SANTA ANITA : Memo Wins San Bernardino

Taking advantage of a track that seemed to favor front-runners all afternoon, Memo scored his second consecutive victory, a $21 upset in the $215,800 San Bernardino Handicap at Santa Anita on Saturday.

Winless in his first nine starts in the United States after arriving from Chile, the 6-year-old horse set slow fractions under Paul Atkinson, then withstood 10-1 shot Charmonnier by a neck to win in 1:47 2/5 for the 1 1/8 miles.

Marquetry, the 11-10 favorite and coupled with Berillon in the betting, was a distant third, five lengths behind Charmonnier. Lottery Winner, the 17-10 second choice seeking his fifth victory in his last seven starts, was fifth.

“He had his day today,” trainer Richard Mandella said of Memo, who is owned by Pancho and Teresa Cortez of Santiago, Chile. “He’s been training like he’d run well. He worked in 1:37 (for a mile on March 24) and his last race was good.

“I’m happy for Paul. He’s an underrated rider, and he’s very patient. I liked it when I saw 47 (seconds, the half-mile fraction). We’re looking at the Californian next (April 24 at Hollywood Park) or possibly the National Jockey Club Handicap at Sportsman’s Park (also April 24).”

Mandella’s sixth stakes victory of the meeting was the second for Atkinson.

“Dick has done a hell of a job training this horse,” Atkinson said. “He’s a completely different horse now. He’s so much more relaxed. In the stretch, I felt (Charmonnier) coming, and I thought he was going to go by me. But my horse just kept digging and wouldn’t let him go by.”

Glen Kate, a 6-year-old mare owned by King owner Bruce McNall and King captain Wayne Gretzky, scored her second stakes victory of the Santa Anita meeting, winning by a head over Heart Of Joy in the $104,350 Las Cienegas Breeders’ Cup Handicap.

Two months after leading all the way in the Monrovia Handicap, the 13-10 second choice used similar tactics Saturday, although it wasn’t as easy under Corey Black. In winning for the eighth time in 19 starts, Glen Kate paid $4.60 and completed the 6 1/2 furlongs on turf in 1:12 3/5.

Heart Of Joy, the 13-10 favorite, was three-quarters of a length ahead of 5-1 Worldly Possession in the field of six, reduced by the scratches of Bountiful Native, Freedom Cry and Northrops Bid.

“This is about as game as she’s run,” trainer Bill Shoemaker said of Glen Kate. “I thought (Heart Of Joy) had her beaten near the sixteenth pole. But she hung in there and kept trying.”

The victory earned Glen Kate a trip to Hong Kong for the $400,000 Hong Kong Bowl at seven furlongs on April 18. Black will ride her, but Shoemaker won’t be making the trip. He will be at Oaklawn Park with Diazo for the Arkansas Derby the day before.

With the scratch of Miss Turkana, only four fillies and mares will start in the $200,000-added Santa Barbara Handicap at Santa Anita today.

Trishyde, who won her 1993 debut by 14 lengths in an allowance race on March 14, is the even-money morning-line favorite for the 1 1/4-mile turf race, a Grade I event. Chris McCarron again has the mount for trainer George Vogel on the 4-year-old Nureyev filly, who was third in the Hollywood Turf Cup and second in the Citation Handicap in her first two starts in California late last year.

Exchange is the 8-5 second choice. The 5-year-old Explodent mare will be going for her third victory of the meeting. She won an allowance race on Feb. 5, then returned to win the Santa Ana Handicap, also a Grade I race, on March 13. Laffit Pincay rides for trainer Bill Spawr and owners Sidney and Jenny Craig. Exchange will carry highweight of 121 pounds, one more than Trishyde.

Trainer Bobby Frankel will send out the other two starters, Revasser and Villandry, in the Santa Barbara Handicap. Revasser has won two of three in the United States, and Villandry was third in the Santa Ana Handicap and has won one of three starts since leaving Europe.

Horse Racing Notes

Owner Madeleine Paulson said Fraise will be shipped to Santa Anita and run in the $400,000 San Juan Capistrano on April 18, the closing day of the meeting. In his first start of 1993, the Breeders’ Cup Turf winner won the Pan American Handicap on March 27 at Gulfstream Park.