He Wants Best of Both Worlds

Since its inception in 1996, that race in the far-off desert, the Dubai World Cup, has been a bugbear for local winter racing, coming as it does on the heels of the Santa Anita Handicap. Such stellar attractions as Soul Of The Matter, Silver Charm, Malek and Captain Steve have skipped the Big ‘Cap and then run only weeks later for the bigger bucks in Dubai.

But this year is a little different. With 14 horses, the biggest field in 19 years, today’s 65th Big ‘Cap is not engulfed by the World Cup, and in fact trainer Richard Mandella, who is running two horses at Santa Anita, might be using the 11/4-mile race as a prep for Dubai. A $1-million prep for a $6-million race? Well, why not?

Mandella, one of only four trainers to win the Santa Anita Handicap in consecutive years, has played the local race and the Dubai World Cup all possible ways: He has skipped Santa Anita to run in the desert; he has run the same horses in both races, despite the 8,800-mile one-way trip to Dubai; and he has run horses at Santa Anita and then passed on the World Cup.

This year, Mandella’s plan, which recently went slightly awry, was to combine those stratagems. He was going to withhold Redattore, his San Antonio Handicap winner, from the Big ‘Cap and run him in Dubai, then assess Cagney and Kudos after their runs today at Santa Anita, to see how much bounce-back they had in them. Cagney and Kudos are still possible for Dubai, where Mandella horses have finished second three times, but it appears that Redattore will stay home, the torn frog area on the bottom of one of his feet needing extra time to heal.

Cagney and Kudos, 8-1 and 15-1, respectively, on the morning line, are the kind of horses that Mandella does the best with in the Big ‘Cap. He has started three favorites in the race--Gentlemen twice and Best Pal--but his two winners sneaked up on the public and most handicappers. In 1997, Siphon was 5-1 when he led an unprecedented 1-2-3 finish by Mandella, who was second with Sandpit and third with Gentlemen. The next year, the wheels all but came off the historic race when Silver Charm came up lame the day before, and when Gentlemen, at five cents on the dollar, bled from the lungs and ran last in a four-horse field. Malek’s win, at the same 5-1 odds as Siphon the year before, left Mandella looking like the Mona Lisa. In 1999, Malek didn’t run in the Big ‘Cap and finished second in Dubai.

Sandpit’s second-place finish in 1997, as an 8-year-old, came in the 34th race of his career, but it was only his second start on dirt. Cagney and Kudos are both 5-year-olds and Mandella hasn’t waited as long to see if they can be converted from grass to dirt. Today will be Cagney’s first dirt start since he ran for the first time, finishing sixth, in Brazil in February 2000. Kudos’ career began in California with two lackluster dirt races, then after 14 starts on grass he returned to the main track on Feb. 17 and won the San Marino Handicap at 11/4 miles. The San Marino, scheduled to be run on grass, was switched to dirt because of rain.

“It’s funny,” Mandella said. “Kudos had been working on the dirt going into the San Marino and doing really well. A couple of weeks before the race, I said to Jerry Moss [the owner of Kudos] that I almost hoped it would rain, so we could try him on dirt.”

Mandella likes the way Cagney, a Brazilian-bred, is entering the race. He won the Burke Handicap, on grass, at Santa Anita in October, but then a month later finished 12th in the Japan Cup. In his last start, on Jan. 21, Cagney was third, beaten by half a length, as Irish Prize won the 11/4-mile San Marcos Handicap.

“Since Japan,” Mandella said, “he’s been sharper than ever. Usually making that trip all the way over there knocks a horse out, but that hasn’t happened with this one.”

Having traveled from Brazil to California, and then to Tokyo and back, makes Cagney the sort that won’t be affected by the long haul to Dubai. Mandella hopes he runs well enough today to get a chance in the World Cup on March 23. Running horses back that quickly in major races isn’t Mandella’s style, but with Dubai there are special considerations.

“On average,” Mandella said, “it’s better not to run in the Santa Anita Handicap if you’re planning on Dubai. But most of the horses I’ve run over there came out of South America and weren’t eligible for the Breeders’ Cup, and it would have cost their owners too much to supplement them. So the Dubai race becomes their Breeders’ Cup. It’s early in the year, but there’s no way around it.”

The Dubai World Cup started out at $4 million, but last year its purse was bumped from $5 million to $6 million. It’s now the richest race in the world and $2 million more than the richest Breeders’ Cup race.

“The Dubai purse is sure part of the equation,” the puckish Mandella said. “We all have our price, don’t we, and $6 million is mine. But at least you can say that I’m not cheap.”

Pat Valenzuela, who rides Western Pride in the Santa Anita Handicap, rode two winners Friday that were disqualified to second place by the stewards. In the third race, Valenzuela’s mount, Calzada Kid, won by 11/2 lengths but was penalized for crowding the favorite, Qui’s Rush In, in the stretch. Qui’s Rush In was moved to first place. In the last race, Song Minister and Valenzuela beat Timely Runner by a neck, but they were disqualified for drifting out in the stretch. Timely Runner was declared the winner. Timely Runner had been winless in 13 starts and the DQ gave Qui’s Rush In her first win in nine tries.... High Society, making her U.S. debut and running for the first time in six months, won the La Habra Stakes by one length in 1:124/5, fastest clocking for the stake since it was switched from a dirt race to the distance of about 61/2 furlongs on grass in 1976.

Came Home, winner of four of five starts, is the 4-5 morning-line favorite for today’s San Rafael, a prep for the Santa Anita Derby. Fonz’s, who had two wins and two seconds in four starts last year and was runner-up to Siphonic in the Hollywood Futurity, is 7-2.

Val Royal, winner of the Breeders’ Cup Mile in October in his last start, is the 2-1 favorite in the Jimmy Kilroe Mile. Val Royal began last year with a second-place finish behind Road To Slew in the Kilroe. At 3-1 is Irish Prize, who was fourth in the Breeders’ Cup. Irish Prize has already won at the meet, scoring a victory against Continental Red in the San Marcos Handicap.... Jerry Bailey will ride Repent in the Louisiana Derby on March 10 and Gary Stevens will ride High Star in the Florida Derby on March 16.... Arromanches, a 9-year-old that had won 10 in a row, finished fifth Thursday for for a $65,000 claiming price at Aqueduct.

*

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX)

Double Players

The four trainers to win the Big ‘Cap in back-to-back years. (with jockey)

RICHARD MANDELLA

1997 Siphon (David Flores)

1998 Malek (Alex Solis)

CHARLIE WHITTINGHAM

1985 Lord At War (Bill Shoemaker)

1986 Greinton (Laffit Pincay Jr.)

RON McANALLY

1981 John Henry (Laffit Pincay Jr.)

1982 John Henry (Bill Shoemaker)

TOM SMITH

1939 Kayak II (Jon Adams)

1940 Seabiscuit (Red Pollard)