Dateline: 03/03/01

On Saturday March 3rd, the best handicap horses on the west coast met up in the 64th renewal of the Santa Anita Handicap. In this Grade 1 feature,

Tiznow with Chris McCarron up

Challenging the champ were turf-to-dirt convert Bienamado, the second choice at 6-1, and 6.7-1 co-third choices Wooden Phone, who beat Tiznow in the Strub, and Guided Tour, the San Antonio Handicap winner.

As they did in the Strub, when the gate opened Corey Nakatani sent Wooden Phone immediately to the lead, with Tiznow alongside him under Chris McCarron. For the first mile they dueled 2 wide with Tiznow stalking Wooden Phone by a length and a half. Wooden Phone set rather quick early fractions of 23.13, 46.41, and 1:10.75 before Tiznow finally poked his head in front at the quarter pole, having run the mile in 1:35.85. Down the stretch under some urging by McCarron, Tiznow drew off, stretching his lead to 2 1/2 lengths in mid stretch and finishing five lengths ahead of Wooden Phone while stopping the clock in a respectible 2:01.55 for the 1 1/4 mile feature over a fast track.

Jockey Chris McCarron, recording his 6,985th career win, said, "He was the best horse in the race on paper and he was the best horse in the race on the race track. Once he had a secure position I let him be second; I didn't chase Wooden Phone until about the three-eighths pole. That's when I went ahead and put the pressure on him. After that, it was pretty much all over." McCarron needs 15 wins to become the seventh jockey to ride 7,000 career winners. Part-owner Michael Cooper indicated that his horse is being pointed at the Californian at Hollywood Park on June 10.

Nakatani said of the duel, "The other horse was just the better horse today. We did what we wanted to do, but we would have needed a magic wand to beat (Tiznow). But (Wooden Phone) ran a good race in defeat. Maybe we can meet one more time and have best two out of three."

16.4-1 shot Irisheyesareflying, who had followed behind the two leaders almost the whole way around, was beaten for third place money by 22.6-1 longshot Tribunal late in the stretch after going four wide around the turn. Tribunal finished a length and a half behind Wooden Phone.

Bienamado was a non-factor in the race, having been bumped at the start, stumbling badly, and stayed in ninth place almost the entire trip. Guided Tour ran a wide trip in fourth or fifth and finished fifth beaten 9 1/2 lengths by the winner.

Pgm  Horse              Jockey            Win   Place  Show
 5   Tiznow             McCarron         4.00    3.20  2.80
 2   Wooden Phone       Nakatani                 5.40  4.40
 8   Tribunal           Flores                         8.40

Winning Time:  2:01.55

$1 Exacta 5-2                10.90
$2 Quinella 5-2              13.00
$1 Trifecta 5-2-8           119.50
$1 Superfecta 5-2-8-4     1,243.10

All photos by Cindy Pierson and Terence Dulay. Logo courtesy of Santa Anita.

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