Windsharp Win Has French Twist

The owner-trainer team of Richard and Martha Stephen and Wally Dollase has been a devastating force at Santa Anita this winter, and in the rain they roared through the Arcadia track again Monday, upsetting the champion Northern Spur with the mare Windsharp in the $210,800 San Luis Obispo handicap.

Before Richard Stephen bought Windsharp for $165,000 last year, she had been racing in France, winning five out of 13 starts.

Minutes after the San Luis Obispo, Dollase looked around and didn’t see much difference. “This is France,” the trainer said. “There’s rain coming down. There’s a lot of give to the turf. And the race is a mile and a half.”

Only one female had won the San Luis Obispo before--Geechee Lou under Johnny Longden in 1961--and the first two horses under the wire Monday were distaffers, with Wandesta finishing second, beaten by three quarters of a length, before an on-track crowd of 28,802. Wandesta finished 2 3/4 ahead of Virginia Carnival, whose head cost Northern Spur third place.

Northern Spur, making his first start in almost four months, since winning the Breeders’ Cup Turf and clinching the male grass title, was beaten by about 3 1/2 lengths after taking the lead on the far turn. Northern Spur carried high weight of 123 pounds, eight more than Windsharp, who has won two in a row after a second and a fourth in her first two starts for the Stephens and Dollase.

Dollase has now saddled seven stakes winners through the first 42 days of the meet, three more than Wayne Lukas, the next trainer in the standings. Five of Dollase’s victories have come with horses that the Stephens own: Jewel Princess has won twice, Windsharp twice and Southern Wish once.

Dollase was shopping for horses in Europe last year when he called Richard Stephen about the availability of Windsharp. One of the things that Dollase liked about the mare was that she had beaten males in France.

“I’ve already got the Princess,” Stephen said, resisting the pitch.

Dollase persisted. One of his other clients had backed out of the sale, and the trainer still thought the Kentucky-bred mare was a good buy. He needed the money in a few days.

“I turned to the boss [Martha] and she said to buy her,” Stephen said. “So I wrote the check.”

Windsharp got a trenchant ride from Eddie Delahoussaye, who moved on Wandesta after she had gone to the front in mid-stretch. The winner earned $130,800 and paid $7.60 as the second choice to the even-money Northern Spur. The time was 2:30 1/5 on a course listed as good.

Delahoussaye was a replacement for Goncalino Almeida, who is recovering from a spill that left him with broken legs. Almeida rode Windsharp to a nine-length victory in her previous start. Alex Solis, who rides Jewel Princess, might have gotten the mount ahead of Delahoussaye, but he started a three-day suspension Monday.

“I was telling Wally and the owners that the reins were so slippery that you felt like you were out of control,” Delahoussaye said. “I had to reach and grab. Otherwise, we might have won by much more.

“Today was probably the best day to try Northern Spur because he hadn’t run in a long time. I was happy to get the mount and didn’t know about it until [the overnight entry sheet] came out.”

Chris McCarron, Northern Spur’s jockey, won three races on the card, edging past Laffit Pincay to become No. 1 on the career purse list. They are both over the $190.3-million mark.

“Chris didn’t kill my horse after he started to get tired,” said Ron McAnally, who trains Northern Spur.

While McAnally is looking at the $250,000 San Luis Rey, another 1 1/2-mile test, for Northern Spur on March 24, Dollase plans to return Windsharp to the distaff division and may run her in the $200,000 Orchid Handicap at 1 1/2 miles at Gulfstream Park on March 10.

“She’s got tremendous stamina,” Dollase said. “I’ve never had a horse with the outright stamina that this horse has got.”

Horse Racing Notes

Despite Cigar, nine horses may challenge him in the $1-million Santa Anita Handicap on March 2: Afternoon Deelites, Alphabet Soup, Helmsman, Kingdom Found, Luthier Fever, Mr Purple, Score Quick, Serena’s Song and Urgent Request, who won the race last year. . . . Pat Day may ride Mr Purple. . . . Kent Desormeaux was at Laurel Park to ride Finder’s Fortune, but the 7-year-old gelding got loose in the paddock and was scratched from the General George Handicap. Meadow Monster won the race, posting his fourth consecutive victory. . . . In another stake at Santa Anita, Subtle Trouble, who had won only one of his last 19 starts, scored a 12-1 upset in the $71,225 Debonaire Junior for California-breds. Uncaged Fury, winless since 1994 but the 2-1 favorite, finished last. . . . Odyle, the maiden who finished second to Matty G in the Hollywood Futurity, won for the first time. . . . At Bay Meadows, the $100,000 Brown Best Handicap was taken off the grass, and Traces Of Gold, ridden by Russell Baze, outfinished Luzette.

* RESULTS: C7