Frankel horses sizzling in stakes

Trainer Bobby Frankel is so hot in stakes races at Santa Anita these days, he’s winning them with his second string.

Cantabria, the 11-10 favorite in the $150,000 El Encino on the strength of an impressive win in her U.S. debut for Frankel on Dec. 6 at Hollywood Park, finished fifth, apparently uncomfortable running on the local main track.

The English-bred filly wasn’t the first turf horse to run well on a synthetic surface -- such as the Cushion at Hollywood Park -- but not as well on a traditional dirt track.

No matter for the stable.

Sugar Shake, a 4-year-old Awesome Again filly Frankel trains for owner-breeder Frank Stronach, led virtually throughout under jockey David Flores to win by one length in 1:43.70 for the 1 1/16 miles.

The win was the fourth in 10 starts for Sugar Shake, but her first in a graded stakes.

The Grade II victory was the fifth in a stakes for Frankel at a meet that is only 15 days old.

He also moved closer to the late Charlie Whittingham on the all-time victory list at Santa Anita.

He has 859 wins at winter-spring meets in Arcadia, 10 less than Whittingham.

“She’s a nice filly and I don’t know if she was 100% for today,” said Frankel of the winner.

When runner-up Kris’s Sis got a head in front briefly in the stretch, “I thought she was beat,” Frankel said.

“I thought that if [Cantabria] didn’t win, it would be because she didn’t handle the track. The jockey [Richard Migliore] said she was just spinning her wheels.”

Wonder Lady Anne L, the winner of the Coaching Club American Oaks last summer at Belmont Park, finished third, 5 1/4 lengths behind Kris’s Sis in her first start of 2007 as the 19-10 second choice.

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The seventh race was delayed for well over 30 minutes after a mishap that happened following the sixth.

Sweet N Salty, a first-time starter who set the pace in the race before tiring, collapsed near the beginning of the clubhouse turn, unseating jockey Martin Garcia.

The 3-year-old Salt Lake filly was on the ground for 46 minutes due to severe exhaustion.

But after being attended to by veterinarians, she was able to get up and walk off the track and back to her stall at trainer Brian Koriner’s barn.

“We were prepared to wait for as long as it took for her to get up,” said Santa Anita steward Scott Chaney.

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Because of the extremely cold weather overnight, the main track at Santa Anita was closed for training Sunday morning.

“It started to ball up around 2 o’clock in the morning,” said track superintendent Steve Wood. “That meant it was starting to freeze, so there were no works.”

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Jockey Brice Blanc will begin a three-day suspension Sunday after being cited by Santa Anita stewards Chaney, Albert Christiansen and Tom Ward for “altering course and causing interference” while riding On The Acorn in the seventh race Saturday.

On The Acorn won the 1 1/4 mile grass affair at 11-1, but there was no disqualification or even an inquiry after the race.

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Sagamoon, the 2-1 second choice, won her third race in a row by taking the $70,850 Busanda on Sunday at Aqueduct.

Eibar Coa rode the 3-year-old Malibu Moon filly for owner-breeder Country Life Farm and trainer Tom Albertrani to a 1 1/4 -length win over My Kitty.

The final time for the mile and 70 yards was 1:43.27. That Girl Is Mine finished third.

bob.mieszerski@latimes.com