Path: bloom-picayune.mit.edu!snorkelwacker.mit.edu!americast.com!americast.com!americast-post Newsgroups: americast.latimes.sports From: americast-post@AmeriCast.Com Organization: American Cybercasting Approved: americast-post@AmeriCast.com Subject: OAK TREE Super Staff Defeats Flawlessly by Nose to Win Yellow Ribbon Date: Tue, 10 Nov 92 06:59:04 EST Message-ID: HEADLINE: OAK TREE Super Staff Defeats Flawlessly by Nose to Win Yellow Ribbon Publication Date: Monday November 9, 1992 BYLINE: BILL CHRISTINE In a race with breeding that was a reminder of Triple Crown champions past, daughters of two of the most celebrated horses from the 1980s battled to the last jump in Sunday's $400,000 Yellow Ribbon Invitational at Santa Anita. Secretariat, the Triple Crown champion of 1973, and Affirmed, who became the last horse to sweep the three races in 1978, are the sires of Super Staff and Flawlessly, two of the best U.S. grass fillies. Flawlessly, a 4-year-old daughter of Affirmed, could have clinched the Eclipse Award for distaffers on grass with a victory in the 1 1/4-mile Yellow Ribbon but lost by a nose to Super Staff. The two are expected to resume their rivalry in the 1 1/8-mile Matriarch at Hollywood Park on Nov. 29. Super Staff has beaten Flawlessly twice, the first time by three-quarters of a length with an eight-pound weight advantage in the Las Palmas Handicap at Santa Anita three weeks ago. In the Yellow Ribbon, they were at 123 pounds each. "When Juddmonte (Farms) sent her to me, they were not that high on her," said trainer Ron McAnally, who should win an Eclipse for best older dirt female after Paseana's Breeders' Cup victory. "They just said, 'We're giving you a filly.' " Now Super Staff, an English import, has three victories in four stakes starts in the United States, the only blemish being her sixth-place finish in the Beverly D Stakes at Arlington International. With Kent Desormeaux riding his fourth winner of the day, Super Staff was able to cruise along on an uncontested, slow-paced lead and then held off Flawlessly at the wire. Flawlessly lagged in fourth place early, never more than three lengths off the lead. It was a development that her trainer, Charlie Whittingham, cited as the difference in the race, but a situation that her rider, Chris McCarron, said was impossible to avoid. "I knew there wasn't going to be anyone but me to go out with Kent's horse, but my horse just didn't have her usual speed today," McCarron said. "I wasn't going to force her to go up there if she didn't want to, like last time. But she finished well. She's all fight. I thought I had her measured in the stretch, but I was never sure." Desormeaux rode Super Staff for the first time in the Las Palmas, McCarron riding the filly in all of her other U.S. races. Desormeaux took the mount on Super Staff after Kostroma, who won the Yellow Ribbon a year ago, dropped out of Sunday's running because of a lung infection. Desormeaux is the leading U.S. rider with more than $12.2 million in purses. "My filly saw the other horse coming before I did," he said. "I stayed aggressive, and she just kept her head down and did the rest. "When McCarron went to r This article is copyright 1992 The Los Angeles Times Home Edition. Redistribution to other sites is not permitted except by arrangement with American Cybercasting Corporation. For more information, send-email to usa@AmeriCast.COM