Columnist Ralph Siraco: The ‘Big Cap’ fits just right on Tiznow

Ralph Siraco

Monday, March 5, 2001 | 10:07 a.m.

Ralph Siraco's horse racing column appears Monday, and his Southern California selections run Tuesday through Friday. Reach him c/o Las Vegas Sun, 2275 Corporate Circle Drive, Henderson, NV 89014.

People who follow the horses are a unique bunch. The players (those who bet the races) and the horsemen (those who train, own and work with the horses) are cut from the same cloth. The same cloth, that is, when it comes to looking for an edge or an excuse to challenge the obvious or beat the favorite.

For the player it's a chance for a score. For the horsemen it's a chance at a big purse. For both, it's the big payoff for predicting the chink in the armor of the "one to beat" and then beating him.

That scenario presented itself in the weeks leading up to the $1 million Santa Anita Handicap, which was run for the 64th time on Saturday.

The "Big Cap," as it is known, is the premier event for the older handicap division of the sport. The Big Cap usually attracts the "Big Horses" on the first Saturday in March.

The list of those who have won -- or run in -- the 1 1/4-mile classic reads like a who's who of the sport's elite.

So it was almost a sure bet that the California-bred and Southern California-based 2000 Horse of the Year, Tiznow, would be going for the Big Cap trophy after Breeders' Cup Classic victory of last year.

Trainer Jay Robbins had mapped out a schedule that included the Strub Series -- a three-race series exclusively for 4-year-olds during the early part of the Santa Anita meeting -- and then a try at the Big Cap against older rivals.

Tiznow passed on the first Strub event -- the Malibu Stakes -- on opening day at Santa Anita, making his 2001 debut in the San Fernando Stakes, round two of the Strub, on Jan. 13. Sitting on a three-race win streak, Tiznow won his comeback with a useful but not overwhelming victory.

He returned for the Feb. 3 Strub Stakes, where he was beaten by Wooden Phone.

Now it was back to the drawing board for Robbins and his crew.

Horsemen and handicappers watched closely as Tiznow prepared for the Big Cap.

Tiznow bled in a mid-February workout, his first serious move since his second-place finish in the Strub, and concerns were raised by nagging quarter-cracks that started to reappear. Quarter-cracks are equivelant to torn or split fingernails in humans; however, horses run on their "nails," or hoofs, and constant pressure on the cracks can lead to more serious problems.

When a second quarter-crack materialized on his right front hoof, Robbins had the champ's farrier, Buzz Fermin, administer a patch that covered the screws and wires that were applied to hasten the healing process while still allowing the horse to train.

Tiznow was so rambunctious one morning that he pulled his exercise rider so hard the saddle slipped.

All this was in full view of horsemen and handicappers following his every move. They had found their edge -- they thought.

Surely Tiznow was vulnerable leading up to Saturday's Santa Anita Handicap. Even a novice knows that everything must go just right in order to win the hardest handicap race on earth.

But when 11 starters finally entered the gate to take on Tiznow for the Big Cap, it turned out the smart money was on the Horse Of The Year.

When the starting gates flew open, Tiznow came out with running on his mind and jockey Chris McCarron let him do his thing.

Passing the stands for the first time, Tiznow was matching strides with none other than Wooden Phone, and together they led the field into the backstretch. The two continued their duel for a mile before McCarron finally asked a little more of his mount.

Wooden Phone could only watch his nemesis pull away for a powerful decisive victory.

Tiznow joined the list of Big Cap champions before him -- including greats such as Seabiscuit, Round Table, Ack Ack, Affirmed, Spectacular Bid and Alysheba. He became the first reigning Horse Of The Year to win the prestigious event since John Henry turned the trick in 1982.