McAnally Wins Pair of Stakes

Things went well at home for the Ron McAnally stable Sunday, but not so well on the road.

The Hall of Fame trainer won three races at Del Mar, including the Harry Brubaker Handicap and the Del Mar Oaks with Misnomer and Antespend, respectively, but Cleante had to settle for second behind Isitingood in the Longacres Mile at Emerald Downs in Auburn, Wash.

Sunlit Silence, another McAnally representative, was eased in the Emerald Downs Breeders’ Cup Distaff. The day before at Saratoga, Listening lost her best chance at the start when she got away very slowly, eventually finishing fourth in the Alabama.

Further proving she’s much more effective on turf than dirt, Antespend took the lead shortly after the start and went on to capture the Grade I Oaks by two lengths over Gastronomical and six other 3-year-old fillies. She ran the 1 1/8 miles in 1:48 4/5.

Giving Chris Antley his second stakes victory of the weekend--he took the Pat O’Brien Saturday with Alphabet Soup--the Spend A Buck filly has six victories in seven tries on the turf.

“I didn’t want to be on the lead, but she wanted to go,” Antley said. “She would have been a run-off the whole race if I tried to take a hold. At the three-eighths pole, I didn’t look back. I didn’t want to. From there, I just kept on riding. She was right today. She’s never been better.”

Gastronomical, the 5-1 third choice, gamely saved the place over 2-1 second choice True Flare, who had won the San Clemente Handicap in her American debut three weeks earlier for trainer Bobby Frankel.

The $400,000 Queen Elizabeth at Keeneland on Oct. 5 is where Antespend will likely appear next.

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Trying two turns for the first time in his 14-race career, Isitingood took advantage of a perfect trip, opened up three lengths into the stretch, then held on to beat Cleante by a neck in the $200,000 Longacres Mile.

Ridden by David Flores for trainer Bob Baffert and owners Terry Henn and Mike Pegram, the 5-year-old Crusader Sword horse completed the distance in 1:35 3/5. Gold And Steel, the 2-1 favorite ridden by Pat Valenzuela, finished eighth in the field of 10.

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Chaposa Springs proved best, beating 4-5 favorite Capote Belle by a half-length in the $150,000 Ballerina Handicap Sunday at Saratoga.

With Shane Sellers aboard, the 4-year-old won for the 10th time in 12 tries at the distance. She covered the seven-eighths of a mile in 1:21 4/5.

Horse Racing Notes

McAnally’s other win Sunday came with Egayant in the seventh race. . . . Chris McCarron had three victories Sunday. He won the first with Wealthy, the Brubaker with Misnomer and the sixth with General Royal. . . . Larry The Legend, who was the favorite in the Brubaker, finished fourth in the field of five. It was his first defeat in a race around two turns.