HOLLYWOOD PARK STABLE NOTES

Saturday, July 8, 1995

By Vince Bruun & Ed Golden

SHULMAN EYES CAESARS PALACE TURF RACE
WITH JIM MURRAY HANDICAP WINNER JAHAFIL

Jahafil, who won the Jim Murray Handicap at Hollywood Park by a diminishing head over

Talloires on July 1, could make his next start in the $250,000-added Caesars Palace Turf Championship on July 22.

"We've nominated him," trainer Sandy Shulman said of the 7-year-old Great

Britain-bred horse owned by Ron Charles and the Clear Valley Stable.

"You know, for the first time in his racing career, he passed a horse to win the Jim

Murray. I don't know if he'll do that again, so I'm hoping there won't be too much speed in the Caesars."

Nominations for the Caesars, a Grade II event at 1 1/2 miles, were to close Saturday.

Grass marathoners expected to be nominated included Caesars International Handicap winner Sandpit and runner-up Celtic Arms; Special Price, Jahafil, Talloires, Twin Bet, Urgent Request, Bluegrass Prince, Misty Valley, Liyoun and Sans Ecocide.

Should Sandpit win the Caesars Palace Turf Championship, the Brazilian would capture

what amounts to a $312,500 bonus for winning both races sponsored by Caesars.

MANGRUM PONDERS BEL AIR FOR CONSTANT CRAVING

Terry Mangrum was pleased with Constant Craving's smart six-furlong workout at

Hollywood Park Saturday morning, but still was undecided on whether Mary Bradley's gelded son of Chief's Crown would run in next Sunday's $125,000-added Bel Air Handicap at 1 1/16 miles on the main track.

"The work was fine," Mangrum said. Clockers caught Constant Craving in 1:12 4/5,

one-fifth less than the bullet 1:12 3/5 recorded by Danebo Stampede. "He galloped out in 1:25 4/5, with my exercise rider, Denise Falk, up," Mangrum said. "As far as running, I'm still thinking about it."

Constant Craving upset Blumin Affair by a nose in his last start on June 12.

Blumin Affair came back to run fourth to Cigar in the Hollywood Gold Cup.

The probable field for the Grade II Bel Air Handicap: Bon Point, Cleante,

Constant Craving, Luthier Fever and You And I, all no rider; and Soul of the Matter, Kent Desormeaux.

LIT DE JUSTICE TO RUN NEXT SATURDAY

Jenine Sahadi, who had been undecided on whether to start Lit De Justice in next

Saturday's $150,000-added Hollywood Park Budweiser Breeders Cup, said Saturday morning the strong-willed son of El Gran Senor will run.

The gray Kentucky-bred almost finished on the outside fence in his last start, an

allowance race at 1 1/16 miles on the turf on June 18, when he drifted badly after Corey Nakatani hit him left-handed.

Confirmed starters for the 5 1/2-furlong turf dash: Cyrano Storme, Kent

Desormeaux; Lit De Justice, no rider; Lucky Forever, Goncalino Almeida, and Pembroke, no rider.

Paul Assinesi said he is "50-50" with Polar Route, while John Sadler is

undecided with Three Peat.

Cyrano Storme worked five furlongs on Hollywood Park's fast main track Saturday

morning in a bullet :59, handily, for trainer Jean-Pierre Dupuis.

WHITTINGHAM REMEMBERS RALPH NEVES

Former jockey Ralph Neves, who died Thursday night in San Marcos after a bout with lung

cancer, had many memorable moments in his Hall of Fame career of 30 years.

Fellow Hall of Famer Charlie Whittingham recalled when Neves rode Llangollen Farm's

Corn Husker to victory for him under 105 pounds in the 1957 Santa Anita Handicap.

"(Eddie) Arcaro had been riding him, but he couldn't get close (to 105 pounds),"

Whittingham said at Hollywood Park Saturday morning. "Neves was fearless, crazy. You'd better never get behind him, because he'd never let anybody through. He was a very good rider, but he was wilder than a peach orchard boar.

"He came from off the pace, came flyin' to win the (Santa Anita) Handicap. He won a

lot of good races for me through the years."

"He was one tough SOB," trainer Gary Jones said of Neves, who won 3,771 races in

his career. "He won the Rocking Chair Derby for me about 20 years ago on a horse named Papa's Title. You could get to him, but you couldn't get by him."

FOR RICK, THE TRICK IS FINDING THE RIGHT SPOT

Rick Mettee's profile is so low agents could use a mine sweeper to find him in the

morning. Either that, or look in the winner's circle at Hollywood Park in the afternoon, where the 37-year-old horseman has been landing at a 33.3 percent clip this meet.

Mettee, one of the best-kept secrets on the Southern California training circuit, got

his trainer's license when John Gosden went to England in 1989. That's when Rick went out on his own, inheriting some of Gosden's horses upon his departure.

Mettee came to California from Maryland in 1981. He left the East Coast with a

wealth of knowledge from Dickie Dutrow, who, along with King Leatherbury, have dominated the Maryland claiming circuit for more than two decades.

"I worked with Dutrow for a couple of years," said Mettee, who grew up in Lutherville,

near the old Timonium race track. "That was a real good experience for me. And I got lucky to latch on with Gosden in 1981, when he really started to take off. That was a good time to get with him.

"I came on the track in 1976 when I got out of high school, and started out rubbing horses.

I made the basic progression up the ladder from foreman to assistant."

Mettee presently has a dozen horses in his care at Hollywood Park, where he had

saddled seven winners from 21 starters through Thursday. He also had two seconds and three thirds, for an in-the-money mark of 57.1.

His most notable clients include Herbert Allen of New York and Team Valor.

Mettee said Allen's Smooth Runner is his best horse at the moment. The 4-year-old Kentucky-bred son of Local Talent has won five of nine career starts, with earnings of almost $150,000.

"He went through his conditions last year and won some allowance races," said Mettee,

who is single and still has his family back in Maryland. "He was actually my best horse last year, too, when he went through his conditions. This year, obviously he's gotten better." Smooth Runner is perfect in two one-mile allowance turf starts in 1995.

Mettee, who resides in Monrovia, has gleaned the best advice from Gosden and Dutrow on

his quiet road to success.

"You pick up a little bit from everybody as you go along," Mettee said. "Dutrow

was a very good caretaker for horses. He knew a lot about legs and he had a big claiming operation. So he was a really good person for someone just starting out, like I was.

"Gosden had a lot better stock and I learned how to prepare horses for distance races,

grass races, and allowance races, races that don't get carded quite as much. It's a little bit different philosophy with those kind of horses.

"So I was really lucky in that I had two really interesting people to learn a lot from.

I was exposed to two completely different yet very important types of operations. And I was able to incorporate all aspects from them.

"But what this game really comes down to picking out spots (to run your horses), more so

than anything. You've got to run them where they can win, and even when you do that, you might be third or fourth-best horse in the race."

EARLYBIRDS CAN WATCH BOXERS SPAR SUNDAY

Hollywood Park, in conjunction with Forum Boxing, this Sunday will host five boxers

sparring for the "Accion Caliente," four championship fights to be held at the Great Western Forum on Sunday, July 15.

The sparring sessions will take place from 10:45 a.m. to 12:45 p.m. at the stage

area north of the winner's circle, where the Friday night bands perform.

The five boxers sparring, in order, are Mark Johnson (Penta flyweight champion),

Lonnie Bradley (WBO middleweight champion), Saman Sorjaturong (Thai boxer challenging Chiquita Gonzalez), Gonzalez (WBC/IBF light flyweight champion) and Marco Antonio Barrera (WBO featherweight champion).

PEGASUS FOUNDATION GOLF TOURNAMENT JULY 17

The Pegasus Foundation will hold a golf tournament at Via Verde Country Club in

San Dimas on Monday, July 17. The event will benefit retired race horses.

The United Pegasus Foundation presently has more than 50 horses in its care, and recently

saved 20 young horses from slaughter. Its greatest needs are vitamins, medications, feed, bandages and ice boots to aid in caring for the horses.

Registration for the golf tournament, which will have a shotgun start, takes place

at 11 a.m. There will also be a Long Drive contest, a Closest to the Pin contest and a Hole in One contest, with trophies to the first three places in each category.

For further information, call Susan Webb at (818) 446-1586 or Helen Meredith at

(818) 452-8461.

FINISH LINES: The Hollywood Park Casino's Finish Line Bar will offer free admission and programs

Tuesday, July 11, for simulcasts from Vallejo Fair, starting at 12:45 p.m. . . . Invitations to the $500,000 Gran Premio Brasil at 1 1/2 miles on the turf are due Monday, and Richard Mandella is hopeful that Jim Murray Handicap runner-up Talloires will be invited . . . Congratulations to trainers Bobby Frankel (54) and Bob Hess Jr. (30) who celebrate birthdays on Sunday . . . Red Bishop, winner of the Grade I San Juan Capistrano Handicap, finished third in Saturday's Eclipse Stakes at Sandown in England. It was the first start for the Godolphin Stable world traveler since winning the 1 3/4-mile San Juan Capistrano last April 23 . . . Gary Jones reports Lakeway continues progressing towards her comeback race, but the trainer has nothing in mind for Mike Rutherford's filly at the moment . . . Blake Heap intends to pass next Saturday's $150,000-added Hollywood Park Budweiser Breeders' Cup with the filly Flying In The Lane. "I plan to keep her on the grass," said the trainer of the Great Lady M winner, who was second to Soviet Problem in the Valkyr Handicap on June 17. "But I think we're out of conditions for her. If I don't find a race, I might have to wait until Oak Tree." . . . Ron McAnally sent Sidney Craig's Paseana five furlongs in 1:02, handily, Saturday morning, in preparation for the $300,000-added Vanity Handicap on July 23. A victory by the two-time Eclipse champion would give her the all-time North American filly/mare money title . . . Derek Meredith worked 1993 Breeders' Cup Sprint champion Cardmania three furlongs in :37 2/5.

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