Catch a Flight wins Precisionist Stakes at Santa Anita

ARCADIA, Calif. (AP) Catch a Flight split horses turning for home and went on to win the $100,750 Precisionist Stakes by three-quarters of a length Saturday at Santa Anita, giving Hall of Fame trainer Richard Mandella his 2,000th career victory.

Ridden by Flavien Plat, Catch a Flight ran 1 1/16 miles in 1:42.22 and paid $4.80, $3.20 and $2.40 as the 7-5 favorite. Prat, a Frenchman, earned his first North American graded stakes victory.

Sammy Mandeville rallied from last to finish second and returned $7.80 and $4.60. Motown Men was another 1 1/4 lengths back in third and paid $3.20 to show.

The victory, worth $60,000, increased Catch a Flight's career earnings to $273,239, with eight wins in 14 starts.

Mandella was low-key about his achievement.

''It's good, but it took a long time,'' he said. ''I did it one inch at a time, 42 years. This didn't come overnight.''