Favorite Funtime Scores Upset

The first graded stakes victory of Favorite Funtime’s career was Sunday’s Grade I Santa Maria Handicap, which the 5-year-old mare won by a head under a front-running ride from Gary Stevens at Santa Anita.

Verruma, at 25-1 the longest shot on the board, finished second, a length ahead of favored Printemps, who was making her first start in almost three months. Spain, the 2000 Breeders’ Cup Distaff winner, was fourth as her losing streak reached nine.

Favorite Funtime, bred and owned by John and Betty Mabee of Golden Eagle Farm and trained by Bob Baffert, paid $12.40 as the fourth choice in a seven-horse field. She ran 11/16 miles in 1:44. Favorite Funtime had won five of 11 starts, including two victories in ungraded stakes, entering the Santa Maria.

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Trainer Richard Mandella said that Kudos might run in the $1-million Santa Anita Handicap on March 2 after the 5-year-old gelding won the $82,575 San Marino Handicap, a race moved from grass to the dirt after an early rain.

Kudos, ridden by Eddie Delahoussaye, beat Lord Jim by a half-length with Beat Hollow, the 3-5 morning-line favorite, having been scratched. Kudos, running 11/4 miles--the Big ‘Cap distance--in 2:021/5, paid $4.80 as the favorite. It was his first victory in three starts on dirt and his first race in 21/2 months.

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Repent, one of the early favorites for the Kentucky Derby, closed impressively from the far outside at the Fair Grounds to win the $150,000 Risen Star Stakes by 21/4 lengths over Bob’s Image. Easyfromthegitgo, who had won three in a row, finished third.

Ridden by Tony D’Amico, favored Repent paid $3.40, running 11/16 miles in 1:43. The son of Louis Quatorze made his 2002 debut, after winning three of five starts--and finishing second to Johannesburg in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile--last year.

Ken McPeek, who trains Repent, ran second with another of his Derby prospects Saturday when Harlan’s Holiday was nosed out by Booklet in the Fountain of Youth at Gulfstream Park.

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Jason Lumpkins rode the winners of five races in a row--the third through the seventh--at Golden Gate Fields. Lumpkins’ streak ended when Power To Burn ran second in the eighth race, and in another bid for No. 6 he finished off the board with Mountain Royalty in the last race. The first of Lumpkins’ winners was Fertile, who won the Vallejo Stakes.