HOLLYWOOD PARK STABLE NOTES

Thursday, July 6, 1995

By Vince Bruun & Ed Golden

SOUL OF THE MATTER WORKS MILE,
SET TO RETURN IN BEL AIR HANDICAP

Richard Mandella pronounced Soul of the Matter "ready to go" in the July 16 Bel

Air Handicap after Burt Bacharach's colt worked a mile on Hollywood Park's fast main track Thursday morning in 1:39 2/5, handily.

Soul of the Matter has not raced since finishing fourth behind Concern in the Breeders'

Cup Classic at Churchill Downs last Nov. 5. "Sore feet and tired" is how Mandella explained Soul of the Matter's eight-month layoff.

Kent Desormeaux, who will ride Soul of the Matter in the 1 1/16-mile Bel Air, was aboard

for the workout.

Trainer Bobby Frankel said he will look at the weights, due Sunday, before deciding on

whether to run Edmund Gann's Metropolitan and Brooklyn Handicap winner You And I or Juddmonte Farms' Bon Point.

"Whichever one I run, I'll probably run the other in the San Diego (Handicap at Del

Mar on July 29)," Frankel said.

Other possibilities for the $125,000-added Bel Air Handicap (Gr. II) include Cleante,

I'ma Game Master, Luthier Fever and Lykatill Hil.

Lykatill Hil worked a half-mile Wednesday in :49, handily, with Eddie Delahoussaye

aboard, but trainer Art Sherman was undecided as of Thursday morning. You And I went seven furlongs Thursday in 1:27, handily.

RASH TO NOMINATE THREE FOR CAESARS RACE ON JULY 22

Rodney Rash plans to nominate Celtic Arms, Bluegrass Prince and Urgent Request to the

$250,000-added Caesars Palace Turf Championship on July 22. The trainer supervised workouts for both Bluegrass Prince and Caesars International Handicap runner-up Celtic Arms on Hollywood Park's turf course Thursday morning.

Bluegrass Prince breezed a half-mile on a firm course (no dogs) in :52 4/5, while Celtic

Arms went the same distance in :52 4/5, handily.

Sandpit, who won the Caesars International at Atlantic City by three-quarters of a

th on June 25, also breezed a half-mile for Richard Mandella. The Brazilian was clocked in :52 1/5.

Neil Drysdale is expected to be represented by Special Price in the 1 1/2-mile Caesars

Palace Turf Championship, while Bobby Frankel said he does not plan to nominate any horses for the Grade II event.

Sandpit will earn a bonus equating to $312,500 if he completes an East-to-West sweep

with a win in the Caesars Palace Turf Championship.

DAZZLING FALLS PREPS FOR SWAPS STAKES

Donald Kroeger's Arkansas Derby winner Dazzling Falls, expected for the $500,000

Swaps Stakes at Hollywood Park on July 23, worked "a casual five-eighths" at AKsarben Thursday morning, Hollywood Park racing secretary Martin Panza reported.

Dazzling Falls, trained by Chuck Turco, is expected at Hollywood Park for the Grade II

Swaps on July 10. He will be bedded down at Jack Van Berg's barn.

Louisiana and Ohio Derby winner Petionville worked five furlongs Thursday morning in

1:00 2/5 for Randy Bradshaw in preparation for the Swaps. Exercise rider Kris Watanabe was aboard.

"He galloped out in 1:14 and change," Bradshaw said."

Kentucky Derby and Belmont Stakes winner Thunder Gulch and Affirmed Handicap winner

Mr Purple also are pointing to the Swaps Stakes, which will be decided at nine furlongs on the main track.

LUBYS' SON WINS SCHOLARSHIP TO WEST POINT

Jason Luby, 18-year-old son of trainer Donn Luby and his wife, Donna, has been awarded

an athletic and academic government scholarship to West Point.

"Obviously, we're very proud of him," said the 49-year-old native of Riverside,

who now resides in Sierra Madre. "There were 12,000 eligible when the process began, and it was narrowed down to 1,200. He was selected from those 1,200."

Jason is a graduate of LaSalle High School in Pasadena and will be a catcher on the

Army baseball team.

"It's a very special honor," Luby said. "If anyone has ever visited West

Point, they know the rich history of the academy. It makes you realize how fortunate we are to live in such a great country."

FINISH LINES: Saturday's simulcast slate at Hollywood Park is headed by Serena's Song in the

Belmont Park. $250,000-guaranteed Coaching Club American Oaks (Gr. I) from Serena's Song in the Belmont Park. The Oaks will be seen as part of the full-card simulcast from Woodbine. The $75,000-added Long Branch Breeders' Cup Stakes from Monmouth Park and Arlington Park's $125,000-guaranteed Round Table Stakes (Gr. III) will also be simulcast Saturday . . . Sunday's full-card simulcast from Woodbine includes the $400,000 Queens Plate Stakes . Gary Stevens rides Langfuhr for trainer Mike Keogh in the 1 1/2-mile event . . . Art Sherman on Lykatill Hil, who finished fourth in last year's Bel Air Handicap. "He's a lot stronger horse this year," Sherman said of the Del Mar Budweiser Breeders' Cup Handicap winner. "He won pretty handily up north a few weeks ago after I had turned him out. Del Mar is his favorite track, so I'm hoping to have a good summer with him." Sherman, usually based in Northern California, said he expects to have a few horses in Southern California on a permanent basis.

Fancy n Fabulous, who came off a four-month vacation to win a $48,000 allowance race on turf on

June 25, is being pointed to the $85,000-added Fran's Valentine Handicap on July 23, trainer Don Warren said. The Fran's Valentine, 1 1/16 miles on turf, is one of three $85,000-added races for Cal-breds that will be run on July 23 . . . Susan Isaacs was back at Hollywood Park after helping Blaze O'Brien recover from surgery Monday for a fractured right front sesamoid. Isaacs, who owns the 8-year-old gelding with her husband, Barry, said the winner of more than $900,000 continues to make progress at Alamo Pintado Equine Hospital in Los Olivos . . . Lakeway worked a half-mile in :46 3/5 Wednesday morning for Gary Jones, while American Day (1:25 3/5) and Phone Chatter (1:27) drilled for Richard Mandella.

Trainer Eduardo Inda, who saddled his first Hollywood Park winner and first Hollywood Park stakes

winner in Borodislew in Tuesday's $75,000-added Terlingua Handicap, said the 505 Farms mare came out of the race in good shape. "I've saddled stakes winners before on my own," the 52-year-old former Ron McAnally assistant said, "but never at Hollywood Park." Inda plans to keep Borodislew sprinting for now and is considering the $100,000-added Rancho Bernardo Breeders' Cup Handicap (Gr. III) at Del Mar on Aug. 13 for her next start. The race is at 6 1/2 furlongs on the main track, identical to the Terlingua . . . Agent Ray Kravagna reports Fernando Valenzuela will be at Laurel Park on July 15 to ride Crafty Dude for Mike Chambers in the De Francis Stakes at six furlongs on the main track . . . Mandella said Best Pal's foot "is a lot better" since the all-time active money winner's fifth-place finish in the Hollywood Gold Cup. "Right now, he's barefoot. There are no plans for him at this time. We'll see how things go." . . . Probables for the $150,000-added Hollywood Park Budweiser Breeders' Cup on July 15: Cyrano Storme, Kent Desormeaux; Lucky Forever, Goncalino Almeida, and Pembroke, no rider. Jenine Sahadi is undecided on Evergreen Farm's Lit De Justice for the 5 1/2-furlong turf dash.

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