Upsets Reign On Santa Anita's Dry Synthetic Track

Plus Reviews of Nine Stakes in Four States

A Column by Steve Davidowitz
February 20, 2008

The Pro-Ride/Cushion Track hybrid racing surface that is now in play at Santa Anita is being labeled an "All Weather Track." But until a heavy rainstorm really hits, the new label will remain a hopeful guess. In the meantime, horseplayers have been forced to call it something else: The most unpredictable surface in American Thoroughbred racing.

Consider the payoffs that have occurred at Santa Anita during the six-day racing week from Wednesday, February 13th through Presidents' Day on February 18th.

For starters, there were 19 different longshot winners out of 35 races on the synthetic track, including five that paid $21, $24, $30, $47, and a whopping $106 respectively. Moreover, many of those 35 races included other longshot bombers who finished second or third to complete huge Exacta, Trifecta and Superfecta payoffs. Realistically, the only way many of those results could have been caught was by using an Ouija Board.

As a footnote to these upsets, rain is in the forecast for Southern California towards the end of this week and no one really knows if the track will drain properly as it has in experimental trials, or if the new surface will provide a level playing field before or after track officials work on it.

On Wednesday, February 13th, the track was manicured so much that it changed mid-card from a speed-favoring surface to a stretch runner's paradise, which put every thinking horseplayer at the mercy of the shifting conditions.

At the bottom line, Santa Anita officials admit their mistake in choosing Cushion Track over Pro-Ride last summer. Now, with Pro-Ride's help, track officials are hoping against hope that the hybrid solution will work through rain, sleet, storm and the gloom of anything the weatherman can throw at them.

Reviews of seven graded stakes and two non-graded stakes last weekend

Saturday, February 16th

Laurel Park

* The $276,000 Barbara Fritchie (G2), 7 furlongs for fillies and mares

Golden Dawn, an improving 4-year-old filly with solid recent form in New York, stalked front running Oprah Winney and quickly opened up a commanding lead in the upper stretch to beat favored Control System by six lengths while drifting out late.

The victory gave jockey Channing Hill his first graded stakes victory of his three-year career. The winner earned a 97 Beyer Speed Figure, slightly below par for female horses at the Grade 2 level.

The disappointment in the race was Oprah Winney, an overbet $11-10 wagering favorite with a poor recent outing, who had to be eased to the rear of the pack approaching the finish as if she needs plenty of rest and recuperation.

Tampa Bay Downs

* The $150,000 Endeavor Stakes (G3), 1 1/16 miles on the turf for fillies and mares

Dreaming of Anna, the undefeated Juvenile Filly Champion of 2006 and winner of three modest class turf stakes in 2007, looked strong for her first start as a 4-year old. She had to be, to defeat a solid field that included the 2007 Grade 1 winner Lear's Princess and several other accomplished graded stakes types.

Taking the lead at the start and tenaciously holding it throughout, Dreaming of Anna just outlasted Lear's Princess to win by a diminishing nose. The final 5/16 miles was clocked in an excellent 29.34 seconds, off a slow six-furlong pace clocked in 1:13.04. The slow early pace contributed to a sub-par 91 Beyer Speed Figure, but the fast finish was more than enough to impress. Both fillies seem sure to be important factors at the highest levels of filly and mare turf competition.

* The $200,000 Sam F. Davis Stakes, 1 1/16 miles for 3-year-olds

Several Triple Crown nominees were in this nine-horse field, including six shipping to Tampa Bay Downs from Gulfstream Park.

When the dust cleared, Fierce Wind was a decisive winner with a substandard 85 Beyer Speed Figure. Yet the son of Dixie Union has now won all three of his races beyond one mile for Hall of Fame trainer Nick Zito, and he did show good acceleration to take control of the race coming out of the final turn.

Barclay Tagg's Big Truck finished a good second after a poor 2008 debut in the 7-furlong Hutcheson Stakes at Gulfstream Park on January 5th. Big Truck is another who will deserve a chance to improve when he meets tougher competition in his next start. Smooth Air, the Hutcheson winner, was a respectable third but still appears to be better suited to shorter races around one turn.

The disappointment in the race was $6-5 betting favorite Z Humor, who finished fifth after showing some speed for five furlongs. In his prior start, on December 7th at Delta Downs, the Billy Mott-trained Z Humor was a dead heat winner of the $1 million Delta Jackpot.

Gulfstream Park

* The $100,000 Hallandale Beach, 1 1/16 miles on the turf for 3-year-olds

The story of this race is simple to tell. Favored Cowboy Cal and Why Tonto had finished first and second in the Tropical Park Derby on the turf at Calder Race Course on January 1st. But in this race, these two Todd Pletcher-trained Triple Crown nominees raced together throughout and finished in reverse order in a terrific horse race. While neither colt has yet to win on a dirt or synthetic surface, Pletcher is likely to give each of them a shot away from grass racing in their next outings.

Santa Anita Park

* The $150,000 San Carlo Handicap (G2), 7 furlongs for 3-year-olds and up

This was an important race for experienced sprinters and middle distance types. Surf Cat, now 6 years old and on his third comeback, used his okay third in the Palos Verdes (G2) over the same track on January 21st as a legit prep race to fire a winning stretch running effort over multiple Grade 1 winner Greg's Gold.

The clocking for the 7 furlongs was 1:21.62 over a very fast and seemingly fair racing strip (that was to be changed radically in mid-week, as explained above). The 99 Beyer Speed Figure was slightly below par for the level. This can be interpreted to suggest that Surf Cat and Greg's Gold have lost a few steps since the days when they regularly recorded triple digit Beyer Speed Figures.

Meanwhile, $19-10 betting favorite Johnny Eves faded to fourth after dueling for the lead. He may have had a legit excuse, however, because he missed some workouts due to the rainy weather in late January.

Sunday, February 17th

Gulfstream Park

* The $150,000 Hurricane Bertie (G3), 7 furlongs for fillies and mares

Heavily favored Sugar Swirl annihilated this field by almost 9 lengths in 1:22.77 for the 7 furlongs. That was good for a 100 Beyer Speed Figure on the fast - but not insanely fast - dirt racing surface.

Monday, February 18th

Laurel Park

* The $246,000 General George (G2), 7 furlongs for 3-year-olds and up

Bustin Stones, a lukewarm $2-1 betting favorite, remained unbeaten in five career outings with a game front running score over fast closing Lord Snowden. The latter overcame a slow start and a good bumping match in mid-stretch with eventual third-place finisher Premium Wine, who also endured a very rough trip and did well for his placing. Fact is, the top three ran superbly and seem likely to be important factors at this level and races up to one mile further down the road.

The disappointment in the race was Divine Park, winner of the Grade 2 Withers Stakes at Aqueduct last May who shipped up from Florida where he was training since an eventful, but equally disappointing performance in the Malibu at Santa Anita on December 26th. Although Divine Park had a legit excuse - he broke through the starting gate before the race began - it's back to the drawing board with ace trainer Kiaran McLaughlin.

Santa Anita Park

* The $150,000 Buena Vista (G2), one mile on the turf for fillies and mares

Most of this field had ambiguous form, including Black Mamba, who had several second- and third-place finishes in top-level company but had failed to win despite being posted in good position to score. Others in the field had won graded stakes against modest competition or were glorified allowance horses.

The winner Costume certainly fit that modest description, having placed in stakes while winning only once in 10 career starts. This time she won, partly by default as Alexander Rose turned a clear lead in the upper stretch to another way to lose a race. Suddenly and without warning, Alexander Rose bore out badly in the upper stretch to give the race away, fading to sixth.

Black Mamba did rally once again for a good second, while Kris' Sis also fired a late move for third. Shemeen, a 32-1 shot finished an okay fourth after being bothered by Black Mamba in deep stretch. Fact is, every horse in this race made a serious bid, except for I Can See, who finished a non-threatening fifth.

Oaklawn Park

* The $250,000 Southwest Stakes (G3), one mile for 3-year-olds

In this important early prep race for the Arkansas Derby in April, the winner Denis of Cork remained undefeated with a smooth 2 1/4-lengths score over a moderately talented field under excellent handling by Robbie Albarado. Although assisted by a relatively fast early pace (45.25 seconds for the initial half mile), Denis of Cork seemed to have more gas in the tank to be used on a later date.

The disappointment was Turf War, the dead heated winner (with Z Humor) in the $1 million Delta Jackpot on December 7th. As pointed out earlier, Z Humor also ran poorly in the Sam F. Davis Stakes at Tampa Bay Downs on Saturday.

ARE YOU A DERBY WATCHER?

In two weeks, and for seven consecutive weeks, you'll find for my top 12 Kentucky Derby contenders and their progress as they make their way through the Prep Race schedule.

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Steve Davidowitz has written two highly acclaimed books on Thoroughbred racing---Betting Thoroughbreds and The Best and Worst of Thoroughbred Racing. He also is a regular contributor to Daily Racing Form's Simulcast Weekly and DRF Plus and his columns appear in the Bodog Racebook each week.