Racing at Santa Anita : Miss Brio Makes Herself at Home With Santa Monica Handicap Win

Since making her American debut last July, Miss Brio has shown a liking for a variety of tracks. On Monday, she added yet another track to the list, winning the $109,800 Santa Monica Handicap by 2 1/2 lengths before a crowd of 51,964 at Santa Anita.

For the third straight stake, a favorite was unable to win. This time, Very Subtle, who went off at 6-5, remained in contention early, but wound up fourth in the 8-horse field.

Miss Brio, a Chilean-bred 5-year-old mare, scored her first American victory for trainer Neil Drysdale at Keeneland last fall, and in her last start, at Hollywood Park a month ago, she also won at 7 furlongs.

The Santa Monica was Miss Brio’s first American stakes win and was worth $64,800 to her owner, Will Farish. Valdemosa, who started her career in Argentina, finished second, 1 3/4 lengths ahead of Josette, who nosed out Very Subtle for third place.

Very Subtle, winner of the Breeders’ Cup Sprint in 1987, went a year without a victory before she won the Las Flores Handicap on Jan. 2. Her penalty for that win was a 126-pound impost Monday, which was 9 pounds more than Miss Brio had to carry.

Even though Very Subtle was close to the brisk early pace Monday, she didn’t seem to be firing.

“She didn’t run a bad race, but she didn’t run like she can,� said Laffit Pincay, Very Subtle’s jockey. “I kept sending her and sending her and couldn’t get her to go during the first part of the race. She was hesitant when she got inside.�

Timed in 1:21 3/5, a second off the stakes record, Miss Brio paid $6.40, $4.20 and $3.60. Valdemosa, who went off at 24-1, paid $14 and $8, and Josette returned $10.80.

Drysdale hadn’t won a stake at the meeting before Monday, but now has 7 wins in 13 starts at the meeting. “Usually I start slowly and pick up momentum,� Drysdale said.

Drysdale was familiar with Miss Brio’s sire, Semenenko, because he was involved in the sale of the stallion to a farm in Chile. Miss Brio came to Drysdale’s barn in September of 1987 after Farish bought her. The trainer didn’t run her in a race until last July, almost a year after she made her last South American start.

“There wasn’t anything wrong with her, I just wanted to give her time to acclimate herself,� Drysdale said. “I’ve found that horses coming from South America do better later if you give them extra time. The seasons of the year are different down there than here, and that’s a factor.�

Eddie Delahoussaye rode Miss Brio. They were next to last after a half-mile, but less than 4 lengths behind Josette. Delahoussaye made his move on the turn and took the lead at the eighth pole. Miss Brio spurted away from the others and coasted home.

“My mare is usually farther back than what she was today, but she broke sharp and I let her go up there,� Delahoussaye said. “At the 5 1/2-furlong pole, I took a hold and she came back to me kind. Then I just sat chilly and waited.�

Very Subtle was on the rail, in front of Miss Brio, at the top of the stretch, but Delahoussaye knew that Very Subtle drifted out in a race at Hollywood Park last month.

“When she tried to get out again, I just cut the corner,� Delahoussaye said.

In her only other American stakes race, Miss Brio finished second, 3 lengths behind Nastique, in the Silver Bells Handicap at Hollywood Park. Nastique came back to win the Matriarch.

“We got in a speed duel that day with that other horse, T.V. of Crystal, and that set it up for Nastique coming from behind,� Drysdale said.

Recognizing that 1 1/8 miles might be Miss Brio’s maximum distance, Drysdale is looking at the 1 1/16-mile Santa Maria Handicap on Jan. 28 and the 1 1/8-mile Santa Margarita on Feb. 19.

“You’ve got to give her the chance to run at least a mile or a mile and a sixteenth, the way she ran today,� Delahoussaye said.

Horse Racing Notes

Santa Anita announced Monday that grass racing has been suspended. A turf race scheduled for Monday was taken off the grass course, which has been the subject of criticism from horsemen at the meeting. Over the weekend, one horse was destroyed after being injured in a grass race. Feraud, another horse injured in a grass race, was reportedly destroyed, but his trainer, Cotton Tinsley, said that he’s in critical condition and attempts are being made to save him for breeding.

“We are not going to schedule any more grass races until warmer weather returns and continues, especially warmer nights,� said Cliff Goodrich, Santa Anita general manager. “We have finished the first stage of a project to take advantage of a new technology developed for turf courses in England and Hong Kong. When completed here, it will substantially improve the turf racing surface.� Goodrich said the work will cost about $2.5 million and will be completed before the start of the Oak Tree meeting in the fall.

Goodrich takes exception to criticism of Santa Anita’s dirt course. “It’s not too hard,� he said. “Horsemen are not complaining, and while the times have been fast during the meet, that doesn’t mean that the track is hard or unsafe.�

Miracle Horse, who kicked himself in a grass race Sunday, suffered only a minor injury. . . . A group of 15 bettors hit the Pick Nine with a $3,840 ticket Monday and collected $1,061,861.20, minus the 20% deduction by the federal government. Of the nine winners picked, the biggest win price was $15.80.