SOLIS TRICKS RAINTRAP INTO CAPISTRANO WIN.

Byline: Kevin Modesti Daily News Staff Writer

The most important equipment change in the $400,000 San Juan Capistrano Invitational wasn't listed in Sunday's Santa Anita program.

They weren't trying to fool the 26,663 fans - besides, if you'd told the bettors that jockey Alex Solis had let out his stirrups by three notches before he boarded the English-bred Raintrap, how many could have figured out why?

Solis was trying to fool his horse.

Believing Raintrap's chances depended on whether the 6-year-old could relax on the lead and save energy for the end of the United States' longest major race, Solis wracked his brain all afternoon.

He finally decided to ride with the longest stirrups of his 15-year career.

And why is that?

``I wanted to make him (Raintrap) feel like he was galloping, with the stirrups longer, and it really worked out,'' Solis said after coaxing Raintrap to a wire-to-wire, one-length victory over the favored mare Windsharp, with East Coast shipper Awad a close third.

Solis' only victory Sunday cut Corey Nakatani's lead in the jockey standings to 73-72 going into today's closing card at Santa Anita.

``Three holes down is very long for me, because I ride very short,'' Solis said of his equipment adjustment. ``(But) actually I felt very comfortable all the way around there.

``I'm sure the horse felt the difference because he came out of there fast, then he did relax and just started galloping like I had hoped.

``When we got to the backside, my horse was so relaxed that when the mare came to me, my horse just started opening up. When I got to the three-eighths pole, I asked him to go, and he took off.''

Helped by a crawling pace, Raintrap covered the unique San Juan Capistrano distance in 2:48.40, the slowest running in the 1990s. Because the turf-course rail had been repositioned, the race was 259 feet shorter than 1-3/4 miles, or 94 feet longer than usual.

Raintrap paid $11.40 as the fourth choice in a seven-horse field that included Special Price (sixth) and Malmo (pulled up in the clubhouse turn).

Windsharp - coming off back-to-back victories over males and trying to be the third filly or mare to win the Capistrano - ran well. It was jockey Eddie Delahoussaye who disappointed trainer Wally Dollase.

``Whoever rode the winner is smart . . . that's all I can say,'' Dollase said before walking away.

Delahoussaye said he decided to track Raintrap, and ``when I asked my mare, she ran, but that other horse just kept running too.''

Which means that Raintrap, a Juddmonte Farms-bred son of Rainbow Quest and Suntrap, is back in the form that won him the 1994 Rothmans International at Woodbine. A minor-stakes victory last month had been his first in a span of seven starts broken up by throat problems.

``It's a great race to win,'' said trainer Bobby Frankel, who also won the 1991 Capistrano with Mashkour. ``That's the most excited I've gotten in a long time.''

Notes: Bill Spawr clinched his second Santa Anita training title when he and Richard Mandella sent out one loser each Sunday. Spawr leads 28-27 and Mandella doesn't have a horse today. . . . There's a $156,000 carryover to closing day, when the whole pick-six pool must be paid out. . . .

Trainer Gary Jones, who will retire after saddling Ski Dancer for the $100,000 San Simeon Handicap today, was honored with a winner's circle ceremony Sunday. . . . Ski Dancer is a 5-2 second choice behind 2-1 Chilly Billy on the morning line for the turf sprint. . . .

Active victories leader Laffit Pincay rode three winners Sunday and sneaked into the top 10. . . . Fans of hard-knocking claimers will enjoy the meet's 785th and final race - a starter allowance race that drew a field of geldings as old as 7. The race is named for the United Pegasus Foundation, a local horse-rescue group, and the winner's trophy will feature a horse wearing leg bandages.