HOLLYWOOD PARK STABLE NOTES

Wednesday, May 17, 1995

By Vince Bruun & Ed Golden

JUMRON TO RUN IN SWAPS STAKES AT HOLLYWOOD

Charles W. Dunn's Jumron will probably run twice at the current Hollywood Park meeting, trainer Gary Lewis said Wednesday, with the main objective the $500,000 Swaps Stakes on July 23.

A Great Britain-bred son of Sharpo, Jumron was being pointed to Saturday's $500,0000 Preakness Stakes at Pimlico, but those plans were scrapped due to some minor ailments.

"He grabbed a quarter in the (Kentucky Derby), and he pulled a muscle in his behind," Lewis said. "The injuries are very slight, very minor, but there's no sense running in the Preakness with a horse that's less than 100 percent."

Lewis said Jumron will be shipped home from Kentucky either Sunday or Monday, depending on flight connections. Jumron will then begin training for the Swaps Stakes, and Lewis said he will look at several races -- the $100,000 Cinema Handicap on the turf June 3, the $100,000-added Harry Henson Stakes on the main track June 10 or the $125,000-added Affirmed Handicap on the main track July 2 -- as possible preps.

"Certainly it's disappointing not to run in the Preakness," Lewis said. "But being from California, Swaps is my all-time favorite horse. It would sure be exciting to win that race."

HOLLYWOOD PRESENTS PREAKNESS SIMULCAST SATURDAY

The 120th running of the Preakness Stakes, second leg of racing's Triple Crown, will be shown at Hollywood Park on Saturday. Scheduled post time is 2:31 p.m.

Five other Pimlico stakes races will be simulcast: the Sir Barton (10:42 a.m.), the William Donald Schaefer (11:27 a.m.), the Maryland Budweiser Breeders' Cup (12:12 p.m.), the Pimlico Distaff (12:57 p.m.) and the Early Times Dixie Classic (1:42 p.m.).

Post time for Hollywood Park's first live race Saturday is 1 p.m.

BLACK-EYED SUSAN SIMULCAST ON TAP FRIDAY

Friday's simulcast schedule features Robert and Beverly Lewis' Serena's Song in the $200,000 Black-Eyed Susan and the Gallorette Handicap -- both from Pimlico. The Gallorette runs at 1:40 p.m. and the Black-Eyed Susan at 2:12.

TOSSOFTHECOIN TO TRY LUCK IN SUNDAY'S MERVYN LeROY

Sidney Craig's Tossofthecoin, who broke a long losing streak with a dead heat victory in the $65,000-added Bates Motel Handicap at Santa Anita April 23, will run in Sunday's $100,000-added Mervyn LeRoy Handicap, trainer Ron McAnally said.

A 5-year-old Kentucky-bred by Magesterial, Tossofthecoin will be the starting high weight at 118 pounds with Corey Nakatani taking over in the irons for Laffit Pincay Jr., who has the call on College Town.

Tossofthecoin, who has a win, a second and three thirds this year while racing mainly in graded company, sizzled six furlongs in a bullet 1:11 1/5 Sunday in preparation for the race.

Probables for the 16th running of the Mervyn LeRoy Handicap, a Grade II event to be decided at 1 1/16 miles on the main track: Tossofthecoin, Corey Nakatani, 118; College Town, 117, Laffit Pincay Jr., 117; Powis Castle, Gary Stevens, 116; Bon Point, Eddie Delahoussaye, 115; Ferrara, Chris Antley, 114, and Polar Route, Corey Black, 113.

P. VAL RIDES SKI DANCER IN HONEYMOON HANDICAP

Trainer Gary Jones said Wednesday morning Patrick Valenzuela has been engaged to ride Santa Ysabel Stakes winner Ski Dancer in Saturday's $100,000-added Honeymoon Handicap.

Expected to start in the Grade III event at 1 1/16 miles on the turf for 3-year-old fillies: Artica, Laffit Pincay Jr., 119; Auriette, Eddie Delahoussaye, 117; Jewel Princess, Chris Antley, 116; Kuda, Alex Solis, 116; Ski Dancer, Patrick Valenzuela, 117, and Top Shape, Corey Nakatani, 118.

DECISION DUE SOON ON AFTERNOON DEELITES

Richard Mandella said a decision on the future of Afternoon Deelites is on hold until this weekend.

"We won't have any statement before that," the trainer said at Hollywood Park Wednesday morning, three days after he announced that the West Virginia-bred colt injured his left front tendon in the Kentucky Derby on May 6.

"We'll either retire him or lay him up and try to make a comeback," Mandella said of Burt Bacharach's colt, who won his first five starts in brilliant fashion before losing by a head to Larry The Legend in the Santa Anita Derby on April 8. He finished eighth in the Kentucky Derby.

"I have to decide what to recommend to (Bacharach and the breeding syndicate headed by Kentucky Gov. Brereton Jones)," Mandella said of Afternoon Deelites, who will ultimately stand at Airdrie Stud in Midway, Ky.

"I have to recommend whether to just retire him and breed him, or to take a chance and see if we can train him. We have enough time to actually do both. We can give him some time off and see how he trains back in the next few months, if we decide to go that route. That would still give us time to get him ready for the breeding season, if we decided to go that way."

"I've had good luck with this particular problem, which is strange, because it's not something people have luck with," he added. "I had a horse named Breakfast Table, who ran for how many years after I split his tendon? He ran better his first couple years afterwards.

"I have a long history of horses with tendon injuries that came back as good or better than they went out (another is the recently retired sprinter, Memo, a multiple stakes winner)."

Mandella is certain the injury happened in the Kentucky Derby.

"There's no doubt," he said. "It probably started in the Santa Anita Derby. Until horses can tap us on the shoulder and say, `Dick, I had a little twinge there when I made that big move at the quarter pole. It doesn't show anything, but I'm telling you, I got a little twinge there.' Until we can do that, we won't be able to solve all of a horse's problems in advance."

Mandella said Afternoon Deelites is comfortable. "He's in no pain. It would take an expert to find it (the injury), it's so small. To confirm what we saw, we did ultrasound, the scan that shows the inside of the tendon, and it showed a little bit of a tear.

"The tendon is as big as this," Mandella added, holding up the pinky finger on his left hand. "Maybe not that big. In that are thousands of little fibers. You just get one of those little fibers to tear, and you have a tendon (injury). It doesn't mean the whole tendon's gone . . . the autopsies that I've studied at UC Davis have shown that the major breakdown injuries generally were associated with a prior bone disease.

"They didn't just break down all of a sudden. Most of them had a history of a stress fracture or a bone disease, and then it broke. Ligaments are the same way, there's no doubt about it. I'm sure that's what we have here. But we're just lucky it didn't do worse.

"Tendons are strange. Some heal, some don't. The important thing is not to injure them badly, then you have a better chance to heal. Afternoon Deelites' is in that stage. It's very slight. If one would heal, I'd have to think that would be it."

SANDPIT, WANDESTA PREP FOR HOLLYWOOD TURF HANDICAP

Sandpit and Wandesta, two of the major players in the $500,000 Hollywood Turf Handicap, worked toward their goal Wednesday morning at Hollywood Park.

Sandpit went a mile in 1:38 3/5 for Richard Mandella under exercise rider Crystal Brown. Wandesta, who will face males in the 1 1/4-mile event, went seven furlongs in 1:26 3/5 for Bobby Frankel.

Rodney Rash confirmed Santa Anita Handicap winner Urgent Request is pointing to the Grade I event. Also expected in the Memorial Day fixture are Best Pal, Del Mar Dennis, Vaudeville and Savinio.

ANTLEY TO RETAIN MOUNT ON UNFINISHED SYMPH

Gary Baze begins his latest comeback Thursday at Yakima Meadows, but the veteran jockey's return to action won't be in time to save the mount on Unfinished Symph.

Trainer Wesley Ward, who last year said Baze had a "lifetime contract" on the son of Aloha Prospector, said he gave Baze every chance to retain the mount. But Baze wasn't race- fit when Unfinished Symph made his 1995 debut in the $200,000 San Francisco Mile at Golden Gate Fields on April 22, and Chris Antley rode the 4-year-old to a powerful victory in 1:34 flat.

"I feel bad because I like Gary and I kind of liked having the Washington connection," Ward said. "We had a good run and a lot of fun last year . . . but how can I take Chris Antley off when he just won on the horse?

"Gary Baze is a great rider and I've always admired him. But Gary knew the score, he knew when the horse was coming back. I even told him he could ride him if it was his first race back."

Unfinished Symph's next start is expected to be in the $150,000-added Shoemaker Handicap on the turf June 10. The major objective for the year is the $1-million Breeders' Cup Turf at Belmont Park on Oct. 28.

SATURDAY'S UNDERCARD TO INCLUDE $75,000-ADDED RICH CREAM

A small but select field of sprinters is taking shape for Saturday's $75,000-added Rich Cream Handicap to be decided at 6 1/2 furlongs on the main track.

Multiple stakes winners D'Hallevant and Individual Style are both expected to run, with Lucky Forever and Blumin Affair also expected to compete.

Probables for the Rich Cream Handicap: Blumin Affair, Eddie Delahoussaye; D'Hallevant, Corey Nakatani; Individual Style, Danny Sorenson, and Lucky Forever, G. F. Almeida.

FINISH LINES: Cleante, who dead-heated for the win with Tossofthecoin in the $65,000 Bates Motel Handicap at Santa Anita April 23, will ship to New York for the $500,000- guaranteed Metropolitan Handicap May 29, trainer Ron McAnally said . . . Del Mar Dennis was nominated to Sunday's Mervyn LeRoy Handicap, but trainer Paco Gonzalez said the multiple graded stakes winner will pass the race in favor of the $500,000 Hollywood Turf Handicap May 29. Red Earth is ailing and will pass the $500,000 Hollywood Turf Handicap, leading trainer Bobby Frankel reports . . . Romarin, who came down with a cough, will miss Saturday's Early Times Dixie Classic at Pimlico, and trainer Richard Mandella will now point the Brazilian-bred speedster to the $500,000-guaranteed Metropolitan Handicap at Belmont Park on Memorial Day. He'll need a rider, because regular pilot Corey Nakatani handles Sandpit that day in the Hollywood Turf Handicap. "He's galloping and he looks fine," Mandella said of Romarin.

Trainer Neil Drysdale could have another precocious 3-year-old in his barn to fill the shoes of idled French Deputy. Moving Tribute, a Kentucky-bred son of Zilzal, won Sunday's third race in workmanlike fashion in his first effort beyond six furlongs. While not putting the chestnut colt quite in French Deputy's category, Drysdale said of Moving Tribute: "He has some talent. I like the way he settled and responded when (Eddie) Delahoussaye asked him." Moving Tribute is owned by Will Farish and the Relatively Stable of Howard Rosenblatt. . . David Bernstein plans to breeze Houston Sunrise Friday morning at Hollywood Park . . . Agent Bob Meldahl said Wayne Lukas has given him the call with Nakatani on Serena's Song for the $100,000-added Princess Stakes (June 18) and the $200,000-added Hollywood Oaks (July 9). Gary Stevens will ride the filly in the $300,000-added Black-Eyed Susan Stakes at Pimlico on Friday, the final day of Nakatani's current three-day suspension.