Spellbinder Makes Grade

Giacomo may have failed in his return in the $300,000 Strub Stakes on Saturday, but the weekend still produced a Grade II victory for owners Jerry and Ann Moss.

Spellbinder, a 5-year-old son of Tale of the Cat and 4-1 third choice, earned the first graded stakes victory of his career with a narrow win over pacesetter With Distinction, Wilko and five others in the $250,000 San Antonio Handicap.

In winning for the fifth time in 18 starts, Spellbinder, who is trained by Richard Mandella, ran the 1 1/8 miles in 1 minute 48.84 seconds, winning by three-quarters of a length under jockey Martin Pedroza.

Second and third in two recent tries in graded races, Spellbinder was able to prevail in the final prep for the $1 million Santa Anita Handicap on March 4, but his third career win at Santa Anita did not come easy.

With Distinction, who had hit the board only once in five earlier starts around two turns, didn’t quit in the final eighth of a mile and Wilko showed some spark while finishing a head back in third.

Still, the San Antonio extended a losing streak that has reached eight races for Wilko, whose claim to fame was his last victory, a 28-1 upset in the 2004 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile.

Spellbinder is “an improving horse who is getting better and better,” Mandella said after his sixth San Antonio win since 1995. It was also his seventh victory overall in the race, making him the leader, surpassing the late Charlie Whittingham, who had six. “He’s turned into a real race horse, hasn’t he?”

The disappointment in the San Antonio was Buckland Manor. With blinkers added, the 5-2 favorite finished last under new rider Victor Espinoza.

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Universal Form, a 53-1 shot, collared odds-on favorite War Front in the final strides to win the $100,000 Deputy Minister Handicap at Gulfstream Park.

Trained by Elliston Rolle for owner Universal Xperience, the 5-year-old Formal Dinner horse won for the fifth time in 34 starts. He completed the 6 1/2 furlongs in the Grade III in 1:16.48 under jockey Manoel Cruz.

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There will be a pick six carry-over of $751,394 at Santa Anita when racing resumes Wednesday.

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Jockey Russell Baze and apprentice Martin Garcia finished in a tie atop the Bay Meadows jockey standings with 47 wins apiece as the meet came to a close Sunday.

Garcia, 20, won the last race aboard favored Sloat Blvd to earn the deadlock. Both jockeys won two races on Sunday.

This was the first time Baze, who is the second winningest rider in history behind Laffit Pincay Jr., had to share a title. He entered the meet with 26 consecutive riding titles in Northern California and 34 in a row at Bay Meadows.

Garcia escaped serious injury in the day’s third race when Rare Request, a 5-year-old gelding he was riding for trainer Wesley Ward, broke down while leading into the stretch in the $32,000 allowance on turf.