GOLDEN GLIMPSES #63 GOLDEN GLIMPSES #63 SHE'S A SHARP CAT, BUT CAN SHE WHIP MALE PEER PRESSURE?
Sharp Cat is unbeaten in three starts at Santa Anita, winning by a combined margin of 25 lengths. Despite the fact that there were no Ruffians behind her, there's no question the daughter of Storm Cat is the best 3-year-old filly west of the Mississippi.
Sharp Cat has undeniable talent, but she has shown a distinct aversion for the whip, which, in the eyes of one astute observer, could prove her undoing when she goes against colts in the Santa Anita Derby on April 5.
"She's going to have a major problem when she's not out on her own (on the lead)," said Trevor Denman, Santa Anita's track announcer and analyst for NBC-TV. "She categorically does not like the whip, so you almost can't put her under pressure and hit her, because she's going to duck.
"I don't think she's ever going to change that. So when she's under pressure with three-four horses around her, it might be a whole different Sharp Cat. And if she can't get out and away from the whip, what she's going to do is just back up. She's just going to put the brakes on.
"So until she's in a really rough contest, it's tough to tell. She's got unlimited ability, but tactically, it doesn't look good."
Santa Anita's goal during its 86-day meet was to average 8.5 horses per race. To accomplish that, it pared its weekday race schedule from nine to eight, with 10 races on Strub day and Santa Anita Handicap day, and nine on selected days, such as the final two Fridays of this meet, when twilight racing will start at 3 p.m.
"I think we'll run something like 739 races this meet," Director of Racing Tom Robbins said. "Last year, we averaged close to nine races a day, when all the dust settled."
Through the first 60 days, average horses per race was 8.48, compared to 8.72 last year. Heavy rains in January created small fields which reduced this year's average.
Still, the concept and the intent are honorable.
"We're encouraged," Robbins said, "but the problem is we were in the hole from January. Last year, we didn't have that much rain in January. But we're slowly building our way back up. The decline in our horse population began last year when we started writing nine races on weekdays and 10 on weekends. This year, the trend is positive. Last year, the trend dropped as we had to write more races."
Robbins has the support of horsemen.
"They recognize the importance of the improved program, a quality program," Robbins said. "They're savvy enough to understand that their purses are derived from the betting dollar, and if our cards aren't attractive, people don't come here and people don't bet their money, which generates more purse money for them.
"Even with fewer (racing) opportunities, the horsemen recognize that it's advantageous if the overall program is improved."
GOLDEN PICKS
SANDTRAP -- Tossed head at start, costing more than enough lengths to win race, which he lost by a head. Wins on or off pace down the hill.
STOP MAKING SENSE -- Best-looking horse in post parade broke maiden with enough in the tank to handle tougher.
SURACHAI -- Tons best in turf debut going down the hill, but bumped runner-up crossing dirt and was DQ'd to second. Should make amends.
TINA CELESTA -- Found her form at $10,000 level, ran winning race after slow start but couldn't overtake front-runner.
THE HOMESTRETCH: "I'm certainly pleased with the way he performed," said Chris McCarron of Silver Charm's first effort around two turns, a second to Free House in the San Felipe Stakes. "This was the first time he had a lot of dirt hitting him in the face. When I left the 5/8 pole, I was in real tight and he started getting showered with some sand and he kind of jumped up and down a little bit. That cost him a length or two, but I put him out in the clear and he leveled back off. Then I was going to have to go two-wide on the next turn, so I shoved him back down inside and he went right in there beautifully, like he did in his last start. All in all, he ran great." Still, McCarron was left to ride Hello in the Santa Anita Derby, after Bob Baffert committed to Gary Stevens for Silver Charm. "Whoever was going to ride him, I needed him to work the horse a couple of times," explained Baffert, "so I couldn't wait till the last minute. But it was all amicable." McCarron just missed winning the Kentucky Derby with Cavonnier for Baffert last year, "but I never had the call (from McCarron) until about a week before, so I didn't want to go through that again." . . . David Hofmans says Alphabet Soup's wrenched front ankle has been X-rayed again, and "everything looks great" for the Breeders' Cup Classic winner. "He'll start training again next week.". . . Alton Hungerford is the courageous assistant starter who saved Hello from possible injury when the Irish-bred colt broke through the gate before the San Rafael, in which he finished a game third. Starter Tucker Slender says all his assistants deserve combat pay. Hello, meanwhile, is being schooled on his gate behavior so he'll get a clean getaway in the Santa Anita Derby . . . When John DeSantis was booking mounts for Sal Gonzalez Jr. and wanted to join Santa Anita's inter-track TV team, he was told it would be a conflict of interests. So doesn't the same apply for Kent Desormeaux's agent, Brian Beach, as host of "Inside Santa Anita" and "Santa Anita Today"?
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