ARCADIA – They came for the music and food and drink. If they’re lucky, first-time visitors to Santa Anita stayed for the finish of the big horse race.
At the first-ever California Crown event Saturday afternoon, mixing chart-topper Shaboozey and other live music acts with a program of rich thoroughbred races, the 5-year-old horse Subsanador and 59-year-old jockey Mike Smith stole the show.
The Richard Mandella-trained Subsanador prevailed in a three-way stretch battle to win a three-way photo finish in the $1 million California Crown Stakes, beating National Treasure by a head, with Newgate only a nose farther back.
Subsanador was nearly upstaged in the winner’s circle, where Cher helped to present the gaudy California Crown Stakes trophy.
“I got you, babe,” Mandella said as he grasped the trophy, shooting a glance at an appreciative Cher.
But the horses were the stars of the day designed to attract a crowd of younger, hipper people to the old-fashioned sport.
The crowd, announced at a healthy 21,812, saw a variety of good races, with purses enhanced for the occasion, featuring potential contenders for the Nov. 1-2 Breeders’ Cup at Del Mar.
Cabo Spirit and jockey Abel Cedillo sprang the upset of the day by winning the $750,000 California Crown John Henry Turf Championship at 25-1 odds. First Peace gave Smith his first win of the day by rallying bravely along the rail to win the $750,000 California Crown Eddie D. Stakes sprint. Johannes, the best turf-course horse in California, survived a stewards’ inquiry into a bump at the top of the stretch to score his fourth win in a row with jockey Umberto Rispoli in the $200,000 City of Hope Mile. Toupie, shipping in from Maryland, and top American jockey Flavien Prat led all the way down the grass hillside in the $100,000 Unzip Me Stakes.
“I think it’s tremendous,” trainer Graham Motion said when he was asked about the California Crown after winning the Unzip Me. “Anything that encourages people to come and puts on a spectacle is great. It’s a different crowd, but that’s OK.”
The Grade I California Crown Stakes itself, renamed and enriched after years as the Goodwood Handicap and Awesome Again Stakes, drew six horses, four of them already Grade I winners, three of those being the Bob Baffert-trained Muth (sent off as 3-2 favorite), National Treasure and Newgate.
Muth didn’t fire, never getting closer than third behind pacesetter National Treasure and finishing last. Neither did Todd Fincher-trained Senor Buscador, who trailed them all most of the way.
Subsanador and Smith stalked from the inside and came off the rail at the top of the stretch to begin their drive. From the inside out, National Treasure, Subsanador and the surging Newgate were side by side by side for the last eighth of a mile of the 1 1/8-mile race.
The final time, 1:48.68, was the second fastest in the past eight runnings of this race. Subsanador paid $14.20 for a $2 bet.
“We’d never had him in a tight situation like that. I didn’t know how he’d react,” said Mandella, who brought Subsanador home from a Grade III win in New Jersey last month. “I was very proud that he kept trying. I have to give Mike credit for the way he rode him.”
Said Smith: “(Mandella has) got the horse so confident, he thinks he owns the place.”
Mandella indicated he could run Subsanador in the $7 million Breeders’ Cup Classic at 1 1/4 miles or the $1 million Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile, both at Del Mar on Nov. 2.
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“Probably the Classic,” Mandella said, rubbing his fingers together to say it’s the money.
Mandella praised 1/ST, the company that runs Santa Anita, for funding the California Crown event.
“Racing needs these events to succeed. I can’t say enough praise for them putting on such a show. Racing has gotten too … everyday,” Mandella said. “We needed a big day to get people back in here and have a little excitement.”
The horses made sure of the last part.