San Diego Handicap Has Star Quality

The best race of the weekend here won’t be today’s $400,000 Eddie Read Handicap, a Grade I that has been won in years past by stars such as Fastness (twice), Kotashaan, the horse of the year in 1993, Marquetry and Tight Spot.

Rather, the marquee event is the $250,000 San Diego Handicap, which will be run for the 60th time late Sunday afternoon.

A prep for the $1-million Pacific Classic on Aug. 19, the Grade II San Diego is offering only a third as much money as the $750,000 Hollywood Gold Cup did July 1, but it has attracted a deeper field.

Besides defending champion Skimming, who also went on to capture the 2000 Pacific Classic, the 1 1/16-mile race has drawn Futural, who was disqualified out of a win in the Gold Cup and placed third behind Aptitude and Skimming, Captain Steve, the beaten favorite in the Gold Cup, Freedom Crest, Dig For It and Spicy Stuff.

Last, but certainly not least, is Budroyale, the 8-year-old who ranks as one of the best claims of all time.

Taken for $50,000 by owner Jeffrey Sengara, the son of Cee’s Tizzy has banked over $2.8 million. The San Diego will be his first race since he finished seventh in the Pimlico Special on May 13, 2000.

“He’s doing great,” said Ted H. West, 28, the son of longtime trainer Ted West. “He’s coming up to this race excellent.”

Budroyale was at his best in 1999 and early last year. Besides finishing second in the Breeders’ Cup Classic and the Hollywood Gold Cup, the gelding won the Goodwood Breeders’ Cup Handicap, the Mervyn LeRoy and the Longacres Mile. Then he won the San Antonio Handicap, and was second in the Santa Anita Handicap.

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Trainer Danny Cardoza and the Vessels Stallion Farm will try to make history in the $477,100 Ed Burke Memorial Futurity tonight at Los Alamitos.

A win by Your First Moon would give Cardoza and the Vessels Stallion Farm consecutive victories in the Burke, a Grade I run at 350 yards, and that has never been done before by either an owner or a trainer.