34,093 Patrons Get Plenty to Cheer About at Santa Anita

The Arcadia Marathon, better known as Breeders’ Cup Day at Santa Anita, went over well Saturday.

Oak Tree officials were anticipating 31,000 for the 15-race gala, which featured the seven Breeders’ Cup events and eight local races.

Gradually rising throughout the day, the final count was 34,093. Only 12,469 were present for the first Oak Tree race at 9:30 a.m., but the figure had grown to 22,577 when Dancing Spree upset his Breeders’ Cup Sprint rivals 90 minutes later.

Those who showed up for the longest day came to play. The handle on the Breeders’ Cup was $8,256,777, the biggest of the three years Oak Tree has had wagering on the races.

Only $3,974,027 was handled in 1985 on the second Cup from Aqueduct and the total last year from Churchill Downs was $7,238,957.

All told, the complete handle for the card, which didn’t conclude until shortly after 5 p.m., fell far short of the $15,410,409 bet when Oak Tree hosted the Breeders’ Cup in 1986 and only nine races were run. Still, Saturday’s total was an impressive $14,126,110.

Easily the most popular victories at Santa Anita were Bayakoa’s beating of Gorgeous in the Distaff and Sunday Silence’s upset of Easy Goer in the Classic.

Although the difference was very slight, Bayakoa, surprisingly, paid more here than she did in Florida.

The California-based mare and soon-to-be Eclipse Award winner, paid $3.60 at Santa Anita, compared to $3.40 at Gulfstream.

In beating Easy Goer for the third time in four tries, Sunday Silence was 3-2 locally opposed to 2-1 across the country.

Prized, who made his first grass start a success in the $2 million Turf, was also an underlay here. He was 6-1 compared to 8-1 at Gulfstream.

Making his initial appearance on the turf after being idle since February, Basic Rate went wire-to-wire to take the $85,875 Morvich Handicap, feature race of the local program.

Under Rafael Meza, the 4-year-old Valdez colt held off Patchy Groundfog and Major Current to win by three-quarters of a length in a stakes record 1:12 1/5 for the 6 1/2 furlongs.

The final time was only two ticks off Baffle’s 19-year-old course record, but eye-popping clockings have become rather routine over Santa Anita’s renovated turf course.

If the final time wasn’t particularly shocking, the first quarter was. In a race which figured to feature a fast early pace, Basic Rate was able to open up a length and a half through a :22 split.

The 10-1 shot extended his advantage after a :43 3/5 half, had three lengths at the eighth pole, then lasted over a troubled Patchy Groundfog and 8-1 outsider Major Current.

“He was turned out last winter because he had minor problems with his feet,” said trainer Neil French after Basic Rate won for the fifth time in 10 starts.

“He was such a good horse we wanted to give him plenty of time. He was turned out in Bradbury, then Bart Hone helped get him ready at Turf Paradise in Phoenix. I was really anxious to run him on the turf and down the hill.”

Obviously, French’s enthusiasm was heightened by Basic Rate’s lone work over the grass. He blazed five furlongs from the gate in :57 3/5.

“I worked him last time down the hill,” Meza said. “I felt he was ready to run and that he would improve a lot on grass, especially this firm course.

“I was surprised he made that easy a lead. He just got a little tired in the last sixteenth. He’s going to improve off this. He’s a hard trier.”

A multiple-stakes winner making his first start in nearly seven months at a distance that isn’t his best, Patchy Groundfog possibly could have won if he’d had clear sailing through the stretch.

Major Current was a half-length better than Gum, who was three ahead of Coastal Voyage, the 2-1 choice.

Never far off the lead in his successful California debut, Coastal Voyage broke well Saturday, but couldn’t keep up and made only a mild late run.

Oak Tree Notes

Trainer Bill Spawr was fined $1,000 for medication violations on a pair of recent winners--Wanda Wiggins in the first race Oct. 15 and Nan’s Happie Star in the third four days later. The stewards’ ruling explained the fine was for more than one permitted medication--specifically, butazolidin and banamine. . . . Super Avie, a stakes-winner trained by Jacque Fulton, has been retired after injuring a tendon. The 4-year-old filly, who was claimed for $50,000, won the Songstress at Golden Gate last year and was second in the Grade I Hollywood Oaks. . . . Alwuhush, a Breeders’ Cup also-eligible who didn’t draw into the Turf, is scheduled to be flown to California Monday for next weekend’s Carleton F. Burke. . . . Warning Zone, Down Again and Davie’s Lamb top the field in the $111,500 Louis R. Rowan Handicap today. Others scheduled for the mile on the grass are Double Wedge, Baba Cool, Stylish Star, Sugarplum Gal, Collective Joy and To The Dancer.