Monterey Jazz played the old come-and-get-me game in the Gr.I,$1 million Santa Anita Handicap and lost badly.

Heatseeker, a 5-year-old Irish-bred horse by Giant’s Causeway, chased down the speedster in the stretch to win the 71st Big ‘Cap for older horses by three-quarters of a length Saturday.

Monterey Jazz, the 7-2 wagering favorite, charged to the lead under Russell Baze and built a 12-length advantage at the three-quarters pole on the all-weather surface that previously favored pacesetters.

But the 4-year-old dark brown colt who led a strung out field down the backstretch suddenly had challengers galore closing in on a reformulated artificial track where closers now have an advantage.

“I know the track hasn’t been favoring speed, but you can’t use that as an excuse because everyone else ran over it,” Baze said. “If he would have relaxed and run a perfect race, I think he would have been a tough horse to beat. I think he kind of cost himself the race.”

Heatseeker, who was fourth most of the way, took the lead past the eighth-pole and finished 1¼ miles in 2:00.42 under Rafael Bejarano’s left-handed whip. The Ireland-bred paid $16, $7 and $4.80.

“I heard the other horse (Go Between) coming at the end,” Bejarano said. “That’s why I just kept riding as hard as I could. But I was confident we were going to hold on because my horse was still running, he was still giving me a lot of power.”

Sunshine Millions Classic winner Go Between returned $7 and $5.20 under Garrett Gomez, who is 0-for-6 in Big ‘Caps. Britain-bred Champs Elysees was another 2¾ lengths back in third and paid $7.80 to show. Tiago, last year’s Santa Anita Derby winner, was fourth.

Bejarano pounded his chest twice and flashed a “V” for victory sign as he guided Heatseeker into the winner’s circle for Jerry Hollendorfer. The Northern California-based trainer often uses Baze on that circuit, but thoroughbred racing’s winningest jockey with more than 10,000 victories was on Monterey Jazz for trainer Craig Dollase.

“Speed hasn’t been holding up, but you’ve got to let him run,” Dollase said. “You can’t really pull on him. The more you pull, the more he wants to go. A mile and a quarter might have been a little tough for him.”

Monterey Jazz faded to 12th, denying the 49-year-old Baze his first victory in a $1 million race. He picked up the mount when Monterey Jazz’s regular rider David Flores chose Awesome Gem, also trained by Dollase.

“Before we got to the first turn, he grabbed the bit and jumped up into it,” Baze said. “They told me the harder you pull on him, the faster he is going to go. So I was trying to talk him out of it, but he wouldn’t take no for an answer. He just went.”

Hollendorfer has saddled more than 5,000 winners, but had a Big ‘Cap runner for the first time at 61. Heatseeker had been trained by Hall of Famer Bobby Frankel until being switched to Hollendorfer in early December. Frankel trains Champs Elysees.

“It’s a big thrill to win this race. We’ve won some big races, but this is a real big one. I’m very proud of it,” Hollendorfer said. “I hope it’s the start of big things for this horse. There are a lot of places to run, a lot of things to prove.”

He indicated the Breeders’ Cup Classic at Santa Anita in October is a long-range goal.

Santa Anita’s signature race attracted a full 14-horse field for just the second time in 25 years on a cold day when gloom obliterated views of the San Gabriel Mountains and a heavy drizzle dampened the crowd of 41,377.

Zappa was fifth, followed by Pacific Classic winner Student Council, Awesome Gem, Great Hunter, Air Commander, Big Booster, Seminole Native, Monterey Jazz, Medici Code and Celtic Dreamin.

In the Gr. I,$300,000 Frank E. Kilroe Mile, Ever a Friend defeated Artiste Royal by 3¾ lengths under Tyler Baze, a cousin to Russell Baze. Ever a Friend covered the distance on the turf in 1:33.37 and paid $20.60, $10 and $5.20. Bejarano rode Ariste Royal. War Monger, the 6-5 favorite, was another neck back in third.

Sweeter Still won the $94,550 China Doll Stakes for 3-year-old fillies by a length over Carnival Queen. Ridden by Martin Garcia, Sweeter Still ran a mile on the turf in 1:35.57 and paid $11.80 to win. Gorgeous Goose, the 3-5 wagering favorite, was another half-length back in third.

By BETH HARRIS
AP Racing Writer
www.santaanita.com