Overbrook's filly holds off Spain in the Las Virgenes

Owner-breeder William T. Young celebrated his 82nd birthday three days early in the winner's circle at Santa Anita Park on February 12 after prohibitive favorite Surfside won the $200,000 Las Virgenes Stakes (G1) for three-year-old fillies. The victory was no piece of cake, however.

Surfside, running in the colors of Young's Overbrook Farm and sent off as the 1-to-5 favorite in the field of four, was forced to dig deep in the stretch to turn back Spain's determined bid by three-quarters of a length. Rings a Chime finished another half-length back in third.

Recording her sixth victory in eight starts and notching her third Grade 1 triumph, Surfside covered one mile on a sealed track listed as muddy in 1:37 under scale weight of 122 pounds, highest in the field.

The margin of the victory failed to diminish the Kentucky Derby (G1) hopes of Young or trainer D. Wayne Lukas.

"She was in front at the wire; that's what you're looking for," said Young, who won the Derby with the colt Grindstone in 1996 but has not previously considered a filly for the classic race.

"She's been good since day one," Young said when asked when he first thought he had a budding star. "Wayne has been high on her since before her first race. When she finished second in the Spinaway (Stakes [G1] at Saratoga Race Course on September 3), I began believing she was something special.

"I always thought it would be greedy to want to win a second Kentucky Derby," he mused. "But, being a native of Kentucky, there is no race I would rather win. It would be especially thrilling with a filly."

Lukas, who has made his Kentucky Derby ambitions clear since Surfside won the Hollywood Starlet Stakes (G1) on December 19, saw no reason after the Las Virgenes to change the schedule he has mapped out for her: the Santa Anita Oaks (G1) on March 12, the Santa Anita Derby (G1) on April 8, and then on to Kentucky.

Las Virgenes S. (G1)
Santa Anita Park, February 12, $196,000, 1 mile, muddy, 1:37

1-SURFSIDE, f. 3, Seattle Slew-Flanders, by Seeking the Gold.
2-Spain, f. 3, Thunder Gulch-Drina, by Regal and Royal.
3-Rings a Chime, f. 3, Metfield-Outofthebluebell, by Red Ryder.

"She wears a size eight (racing) plate-huge for a filly-and I was concerned about that on a slick track," Lukas said. "She may not have covered the spread, but I was not concerned that anybody was going to get by her in the stretch. She's getting a good foundation under her, but we're going to have to pick it up a little more in the mornings for her next two."

Surfside's victory gave Lukas his fifth win the Las Virgenes, following previous scores with Althea (1984), Life At the Top ('86), Serena's Song ('95), and Sharp Cat ('97). Althea and Serena's Song went on to run in the Kentucky Derby and both finished far back. But Winning Colors, who finished second to Goodbye Halo in the 1988 Las Virgenes, beat the boys in the run for the roses. Lukas said Surfside has a better disposition and more tactical versatility than the strapping gray Winning Colors.

Randy Bradshaw, Lukas's California assistant who has marveled at Surfside's calm demeanor, said before the race, "The only thing I worry about is if she gets the lead, she gets kind of bored."

Ridden by Pat Day, Surfside took a short lead along the rail straightening down the backstretch from Rings a Chime but was awakened at the quarter pole by Spain, who unleashed a late charge along the fence under Corey Nakatani. In midstretch, Surfside responded to Day's urging and held off her rival.

"She never really cared for the track," said Day, her regular rider. "I think she was just hesitant to put her all into it because of the footing. But she's a real competitor. They came at her from both sides, and she was very game. When Spain came again, my filly dug right in again."

The Thoroughbred Corp.'s Spain was making her first start since finishing fourth, a half-length behind third-place Surfside, in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies (G1) won by Lukas-trained Cash Run on November 6 at Gulfstream Park. Eventual champion Chilukki ran second, suffering her first career defeat.

Spain's trainer, Jeff Bonde, was almost as happy with her runner-up finish as owner Ahmed bin Salman had been an hour earlier in Florida with a victory by his Royal Anthem in the $200,000 Gulfstream Park Breeders' Cup Handicap (G1).

"Turning for home, I thought we had a chance, but the other filly is a real racehorse too," said Bonde, looking forward to a rematch in the Santa Anita Oaks. "She's a little more focused than last year, and extra distance is not a disadvantage."

A daughter of Thunder Gulch, Spain carried 115 pounds, seven fewer than the winner. Surfside, a royally bred daughter of champions Seattle Slew and Flanders, raised her earnings to $860,230.

Trainer Bob Baffert is in no hurry to send Chilukki against Surfside this year. He shipped her to Louisiana to launch her sophomore campaign on February 19 in the Davona Dale Stakes (G3) at Fair Grounds.

Manistique's Santa Maria

On February 13, golfer Tiger Woods had his streak of six consecutive PGA tour victories come to an end with a runner-up finish in a tournament in California's San Diego County.

But 100 miles to the north, Manistique continued her incredible domination of fillies and mares on the Southern California circuit, overcoming a wet fast track and a huge weight spread to win the $200,000 Santa Maria Handicap (G1).

The victory was the fifth in as many starts for the five-year-old mare at this track and her 11th straight in Los Angeles County. She is six-for-six at Hollywood Park.

Fifth in the early going in a field of eight, Manistique moved four wide to reach contention on the far turn, took the lead at the eighth pole, and went on to a half-length victory over Snowberg. Gourmet Girl finished third, another 1 1/2 lengths farther back.

Manistique carried a career-high 125 pounds, the most of any Santa Maria winner since Bayakoa (Arg) was assigned 126 in 1990, the year after she won her first Eclipse Award. Ridden by Corey Nakatani, Manistique covered 1 1/16 miles in 1:42.60 as the 8-to-5 favorite.

Santa Maria H. (G1)
Santa Anita Park, February 13, $200,000, 11/16 miles, wet fast, 1:42.60

1-MANISTIQUE, m. 5, Unbridled-Astaire Step, by Nureyev.
2-Snowberg, m. 5, Seattle Sleet-Ridan Prospector, by Mr. Prospector.
3-Gourmet Girl, m. 5, Cee's Tizzy-Rhondaling (GB), by =Welsh Pageant (Fr).

Owners Marshall and Lily Naify of 505 Farms considered retiring the mare after she won the Bayakoa Handicap (G2) in December but decided to keep her in training until at least the early part of this year. If she runs as well defending her title in the $300,000 Santa Margarita Invitational Handicap (G1) on March 5, Manistique may receive another full year on the track.

"My engagement ring did well," Mrs. Naify said with a smile, referring to the part ownership of Manistique that her husband gave her in lieu of a ring before their marriage last year.

"I haven't heard Marshall mention retirement in a while," trainer John Shirreffs said after the race. "I was concerned about both the weight and the track condition. This was one of the best fields she has run against in California, and she was squeezed coming out of the gate.

"I knew she could handle an off track, but I was concerned about slipping and sliding on this surface. Putting the riders up in the saddling enclosure helped. She didn't get as excited as she sometimes gets in the paddock."

The high-strung mare, whose excitability has been her undoing in three disappointing efforts out of state, recorded her 11th victory in 15 starts and raised her earnings to $1,311,800. Nakatani won the race for the fourth time in seven years.

Riboletta (Brz) finished fourth, followed in order by Keeper Hill, Bordelaise (Arg), Potrizaris (Arg), and Florida invader Extended Applause. Keeper Hill and Bordelaise were the co-second choices at 3.10-1.

Snowberg, a 13.40-to-1 longshot, and Gourmet Girl, the 7.50-to-1 fourth choice, were in receipt of 11 and nine pounds, respectively, from the winner. Trudy McCaffery, co-owner of Snowberg, and Pico Perdomo, trainer of Gourmet Girl, both praised the efforts of their horses, who battled for the lead turning for home.

"We're going to come back in the Santa Margarita," Perdomo said. "But what can you say about Manistique? She's the best mare in the country."

FINISH LINES-VHW Stables' Classic Olympio validated her 3-to-10 favoritism under stormy skies on February 10, romping to a four-length victory in the $76,275 Stormy But Valid Stakes for three-year-old fillies at 6 1/2 furlongs on the main track, after the race was transferred from a soggy turf course. Alex Solis rode the Olympio filly for trainer Ron McAnally. ... Inchacooley (Ire) rallied from last in a field of four on February 11 to win the $74,137 The Very One Handicap for fillies and mares at 1 1/4 miles on the main track after it had been shifted from the wet turf course. Emile Ramsammy rode the eight-year-old Rhoman Rule mare for owner Ronald L. Charles and trainer Sandy Shulman. ... Trainer J. E. "Cotton" Tinsley, who turned 72 on February 5, announced his retirement after sending out 312 winners and earning more than $7.5-million in purses during his career. He might be best remembered for putting jockey Laffit Pincay Jr. on his first United States winner, Teacher's Art, at Arlington Park on August 1, 1966. ... Multiple graded stakes winner Captain Steve, who finished third in the Santa Catalina Stakes (G3) in his last start on January 30, came out of that race with a bruised foot but remains on target for his next start in the Louisiana Derby (G2) on March 12. ... Chester House, a fast-closing fourth in the Breeders' Cup Classic (G1) after stumbling badly at the start in his United States debut, is being trained up to the $1-million Santa Anita Handicap (G1) on March 4 by Bobby Frankel. Budroyale, General Challenge, and Cat Thief are expected to vie for favoritism in the 1 1/4-mile race. Trainer Juan "Paco" Gonzalez, who won the race last year with Free House, plans to send out both Six Below and Bagshot for owners John Toffan and McCaffery.

Steve Schuelein is a Southern California correspondent of Thoroughbred Times.