ANNOUNCER'S CALL RIDES OFF INTO THE SUNSET

For 11 minutes on July 20, Hollywood Park was like old Keeneland race track: no public address announcer.

A power outage just before the start of the 1 1/2-mile Sunset Handicap short-circuited inter-track TV monitors, and KO'd the PA system, thus rendering track announcer Luke Kruytbosch's call of the first mile of the race null and void.

"When the PA went out, the phone was still working," Kruytbosch (pronounced KRITE-boss) related, "and I got like 100 calls to page so-and-so to so-and-so. I kept getting on the PA, but nothing was coming out. I tried it about 15 times and nothing happened.

"Finally, I decided to walk over to the stewards and ask them what was going on. Just when I did, they said, 'We can't wait any longer, we've got to load the horses in (the gate) now.' I looked out to the track, and all of a sudden, they were loaded. So I went back to my booth and figured even though there was no sound coming out of the PA, I might as well call it just in case it happened to go on.

"I called the first mile of the race, that nobody will ever hear, and finally, with a half-mile of the race remaining, I heard myself coming back on the PA system. I knew it was the real thing when they hit the far turn. I went ahead and called it for the heck of it, and I ended up doing the right thing.

"Funny thing was, right after I came back on, I could hear my echo coming back into the booth. That's when the phone started to ring. It was some genius telling me, 'Hey, you're back on, you're back on!'

"I guarantee you the Sunset was the greatest race I ever called."

CREEPSHOW -- Turf marathoner was all over course in erratic effort, still beaten just a half-length. Stretch runner just needs a clean trip.

HOT WIRE -- Juvenile showed much maturity in coming from well back to win debut for Baffert as even-money pick. Should only improve.

JOHNBILL -- Highly regarded Baffert 2-year-old lost all chance as 1-1 favorite when he walked out of gate from No. 1 slot, finishing non-threatening fourth. Just needs better post.

ROMAN CUZZIN -- Consistent gelding drew off with much in the tank after setting all the pace in 1 3/4-mile marathon. Tab right back.

START THE SHOW -- First-timer was off last, climbing early, but made up huge deficit to win going away. Can handle tougher next out.

THE HOMESTRETCH: Free House, smashing winner of the Swaps Stakes on July 20, is doing so well he's coming back in only two weeks to tackle Belmont winner Touch Gold in Sunday's $1-million Haskell Handicap at Monmouth Park. "He came out of the race so good," said co-owner John Toffan, "I'd hate to keep him training another five weeks. He's not going in the Travers (Aug. 23). I want to give him some time off and it fits us better if we run Sunday and then give him time off. This will allow us to prepare for whatever is left of the fall campaign." Free House is not eligible to the Breeders' Cup Classic at Hollywood on Nov. 8, and it's unlikely Toffan and his partner, Trudy McCaffery, will put up $800,000 to make him eligible, even though the Breeders' Cup has changed its rules and will add supplemental fees back into the purse money. "At this point in time, 800 grand is too much money to put up to run," Toffan said. "Even if they put it back into the purse, I'm running against my own money. I suppose we'd have to consider it, depending on what the field is like at that time, and how the horse is, and how everybody else is. But it's doubtful." . . . Next stop for Kruytbosch is north of the border. "I'm going to Northlands Park in Edmonton for about six weeks, then I'll take about a week off and start at Turf Paradise, which opens Sept. 27," said the Voice of Hollywood Park. "I've never worked in Canada, but my mom was Canadian, so that kind of smoothed the way for me. I'd known this guy and he offered me a job, so I said, 'Well, why not try something new?' I like it up there. The weather should be nice and it's better than sitting in Phoenix in 115 degrees. The average high in Edmonton in August is 71. It's all thoroughbreds and it's a six-furlong oval." . . . Richard Mandella was still undecided on whether to run Sandpit in the Pacific Classic on Aug. 9 or the Arlington Million on Aug. 24. "I'll talk to the owners and put the plan together over the next few days," said Mandella, who added that his big two, Hollywood Gold Cup winner Gentlemen and Santa Anita Handicap winner Siphon, were doing very well coming up to the Pacific Classic, final leg of the MGM Grand Classic Crown . . . Del Mar's main track, much maligned last year, is faring much better so far this meet, thanks to a five percent reduction in silt and clay. "It seems real good so far," Mandella said. "The material they added worked, I think." . . . Jenine Sahadi, voted trainer of the meet by the media at Hollywood Park, says Del Mar's strip was a little loose the first week, "but will probably tighten up" with racing . . . Kent Desormeaux, coming off the most disappointing meet of his career when he tied for ninth at Hollywood, is focused again. He led all riders through the first four days at Del Mar with seven wins, including Tryumphant ($19.20), Cantbetouched ($9.20) and Pirate's Story ($11.20) on Saturday. Desormeaux won the Del Mar title in 1993 . . . Congrats to 67-year-old Ken Church. The former top jock, a down-home guy with the Del Mar PR staff the past 22 years, has been named to the Windsor/Essex County Sports Hall of Fame in his native Windsor, Ontario, Canada. Church won nearly 2,000 races in his 20-year career, riding such stars as Mr. Consistency, Viking Spirit, Coursing, Curious Clover, Bornastar, Old Hat and Oil Capitol.