Something has to give in San Francisco Mile

SAN MATEO, Calif. - Two horses at the top of their games will meet in Saturday's $250,000 San Francisco Breeders' Cup Mile at Bay Meadows.

Trainer Bobby Frankel sends out Decarchy, who is 2 for 2 this year with victories in the Grade 3 Tanforan Handicap at Golden Gate Fields and Grade 2 Kilroe Mile at Santa Anita.

Trainer Richard Mandella, who is reassessing whether to send defending champion Redattore north, says he will definitely run The Tin Man, the winner of three straight allowance races.

The Mile, northern California's only Grade 2 race, may have as few as four entrants, with trainer Vladimir Cerin saying he, like Mandella with Redattore, may opt to run Designed for Luck in next week's Inglewood Handicap at Hollywood.

Suances and Sarafan will also run in the Mile.

Humberto Ascanio, Frankel's assistant, said no one in their barn is surprised by Decarchy's success. A 5-year-old horse, Decarchy has won five of six starts in the United States, finishing second by a half-length to Good Journey in the Citation Handicap at Hollywood Park last Nov. 24 after leading in the stretch.

"He's a nice horse," Ascanio said of Decarchy, a Juddmonte Farms homebred. "When he was in Europe, he got hurt, and they sent him to Bobby. Bobby gave him plenty of time to recuperate.

"What he's done doesn't surprise me. Bobby told me right away when he arrived at the barn, he was a nice horse."

Decarchy easily won the Tanforan in his Feb. 9 comeback. The Kilroe on March 2 was anything but easy. Designed for Luck led in the stretch, was passed by Sarafan, and Decarchy got up in the final strides to win a four-way photo.

Mandella didn't give the 4-year-old The Tin Man his first start until last Sept. 30. He finished fifth that day when a horse broke down in front of him as he was rallying.

In five races since then, The Tin Man has won four and finished second by a neck.

"He's gone through his conditions and done it like a good horse," Mandella said. "It's time to find out how good he is."

* Sensational Guy, third in his comeback from a 19-month layoff, meets four rivals in Friday's co-feature as Bay Meadows conducts its first evening card of the meeting. First post is 7:20 p.m. The six-furlong allowance race will be the second race on the card.

* Veteran trainer Charlie Comiskey is home and doing well after a quadruple bypass on April 15. Comiskey trainee Splendid George scored a maiden win Sunday.

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