SANTA ANITA HANDICAP: MILWAUKEE BREW MAKES IT TWO 6-YEAR-OLD EDGES CONGAREE TO REPEAT AS BIG 'CAP CHAMP.

Byline: Art Wilson  Staff Writer

ARCADIA - It started to sprinkle shortly before the start of Saturday's $1 million Santa Anita Handicap, but the weatherman couldn't rain on Bobby Frankel's parade.

Perhaps only Frankel could bench a colt like Medaglia d'Oro, one of the top handicap horses in the world, in a Grade I event of this magnitude and still find himself in the winner's circle after one of the most stirring stretch duels in the 66 runnings of the Big 'Cap.

No, it wasn't Medaglia d'Oro vs. Congaree in the mega-matchup many in the on-track crowd of 25,160 had dreamed about, but Milwaukee Brew-Congaree wasn't too shabby, either.

Racing as a team for much of the final three-sixteenths of a mile, Milwaukee Brew finally edged ahead of Congaree in the final sixteenth and beat the 3-5 favorite by a head with a final clocking of 1:59 4/5 for the 1 1/4 miles.

So Milwaukee Brew, who also won this race last year, joins John Henry (1981-82) as the only two-time winner of the Big 'Cap and becomes the first horse to cross the finish line first twice. In 1982, John Henry was moved up to first after the disqualification of Perrault.

Frankel, meanwhile, joins Richard Mandella (1997-98), Charlie Whittingham (1985-86), Ron McAnally (1981-82) and Tom Smith (1939-40) as trainers to saddle consecutive Big 'Cap winners.

And Team Frankel marches on.

``It's hard to describe it,'' said Frankel, who announced Tuesday morning he was not running Medaglia d'Oro because he did not like the weight assignment of 124 pounds. ``I'm really excited, but I was really excited last year, too. I guess when it's as close as it was this year, you feel a little more excited.''

Last year, Milwaukee Brew stepped in for the injured Mizzen Mast and blew away the Big 'Cap field by four lengths. This year, fitted for blinkers for the second consecutive race and coming off a second-place finish behind Congaree in the Grade II San Antonio Handicap last month, the 6-year-old son of Wild Again stalked pace-setters Trompolino and Congaree and then kicked it into gear turning for home.

``It's just a matter of style,'' Frankel said, explaining that the blinkers were added to try to keep Milwaukee Brew a little more interested early on in the race so he would not fall so far behind.

In last year's Big 'Cap, he trailed by 13 lengths down the backside. This time, he was within a length of the two leaders most of the way and had more than enough fuel in his tank when jockey Edgar Prado asked him in the stretch.

``I'd like to tell you that I did it, but you just put the blinkers on him, roll the dice and see how he runs,'' Frankel said. ``He ran real good with them last time. He was like three or four wide most of the way and still, at the end, he kept running.

``I think the blinkers have made a big difference in this horse. Maybe we were a little dumb not putting them on him earlier.''

The big question going into the race was whether Congaree, ridden by Jerry Bailey and a winner of three consecutive races, could successfully negotiate the 1 1/4 miles. In his only previous try at the distance, in the 2001 Kentucky Derby, the 5-year-old son of Arazi led in the stretch only to fade to third.

Still, it's tough the say a horse can't run 1 1/4 miles when he runs an impressive time and gets beat by a head. It was Congaree's first loss in five races at Santa Anita.

``He ran as hard as he could possibly run, you can't ask for any more,'' Bailey said. ``He gave me a kick when I asked for it, but the other horse was just up to the task today.''

Milwaukee Brew is owned by Frank Stronach, chairman of the board for Magna Entertainment Corp., parent company of Santa Anita. He was asked how many horses he has with Frankel.

``Not enough,'' he said jokingly, before determining he has six horses under Frankel's care.

Frankel already has future plans for Milwaukee Brew, saying he will point the horse toward The Californian at Hollywood Park in June and then the Hollywood Gold Cup in early July. Perhaps the Pacific Classic at Del Mar would be next.

``He's just a better horse this year with the blinkers,'' the Hall of Fame trainer said. ``I think he can win those races now.''

Milwaukee Brew picked up a $600,000 paycheck that raised his career earnings to $2,786,612. He's won 7 of 22 lifetime and is 2 for 3 at Santa Anita.

Sent postward as the 7-2 third choice in the field of six, Milwaukee Brew returned $9.60. After Congaree, it was another 4 1/2 lengths back to third-place finisher Kudos.

Milwaukee Brew's final time was the first sub-2:00 Big 'Cap since Urgent Request won in 1:59 2/5 in 1995.

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Photo:

Milwaukee Brew, left, ridden by Edgar Prado, and Congaree, with Jerry Bailey aboard, duel late in the Santa Anita Handicap.

Reed Saxon/Associated Press