SANTA ANITA : College Town Passes the Test During an Upsetting Cal Cup

Melrose Wine began California Cup V day with a $28.60 upset in the Distaff Starter Handicap and things only got wackier from there.

Longshots dominated the nine-race, $1-million party restricted to California-breds, and the biggest surprises were saved for last.

College Town, a 33-1 shot who had lost 17 of his first 18 starts while finishing second eight times, stunned 4-5 favorite Kingdom Found by two lengths in the $250,000 Classic, the afternoon’s richest race, then Fabulouspersuasion, a twice-beaten maiden filly, wrapped things up with a $67.80 shocker in the Juvenile Fillies.

Before that, Nannetta wired the field in the Distaff at $34.60, Fandarel Dancer led every step of the way in a $20.60 victory in the Juvenile and two mild upsets were provided by a couple of veteran geldings.

Blaze O’Brien, a 7-year-old son of Interco, won the Cup Mile for the second time at $9.60 and the 9-year-old His Legacy became the first horse to three-peat in the Cal Cup, paying $9.40 for his victory in the 1 1/2-mile Starter Handicap.

Glass Ceiling in the Matron and Uncaged Fury in the Sprint were the only favorites to escape unscathed.

Racing on Lasix for the first time, College Town, a 3-year-old Snow Chief gelding, benefited from a ground-saving ride by Laffit Pincay, found room to rally on the rail and went on to win in 1:48 3/5 over a track that was playing dull all day.

A model of consistency through the summer with four consecutive second-place finishes, College Town hardly looked to be entering the Classic on the upswing because he had finished seventh and sixth in his previous two races.

He did have an excuse on Oct. 16 when he broke through the gate before the start, but College Town didn’t look capable of handling the likes of Kingdom Found, Hill Pass and Flying Sensation, among others.

“He runs second all the time and second was worth $50,000,” said trainer Mel Stute, explaining why the gelding was even in the race. “I figured if we’re going to be second, we might as well take a shot at being second (in a) $250,000 (race) as opposed to $100,000.

“I carried seven pounds over (College Town got in with 110, but Pincay rides at 117). I could have picked a different rider, but I figured Laffit has been lucky for me lately and he’s the best, in my opinion.

“He was on Lasix for the first time,” Stute said, “but I really don’t know if that made a difference. The last time he ran, he broke through the gate and hit it pretty hard. Maybe that’s what caused him to bleed, but he was bleeding from the nostrils, so we put him on Lasix.”

This was the second time in Cal Cup Classic history that trainer Gary Jones had saddled a heavy favorite who was beaten in the race. Three years ago, Best Pal was shocked by Charmonnier.

Making his first start since finishing fourth in the Del Mar Budweiser Breeders’ Cup on Sept. 11, Kingdom Found was the recipient of a ride that wasn’t among the finest in Kent Desormeaux’s career. He was four-wide throughout, so it wasn’t surprising he didn’t have enough to give late. He finished a length in front of Goldigger’s Dream, who was also third in last year’s Classic.

“He came back like he did last time, like he’s got heat prostration,” Jones said. “He gave the race away with those fractions (23, 47 2/5 and 1:11 1/5 for the six furlongs). (Desormeaux) should have gone on with him.”

Nowhere to be found in the Classic was Flying Sensation, who continues to be overhyped even though he has only one victory in 12 career starts. He finished sixth as the 7-2 second choice.

Whatever disappointment his connections--specifically, owner Bud Johnston and trainer Don Warren--had was erased when Fabulouspersuasion rallied to beat Roujoleur by three-quarters of a length in the Juvenile Fillies. Ironically, Flying Sensation’s only victory came when he took the Cal Cup Juvenile a year ago.

The Somethingfabulous filly covered the 1 1/16 miles in 1:44 1/5, which was four-fifths of a second more than it took Fandarel Dancer to give trainer Hector Zazueta his biggest victory in the Juvenile.

Beaten as the favorite in the Gateway to Glory Stakes at Fairplex Park, Fandarel Dancer defeated favored Testimony by a bit more than a length under Fernando Valenzuela.

A starter in the Cal Cup only because he didn’t make it into the starting lineup for the Breeders’ Cup Sprint, Uncaged Fury was involved in the day’s second closest finish. Melrose Wine beat 3-5 shot She’s Enchanting by a nose earlier.

Uncaged Fury, a 3-year-old Kleven gelding who broke from the rail, beat 43-1 shot Ke Express by a head, and a half-length back in third was 16-1 outsider Wild Gold.

Seemingly beaten with less than a sixteenth of a mile to go, the 5-2 choice surged under Desormeaux to win in 1:09 1/5. Owned and bred by Pete Fer and trained by Lewis Cenicola, Uncaged Fury has now won four of six starts.

“It’s always disappointing when you can’t get into the Breeders’ Cup,” Cenicola said. “If you’ve got a horse that can go, you would want to go. I thought we might have a chance, but it’s all hindsight now. This horse is tough.”

So, too, is His Legacy. A dull sixth in his first race in nearly eight months 19 days earlier, he showed he still has some life left in his legs with a two-length victory over Big Pal in 2:31.

Owned by Pete Parrella’s Legacy Ranch, trained by David Hofmans and ridden by Paul Atkinson, His Legacy also won the Starter Handicap in 1991 and ’92 and was second last year.

“This is the most exciting, emotional win I’ve ever had,” Hofmans said. “(Hofmans’ son) Grant and I were both in tears, and at the eighth pole, we were standing and applauding.

“I’ve had this horse since he’s been a 2-year-old. He’s part of the family.”

His Legacy has 14 victories in 47 lifetime starts.

Blaze O’Brien, who has had four trainers during his 44-race career, defeated 28-1 shot Fax News by a neck in a slow 1:36 4/5 for the mile.

Journalism, the 7-10 favorite, finished last in the field of nine and jockey Corey Nakatani said Journalism bled from the nose.

Horse Racing Notes

Nine jockeys won the California Cup races. . . . Magical Maiden, who has never raced on turf in her 22-race career, is the 3-1 favorite against eight rivals in the $75,000 Louis R. Rowan Handicap at one mile on the grass. Gary Stevens will ride the 5-year-old mare, who is winless in three starts this year. The rest of the field, from the rail out, is Starlight Way, Amal Hayati, Shir Dar, Rabiadella, Frenchman’s Cove, Fondly Remembered, Miss Turkana and Wendy’s Daughter. . . . Approach The Bench, who won the Eddie Read Handicap this summer at Del Mar, has been retired and will stand at Meadow Court Stud in Maddenstown, Ireland.