Golden Apples Gives Cecil a Win

This has been anything but a banner year for trainer Ben Cecil. His stable has scrambled for winners, and there are only 10 horses in the barn.

One of them, Figlio Mio, added to Cecil’s frustrations Saturday when he finished second to Irisheyesareflying as the favorite in the California Cup Classic. Cecil felt that Figlio Mio’s chances were compromised because he spent the entire race on the rail, not his favorite place on the racetrack.

But the Cecil outfit might be gearing up for a strong finish. Golden Apples, a 3-year-old filly owned by Gary Tanaka, won Sunday’s $250,000 Las Palmas Handicap, and another Tanaka import, Homeland, is headed Cecil’s way from France, to run in the $500,000 Hollywood Derby on Nov. 25.

Cecil, who has had an up-and-down relationship with Tanaka, a London investment magnate who races all over the world, had won only seven races this year prior to the Las Palmas. Golden Apples, a French-bred whose career started in Ireland, won her first U.S. start in the Del Mar Oaks in August, then lost by a neck to Affluent in the Queen Elizabeth II Cup at Keeneland three weeks ago. Tanaka’s filly became the first 3-year-old to win the stake since Grenzen in 1978.

Golden Apples is a quirky horse to train, a filly who dawdles en route to the track each morning, and before the Las Palmas it took four assistant starters to load her into the gate. Under Garrett Gomez, Golden Apples was last after a half-mile, 13 lengths behind the pace-setting Dancingonice, who found a second gear through the stretch but was still unable to withstand the winner.

Golden Apples earned $150,000 after running 11/8 miles in 1:463/5, fastest time for the stake since 1996. As the second choice in a field of nine, she paid $7.80. Dancingonice, beaten by three-quarters of a length, was 11/2 lengths better than favored Janet, the third-place finisher. Golden Apples carried 115 pounds, two more than Dancingonice and five less than Janet.

“I got nervous when she didn’t want to load,” Gomez said of his mount. “She hadn’t pulled that in her first two races here. She was facing her elders for the first time and she proved she could go with them.”

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Trainer Bobby Frankel, who was happy with Dancingonice’s second-place finish in the Las Palmas, was happier still with Blue Steller’s convincing win in the $100,000 Bay Meadows Derby later in the day.

Splitting horses in the stretch under Alex Solis, Blue Steller pulled away as Sir Alfred and Sea To See finished second and third, respectively. Blue Steller, the 3-5 favorite, was clocked in 1:464/5 for the 11/8 miles on grass. Owned by John and Jerry Amerman, Blue Steller had been third in the Del Mar Derby after breaking his maiden on July 29 in his U.S. debut. In France, the Irish-bred was winless in five starts.

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The 32-day Oak Tree meet ends today with the Morvich Handicap highlighting the card. El Cielo, winner of last year’s Morvich, is the 6-5 morning-line favorite.

Hollywood Park’s 31-day fall meet opens Wednesday with a card that includes seven 3-year-olds running in the inaugural Bien Bien Stakes.

High weights for the mile turf race are Momentum and Sigfreto at 122 pounds each. Night racing returns to Hollywood Park with two Friday cards, this week and on Nov. 16.