San Juan Is Perfect Fit for Bienamado

It was a case of like father, like son Saturday in the $400,000 San Juan Capistrano Invitational Handicap at Santa Anita.

Duplicating the victory of his sire, Bien Bien, in 1994, Bienamado overcame a stubborn Persianlux to capture the track’s longest race by half a length. The time was 2:42 4/5 for about 1 3/4 miles on turf.

In the process, Bienamado became the first winner of the Grade I to be sired by a San Juan winner and gave jockey Chris McCarron his fourth victory in the race.

It was the Hall of Fame rider’s 6,996th career victory and came hours after he watched Millennium Wind, a colt he gave up to remain in California to ride Bienamado and Beautiful Noise, who finished second in the Santa Barbara Handicap, easily win the Blue Grass Stakes at Keeneland.

“This guy is a special dude,” McCarron said. “He’s a very generous, very talented animal. He wanted it bad, but I’ll tell you what, Persianlux put up a heck of a fight. I thought I had him measured at any time. I peeked behind me to see if anybody was coming because I was confident I could overtake Persianlux when I needed to, but, boy, Persianlux kicked well and really hung in there.

“Bienamado is just push-button. He wants to go and when I allow him to go, he goes. It’s not taxing on me to ride a horse like this a mile and three quarters. He gets all the credit. My focus is going back and forth, clocking the leaders, checking to see who’s sneaking up behind me. You don’t lose focus for $400,000 going a mile and three quarters.”

Owned by John Toffan, Trudy McCaffery and Robert Sangster, Bienamado won for the seventh time in 14 starts and is likely to make his next start in the $350,000 Charlie Whittingham Memorial Handicap on June 10 at Hollywood Park.

Persianlux, an 8-1 longshot who could have been claimed for $50,000 as recently as Nov. 3, finished 3 1/2 lengths clear of Blueprint, the 9-2 second choice, after setting the pace under Tyler Baze.

“He ran too good to lose,” trainer Wally Dollase said of the runner-up. “It’s too bad. I was real happy. He gave us a real thrill down the stretch, that’s for sure.”

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When Astra runs her race, she can stay with any turf filly or mare in the country.

Against six outclassed rivals in the $250,000 Santa Barbara Handicap, the 5-year-old Theatrical mare returned in style for trainer Simon Bray and the Allen Paulson Living Trust.

Ridden with confidence by Kent Desormeaux, Astra, who was making her first start since July 2 at Hollywood Park, was content to sit off the pace early, then commenced her rally while wide into the stretch and went on to win by three lengths.

The 7-5 favorite, Astra completed the 1 1/4 miles in 2:01 1/5 and has won seven of nine lifetime.

“Simon choreographed a perfect work for her last time [six furlongs in 1:14 1/5 six days earlier] and I think it was because of her previous work she was so good today,” Desormeaux said. “She’s very eager, she’s keen to get things done and she was just perfect today.

“She got into a canter, she galloped to the quarter pole and when I swung her out, she took off so fast, she nearly gave me whiplash. She was really, really awesome. I just aimed her in the right direction.”

Worse than third only once in her career, Astra is expected to try to defend her title in the Gamely Breeders’ Cup Handicap on May 26 at Hollywood Park. In that Grade I a year ago, she defeated Happyanunoit and Tout Charmant.

“Everything worked out really well and she really kicked the latter part,” said Alex Sauque, Bray’s assistant who saddled the winner because his boss was with also-ran Startac at Bay Meadows for the California Derby.

“She’s a very nice mare and we’re hoping for great things later on. Simon called Kent this morning and gave him all the instructions, so Kent was already set up when he got to the paddock.”

Beautiful Noise, the 5-2 second choice, was second, a neck in front of 3-1 third choice Uncharted Haven. The winner of last month’s Santa Ana Handicap, Beautiful Noise has now been first, second or third in her last 13 starts for owner Janis Whitham and trainer Ron McAnally.

Notes

Full Moon Madness, who is winless since last year’s California Cup Sprint, is the 7-5 favorite against five opponents in the $100,000-added Valiant Pete Handicap at six furlongs. . . . Jockeys Kent Desormeaux, Tyler Baze, David Flores and Brice Blanc all had two winners Saturday.