El Cielo Closes Deal on Turf at Oak Tree

Besides having a thing for Santa Anita’s hillside turf course, El Cielo also seems to enjoy closing day.

Racing for the first time since winning the San Simeon Handicap on April 24, the final day of Santa Anita’s winter-spring meet, El Cielo got the job done in Oak Tree’s concluding feature.

The 19-10 favorite against nine rivals in the $111,700 Morvich Handicap, the 6-year-old El Prado gelding made it seven wins in 10 starts on the Santa Anita turf with a one-length victory Monday over 7-2 third choice Kahal.

Ridden by Jose Valdivia, Jr. for the partnership of Jess Miller, Larry Carr and Pam Webber, El Cielo completed the about 6 1/2 furlongs in 1:12, two-fifths of a second off the course record set by Comininalittlehot in the 1996 Morvich.

“That was huge,” said trainer Craig Dollase after his fourth stakes win of the meet. “He had been training well up to this. The race set up nice for him. He sat right in the catbird seat, and he responded like he usually does.”

Dollase indicated the $200,000 Hollywood Turf Express on Nov. 24 at Hollywood Park would probably be next for El Cielo.

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Tiznow, who won Oak Tree’s Goodwood Breeders’ Cup Handicap before his 9-1 surprise in the Breeders’ Cup Classic, was voted horse of the meet in balloting by press box regulars.

The California-bred, who has won three in a row for owners Michael Cooper and Cecelia Straub-Rubens, and trainer Jay Robbins, also was selected the top 3-year-old.

Other winners: Tranquility Lake, older filly/mare and grass filly/mare; Kona Gold, sprinter and older horse; War Chant, grass horse; Queenie Belle, 3-year-old filly; Flame Thrower, 2-year-old; Notable Career, 2-year-old filly; Lady Di Huntley, claimer; Bill Spawr, trainer; Laffit Pincay Jr., jockey; Tyler Baze, apprentice jockey; Goodwood BC Handicap, race; and Pincay’s 9,000th victory, accomplishment.

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Spawr won his fifth training title--his first in an Oak Tree meeting--when heavily favored Tony’s Royalty won Monday’s seventh race, giving Spawr two wins on the closing-day card. Lucky Leprechaun had rallied from last to win the opener as the 19-10 favorite.

The victory by Tony’s Royalty was the 17th of the 27-day meet for Spawr, and he wound up one ahead of Bob Baffert, who had led the previous three years. Before Monday, Spawr had last won a training title during Santa Anita’s 1995-96 winter-spring meet.

Pincay, who rode Tony’s Royalty, finished the meet with 31 victories, giving him his fourth Oak Tree title, but first since 1982. Overall, Pincay, 53, has 39 riding titles in a career that began in 1964.

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Although total handle showed an increase of 2.7%, Oak Tree’s daily average on-track attendance slid 4.1% from 1999 and the daily average on-track handle was down about 1.2%.

The daily average inter-track attendance declined 5.8%, going from 11,726 last year to 11,049 in 2000. The combined average daily attendance was down 4.9%.

Sherwood Chillingworth, Oak Tree’s executive vice president, said one of the reasons for the decline in attendance was the bus strike that affected Southern California last month.

Notes

Sixteen of Bill Spawr’s 17 winners at Oak Tree were ridden by Laffit Pincay Jr. . . . Racing resumes Wednesday at Hollywood Park.

Up Next

* Meet--Hollywood Park

* Dates--Wednesday-Dec. 24 (35 days)

* Post times--12:30 p.m. except for 11 a.m. on Nov. 23 and 7 p.m. on Nov. 10 and Nov. 17.

* Significant races--$200,000 Miesque Stakes (Nov. 24); Hollywood Turf Express (Nov. 24); $500,000 Citation Handicap (Nov. 25); $200,000 Generous Stakes (Nov. 25); $500,000 Matriarch (Nov. 26); $500,000 Early Times Hollywood Derby (Nov. 26); $400,000 Hollywood Turf Cup (Dec. 2); $200,000 Hollywood Futurity (Dec. 16); $200,000 Hollywood Starlet (Dec. 17).

* Leading jockey (1999)--Laffit Pincay (32 wins)

* Leading trainer (1999)--Bob Baffert (14 wins)