Snow Chief, Ferdinand Meet for Eighth Time

The Santa Anita Handicap, which will be run for the 50th time today and the second time for a $1-million purse, is more than a two-horse race, but the fact is that when Snow Chief and Ferdinand run against one another, there’s not much money left for anyone else.

Still young horses, Ferdinand and Snow Chief will be battling for the eighth time in the Big ‘Cap. The rest of the nine-horse cast--with only a couple of them along for the ride--consists of Broad Brush, Bedside Promise, Epidaurus, Hopeful Word, Nostalgia’s Star, Bruiser and Bozina.

Three of the nine--Ferdinand, Epidaurus and Bruiser--are trained by Charlie Whittingham, who since his first Big ‘Cap in 1955 has started 51 horses in the race. Whittingham has drawn three sevens in this high-stakes game--he’s won it seven times, to go with seven seconds and seven thirds.

With wins by Lord at War and Greinton, Whittingham is on the threshold of becoming the first trainer to win the race three straight years. The other doubles were by Silent Tom Smith with Kayak II and Seabiscuit in 1939-40 and by Ron McAnally with John Henry in 1981-82.

“Like Sitting Bull with Custer, maybe we’ve got ‘em surrounded this year,� said Whittingham, who is running Epidaurus to make sure there’s company for the speed horses such as Snow Chief and Bedside Promise.

“I don’t want anybody to get away on me,� said Whittingham, who is counting on the customary closing kick from Ferdinand.

In seven meetings, Snow Chief holds a 4-2 edge over Ferdinand, with Variety Road having beaten both of them in winning this year’s San Fernando, with Snow Chief third and Ferdinand fourth.

The seven Snow Chief-Ferdinand races have been worth $3.6 million. Snow Chief has come away with $1.6 million, and Ferdinand has banked just more than $1 million, giving them 75% of the available purse money.

The rivalry began when they were 2-year-olds, Snow Chief winning the Hollywood Futurity with Ferdinand finishing third.

Last year, after Snow Chief had won the Santa Anita Derby, with Ferdinand third, seven lengths behind, they both ran in the Kentucky Derby. Favored Snow Chief finished 11th, while Ferdinand won at 17-1, making Whittingham and Bill Shoemaker the oldest trainer and jockey to ever win the race.

Two weeks later, Snow Chief redeemed himself, finishing four lengths ahead of the second-place Ferdinand in the Preakness.

Ferdinand, the only horse to run in all three Triple Crown races last year, got a long rest after finishing third in the Belmont, which Snow Chief skipped. Snow Chief, recuperating from knee surgery in July, didn’t run again until the Malibu last Dec. 26 at Santa Anita, where Ferdinand was waiting for him and scored a 1-length victory.

After Variety Road and Broad Brush had run 1-2 against the pair in the San Fernando, Snow Chief and Ferdinand had their most memorable showdown. That was in the Charles H. Strub Stakes a month ago, when Snow Chief raced to an early lead, then held off Ferdinand by a nose, with the horses bumping hard near the finish line.

Despite persistent rain late last week, Whittingham is hoping for a fast track today. Ferdinand has run on only one off track, finishing third in the Belmont. Whittingham said that Ferdinand’s performance in the Santa Anita Derby was affected by a slick racing surface that was still listed as fast.

“In the Belmont, he didn’t handle the mud well and he didn’t handle it badly, but at least he was good enough to get third,� Whittingham said.

In his second start as a 3-year-old, Snow Chief thrived in the slop, winning the El Camino Real Derby at Bay Meadows. He’s been on nothing but fast tracks since then.

Before last week’s rain, trainer Mel Stute sent Snow Chief six furlongs at Santa Anita and he was timed in a blazing 1:09 3/5. A year ago, Precisionist turned in a similarly fast workout, and after finishing sixth as the favorite in the Big ‘Cap, his jockey, Chris McCarron, blamed himself and the speedy work for the loss.

Stute isn’t blaming anybody for Snow Chief’s work on Wednesday. “I was hoping he might do it in 1:08,� the trainer said. “I was trying to scare (trainer) Dick Small away from coming from Maryland with Broad Brush. I hope Snow Chief goes to the lead on Sunday.�

After finishing second in the San Fernando and third in the Strub, Broad Brush returned to Maryland. He was probably already on a plane out of New York Wednesday by the time Snow Chief worked, but Small would have come, anyway.

If there is a horse who would even welcome more rain for the Big ‘Cap, it would be Broad Brush.

“The worse it is, the better he likes it,� Small said. “Saratoga was a mess the day they ran the Travers, but he just missed beating Wise Times (before being penalized to fourth place for interference in the stretch).

“Actually, even if the track is only damp, that would help him. The track he likes the least is one that’s completely dry.�

Because of the presence of Snow Chief, Ferdinand and Broad Brush, Bedside Promise has taken a position in the background.

The 5-year-old chestnut’s win in the San Antonio Handicap at Santa Anita on Feb. 22 was his fourth in the last five starts. Bedside Promise has never won at 1 miles, the Big ‘Cap distance, but then he had never won at 1 1/8 miles until the San Antonio.

Bedside Promise has been weighted at 121 pounds, which leaves him fourth on that list, after Snow Chief at 126, Ferdinand at 125 and Broad Brush at 122.

Whittingham thinks Bedside Promise might have gotten a slight break in the weights. Horses running against Ferdinand and Snow Chief need some kind of a break, because the money those two leave behind is hardly enough to pay for the oats.

THE FIELD 1 MILES ON DIRT

PP HORSE JOCKEY WGT ODDS 1 Bruiser Alex Solis 113 20-1 2 Broad Brush Angel Cordero 122 9-2 3 Snow Chief Pat Valenzuela 126 9-5 4 Bedside Promise Gary Stevens 121 6-1 5 Nostalgia’s Star Fernando Toro 118 20-1 6 Bozina Corey Black 110 30-1 7 Hopeful Word Laffit Pincay 116 15-1 8 Epidaurus Gary Baze 115 7-5 9 Ferdinand Bill Shoemaker 125 7-5

ENTRY: Epidaurus and Ferdinand. PURSE: First place (estimated): $550,000; Second: $200,000; Third: $150,000; Fourth: $75,000; Fifth: $25,000.