Solis’ Wave of Success Is Capped by Surf Cat

There is no way jockey Alex Solis could have had a better afternoon than he did Saturday at Santa Anita.

Solis won with all four of his mounts on the card, including a decisive victory aboard favored Surf Cat in the $150,000 San Carlos Handicap.

Making his first start since Oct. 10 for trainer Bruce Headley, who is also the colt’s owner along with wife Aase and Marsha Naify, Surf Cat looks as if he might be even better at age 4 than he was in 2005.

Hardly a slouch as a 3-year-old with four victories and three seconds in eight starts, Surf Cat, the 17-10 choice, was well off the pace early while saving ground, angled outside when Imperialism moved up along side him on the turn, then ran past 2-1 second choice Major Success to win by 2 1/4 lengths. He completed the seven furlongs in 1:22.09 and has won three of five at Santa Anita.

Solis -- he won earlier with Sam’s Ace, Beneath The Radar, who is also trained by Headley, and Old Thunder -- believes Surf Cat is better these days.

“He’s a great horse. In the past, he was a little aggressive, but now he has matured,” he said. “I had him relaxed all the way around and when I hit the three-eighths [pole] my plan was to start making my move.”

This was the fourth San Carlos win in the last 12 years for Headley.

Only the late Charlie Whittingham, who won the race six times, has more victories in the Grade II.

“This horse ran really big,” he said. “I don’t run them unless they are ready. He’s matured quite a bit mentally. I don’t know what we’ll do with him next. We’ll see how he pulls up.”

Major Success, who had a three-race win streak ended, finished 3 1/4 lengths in front of 37-1 longshot Oceanus, then came Jet West, Ulistentome, Imperialism, who lost for the first time in four career starts at seven furlongs, Congrats and Brand Name.

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Bluegrass Cat, the 7-10 favorite, made a successful 3-year-old debut, winning the $121,000 Sam F. Davis Stakes at Tampa Bay Downs.

Trained by Todd Pletcher for WinStar Farm LLC and ridden by John Velazquez, Bluegrass Cat ran the 1 1/16 miles in 1:44.17 for his fourth victory in a row. The winner of the Nashua and the Remsen as a 2-year-old, he beat 63-1 longshot Deputy Glitters by 1 1/4 lengths.

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Smokey Glacken, the 13-10 favorite, rolled to an easy victory over Atlas Valley and eight others in the $100,000 Hurricane Bertie Handicap at Gulfstream Park.

It was the ninth win in 17 starts for the 5-year-old Forestry mare, who is owned by Susan and John Moore and trained by Jimmy Jerkens. She ran the 6 1/2 furlongs in 1:15.47 under jockey Javier Castellano.

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Jockey Garrett Gomez, who is second to Patrick Valenzuela in the standings at Santa Anita, has hired Ron Anderson as his new agent, replacing Jim Pegram.

Anderson, who represented the recently retired Jerry Bailey, has worked locally before. A native Californian, he once served as the agent for, among others, Gary Stevens and Fernando Toro.

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Santa Anita will have a video and verbal tribute to Bob Lewis, the prominent owner and industry stalwart who died on Friday, after the sixth race on Monday. The track’s Horse Racing Television network will show a video honoring Lewis and veterinarian Dr. Rick Arthur and trainers Bob Baffert and Wayne Lukas, both of whom won the Kentucky Derby for Lewis and his wife Beverly, will speak in the winner’s circle.