Phaenna Raises the Stakes Again

What has been a bargain buy for owners Curt and Lila Lanning and trainer Ed Moger Jr. got even better Wednesday at Santa Anita.

Phaenna, purchased for $3,500, earned her 10th victory in 27 starts and pushed her earnings to $413,439 with a front-running, 13-1 upset in the $112,600 Survive Stakes.

A daughter of Frankly Perfect, who was bred in California by Jerry Buss, the 7-year-old mare defeated 3-1 second choice Song Of Summer by 31/2 lengths in 1:031/5 for the 51/2 furlongs.

Making her first start since finishing fourth in the Pio Pico Stakes at Fairplex Park on Sept. 14, Phaenna won for the third time in five tries at Santa Anita and improved considerably on her effort in last year’s Survive. On New Year’s Day, 2001, she was fifth in a field of eight.

Ridden by Victor Espinoza, Phaenna toyed with overmatched longshot Secret Dream through the first quarter mile, then started to inch away.

Last after a quarter of a mile, Song Of Summer, who was looking for her second consecutive victory, rallied for the place, 21/2 lengths ahead of 22-1 outsider Song Of The Moment.

The disappointment in the Survive was even-money favorite Jeweled Pirate. Well positioned by jockey Chris McCarron after breaking from the rail, she had nothing in the stretch and wound up seventh in the field of nine.

Moger said of Phaenna, “She had really been training well. I thought she might be one work away, but she was ready to roll.

“She’s always been a good mare and she always tries hard. When she does get beat, it’s because she just wasn’t good enough or she wasn’t quite right. We had given her some time off because she had an abscess on her foot and it took a while for her to get over it.”

Gulfstream Park will begin its 90-day meet today, and the feature race is the $100,000 Spectacular Bid Stakes, a six-furlong sprint and the first prep on the road to the $1-million Florida Derby on March 16.

The co-high weights at 120 pounds in the Spectacular Bid, named for the horse who won the Florida Derby in 1979, are Handsome Hunk, who won the Fort Spring Stakes in the fall at Keeneland, and recent Inaugural Stakes winner Bog Hunter.

Eight horses were entered Wednesday morning for Saturday’s $200,000 San Pasqual Handicap, the first race leading to the $1-million Santa Anita Handicap on March 2.

Euchre, second to Momentum in last month’s Native Diver Handicap at Hollywood Park, is the 120-pound high weight and one of two entrants for trainer Bobby Frankel. The other is Milwaukee Brew, making his first start for Frankel. Euchre and Milwaukee Brew will race coupled since both are owned by Frank Stronach.

Also scheduled to go are Casey Griffin, Red Eye, Last Parade, Seinne, Irisheyesareflying and Wooden Phone.