Winning Filly Is Apple of Her Trainer’s Eye

For the first time in several days, trainer Ben Cecil probably had a good night’s sleep.

After nervously waiting for Golden Apples to make her 2002 debut in Saturday’s $150,000 Santa Ana Handicap at Santa Anita, Cecil thoroughly enjoyed what he saw from his talented filly against a star-studded field.

Last behind a dawdling pace in her first race since she was third in the Matriarch on Nov. 25, Golden Apples, the 3-1 second choice, closed powerfully along the rail under jockey Garrett Gomez to outrun 2-1 favorite Starine and win by 11/4 lengths. She covered the 11/8 miles in 1:47, completing the final eighth of a mile in less than 12 seconds to win going away.

Owned by Gary Tanaka, the 4-year-old Irish bred earned her fourth win in nine starts and has yet to lose over a turf course labeled firm. Adding the Santa Ana to her earlier victories in the Del Mar Oaks and Las Palmas Handicap, she is three for three on firm grass.

“It’s been a long wait,” said Cecil. “It’s hard when you’ve got your best horse sitting in the barn, but it was worth it in the end.

“I was worried about the slow pace early on and it looked like she didn’t really kick it in when the others did, but she certainly did at the finish.

“She is an amazing filly. I think she could be any kind. We’ve got a lot to look forward to with her.”

Golden Apples could show up again before Santa Anita wraps up on April 21. Cecil said the $250,000 Santa Barbara Handicap on April 20 is a possibility.

Starine, who had been on the sidelines since winning the Matriarch, still has not won on a firm layout, but she did finish two lengths clear of 7-2 third choice Astra, who was making her first start since Aug. 18 and first for trainer Laura De Seroux.

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Jerry Bailey is the dominant rider in the United States and he is also king of the Dubai World Cup.

Riding Street Cry for the first time in the $6-million Cup, which was run for the seventh time on Saturday in the United Arab Emirates, Bailey and the 4-year-old Machiavellian colt easily won the Group I, dominating longshot Sei Mi, 3-5 favorite Sahkee and eight others.

This was the fourth World Cup victory for Bailey and his second in a row after he had won last year with Captain Steve. Street Cry, the 4-1 second choice owned by Godolphin Racing Inc., scored for the fourth time in 10 starts. The Irish-bred has never been worse than third and completed the 11/4 miles in 2:01, winning by 41/4 lengths.

Earlier in the evening, Americans had their share of success. Grey Memo gave 80-year-old trainer Warren Stute his first victory in a $1-million race when he rallied from far off the pace under jockey Gary Stevens to win the Godolphin Mile by 31/2 lengths in 1:363/5.

It was the first of two victories on the card for Stevens. He rode Caller One ($8.40) to a repeat win in the $2-million Golden Shaheen, edging California-bred Echo Eddie and Patrick Valenzuela. Favored Xtra Heat was third and Men’s Exclusive, ridden by Martin Pedroza, was fourth.

Terre A Terre, an 11-1 shot, held off Noverre to win the $2-million Duty Free at 11/8 miles on the turf. Val Royal, the Breeders’ Cup Mile winner for trainer Julio Canani and owner David Milch, mounted a threat, but lost his punch late and wound up fifth in the 16-horse field.

In the other two races, Nayef won the $2-million Sheema Classic for his fifth victory in a row and Essence Of Dubai ran down Total Impact, ridden by Stevens, to win the $2-million UAE Derby.

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Jockey Tony D’Amico must not have enjoyed Saturday’s $500,000 Spiral Stakes at Turfway Park any more than he had the recent Louisiana and Florida derbies.

After seeing Bailey and Edgar Prado win those races with 3-year-olds he used to ride, D’Amico saw Eddie Delahoussaye replace him on Perfect Drift and win the Spiral, a Grade II, at the Kentucky track.

A 4-1 shot trained by Murray Johnson for the Stonecrest Farm, Perfect Drift, a gelded son of Dynaformer, won for the third time in six starts, edging California shipper Azillion by a neck with favored Request For Parole a nose back in third.

The final time for the 11/8 miles was 1:484/5.

Although Pat Day did miss with Request For Parole, he won two other stakes at Turfway, taking the $100,000 Rushaway with Mr. Mellon and the $150,000 Bourbonette Breeders’ Cup with Colonial Glitter.