Solis Might Have Big ‘Cap Elite Status

The winners of the last 16 runnings of the Santa Anita Handicap have been ridden by Chris McCarron and Gary Stevens (three apiece), Kent Desormeaux (two) and Corey Nakatani, Alex Solis, David Flores, Eddie Delahoussaye, Chris Antley, Pat Valenzuela, Martin Pedroza and Angel Cordero (one each).

Unless something changes, among this group of jockeys only Solis will have a mount when the 66th Big ‘Cap is next Saturday. McCarron, Delahoussaye and Cordero have retired. Antley has died, and the rest, but for Solis, appear to be without assignments for the 18th Big ‘Cap, which will be worth $1 million.

Only six or seven horses are expected to run. Solis, who won the 1998 running with Malek, will ride another of trainer Richard Mandella’s horses, Pleasantly Perfect.

Mandella had to search for a rider for his second starter, Kudos, when Laffit Pincay, who was in line to ride, opted for Sligo Bay.

Mandella said Sligo Bay’s trainer, Beau Greely, offered Pincay a one-time breeding to Sligo Bay to seal the deal. Pincay, 56, has won five Big ‘Caps but none since Greinton in 1986.

Mandella, who hired Julie Krone to ride Kudos, seemed to take Pincay’s defection in stride. “Laffit got one breeding to Sligo Bay,” the trainer said. “I would have given him all the breeding rights to Kudos.”

The joke is that Kudos is a gelding and can’t breed.

Krone, whose first mount after a 3 1/2-year retirement came at Santa Anita in November, has never ridden in a Santa Anita Handicap and will be the first woman to ride in the race since Robyn Smith finished fifth aboard Austin Mittler in 1977.

Trainer Bobby Frankel said that Jerry Bailey would ride Medaglia d’Oro in the Big ‘Cap.

The first weekend in February, Bailey flew in from Florida to win the Strub Stakes with Medaglia d’Oro and the San Antonio Handicap with Congaree, who is listed as possible for the Big ‘Cap.

Milwaukee Brew, also trained by Frankel, won last year’s Big ‘Cap but has won only one race since then and is on a five-race losing streak. Edgar Prado, who also rides in Florida, has the mount. Another likely starter is Piensa Sonando, a Chilean-bred who has been ridden by Pincay in all of his U.S. races.

*

Gary Stevens rode Throw Me Roses to victory in Friday’s first race, his first win after 12 tries since he returned from the filming of the Seabiscuit movie. Stevens’ last win was in October. Five races later, Stevens rode Grandiser, a 21-1 shot, to a surprise victory in the Reb’s Policy Handicap.... A funeral for Johnny Longden is scheduled for Monday at the Church of the Good Shepherd in Arcadia. The Hall of Fame jockey died on Feb. 14, his 96th birthday.... Atswhatimtalknbout, who cost B. Wayne Hughes $900,000 at a sale of unraced 2-year-olds last year, will run in the San Felipe Stakes after his allowance win Thursday.... Pending legislation, it appears that Oak Tree will be able to run four Breeders’ Cup prep races at Santa Anita on Sept. 28, which is also closing day for the Fairplex Park meet. The Breeders’ Cup will be run at Santa Anita on Oct. 25.... At its meeting Friday, the California Horse Racing Board tabled a discussion of full funding for stabling while negotiations continue between the Thoroughbred Owners of California and Fairplex.