Guided Tour Finds Way to the Winner’s Circle

Add Santa Anita to the growing list of places where Guided Tour has won.

Making a successful trip west from Louisiana, the 5-year-old gelding established himself as a top contender for the $1 million Santa Anita Handicap on March 3 with a victory in the $300,000 San Antonio Handicap on Sunday in Arcadia.

Owned by Morton Fink and trained by Niall O’Callaghan, Guided Tour has nine victories in 23 starts and has won at seven different tracks. Besides Santa Anita, he has had his picture taken at Churchill Downs, Ellis Park, Hawthorne, Woodbine, Thistledown and the Fair Grounds.

Giving jockey Larry Melancon and O’Callaghan their first victories at Santa Anita, Guided Tour, the 3-1 second choice, moved up along the rail to challenge pacesetter Deputy Flag on the backstretch, took the lead on the turn, then went on to defeat Lethal Instrument by 1 1/2 lengths despite drifting out a bit in the stretch. He completed the 1 1/8 miles in 1:48 1/5.

Despite the victory, there is no guarantee the son of Hansel, who now has earned $760,033, will return for the Big ‘Cap. In fact, O’Callaghan indicated he is leaning toward the $500,000 New Orleans Handicap on March 4 at the Fair Grounds.

However, things could change after he talks to Fink, who remained home in Chicago because of illness.

“You never say never,” said O’Callaghan, who won his first race in California with his third starter here. “I wouldn’t rule it out completely, but the New Orleans Handicap is a race I would love to win.”

Originally scheduled for a respite after running 14 times in 2000, Guided Tour indicated with his body language that he didn’t need a break.

“I really tried to give him a freshening in December, but he actually had put weight on and was doing so well that I said, ‘He’s a gelding and he’s telling me he’s doing well, so let’s continue on,’ ” said the Irish-born O’Callaghan.

This was the sixth time Guided Tour has won with Melancon, who rides primarily in Louisiana and Kentucky.

“He ran a big race today,” the jockey said. “We got a great trip. Lethal Instrument came up to us, but my horse saw him and I knew he wasn’t going to get by us.”

Lethal Instrument, the 9-2 third choice, finished 3 1/2 lengths clear of Moonlight Charger, the longest shot in the field at 66-1, then came Perssonet, Sultry Substitute, Bagshot, Deputy Flag and Freedom Crest.

The even-money favorite on the strength of three consecutive wins, including a three-length victory in the San Pasqual Handicap nearly a month earlier, Freedom Crest ran his worst race since he finished 10th of 11 in a $40,000 maiden race on Sept. 5, 1999.

“I was getting the trip I wanted, but I was done early,” said Freedom Crest’s rider, Gary Stevens. “I started to worry turning into the backstretch. He dropped back and just did not seem interested.”

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Golden Ballet, who will be favored in Saturday’s $200,000 Las Virgenes Stakes, worked five furlongs in 1:00 4/5 Sunday morning for trainer Jenine Sahadi. The Moscow Ballet filly won her 3-year-old debut by seven lengths in last month’s Santa Ynez Stakes.

Others considered probable for the Las Virgenes, which was won last year by eventual Eclipse Award winner Surfside, are Flute, Ella’s Pal, Two Item Limit and Affluent..

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A day after winning the Donn Handicap with Captain Steve, jockey Jerry Bailey picked up his sixth stakes win of the Gulfstream Park meet with favored Istintaj in the $118,500 Deputy Minister Handicap.

This was the second Grade III victory in three weeks for Istintaj, a 5-year-old son of Nureyev trained by Mark Hennig for Shadwell Stable. On Jan. 15, the horse won the Mr. Prospector Handicap.

Winning for the seventh time in 14 starts, Istintaj, the 9-10 choice, defeated 3-1 second Fappie’s Notebook by a half-length in 1:16 for the 6 1/2 furlongs.

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It was a case of father defeating son in the $100,000 Tanforan Handicap at Golden Gate Fields.

Yaralino, a 12-1 shot trained by Wally Dollase, went gate-to-wire, winning by 4 1/2 lengths in 1:45 2/5 for the 1 1/16 miles over a yielding turf course. Robynhood, a 10-1 outsider, was second and El Cielo, the 3-5 favorite trained by Dollase’s son Craig, was third, defeated by seven lengths.

The loss ended a five-race win streak for El Cielo and was only his fourth in 13 starts on the grass.

Notes

With Surfside and Chilukki both be pointed toward the Santa Maria Handicap on Feb. 18, Spain is expected to head the field in Sunday’s $200,000 La Canada Stakes. . . . Keepscratching, a 9-year-old gelding, became the first three-time winner of the Santa Anita meet when he won the third race Sunday. A winner in 14 of 59 in his career, Keepscratching won against $20,000 claimers Jan. 7, defeated $32,000 foes Jan. 15, then won Sunday in a $40,000 claimer.