Lukas Maintains a Firm Grip on the Oak Leaf : Trainer Wins Stakes Race for the Fourth Straight Time With One of a Klein

Run a rich race for 2-year-old fillies and trainer Wayne Lukas will be there, usually with more than one starter and frequently with a horse fast enough to collect the big money.

Lukas has made the Oak Leaf, one of the major stakes for 2-year-old fillies, his private preserve. Any rival trainer trying to encroach on that territory was declared out of bounds again Monday, when One of a Klein coasted to a 2 1/2-length win in the $280,150 race before an Oak Tree crowd of 18,329 at Santa Anita.

One of a Klein, named after his owner, Gene Klein, who paid $600,000 for the Danzig-Barely Even filly at a yearling auction, gave Lukas 4 straight wins in the Oak Leaf and 6 wins in the last 7 runnings. The only Oak Leafs Lukas hasn’t won since he first started trying were in 1979, when he was fifth with Hedfon, and in 1984, when Lady’s Secret, a future horse of the year, finished fifth.

Lukas had enough confidence in One of a Klein and Lea Lucinda Monday that he scratched a third entry, Solid Eight, and will run her in the $200,000 Alcibiades on Friday at Keeneland.

Lea Lucinda, who went off the 2-1 favorite, running separately in the betting under California’s coupling rule because she is not owned by Klein, enabled Lukas to run first and last in the Oak Leaf. Winner of the Del Mar Debutante, via the disqualification of Approved To Fly, and the Canterbury Downs Futurity in her last two starts, Lea Lucinda was seventh after a half-mile and stayed there. Lukas blamed her performance on the hardness of the Santa Anita track.

Stocks Up finished second, 1 lengths ahead of Lady Lister, with Approved To Fly fourth, another half-length back. Another scratch in the race was Dancing Lindsay.

One of a Klein, ridden by Chris McCarron for his third straight Oak Leaf victory and fourth overall--all on Lukas horses--ran 1 1/16 miles in 1:44, slightly slower than other winners of the stake in recent years. There was no need for McCarron to quicken the pace early, with Lady Lister, the second-place runner most of the way, never applying any pressure.

One of a Klein’s win was worth $168,090. She started her career with a 3 1/2-length win against maidens at Del Mar, then in the Del Mar Debutante, as the odds-on favorite, she finished fifth, 7 1/2 lengths behind Approved To Fly. Lukas said that he over-estimated One of a Klein’s ability and erred by under-training her for that race.

One of a Klein’s prices Monday were $10.80, $6.80 and $7.80, with the other mutuels $7 and $6.60 for Stocks Up and $8.60 for Lady Lister.

One of a Klein will be one of a quintet in the $1-million Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies at Churchill Downs Nov. 5, according to Lukas’ planning. There’s a group of 7 or 8 under consideration, with the probables now being Monday’s winner, Lea Lucinda, Some Romance, Wonders Delight and either Pat Copelan or Solid Eight. Wonders Delight will be giving Solid Eight company in the Alcibiades and Some Romance will be favored Saturday in the Frizette at Belmont Park.

Having sent out One of a Klein unprepared in the Del Mar Futurity, Lukas worked her overtime before the Oak Leaf. He worked her three-quarters of a mile about 2 weeks ago and then blew her out a half-mile in :48 2/5 last Thursday, which is an unusual training pattern for a Lukas horse.

Lukas’ other Oak Leaf wins have been with Landaluce in 1982, Life’s Magic in ’83 and then Arewehavingfunyet, Sacahuista and Dream Team the last 3 years. McCarron rode Life’s Magic, Sacahuista and Dream Team.

Before Monday’s race, McCarron had his concerns. “She washed out (broke into a lather) terrible in the post parade,” the jockey said. “She was bouncing and prancing, and hadn’t shown any signs of that at Del Mar. But she was a fitter horse today, and they left us alone (on the lead). Maybe they didn’t expect us to keep running.”

Gary Stevens, aboard Stocks Up, thought he was going to overtake One of a Klein in the stretch.

“She was wild, running in and out the whole way,” Stevens said. “Then she spotted the starting gate and ducked in.”

Klein, the owner of the winner, stayed at Del Mar to watch the race at the satellite off-track betting facility there.

“Gene doesn’t like to be out in the heat,” Lukas said of the 100-degree temperature at Santa Anita. At Churchill Downs next month, the heat will be on the other fillies that try to stop the Lukas invasion.

Horse Racing Notes

Alysheba, after working five-eighths of a mile under the lights tonight at the Meadowlands, is expected to be entered Wednesday for Friday night’s Meadowlands Cup. He has been assigned 127 pounds, 4 more than Bet Twice, who’s also expected to run. Cutlass Reality, who was also assigned 123 pounds, won’t run because of a bruised foot and his next appearance will be the Goodwood Handicap at Santa Anita on Oct. 22. Cryptoclearance, 119 pounds; Brian’s Time, 117; Simply Majestic, 116; and Pleasant Virginian, 114, are other probable starters in the 1-mile Meadowlands Cup, which will have a purse of $600,000, an increase of $100,000, if Alysheba runs. Wins by Alysheba on Friday and in the $3-million Breeders’ Cup Classic at Churchill Downs on Nov. 5 would enable him to break John Henry’s earnings record of $6.5 million.

Apprentice James Corral, injured in a spill at Santa Anita Saturday, suffered a fractured vertebra and will be sidelined indefinitely. Corral attempted to ride Sunday, but when his back bothered him he had it X-rayed. . . . Goodbye Halo and Annoconnor were assigned top weight of 120 pounds apiece for Sunday’s Las Palmas Handicap. . . . Silver Circus and Undercut are weighted at 120 pounds apiece for Wednesday’s Volante Handicap. Others in the field for the 1 1/8-mile turf stake are Ship’s Log, Golden Fir, Old Exclusive, Glad Music, Prove Splendid, Bel Air Dancer, Roberto’s Dancer, Coax Me Clyde and Swings First Dance, who’s on the also-eligible list.