SUBORDINATION UPSETS WESTERN FOES ON TURF.

Byline: Kevin Modesti Daily News Staff Writer

Subordination took advantage of the favorite's starting-gate injury to dominate Sunday's Eddie Read Handicap, which became the third major Southern California race in a little more than a month to be won by a beast from the East.

That trend is notable, because for decades trainers believed shipping horses from East to West was inherently more difficult than going from West to East.

Now, it's fair to ask if that was a myth, if that was a crafty excuse for eastern horses' defeats, or if New York and Kentucky simply have all the best horses these days.

``I think it's still a big disadvantage,'' said Gary Sciacca, the Belmont Park-based trainer of Subordination, who led from gate to wire under jockey David Flores to win by a length. ``Unless you've got a great horse.''

Kentucky-based Escena won the Vanity Handicap at Hollywood Park in June. New York-based Skip Away won the Hollywood Gold Cup in July. And now New York-based Subordination has won the $300,000 Eddie Read, pushing his earnings over $1 million in one of the major turf races of the summer.

It's the second successful cross-country trip for the 4-year-old colt, who won the Hollywood Derby in November. Since then, he won races on both turf and dirt in Florida and New York.

The Eddie Read became an easier mark when the hyperactive Labeeb, 8-5 on the tote board, was ordered scratched by the track veterinarian after thrashing around, hitting his head on the starting gate and sustaining a friction burn on a hind leg. Labeeb was reported in good shape back at Neil Drysdale's barn Sunday evening.

The new favorite was another Drysdale-trained horse, Hawksley Hill. But the weekend turned out to be a complete bust for Drysdale, whose Fiji ran third at 2-5 odds in the Ramona Handicap won by See You Soon on Saturday.

Hawksley Hill ran last most of the way before rallying late to take third in a three-way photo between Bonapartiste and Magellan.

Meanwhile, Flores put Subordination on a comfortable lead from the outside post position and they held it for 1-1/8 miles. Sciacca, a 38-year-old New York native, said he replaced regular rider Eibar Coa because Flores would be more familiar with the Del Mar turf course.

With that hometown assist, Subordination became the first eastern horse to ship in to win the Eddie Read in the 25-year history of the race.

Notes: Escena and jockey Jerry Bailey were 1-5 in the Go for Wand Handicap at Saratoga on Sunday but lost a stretch-long duel to Aldiza and Mike Smith. The top-ranked mare had won four in a row. She carried 11 pounds more than her upsetter. . . . Del Mar is guaranteeing the pick-six pool will be at least $2 million on Aug. 15, the day of the Pacific Classic. It's an amplification of the gimmick introduced with much success at Hollywood Park, where guarantees of $1 million and $1.5 million produced pick-six pools of $3.3 million and $3.8 million. . . . Touch Gold, who arrived here Saturday to run in the Pacific Classic, went 1-1/2 miles Sunday in his first gallop over the track.