Gabby’s Golden Gal wins Santa Monica Handicap

Two years ago, Arnold Zetcher retired as chief executive of Talbots after guiding the preppy retailer from a $360-million company into $1.8 billion in revenue over 20 years. Now he’s having even more fun devoting his full-time attention to owning horses.

Wearing a suit and black polished shoes, he eagerly stepped onto the track at Santa Anita on Sunday and got a little dirty, but smiled with pride and joy while escorting his 4-year-old filly, Gabby’s Golden Gal, into the winner’s circle after she won the Grade I, $250,000 Santa Monica Handicap by 1 1/4 lengths over Proviso. Free Flying Soul was third in the seven-furlong race.

“I don’t care about my shoes,” Zetcher said.

It was the third Grade I victory in 10 years of owning horses for Zetcher, and all have come in the last year, when Gabby’s Golden Gal won the Acorn last June at Belmont Park and Richard’s Kid won the Pacific Classic last September at Del Mar. Making Sunday’s win sweeter was that Zetcher bred Gabby’s Golden Gal, who’s a daughter by Medaglia d’Oro, the sire of Rachel Alexandra.

“Rachel is maybe second-best,” Zetcher joked.

Jockey Martin Garcia picked up his first Grade I victory.

“It’s an amazing thing what she did today,” Garcia said.

Gabby’s Golden Gal did not run well in her last race, finishing seventh in the Grade I La Brea on Dec. 26. It caused bettors to send her off at odds of 11-1 Sunday. Trainer Bob Baffert said she needed the race.

“I thought she was training well enough to win it, but she just laid an egg that day,” Baffert said. “She came back, worked well. Today I was just hoping she didn’t go too fast. This filly has always shown me signs of greatness, like Indian Blessing. That’s why we were just baffled after the La Brea.”

Asked if Gabby’s Golden Gal had become his favorite horse, Zetcher said, “Five minutes after you win a Grade I, she is our favorite. This is fabulous.”

Santa Anita will have five stakes on Saturday, including the Grade I, $250,000 Las Virgenes Stakes for 3-year-old fillies; the Grade II, $200,000 Strub Stakes for potential Santa Anita Handicap contenders; and the Grade II, $150,000 Robert B. Lewis Stakes for 3-year-olds prepping for the Santa Anita Derby.

eric.sondheimer@latimes.com