NEWS
Surfside retains No. 1 seed
Posted: Saturday, March 18, 2000
W. T. Young's filly on course to face males in the Santa Anita Derby after winning the Santa Anita Oaks
While college basketball officials were announcing and seeding the 64 teams selected for the National Collegiate Athletic Association's post-season tournament on March 12, Surfside strengthened her hold on the top seed in the national three-year-old filly division with a victory in the $300,000 Santa Anita Oaks (G1) at Santa Anita Park.
Santa Anita Oaks (G1)
Santa Anita Park, March 12, $300,000, 11/16 miles, fast, 1:44.03
1-SURFSIDE, f. 3, Seattle Slew-Flanders, by Seeking the Gold.
2-Kumari Continent, f. 3, Kris S.-Rajmata, by Known Fact.
3-Classy Cara, f. 3, General Meeting-Anastastia Honey, by Czaravich.
But the question remained how the Overbrook Farm star ranks against top three-year-old males, an answer expected to be provided in the $1-million Santa Anita Derby (G1) on April 8.
Surfside became a millionaire with her third victory in as many starts here this winter, though for the second straight time, the prohibitive favorite was forced to work for the victory.
Ridden by Pat Day, Surfside dueled outside Rings a Chime to a brisk opening half-mile in :45.97, inched away in midstretch, and was fully extended to hold off Kumari Continent by three-quarters of a length. Classy Cara, the longest shot at 21.90-to-1 in the field of five, rallied from last to finish third, another nose back.
Rings a Chime finished fourth, another 1 3/4 lengths back and 5 1/2 lengths in front of Spain, the 4.20-to-1 second choice who faded badly at the far turn after stalking the pace.
Surfside, carrying scale weight of 117 pounds, covered the 1 1/16 miles in 1:44.03 over a fast but dull track to give trainer D. Wayne Lukas an unprecedented eighth Oaks victory. The time was one of the slowest since Lukas won his first Oaks with Blush With Pride in 1982.
Lukas, seeking to repeat the Santa Anita Oaks-Santa Anita Derby-Kentucky Derby (G1) triple he accomplished with Winning Colors in 1988, used a nasal strip on the filly (all his horses have used them since it was legalized in California on March 1) and took her off furosemide (Lasix), feeling it may have dulled her in her victory in the Las Virgenes Stakes (G1) on February 12.
"We've got grandiose ideas," Lukas said. "Whether they're fulfilled remains to be seen, but we feel like we're on course. She's gaining weight and she keeps on winning."
Day agreed. "She started to labor a little in the stretch," Day said, "and I had to get after her, but her status is not diminished in my eyes. She keeps on winning."
Looking toward Kentucky
Surfside, a daughter of champions Seattle Slew and Flanders, scored her seventh victory in nine starts and raised her earnings to $1,040,230. The sixth odds-on favorite to win this race in seven years, Surfside was the 2-to-5 choice and created a minus show pool of $64,788.
"I'm always nervous when they're favored," said owner-breeder William T. Young, 82. "They chased her pretty good today. It made my heart beat a little faster."
Young remained optimistic that Surfside will run well enough in the Santa Anita Derby to warrant a start in the Kentucky Derby.
"I'm a Kentuckian, and I'd rather win the Derby than several (Kentucky) Oaks," said Young, who won the Kentucky Derby in 1996 with Grindstone. "And we may have Shawnee Country for the Oaks.
"We'll let nature take its course," Young continued. "The races get tougher and tougher, but if she's good enough to run in the Derby, she'll run there. But why wouldn't anybody go for the Derby? We're not going to do anything foolish, but Surfside has done as well as Winning Colors. Why not dream?"
Trudy McCaffery, co-owner and co-breeder of Kumari Continent, was ecstatic with the filly's effort in only her third start. "She's a big girl; we gave her a lot of time," McCaffery said.
Stretch-running Classy Cara, winner of the San Jose Stakes at Bay Meadows in her previous start for trainer Doug O'Neill, cost owner John Zamora $20,000 at the Barretts May two-year-olds in training sale. She is named after his teenage daughter.
An Oscar upset
Trainer Oscar Garcia and owner-breeder Nick Cafarchia teamed up to score their first stakes victory in spectacular style on March 11, capturing the $150,000 Crystal Water Handicap for California-breds with 63.90-to-1 longshot Road to Slew.
Ridden by Victor Espinoza, Road to Slew stalked the pace in third, took the lead at the top of the stretch, and turned back a bid by Spinelessjellyfish to win by a half length in 1:35.24 for one mile on firm turf. High Tech Friend finished third, neck back and a length in front of Native Desert, the defending champion and 1.50-to-1 favorite who rallied from last.
"I'm an old exercise rider and gallop my own horses, and he's been learning to relax better in the mornings," said Garcia. Garcia, 36, is a native of Tijuana, Mexico, who took out his license three years ago after working seven years for John Sadler.
Cafarchia, a Pasadena resident who owns a bakery and delicatessen, also savored his first stakes victory after 15 years in the sport.
Road to Slew, a five-year-old gelding, had never previously run in an added-money race. He recorded his third victory in 13 starts and nearly doubled his earnings to $185,750.
FINISH LINES-General Challenge, winner of the $1-million Santa Anita Handicap (G1) on March 4, will remain at Santa Anita to run in the $150,000 San Bernardino Handicap (G2) on April 9. Big 'Cap runner-up Budroyale will run in the $600,000 Oaklawn Handicap (G1) on April 8, while third-place finisher Puerto Madero (Chi) is headed for the $6-million Dubai World Cup on March 25. É Jockey Joe Bravo, who moved his tack to Santa Anita from the East a few days earlier, recorded his first California victory aboard Harmony Bear in a $23,000 maiden claiming race on March 11.
Steve Schuelein is a Southern California correspondent of Thoroughbred Times.
