SANTA ANITA : Wandesta Is Favored Over Six Rivals in Santa Barbara

Looking for her second consecutive Grade I victory in three weeks, Wandesta is the 7-5 favorite against six opponents in the $200,000 Santa Barbara Handicap today at Santa Anita.

Rested for three months after finishing a close third in the Matriarch last November at Hollywood Park, Wandesta returned with an allowance victory on Feb. 19, then drew off when room developed in the stretch to win the Santa Ana Handicap by two lengths on March 18.

Corey Nakatani will ride again for trainer Bobby Frankel, who has a chance to dominate the filly and mare grass stakes in the coming months with Wandesta and Possibly Perfect, who returned to action a week ago with an easy victory.

Aube Indienne, the beaten favorite in the Santa Ana, is the 2-1 second choice. She also had been off since the Matriarch before that race and was a very tired mare afterward. The 5-year-old is trained by Charlie Whittingham, who is without a stakes victory at the meeting, and she figures to move forward in the 1 1/4-mile Santa Barbara.

Yearly Tour, second in the Santa Ana, and Morgana are co-third choices at 4-1. The former had a five-race winning streak snapped by Wandesta while the latter dominated a field of allowance types in her U.S. debut on March 16.

The longshots Ask Anita, Comply and Real Connection round out the field. Capracotta was scratched Saturday morning.

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Seventy-six days and 52 mounts into the Santa Anita meeting, Alex Solis finally won a turf race Saturday.

Riding 5-2 second choice Marina Park in the $103,175 Las Cienegas Breeders’ Cup Handicap, Solis and the 5-year-old Local Suitor mare wore down favorite and pacesetter Rabiadella, then held off Pirate’s Revenge to win by a half-length in 1:13 3/5 for the nearly 6 1/2 furlongs.

Making her first start since finishing fourth behind Key Phrase in the Santa Monica Handicap on Jan. 16, Marina Park won for the sixth time in 23 turf starts and gave trainer Ian Jory only his fourth victory of the meeting.

“She popped a curb (behind the left hind hock) in the Santa Monica and it was very deep mud,” Jory said. “I actually thought she’d win that day. I was very disappointed.

“She was off and she actually did nothing for about a month in between. I was a little worried she might be a little short coming into this race. She only worked about four times. She exceeded my expectations today. This was the race that came along and I thought it was just a week too soon.”

Now, Marina Park, who has shown she can handle the dirt, will return to the main track. Jory said she’ll start next in the seven-furlong A Gleam Handicap on May 7 at Hollywood Park.

“This mare was top-class in Europe,” Jory said. “She was a bad bleeder over there. As a 2-year-old and as an early 3-year-old, I think she was one of the best in the country. She’s coming back into form.”

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Trainer Don Warren made the right decision when he decided to scratch Made To Perfection from a Thursday allowance race in favor of Saturday’s $79,725 Santa Paula Stakes.

Even though it was a tougher spot Saturday, the 3-year-old Bolger filly led all the way in turning the tables on 9-10 favorite Embroidered in 1:16 1/5 for the 6 1/2 furlongs.

Three weeks earlier, Embroidered had scored a two-length victory in the Boo La Boo, but Made To Perfection went very fast early (21 1/5 and 43 3/5 for the half-mile) and it was her first race since Nov. 4.

Able to slow down to a 44 3/5 half Saturday under Solis, the 3-1 second choice won by three-quarters of a length.

“It’s nice to be right,” Warren said. “I scratched her (Thursday) because I didn’t like the (rail) and I drew the (rail) again and I didn’t like it today.

“Luckily, she broke well and she got a length-and-a-half lead. I was happy to see that, even though she was going pretty fast.”

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Dramatic Gold, second in the Strub Stakes and seventh in the Santa Anita Handicap in his most recent outing, will be out for several months because of an injury to his left foreleg.

According to trainer David Hofmans, the 4-year-old gelding was hurt while running in the Big ‘Cap. “He’s going to be sidelined for a bit,” Hofmans told the Daily Racing Form. “He’s got a little problem, nothing severe. It’s just a precautionary measure.”

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Best Pal, who will try to win the Oaklawn Handicap for the second time in his career next Saturday, worked seven furlongs in 1:23 3/5 Friday morning at Santa Anita.

The 7-year-old gelding is scheduled to be shipped to Arkansas Monday, along with Santa Anita Handicap winner Urgent Request and Johann Quatz, both of whom will also run in the Oaklawn Handicap. The race is also expected to lure Cigar, Concern and Silver Goblin.

Horse Racing Notes

Concept Win, who had turned in two straight subpar performances before going on the shelf in January, returned in style Saturday, easily winning the $70,800 Gray Slewpy. Ridden by Eddie Delahoussaye and fitted with blinkers for the first time, the 8-1 shot outran favored Lucky Forever for the lead and kept right on going to win by four lengths in 1:21 1/5 for the seven furlongs. Lucky Forever finished second, two lengths in front of 3-1 second choice Phone Roberto. . . . Straight To Bed joined Larry The Legend as the meeting’s only four-time winner when he won the ninth race under Martin Pedroza.