on New Year’s Day.

Where’s Taylor, who was making his first start in a graded stakes for trainer Mike Stidham, was three-quarters of a length behind the winner and a head in front of 8-5 favorite Chester House, who was ridden by Curt Bourque in Nakatani’s absence.

Brave Act paid $9.40 as the 7-2 second choice and the $360,000 payday pushed his earnings to $1,544,940.