Another Win for Sweet Return

Give the Aga Khan a smidgen of the credit for Sweet Return landing in the lap of John Brunetti, who waited more than 35 years before his family won a Grade I race.

Sweet Return, purchased in 2002 after a deal with the Aga for another horse fell through, gave Brunetti that initial Grade I when he won the Hollywood Derby in November, and Monday at Santa Anita the English-bred colt, a newly turned 4-year-old, returned under trainer Ron McAnally for a hard-earned half-length win in the $150,000 San Marcos Handicap.

Murray Friedlander, the bloodstock agent who negotiated the purchase of Sweet Return, recalled that the Aga Khan’s horse wasn’t bought because he failed to pass a physical exam.

“[Sweet Return] might have been our second choice, but who cares?” said Brunetti, the owner of the historic, now-dormant Hialeah Race Course in South Florida. “This horse just keeps getting better. I hope he’s the real thing. All he wants to do is run.”

Julie Krone rode Sweet Return to his Hollywood Derby win, but with her return from back injuries a couple of weeks away, Gary Stevens rejoined Brunetti’s colt for Monday’s Grade II race. Stevens had ridden Sweet Return twice last fall, when they finished third in the Del Mar Derby and second, only a head back of Devious Boy, in the Oak Tree Derby.

“This horse has really improved since the last time I rode him,” Stevens said. “I expected a good race, since the horse worked very, very well the other morning.”

Sweet Return, able to establish an uncontested lead, was in front all the way before fighting off Nothing To Lose and Jerry Bailey through the stretch. Bailey, in from his winter headquarters in Florida, rode Yearly Report to a four-length win in the $150,000 Santa Ynez Stakes earlier in the day.

Sweet Return finished off 1 1/4 miles on the grass in 1:58 4/5, only the third sub-two-minute running of the San Marcos in the last 12 runnings. The stakes record, 1:57 4/5, was set by Johar last year.

“[Nothing To Lose] was ready, and ran well,” Bailey said. “The other horse just had a better kick.”

Blue Steller finished third, 1 1/2 lengths behind Nothing To Lose, and Fairly Ransom, the 17-10 favorite who is also trained by McAnally, ran sixth.

In winning the Santa Ynez, Yearly Report ran seven furlongs in 1:21, breaking the stakes record, 1:21 1/5, set by Terlingua in 1979. Owned by Betty Mabee and trained by Bob Baffert, Yearly Report was making only her third start. The 3-year-old General Meeting-Fiscal Year filly broke her maiden at Hollywood Park in November and ran second in the California Breeders’ Champion Stakes at Santa Anita on Dec. 27.

House Of Fortune, trained by McAnally, finished second. Bailey, the leading rider in the country last year with a record $23.3 million in purses, rode Yearly Report for the first time.

“She makes my job real easy,” Bailey said. “It kind of worried me on the backside when McAnally’s filly trapped me on the inside, but she didn’t have enough to hold me. From there on, it was pretty easy.” Yearly Report paid $6.20 to win. Rahy Dolly, the 2-1 favorite, finished fifth.

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It was a day for fast times. The race before the Santa Ynez, Glick ran about 6 1/2 furlongs down the hill in 1:11.26, breaking the track record of 1:11.45 set by Cayoke a year ago.... Pat Valenzuela, who led all five Southern California meets last year, fired his agent, Nick Cosato, who has also been booking mounts for Corey Nakatani since Santa Anita opened. Valenzuela, serving 13 suspension days to start the meet, returned to racing on Jan. 11. Valenzuela, who didn’t like the idea of Cosato doubling up with Nakatani, said that he would announce the name of his new agent later this week.... Trainer Wayne Lukas, winless at Santa Anita this winter, won the $81,225 Fred Capossela Stakes at Aqueduct with Quick Action.... At the Fair Grounds, Eddie Martin Jr. rode six winners, tying a record shared by six riders at the New Orleans track.