Mandella’s Brazil-bred Planetario romps at Santa Anita

Right at home at the marathon distance of 1 3/4 miles on turf, Richard Mandella’s Brazil-bred Planetario enjoyed a perfect ground-saving trip in Santa Anita’s Grade 3, $100,000 San Juan Capistrano on Sunday, responding with an emphatic 4 1/2-length win. Ridden by Hector Berrios, Planetario got the distance in 2:48.08.

Well in hand out of the gate, Berrios had Planetario a relaxed fourth, about nine lengths off pacesetter Opry as the field crossed under the wire the first time around. Saving every inch of ground to the far turn, Planetario advanced toward both Opry and Birth of Cool. With those two tiring, Berrios tipped three deep turning for home and Planetario burst clear in the middle of the course en route to his first stateside win.

“We were just trying to keep him fit and build his wind up,” said Mandella, who notched his second win in Santa Anita’s signature turf marathon, with his first coming with eventual horse of the year and champion grass horse, Kotashaan, in 1993.

“We also had the concern that he ran so well last time (second in the San Luis Rey Stakes (G3) on May 13), it raised the question of ‘Did you leave something on the racetrack that day?’ Obviously, he didn’t, he gained from it.

“This is what racing should be about. Thoroughbred racing should be something like this and to not push this race and not build it up is a mistake in my mind.”

Stretching out a quarter-mile from the San Luis Rey, Planetario, a two-time Group 1 winner in Brazil who was making his third start for Mandella, was off 5-2 in a field of six 3-year-olds and up and paid $7.40, $2.80 and $2.60.

“My horse ran very comfortably,” Berrios said. “I was just waiting for the favorite (second-place finisher Offlee Naughty) to make his move, and I think that was to our favor.

“I put him behind Joe Bravo’s horse (Birth of Cool), and he relaxed a lot. Today, he was a way different horse than he was in his last race. He ran so strong, he left me surprised.”

Owned by his breeder, Red Rafa Stud, Planetario, a 5-year-old full horse, is now 11: 6-1-0 overall and with the winner’s share of $60,000, he increased his earnings to $110,548.

The even-money favorite ridden by Umberto Rispoli, Offlee Naughty was last for most of the trip, loomed dangerously at the rail leaving the three furlong pole but was outrun around the turn while getting shuffled back. Undeterred, he found his best stride late and rallied strongly for the place, finishing a nose in front of long shot Rimprotector.

In search of his third graded-stakes win, Offlee Naughty returned $2.40 and $2.10.

Ridden by Kyle Frey, Rimprotector sat third for most of the trip and paid $4.20 as the longest shot in the field at 21-1.

Irish-bred Duvet Day, the lone filly in the lineup, finished a length back in fourth with Juan Hernandez up.

Fractions on the San Juan Capistrano were 24.42, 48.80, 1:13.77, 1:40.71 and 2:07.40.