- JACODRA'S DEVIL JOINS HAWTHORNE LINEUP2
- Mr. and Mrs. Martin Wygod's versatile Jacodra's Devil will start in Sunday's
- $100,000-added Hawthorne Handicap, trainer Dan Hendricks said Thursday morning.
- "This race looks like the logical one if we expect to step into Grade I competition,"
- Hendricks said. His reference was to the Grade I Milady Handicap, which carries
$150,000 in added money and will be decided at 1 1/16 miles on June 25.
- Jacodra's Devil, a 4-year-old Kentucky-bred daughter of Devil's Bag, won the
- Santa Anita Budweiser Breeders' Cup Handicap at one mile over a wet/fast track on
April 16. Hendricks hopes to use the Hawthorne as a steppingstone to the Milady.
- Jacodra's Devil also has won on Santa Anita's downhill turf course, and won
- sprinting on Del Mar's main track last September.
- Hendricks did not have a rider as of Thursday morning.
- Three Hawthorne candidates worked on Hollywood Park's fast main track
- Thursday morning. Paseana went a minute in 1:00 4/5; Pirate's Revenge worked a half-mile in :50 4/5, and Borodislew went three furlongs in a bullet :34 2/5, fastest of 21
clockings at that distance.
- The probable Hawthorne Handicap field: Angi Go, Gary Stevens, 117;
- Borodislew, Corey Nakatani, 115; Jacodra's Devil, no rider, 116; Paseana, Chris
McCarron, 122; Pirate's Revenge, Chris Antley, 117; Tocopilla Road, Goncalino
Almeida, 113, and Top Rung, Eddie Delahoussaye, 117
.
HOLLYPARK PRESENTS METROPOLITAN HANDICAP, PETER PAN SIMULCASTS
- Hollywood Park will offer simulcast wagering on the $150,000-guaranteed Peter
- Pan Stakes (Gr. II) from Belmont Park on Sunday, and the $500,000-guaranteed
Metropolitan Handicap (Gr. I) on Memorial Day.
- Romarin, the versatile Brazilian-bred from trainer Richard Mandella's barn, was
- expected to ship from Kentucky Thursday for his engagement in the Metropolitan
Handicap.
- Scheduled post time for both races is 2:05 p.m.
BLAZE' TO SKIP MONDAY'S HOLLYWOOD TURF HANDICAP
- After meeting with owners Barry and Susan Isaacs Thursday morning, trainer
- Hector Palma said Inglewood Handicap winner Blaze O'Brien will not run in Monday's
$500,000-guaranteed Hollywood Turf Handicap (Gr. I) at 1 1/4 miles.
- Palma said a combination of factors led to the decision.
- "The distance is just a little too far for him. He hasn't run his best when he's had to
- run that far," Palma said. "And (in the Turf Handicap) he'd be facing some very tough
horses."
- Instead, Blaze O'Brien will probably run in the $150,000-added Shoemaker
- Handicap on June 10. The Grade II Shoemaker is at one mile on turf.
- "If the Shoemaker was four weeks from now, we might run (in the Turf Handicap)
- and still be able to come back in the Shoemaker," Palma said. "But the horse is
eight years old and we've got to make the most out of the bullets he has left."
- A California-bred gelding by Interco, Blaze O'Brien has started 49 times with 13
- wins, 13 seconds, six thirds and $905,000 in earnings.
LIYOUN STILL POSSIBLE FOR TURF HANDICAP
- Stephen M. Taub's Liyoun might run in the Turf Handicap after all. Trainer Dan
- Hendricks, who also is considering running the 7-year-old Irish-bred for next Friday's
$75,000-added Bo Derek Stakes, said Liyoun is "50-50" to run Monday.
- "I guess the money's the main consideration," Hendricks said. "And in his last race
- (the $400,000 San Juan Capistrano Handicap), he was only beaten a length, and that
was a Grade I."
- Imported from his native Ireland last summer, Liyoun is winless in five starts in the
- U. S. He has been competitive, however, finishing second in a $100,000 claiming race
at Santa Anita; fourth, beaten just two lengths in the Grade II San Luis Rey Stakes, and
third, beaten one length by Red Bishop and Special Price in the San Juan Capistrano.
- Overall, Liyoun has started 25 times with six firsts, four seconds, five thirds and
$248,345 in purses.
- The addition of Liyoun would increase the field to 10 for the 27th running of the
- Turf Handicap.
- Probables: Sandpit, Corey Nakatani, 122; Celtic Arms, Eddie Delahoussaye,
- 120; Vaudeville, Gary Stevens, 119; Del Mar Dennis, Chris Antley, 118; Savinio, Chris
McCarron, 117; Earl of Barking, G. F. Almeida, 115; Wandesta, Pat Day, 114;
Cocooning, no rider, 113; Liyoun, no rider, and Talloires, Kent Desormeaux,
113
.
A FEW VICTORIES HAS RE-ORIENTED BLACK
- With Corey Black, it could be a case of "hair" today, gone tomorrow.
- The 26-year-old native of Westminster, who now resides in Pasadena went
- through his most frustrating period as a jockey a few months back, to the point where he
had considered pulling up stakes and shipping off to the Orient. But his luck has
changed since growing a goatee.
- "Maybe it was a matter of ego, but in the past, when things got tough, I kind of
- looked for the easy way out," Black said between backstretch workouts. "This time, I just
got ticked off because I know I'm good enough to ride here, and I can make it
anywhere.
- "So I just decided to fight harder and grind it out. The Hong Kong offer did come
- up, but if I were to take it, it wouldn't be because things were tough for me here, but
because the offer was so good I couldn't afford not to take it.
- "But I haven't made any decision as far as that (Hong Kong) goes. I'm kind of
- riding it out. It's six of one, half-a-dozen of the other. It doesn't matter to me either way,
because I'm doing good here right now. For ego reasons, I want to stay. But possibly for
money reasons, I might have to go. It's hard to say."
- Black went into his dry spell early this year. "I had an okay fall," Black said.
- "Naturally, winning the ($500,000 Hollywood) Turf Cup on Frenchpark helped. But this
spring is when things really got bad. February and March were two of the worst months
I ever had in my career.
- "At Santa Anita, I had probably the worst meet I ever had in Southern California. I
- think I won 19 races in 89 days. (Black finished with 19 wins, 31 seconds, 37 thirds and
averaged less than one win every 10 rides. He had a win percentage of only .08 in 236
mounts).This meet we've raced 20 days and I've already won 15 races. So go figure.
It's the craziest business I've ever seen." Black ranked third in the Hollywood Park
standings through Wednesday.
- Black can't pinpoint any valid reason for his welcome turnaround, but a goatee he
- grew out of frustration provides a convenient explanation.
- "It was during my second suspension of the Santa Anita meet," Black said. "I grew
it (the goatee) during that vacation. I was concerned about what people might say
(about it) when I came back, because this is a crazy business and it could offend some
of them. But I won a race on Mac Na Heirin for Mag Perez on April 10, and I've been
doing well ever since, so I decided to keep it on.
- "(Trainer) Roger Stein thinks I'm riding better," Black offered. "A lot of people say
- I'm riding great, and they ask if it's me or the horses? I'm not going to try to analyze it.
I'm just going to try to keep doing whatever I'm doing, just ride hard, put my head down
and ride every horse 110 percent."
-
FINISH LINES: Richard Mandella said Afternoon Deelites came through Wednesday's
- tendon-splitting procedure with flying colors. "It was simple and it went fine," the trainer reported. "He was
jumping out of his skin this morning. It was hard to hold him on the ground." Mandella plans to walk the
colt daily for the next four months . . . Trainer Gary Jones said he will nominate Rapan Boy to the
$150,000-added Shoemaker Handicap to be run at one mile on the turf on June 10 . . . David
Hofmans reports Acorn Stakes winner Cat's Cradle is doing well and is pointing to the $200,000-guaranteed Mother Goose Stakes (Gr. I) at Belmont Park on June 9, and will run whether Serena's Song
goes or not . . . Charlie Whittingham expects to enter both Aube Indienne and Louis
Wolfson's eastern invader Lady Affirmed in the $150,000-added Gamely Handicap (Gr. I) on June 4. Lady Affirmed
worked a mile Thursday morning under Gary Stevens, who will ride her back in the nine-furlong
Gamely. Lady Affirmed was clocked in 1:41 1/5 on a firm turf course (dogs up). Lady Affirmed arrived at
Whittingham's barn Tuesday . . .Trainer Fordell Fierce was scheduled to ship Vaudeville from
Golden Gate Fields to Hollywood Park Thursday. Vaudeville will be stabled at Eddie
Gregson's barn through Monday's Hollywood Turf Handicap . . . KCAL-Channel 9 was in the stable area shooting a
feature on agent Scott McClellan Thursday . . . Pat Day, currently the leading rider at Churchill
Downs, will have a hectic holiday weekend. He will ride in Kentucky Saturday, in New York Sunday to ride
Suave Prospect for trainer Nick Zito in the Peter Pan Stakes, and at Hollywood Park Monday to ride
Wandesta for Bobby Frankel in the Turf Handicap.