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Healthy Addiction Wins at Santa Anita

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Times Staff Writer

For the second year in a row, Healthy Addiction might enter the Breeders’ Cup Distaff after a win in the Lady’s Secret Breeders’ Cup Handicap.

If the 5-year-old Boston Harbor mare does go to Churchill Downs for the Nov. 4 Distaff, owner Pamela Ziebarth and trainer John Sadler hope she represents herself better on racing’s biggest day than she did a year ago at Belmont Park.

Four weeks after her half-length victory in the 2005 Lady’s Secret, Healthy Addiction struggled in New York. She finished last in the field of 13, more than 57 lengths behind upset winner Pleasant Home.

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Healthy Addiction, the 1-2 favorite against only four opponents on Sunday at Santa Anita, won for the sixth time in 11 starts in Arcadia, beating pacesetter and 11-1 shot Downthedustyroad by 1 1/2 lengths. Ridden by Victor Espinoza, Healthy Addiction completed the 1 1/2 miles in 1:43.60.

The dark bay went over $1 million in earnings -- $1,032,837, to be exact -- with her score in the Grade II stakes race. Her next start will be the last of her career before she is bred to Tiznow.

“Everything is predicated on the horse,” said Sadler, who said immediately after the Lady’s Secret that it was “60-40” that she would go on to Churchill Downs. “We’ll see how she comes out of it and everything like that. We’ll look at everything and look at the division. I have to study those Eastern mares a little bit and then we will make a choice.”

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Rail Link, a 25-1 longshot, won the $2,537,401 Prix de’L Arc de Triomphe at Longchamp outside Paris. Stephane Pasquier rode the 3-year-old Dansili colt for owner-breeder Khalid Abdullah’s Juddmonte Farm Ltd. and trainer Andre Fabre.

In beating Pride by a neck, Rail Link ran the 1 1/2 miles on turf in 2:31.70. Deep Impact was third and defending champion Hurricane Run was fourth.

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Heavily favored Discreet Cat remained unbeaten in five starts with an extremely easy win in the $150,000 Jerome Breeders’ Cup Handicap on Sunday at Belmont.

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bob.mieszerski@latimes.com

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