HOLLYWOOD PARK STABLE NOTES

Monday, June 26, 1995

By Vince Bruun & Ed Golden

CIGAR AND CONCERN WORK OUT
FOR RICH HOLLYWOOD GOLD CUP

Robert Meyerhoff's 1994 Breeders' Cup Classic winner Concern worked one mile

at Laurel Park Tuesday morning, while leading Horse of the Year candidate Cigar went seven furlongs Monday as they headed for their showdown in the $1-million Hollywood Gold Cup on Sunday.

Trainer Richard Small moved Concern from his base of operations at Pimlico

Race Course to Laurel Park, due to an off track caused by heavy rains, and worked The Californian winner in 1:40 over a track labeled "good" with Jerilyn Brown in the irons.

"I got him in 1:39 and change," Small said. "It's been raining here

all week and the track (Pimlico) was pretty muddy. It was too wet to harrow and too dry to float. The horse is doing great and we plan to follow the same shipping plan as we did for The Californian."

Small said Concern would arrive at Monmouth Park in Oceanport, N.J. Thursday

night, "gallop there a couple of days, blow out Saturday morning, ship Saturday afternoon and arrive at Hollywood Park Saturday night for Sunday's Gold Cup. The son of Broad Brush will be bedded down in Charlie Whittingham's barn, as he was for The Californian.

Allen Paulson's Cigar, winner of eight straight races, five of them Grade Is,

worked seven furlongs at Belmont Park Monday morning.

"The track was off, a bit sticky," trainer Bill Mott said via telephone

from Belmont Park Tuesday morning. The son of Palace Music was clocked in 1:30, breezing, over a "good" main track. The clocker's comment was "kept on edge."

Cigar, like Concern, was scheduled to ship Saturday, but somewhat earlier in the

day than Concern. "He's (Cigar) supposed to be on the same plane as me," said trainer Rodney Rash, who expects his Caesars International Handicap runner-up Celtic Arms back at Hollywood Park Saturday.

The Gold Cup lost one potential starter in San Jacinto Handicap winner Let's Be Curious.

"He's not going to run," trainer Bob Baffert's assistant, Eoin Harty, said

from Santa Anita Park. "The horse is fine, healthwise, but he's not doing as good as he should be to take on Cigar and Concern." Let's Be Curious was the lightweight

among the 10 Gold Cup nominees at 113 pounds.

Tinners Way, third-place finisher behind Concern in The Californian, worked six

furlongs on Hollywood Park's fast main track Tuesday morning. There was no time recorded on the official work tab.

"He worked very good," said jockey Eddie Delahoussaye, who rides

Tinners Way in the Gold Cup.

Del Mar Dennis, Urgent Request and Blumin Affair each galloped Tuesday morning, while

Tossofthecoin jogged.

Efforts to reach trainer Jim Ryerson on the status of longshot Meadow Flight for

the Gold Cup were unsuccessful Tuesday morning.

The probable Gold Cup field: Best Pal, Chris McCarron, 120; Blumin Affair, Goncalino

Almeida, 115; Cigar, Jerry Bailey, 126; Concern, Mike Smith, 123; Del Mar Dennis, Alex Solis, 118; Tinners Way, Delahoussaye, 118; Tossofthecoin, Corey Nakatani, 118, and Urgent Request, Gary Stevens, 118.

Possible: Meadow Flight, no rider, 114.

The Gold Cup will be nationally televised by ESPN and presented as the sixth live

race, with post time scheduled for 3:40 p.m.

Trainer Rodney Rash said he expects Urgent Request's charismatic owner, Stewart Aitken,

to attend the Gold Cup from his home in Scotland.

GOLD CUP DRAW THURSDAY MORNING

Hollywood Park will host media and horsemen at the post position draw for the $1

million Hollywood Gold Cup at 9 a.m. Thursday morning.

Many of the jockeys, trainers and owners participating in the Grade I classic at

1 1/4 miles will be on hand for the draw, which will take place at the Horsemen's Lounge on Hollywood Park's backstretch.

Post positions for the $300,000-added Beverly Hills Handicap and the $125,000-added

Affirmed Handicap also will be drawn at that time.

WINNING GOLD CUP GROOM TO RECEIVE NEW FORD TRUCK

The groom who cares for the winning horse of the 1995 Hollywood Gold Cup will

receive a 1995 Ford truck, courtesy of Hollywood Park.

Hollywood Park, as it did last year, will salute the winning groom for the hard work

and dedication in making his or her companion a champion.

Manhattan Ford/Toyota is the official car dealership of Hollywood Park.

MANDELLA EYES CAESARS DOUBLE WITH SANDPIT

Richard Mandella said Sandpit came out of his three-quarter length victory over

Celtic Arms in the $500,000-guaranteed Caesars International Handicap at Atlantic City Race Course on Sunday in good shape and he'll consider the $250,000-added Caesars Palace Turf Championship at Hollywood Park on July 22.

"He came out real good," the trainer said. "Our hope is to have

him come back strong enough to run in the Turf Championship. Corey (Nakatani) did a great job rating him, and he's (Sandpit) a pretty good horse."

Rodney Rash, trainer of runner-up Celtic Arms, was undecided on the French Derby

winner's next race. "I'll bring him back here and we'll see what happens," Rash said.

Richard Cross, trainer of sixth-place finisher Earl of Barking, said the $300,000-added

Eddie Read Handicap (Gr. I) at Del Mar (Aug. 6) would be next for the Hollywood Turf Handicap winner.

"(Goncalino) Almeida tried to get him covered up going into the first turn and

he couldn't do it," Cross said of Earl of Barking's trip in the Caesars International. "Ideally, I would liked to have been tracking Sandpit."

California-based horses finished in five of the first six positions in the race:

Sandpit (winner), Celtic Arms (second), Torch Rouge (fourth), Vaudeville (fifth) and Earl of Barking (sixth).

GILCHRIST WEIGHS BEVERLY HILLS WITH WORK THE CROWD

Greg Gilchrist Tuesday morning was pondering a decision on whether to run Work

The Crowd against Possibly Perfect, Wandesta and others in the $300,000-added Beverly Hills Handicap at Hollywood Park on Sunday.

"The owners are on the fence right now," the trainer said from his

Northern California headquarters. "They're supposed to discuss it this afternoon. I'm not one to cry (about weights), but we have to do what's best for the horse."

Gilchrist said if Work The Crowd were to pass the Beverly Hills, the $100,000-added New York Handicap (Gr. II) at Belmont Park on July 9 would be an option.

Work The Crowd was assigned 121 pounds for the Grade I Beverly Hills, to be decided at

nine furlongs on the grass.

Possibly Perfect, the highweight at 124, worked six furlongs Tuesday morning on

Hollywood Park's fast main track in 1:13, handily.

The probable field: Aube Indienne, Eddie Delahoussaye, 116; Fondly Remembered,

Patrick Valenzuela, 112; Lady Affirmed, Gary Stevens, 114; Possibly Perfect, Kent Desormeaux, 124; Wandesta, Corey Nakatani, 119, and Work The Crowd, Chris McCarron, 121.

TO BE KHALED JOINS AFFIRMED LINEUP

Loyal E. Crownover's To Be Khaled will make his first stakes start in the $125,000-added

Affirmed Handicap at Hollywood Park on Sunday, trainer Vladimir Cerin reported from Santa Anita Tuesday morning.

The California-bred son of Libanon was second to Gastown in an allowance raceat

Hollywood Park on May 31.

The probable field for the Grade III event for 3-year-olds at 1 1/16 miles: Hidden Source,

Kent Desormeaux, 113; In Character, no rider, 117; Mr Purple, Corey Nakatani, 120; On Target, Alex Solis, 118; Oncefortheroad, Danny Sorenson, 114; Pumpkin House, Gary Stevens, 115, and To Be Khaled, no rider, 112.

FINISH LINES: Trainer Greg Gilchrist is looking towards the $300,000-guaranteed

De Francis Stakes at Laurel Park on July 15 for Soviet Problem's next start. "I don't think the race in Brazil is realistic," the trainer said. "I"m kind of leaning in the direction of the Laurel race." . . . Trainer Richard Mandella sent 1993 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies champion Phone Chatter five furlongs on Hollywood Park's fast main track Tuesday morning. She went in 1:00 3/5 under exercise rider Jon Turner as she readies for her return at Del Mar. Other prominent works: Strodes Creek (:37), Forest Gazelle (:48 2/5), Megan's Interco (:59 4/5) and Savinio (1:13 2/5) . . . Ron McAnally said Sidney Craig's Paseana will be pointed to the $300,000 Vanity Handicap on July 23 in her bid to break Dance Smartly's North American filly/mare money record of $3,263,836. With the $30,000 Paseana earned for her second-place finish in Sunday's Milady Handicap, she stands at $3,163,703, $100,133 behind Dance Smartly . . . Simulcast races to be presented at Hollywood Park this holiday weekend include the Bowling Green Handicap from Belmont Park and the Pucker Up Stakes from Arlington on Saturday; the Arlington Classic on Monday, July 3; and the Suburban Handicap from Belmont and the Stars and Stripes from Arlington on Tuesday, July 4. Hollywood Park races through Tuesday, July 4, including Monday, July 3, and will be dark on Wednesday, July 5.

Go To Main Menu