SANTA ANITA : Stylish Star Could Use Some Luck

Santa Anita hasn’t been very friendly to Stylish Star.

A stakes winner on the grass at both Hollywood Park and Del Mar, the 4-year-old Our Native filly has had only bad luck in Arcadia.

In an allowance race last October, she lost by a head at 4-5 when Sugarplum Gal came up with the effort of her life, running a mile and an eighth in 1:45.

Twenty-nine days later in the inaugural Louis R. Rowan Handicap, Stylish Star was third, beaten by a neck in a race in which she was undoubtedly the best. Aside from a tardy beginning and running wide the whole way, she had a perfect trip.

Perhaps, her third try over the Santa Anita grass will be the charm. Certainly, Sunday’s $140,750 San Gorgonio Handicap will be Stylish Star’s toughest task.

Nikishka, Colorado Dancer, Darby’s Daughter and Invited Guest are among her opponents going 1 1/8 miles in the first turf stake of the year for fillies and mares.

Owned and bred by Tom Cavanaugh, Stylish Star is on the upswing for trainer Dan Hendricks.

Owner of only a maiden victory when 1989 began, she finished the year with an impressive triumph in a division of the Dahlia Handicap at Hollywood Park last month, her second stakes success in less than four months.

In August, she had run away with the Del Mar Oaks as a 16-1 shot and provided her 31-year-old boss with his initial win in a race worth $100,000 or more.

“I grew up around Del Mar and to win the Oaks was really nice,” said Hendricks, whose cousin is trainer Jacque Fulton. “The filly had developed so nicely for us and we had pointed her to that race for six weeks.

“To have things work out like that, it was really satisfying.”

Obviously, the switch to grass had a lot to do with Stylish Star’s development. She had a third and two seconds in four tries over the Hollywood Park course, then won a Del Mar allowance before her Oaks surprise.

Nearly three lengths better than Bobby Frankel’s duo of Darby’s Daughter and General Charge that day, Hendricks says she’s even stronger now.

“She’s getting better and better,” Hendricks said.

“She’s put on weight and she’s got it all going for her. She’s shown she can win on the lead, she’s shown she can win from behind and in the Dahlia, she showed she could win from the middle of the pack.

“Chris (McCarron) said she felt really good when he worked her Monday. She’s just developing into a real classy filly. It’s scary how good she could be.”

In general, things are also getting better for Hendricks, who worked for Richard Mandella for nine years before going out on his own in the summer of 1987. He won another $100,000 race with a longshot when Effusive Bounty beat the colts in the B.J. Ridder last fall and both the quality and quantity of his barn are rising.

‘I have 15 right now,” he said. “But every few months it’s slowly going up and the quality is improving all the time.”

After spending two years with Willard Proctor, Hendricks went to work for Mandella and credits him for a lot of his success.

“He’s been a great help to me,” he said. “He’s such a good horseman and so true to his word. When I went to work for him (in 1978), he told me he’d help me in the future if I went on my own and he did.

“He taught me patience, how to deal with people and to make decisions based on what’s best for the horses.”

Besides Colorado Dancer, the 120-pound high weight, and Nikishka, the San Gorgonio field includes Darby’s Daughter, who ran a troubled second to Brown Bess in the Yellow Ribbon; Silver Lane, a sister of Hawkster; Oeilladine, who dominated allowance rivals in her American debut Dec. 26; Mandella’s Invited Guest, and Saros Brig, who won the other division of the Dahlia.

Although Stylish Star has won only one of five starts on the main track, she may eventually give the dirt another try.

“With her style of running near the front end, there’s no reason she won’t like the dirt,” said Hendricks. “But, she’s doing well on the turf and I don’t really want to run into Gorgeous and Bayakoa right now. We’ll end up running on the dirt, and maybe against those two later on, but right now we don’t need to.”

Stormy But Valid, one of three winners Brian Mayberry had on the Breeders’ Cup program, is one of eight entered in the $107,350 Las Flores Breeders’ Cup Handicap today.

On the board in 11 of her 13 starts, the 4-year-old Valid Appeal filly was second in a turf race at Hollywood Park after taking the Life’s Magic at Gulfstream Park on Nov. 4. Eddie Delahoussaye will ride.

Warning Zone, who has won seven of 16 for Ron McAnally, is the 119-pound high weight. Idle since setting the pace in the Louis R. Rowan, the Inverness Drive mare runs well when she is fresh and has the outside post and Rafael Meza in the saddle.

The rest of the field includes the Wayne Lukas entry of Solid Eight and Love and Affection, Survive, Polly’s Rumor and Josette. What Has Been will be scratched and will run in an allowance race Sunday.

Horse Racing Notes

Santa Anita’s oldest racing fan, Carl Bonham, will celebrate another birthday at the track Sunday. Bonham, who will actually turn 105 Monday, has spent every birthday but two at the track since it opened in 1934. . . . Farma Way, the runner-up to Grand Canyon in the Hollywood Futurity, worked six furlongs in 1:11 2/5 Friday morning. He’s expected to start in the Los Feliz Stakes Wednesday at a mile.

Curtis Kimes is a new apprentice on the scene. A native of Arkansas who will turn 23 Jan. 20, he won 27 races at Longacres and Bay Meadows last year. . . . Excellent Lady was disqualified from a victory in the third race and placed last for tightening up the field approaching the wire. The disqualification gave the win to Dancitus.

T.V. Lord, a gelded son of Lord Gaylord, broke his maiden in the sixth, covering six furlongs in 1:09 2/5 for Brian Mayberry. A race later, Silent Harmony, a son of Seattle Song, dominated an allowance field in 1:08 4/5 for John Russell.