Santa Barbara Runners Won’t Have to Deal With Astra

With Astra retired, the $250,000 Santa Barbara Handicap will have a different winner for the first time since 2000.

Astra, who beat a field last year that included Golden Apples, the eventual filly and mare turf champion for 2002, is the only two-time winner of the Grade II.

Trainer Bobby Frankel, who won the 1 1/4-mile turf race in consecutive years with Possibly Perfect and Wandesta in 1994 and ‘95, will have two shots to win the Santa Barbara again. He is scheduled to send out multiple-stakes winner Megahertz and recent allowance winner Trekking, who will be making her first appearance in a graded stakes.

Noches De Rosa, a loser in her first five starts for trainer Richard Mandella after arriving from Chile, has won her last two. In her latest victory, she slowed the pace to a crawl in the Santa Ana Handicap on March 22, winning as a 13-1 longshot.

She will be a much shorter price as she tries to keep her streak going. The second- and third-place finishers from that race are back. Garden In The Rain was a troubled runner-up and Megahertz was third, beaten by three-quarters of a length.

Completing the field are Notting Hill, a Brazilian-bred making her U.S. debut for trainer Jenine Sahadi, and longshot Medinaceli.

Race of the day: Raging Fever, who has won half of her 20 starts, will race Nonsuch Bay, Smok’n Frolic and three other fillies and mares in the $150,000 Bed O’Roses Breeders’ Cup Handicap at Aqueduct.

Who’s hot: Mark Johnston. The new arrival at the local jockey colony had his first two wins of the Santa Anita meet on Thursday, scoring with Six G’s and Trampus Too.

Who’s not: Philip Oliver. The Kentucky-based trainer was winless in his first 26 in 2003.

Exotically speaking: A pick three using Roberta’s Mango, Stonebridge Lady and Janeian in the first, Five Rivers and Smart N Smooth in the second and singling Primerica in the third.

Winners: Previous day/meet total: 5/238. Money: Previous day/meet total: $22.40/$1,341. Total money bet: $1,426.