BEVERLY HILLS HANDICAP IS WON BY A DIFFERENT KIND OF HORSE.

Byline: Kevin Modesti Daily News Staff Writer

The new Argentina-bred filly representing owner Sidney Craig, trainer Ron McAnally and jockey Chris McCarron is - there's no avoiding the adjective - Different.

More expensive. With a glossier record at home. And sharper in her U.S. debut.

``I haven't been this excited in a long time,'' Craig said in the Hollywood Park winner's circle after the 4-year-old named Different defeated a Grade I field of fillies and mares with surprising ease in the $273,000 Beverly Hills Handicap on Sunday.

``I think she's better than Paseana at the same stage,'' Craig said - considerable praise, seeing that Paseana won the 1992 Breeders' Cup Distaff and that year's fillies-and-mares Eclipse Award. ``Paseana, in her first race in this country, lost. And this horse is more versatile.''

In Argentina, she won Group 1 races ranging from one mile on dirt to 1-1/4 on turf. At Hollywood on June 13, in her first start since Craig bought her for $550,000, she outclassed an allowance field at 1 1/16 on dirt.

And Sunday, in the track's championship race for turf distaffers, she returned to 1-1/4 to meet Gamely winner Auriette, '95 Del Mar Oaks winner Bail Out Becky and five others.

Off at 3.40-1, and getting three pounds from Auriette, Different tucked in close to a slow pace while the favorite and Kent Desormeaux let the leaders go.

Covered up by Grafin until McCarron went to work at the rail in the stretch, Different drew clear by 1-3/4 lengths in 2:00 3/5. Bill Mott-trained Bail Out Becky and Craig Perret came on for second, 2-1/2 in front of Flagbird and Real Connection. Auriette was second to last.

``I'm just very puzzled,'' Desormeaux said.

The Beverly Hills victory was the sixth for McCarron, the third for McAnally, and the second straight for both, following Irish-bred Alpride, the '95 winner for Jenny Craig - Sidney's wife.

Different came into the race with a 6-for-7 lifetime record. But McCarron didn't expect such an easy win Sunday.

``Quite frankly, I was surprised she won, period,'' McCarron said. ``She'd trained like a classy filly, but she didn't beat a very good field last time, and you don't know if they can step up in class like that.''

Alpride has been training for the Aug. 3 Ramona Handicap at Del Mar. Now that Different appears to be of that class, one or the other may have to find another race.

In other action:

Gastronomical, coming off good losing efforts in a pair of Grade III stakes, was 3-1/2 lengths too good for the rest of the 3-year-old fillies in the $66,300 Hidden Light on turf. Corey Nakatani rode her for the first time for Auriette trainer Marty Jones.

The main track was inexplicably slow Sunday. Cardinal Peak's 1:45 3/5 in a $10,000 claimer was the meet's slowest time by a male 1 1/16-mile winner. Cowgirl's 1:47 3/5 in a maiden claimer was the slowest, period, at that frequently run distance. Rapid Release's 1:11 2/5 in a $32,000 claimer was the slowest 6-furlong win by a male non-maiden. Chip Canyon's 1:12 against Cal-bred maiden claimers was the slowest 6 furlongs, period.

The sixth-race winner, debuting 2-year-old filly High Heeled Hope ($35.20), is the first offspring of 1991 Hopeful Stakes winner Salt Lake. Fifth behind him at 3-5 was the $900,000 auction purchase Sharp Cat, trained by D. Wayne Lukas, who had Salt Lake.

Chris Antley was suspended for five days, starting Friday, for a riding infraction in Friday's second race.

Matt Garcia, whose percentage (4.6) was lowest among the track's 20 winningest jockeys when the day began, took the first and third races with Cardinal Peak and Meritaton's Word.

Corey Nakatani won twice to draw within two of Alex Solis with two weeks left at Hollywood.

Future Quest and Northern Fleet, two of the fastest 3-year-olds of the meet, were entered in Wednesday's mile-on-turf stake.

McAnally made plans to saddle Antespend and Listening in the Hollywood Oaks on Saturday. Richard Mandella said Dare and Go, fifth in the Hollywood Gold Cup, could go in the Bel Air Handicap on Sunday.

CAPTION(S):

Photo

Photo: Jockey Chris McCarron has Different out in front and headed for the wire in the Beverly Hills Handicap.

Associated Press