SANTA ANITA : Stewards: Devil’s Orchid an Angel in Stretch, Winning Santa Monica

Trainer Brian Mayberry accused Russell Baze of riding three horses in the race. “Maybe I should take that as a compliment,” Baze said, after he and his 4-year-old filly, Devil’s Orchid, survived a lengthy stewards’ inquiry to win the $158,300 Santa Monica Handicap by a half-length at Santa Anita on Sunday.

Mayberry’s horse, the 3-2 favorite Stormy But Valid, tried to run through a vanishing hole on the rail near the eighth pole, and her jockey, Gary Stevens, was forced to take up and go around.

Classic Value, who closed the hole with her jockey, Chris McCarron, finished second by three-quarters of a length, but the stewards disqualified them and moved Stormy But Valid up to second place.

This was of no consolation to Mayberry, who stormed off the track sputtering obscenities even before the stewards made their decision. Mayberry thought that Devil’s Orchid and Baze, on the outside, had “dominoed” Classic Value into squeezing Stormy But Valid on the fence.

The stewards exonerated Baze and Devil’s Orchid, who prevented Stormy But Valid from winning the Santa Monica for the second consecutive year.

“There was no doubt in my mind that I wasn’t responsible,” Baze said. “But then the longer they (the stewards) took to put up the official (sign), the more I got to thinking that I should have argued stronger when I talked to them on the phone.”

All parties in the three-horse battle had an opinion except McCarron, who might be facing a suspension if the stewards review the videotape today and rule him responsible. One choice ride McCarron has scheduled is A Wild Ride in the $200,000 La Canada on Saturday.

“I’ll save my comments for the movies,” McCarron said. “All I can say now is that my mare ran her tail off. If she had relaxed better, she would have won. She kicked in in the stretch, but then she wasn’t sustaining it.”

In fourth place early, Stevens moved Stormy But Valid to the fence on the far turn for their stretch run. Classic Value, who led most of the way, was off the fence at the top of the stretch, and Devil’s Orchid was trying to overhaul her on the outside.

“I didn’t do any of the ram-rodding,” Baze said. “I was on the hip of Chris’ horse, trying to make sure nobody could get between us. But I hadn’t caught up to Chris’ horse when Stormy But Valid was trying to get through (on the other side). I wasn’t head-and-head with Chris yet when he dropped over to the rail.”

After the inquiry sign had already been posted, Stevens claimed foul against both Classic Value and Devil’s Orchid.

“The pictures don’t lie,” Stevens said. “I had the hole and I had the horse, and then the hole closed on me. It all happened in a split second. My mare is so athletic that she got herself going again, but when I had to steady her, we lost three or four lengths. There was plenty of room for one horse when I started to go through there.”

Bill Cesare, who trains Classic Value, didn’t feel that his horse would be disqualified. Standing on the track before the stewards made their decision, Cesare said: “I didn’t see any interference. I think we had the position established before Gary tried to go through there.”

Richard Mandella, who trains Devil’s Orchid for Matthew Becket, a Vancouver, Canada, physician, and his four partners, thought the Devil’s Bag-Cast the Die filly shouldn’t have been involved in the inquiry. The victory was the sixth in 10 starts for Devil’s Orchid, whose career has been compromised by a sore foot, and the $90,800 purse gives her a total of $239,000.

Devil’s Orchid, who finished second to Classic Value on a muddy track in the Las Flores Handicap Jan. 5, carried 116 pounds, two less than Classic Value and four under the high-weighted Stormy But Valid. Devil’s Orchid, paying $14 to win as the fifth betting choice in the seven-horse field, ran seven furlongs in 1:21 4/5, which was more than a second slower than the stakes record.

“I knew she (Devil’s Orchid) would improve off her last race,” Baze said. “She was getting pretty weary-legged the last sixteenth and should improve even more next time.”

Reflecting one more time on the jam-up at the rail, Baze said: “All three of us were just race-riding. I think all of us would have done what was done if we had been in each other’s spot. I just took advantage of the position I had.”

Horse Racing Notes

Bill Spawr, the meeting’s leading trainer, saddled the winners of Sunday’s first three races. Two were ridden by Laffit Pincay, who tripled by also winning the ninth race. Spawr has started 22 horses in 22 races and won with 12 of them. . . . The pick-six pool grew to $987,249 when no one picked all six winners for the fourth consecutive day. . . . Today’s holiday card features the San Marcos Handicap. Colway Rally and Live the Dream, who ran 2-3 in the stake last year, are in the field.

The owner-trainer team of Jack Munari and Bruce Jackson, who won the San Fernando on Saturday with In Excess, won with another Irish-bred Sunday when Tesora took the seventh race in her first American start. Gary Stevens rode both winners. . . . King’s Canyon, a son of Alydar who sold for $1.75 million as a yearling, made his first start Sunday and was never a factor in the sixth race.