HOLLYWOOD PARK STABLE NOTES
Saturday, June 10, 1995
By Vince Bruun & Ed Golden
BEST PAL ON EDGE FOR CALIFORNIAN
Golden Eagle Farm's Best Pal "couldn't be any better,"
trainer Richard Mandella said Saturday, on the eve of Sunday's $250,000-added Californian
(Gr. I).
The 7-year-old Habitony gelding blew out in a quick :34 4/5 Friday, but Mandella said Best Pal was well within himself for the three-furlong move. The workout was noted as "breezing" by the clockers.
"He's training like a 2-year-old," Mandella said. "It was fast, but isn't uncommon to see him do that. The main thing is, he did it easily."
Best Pal's splits were : 11 4/5, :12 1/5 and :10 4/5.
Stoller also worked Friday. The 4-year-old El Gran Senor colt breezed three furlongs in :36 2/5 on the turf course.
"He has tender feet, so I like to work him on the turf if I can," trainer Lewis Cenicola said.
Morning Line Maker Russ Hudak installed Best Pal the 2-1 favorite for the 42nd renewal of the 1 1/8-mile race, with Breeders' Cup Classic winner Concern the 5-2 second choice.
Concern was scheduled to arrive at LAX Saturday at 6 p.m., and was assigned to Hall of Famer Charlie Whittingham's barn in the stable area.
The morning line for the Californian: Tinners Way, Eddie Delahoussaye, 6-1; Ravenwood, Felipe Martinez, 50-1; Blumin Affair, G. F. Almeida, 12-1; Best Pal, Chris McCarron, 2-1; Tossofthecoin, Corey Nakatani, 3-1; Lottery Winner, Corey Black, 20-1; Let's Be Curious, Kent Desormeaux, 12-1; Stoller, Gary Stevens, 12-1, and Concern, Mike Smith, 5-2.
TOSSOFTHECOIN MAKING BELIEVER OF SKEPTICS
Two years ago, after finishing 19th and last in the Kentucky
Derby, Tossofthecoin was something of a laughingstock. The Kentucky-bred
son of Magesterial had been purchased privately by Sidney Craig for a reported $1 million with
the Derby expressly in mind. It was a financial disaster of Grade I proportions.
Subsequent efforts did little to redeem Tossofthecoin. The chestnut couldn't even work himself through his conditions, let alone earn back even a small percentage of his sale price. He'd run some good races, but would rarely win.
Well, here it is two years later, and a funny thing happened on the road to oblivion. Tossofthecoin got good. Good enough, in fact, to be the 3-1 third choice on the morning line for Sunday's $250,000-added Californian, a Grade I event whose lineup includes Best Pal, Tinners Way and Concern.
"He's always been a horse with possibilities," trainer Ron McAnally said. "And he's a well-bred, nice-looking horse. So, no, I'm not too surprised by what he's done."
What he's done is finish first, second or third in each of his last eight starts -- six of which were graded stakes events -- while blossoming into one of the better handicap horses on the circuit. His last two races, victories in the Bates Motel Handicap at Santa Anita and the Grade II Mervyn LeRoy Handicap at Hollywood Park, were especially impressive. The horse has developed an effective, stalking style, and has responded to the aggressive handling of jockey Corey Nakatani.
"We haven't done anything significantly different (with Tossofthecoin)," McAnally said. "We've made a couple minor changes with things like equipment, but nothing you could really put your finger on. With some horses, it just takes time for them to find themselves."
With career earnings of $608,159 and several important races looming, it's conceivable that the horse might yet turn a profit for his owner. And who would have believed that two years ago?
SPECIAL MONDAY RACING AT HOLLYWOOD PARK
Hollywood Park will present a special racing program on Monday,
June 12. First post time for the nine-race card is 1 p.m.
SNOWY'S MARK TO TAKE AIM AT VALKYR HANDICAP
Leonard L. Scofield's Snowy's Mark, who finished fourth as the 2-1 favorite in a $45,000 allowance event Wednesday, will wheel back in the $100,000-added
Valkyr Handicap next Saturday, trainer Clifford Sise Jr. said.
A 4-year-old filly by Mark Chip, Snowy's Mark has been steady if unspectacular during a 10-race career. She has two wins, two seconds, four thirds and $87,125 in earnings. Sise has engaged Kent Desormeaux to ride Snowy's Mark.
Probables for the 12th running of the Valkyr, carded at 5 1/2 furlongs for California-bred fillies and mares on turf: Flying In The Lane,
Alex Solis; Gorky Square, Corey Nakatani; Snowy's Mark, Kent Desormeaux, and Soviet Problem, Chris McCarron.
Possible: Siyah Nara, no rider.
TRIVIA QUESTION
Of the nine horses scheduled to go postward in The Californian on Sunday, how many broke from post positions one or two in their last starts?
BOUNDLESS MOMENT PROVES MAIDEN VICTORY WAS NO FLUKE
The highlight of Friday night's card was the performance of the Florida-bred Boundless Moment, who drew off to score by 3 1/2-lengths in a
$40,000 allowance event for 3-year-olds.
Although the 1:09 clocking wasn't as fast as his maiden voyage, when he sizzled six furlongs in 1:08 2/5, Friday's triumph might have been even more impressive. For one thing, the track wasn't yielding the super-swift times it did on May 20, the day of his maiden-breaker, which was the same day Lucky Forever set a world record of 1:13 1/5 for 6 1/2 furlongs.
The competition was also tougher. Boundless Moment had to contend with Strawberry Soldier through splits of :21 4/5, :44 2/5 and :56 2/5, before putting that one away in mid-stretch to win convincingly.
"He's a nice colt," said trainer Kathy Walsh, who prefers not to get too carried away by precocious runners. "He does everything right. For example, he settled nicely for Corey (Black) just in back of the leader, and he took off when he asked him. The way he relaxes, I really think he'll get a distance of ground.
"But actually, my biggest concern was racing under the lights. I had schooled him in the paddock at night, but it was still basically a new experience for him."
As for what's next for Boundless Moment, Walsh said she planned to discuss the matter with Budget Stable's owner Syd Belzburg before even speculating.
Walsh, incidentally, is a former leading trainer in Washington and Minnesota and is making her mark at the current meeting. She's won four of nine starts -- 44 percent wins -- but refuses to toot her own horn. "We've got some good horses who have been lucky to be in the right spot, that's all," she said.
BRINSON CELEBRATES ANNIVERSARY
Thirty years ago Sunday a 16-year-old apprentice scored the first victory of his career aboard a 4-year-old colt named Paisley Print.
The winning apprentice? It was none other than Gary Brinson proudly leading Paisley Print into the Hollywood Park winner's circle for the picture-taking ceremonies.
Brinson, of course, is now the official starter at Hollywood Park, a position he has held since 1985. The son of renowned trainer Ross Brinson, Gary Brinson would win 10 races at Hollywood Park over the next two years, and hung up his tack as a rider in 1969.
Brinson began working with starting gate crews in 1970 at the local fairs and at Los Alamitos. It was in 1972 that he got his first opportunity to work as an assistant starter at Hollywood Park for George Kidd, after which he worked 10 years under Cotton Bartlett before assuming the top job in 1985.
TRIVIA ANSWER
Eight. Tinners Way, Blumin Affair, Best Pal and Tossofthecoin all broke from post position one, while Ravenwood, Let's Be Curious, Stoller
and Concern started from No. Two.
Only Lottery Winner escaped the inside last out, breaking from post five. Tinners Way drew No. One for The Californian, while Ravenwood got post position two.
THEY ALL LOVE INGLEWOOD
For some reason, the horses entered in Sunday's $250,000-added Californian seem to thrive at Hollywood Park. Combined, they have raced 40
times at Hollywood Park, with 16 wins, nine seconds, five thirds and $1,470,375 in earnings.
Atop the "I love Inglewood" leader board is Best Pal, who has raced here seven times, with six wins, one second and $1,171,650 in purses.
Next is Tossofthecoin, with five starts, four wins, one second and $152,800.
And third is longshot Ravenwood, with nine starts, four wins, zero seconds, two thirds and $84,450.
FINISH LINES: David Hofmans said Cat's Cradle is scheduled to return from New York Monday and is being pointed to the $200,000-added Hollywood Oaks (Gr. I) on July 8. Cat's Cradle wrenched an ankle last week, forcing her to miss Friday's Mother Goose Stakes at Belmont Park . . . Jockey Jose Silva , who rode Pala Canyon to a second-place finish in the fifth race Friday at Golden Gate Fields, was at Hollywood Park four hours later and rode Royal Desperado ($13.40) to a victory in Friday's nightcap. Both horses are trained by Sam Scolamieri. It was the second victory of the week for Silva and Scolamieri, who scored with Our Summer Bid ($18.60) in Wednesday's seventh race . . . Trainer Myung Kwon Cho celebrates his 53rd birthday Saturday . . . Sunday marks the 12th anniversary of jockey Chris Antley's first career victory, accomplished aboard Vaya Con Dinero on June 11, 1983 at Pimlico . . . Megan's Interco logged his second three furlong workout Friday (:36 1/5, handily) and should be ready to race by late July, trainer Jenine Sahadi said . . . Cardmania and Gold Land, both prepping for the $100,000-added Triple Bend Handicap (Gr. III) on June 24, worked on Hollywood Park's fast main track Saturday morning. Cardmania went three furlongs for Derek Meredith in :35 2/5, while Neil Drysdale sent Gold Land six furlongs in 1:15 1/5.