MR PURPLE HOPES TO REMAIN PERFECT
ON HOLLYWOOD'S MAIN TRACK IN SWAPS
It was after the San Rafael Stakes at Santa Anita on March 4. Mr Purple had just finished dead last, beaten six lengths in the field of five 3-year-olds going a flat mile.
Trainer Ron McAnally and owner Alex G. Campbell Jr., after weighing jockey Chris McCarron's post-race analysis, decided the Triple Crown would not be on Mr Purple's agenda.
Now the homebred son of Deputy Minister appears ready to take on the winner of two Triple Crown races, Kentucky Derby and Belmont Stakes winner Thunder Gulch, plus the winners of five other Derbies.
Hall of Fame trainer Ron McAnally will give the Kentucky-bred colt the chance to prove he belongs with his contemporaries in the $500,000 Swaps Stakes next Sunday at Hollywood Park, where Mr Purple is undefeated in three starts on the main track, all stakes -- the Hollywood Juvenile Championship, the Harry Henson Stakes and the Affirmed Handicap.
"That's the key," McAnally said. "He likes this track. But Corey Nakatani also rides him very well, not that he doesn't ride any horse well. He's just riding with total confidence right now. Between the horse and the rider, they fit each other perfectly.
"The horse is doing well and acting good, and he's coming off a couple of good wins, and that's most important." Mr Purple worked six furlongs in 1:14 2/5 on Hollywood Park's fast main track Sunday morning.
McAnally, understandably, has the utmost respect for the opposition in the Swaps.
"There are three Derby winners in there," McAnally said, referring to Florida and Kentucky Derby winner Thunder Gulch; Alabama, Arkansas and Remington Park Derby winner Dazzling Falls, and Louisiana and Ohio Derby winner Petionville.
"The Swaps is a good stakes to win. There's a lot of prestige, especially if we can beat the (Kentucky) Derby winner. That would really put us on a high scale."
In other Swaps news: trainer Pico Perdomo has engaged Eddie Delahoussaye to ride the consistent T.J.'s Gold, also unbeaten at Hollywood Park in two races. The California-bred son of Candi's Gold will be making his stakes debut in the Swaps.
Vladimir Cerin, reporting from Santa Anita, said Goncalino Almeida will ride To Be Khaled, who will also be making his first stakes start in the nine-furlong Swaps.
Dazzling Falls galloped two miles Sunday morning. "He's probably going better than I've ever seen him go before," said his 34-year-old trainer, Chuck Turco. "I don't know if it's the weather, the track, or a combination, but he's gone from being a pretty lazy horse to one who's in tune with his surroundings. It's a good sign. But when you look at his overall record, the Kentucky Derby was his only flaw."
Turco plans to work Dazzling Falls Tuesday or Wednesday.
Meanwhile, Turco, a native of Omaha who lives in Oklahoma City eight months a year, is enjoying his first visit to Southern California, despite a rare rainy Sunday morning.
"My family and friends knew I always wanted to run here," Turco said. "This is really exciting. I called my girlfriend and told her I went to the beach. As far as I'm concerned, there's no place like Southern California."
The probable Swaps field: Thunder Gulch, Gary Stevens; Petionville, Chris Antley; Dazzling Falls, Laffit Pincay Jr.; Mr Purple, Corey Nakatani; T.J.'s Gold, Delahoussaye, and To Be Khaled, Goncalino Almeida.
Randy Bradshaw said Oncefortheroad is possible, with Danny Sorenson getting the call if he starts.
STEVENS TO RIDE LIYOUN IN CAESARS CHAMPIONSHIP
Gary Stevens has picked up the mount on Stephen M. Taub's Liyoun for Saturday's $250,000- added Caesars Palace Turf Championship (Gr. II), agent Ron Anderson reported.
Stevens, who won the race last year aboard Horse of the Meeting Grand Flotilla, is in the midst of one of his finest years. Despite spending the early portion of the year riding in Hong Kong, he ranked eighth nationally through July 9, his mounts earning $4,945,978. His major successes include triumphs in the Kentucky Derby, Belmont Stakes, Santa Anita Handicap and Santa Anita Derby.
Liyoun, a 7-year-old Irish-bred trained by Dan Hendricks, has had a competitive but winless 1995 campaign. The bay gelding's best effort was a third-place finish in the Grade I San Juan Capistrano Handicap at Santa Anita.
Overall, Liyoun has raced 27 times, with six wins, four seconds, six thirds
and $264,595 in purses. He comes off a fifth-place finish to Special Price in the Grade II Golden Gate Handicap on June 24.
Confirmed starters for the 1 1/2-mile Caesars Palace Turf Championship: Sandpit, Corey Nakatani, 124; Special Price, Eddie Delahoussaye, 122; Urgent Request, Pat Valenzuela, 118; Jahafil, Chris McCarron, 117, and Liyoun, Gary Stevens 115.
Possible: Twin Bet, no rider, 110.
CAESARS PALACE TURF CHAMPIONSHIP, SWAPS BREAKFAST THURSDAY
Hollywood Park and Caesars Palace will host the post position draw breakfast for the $500,000 Swaps Stakes and the $250,000 Caesars Place Turf Championship on Thursday.
The event will take place at the Horsemen's Lounge in the stable area starting at 9:30 a.m. Post positions for the Grade I Vanity Handicap also will be drawn at that time.
SOUTHERN TRUCE KILLED BY LIGHTNING
Southern Truce, the Cinderella mare who rose from the lowly claiming ranks to become a multiple Grade I stakes winner of more than $800,000, was killed by lightning recently in Kentucky where she was in foal to Seattle Slew.
"I think it happened around July 2, but I don't know the date," said Roger Stein, who trained the California-bred daughter of Truce Maker before she was sold last year for a reported $300,000 to Robert and Janice McNair of Houston. "I just got a call and that was that."
Stein said he was called by bloodstock agent John Adger, who coordinated the sale of Southern Truce to the McNairs from the Regal Rose Stable of Vic and Peggy Johnson.
DELAHOUSSAYE ON HOUSAFIRE IN 'JUVENILE'
Agent Terry Lipham reported Sunday morning that Eddie Delahoussaye will ride Houseafire for trainer Doyle Roberts in the $100,000-added Hollywood Juvenile Championship on closing day, Monday, July 24.
Alex Solis, on a roll for agent Scott McClellan, will ride Don't Tell Wayne for trainer Mike Harrington in the Grade II event to be decided at six furlongs. Solis ranked second with 52 wins in the Hollywood Park jockey standings through Saturday.
The probable field: Ask Pete, Chris Antley; Desert Native, Corey Nakatani; Don't Tell Wayne, Solis; Double Brass, Patrick Valenzuela; Hennessy, Gary Stevens, and Houseafire, Delahoussaye.
MOLISTAR IS MARSHALL'S 'PRIZED' POSSESSION
The sire Prized, standing at Cardiff Stud in Creston, has been making his presence felt at Hollywood Park this meet, his progeny winning with regularity.
The most recent victory was recorded in Thursday's fourth race by a 2-year-old filly named Molistar, owned in part by Bob Marshall, who also is part-breeder and her trainer.
Molistar came from last in the 5 1/2-furlong dash to win by 1 3/4 lengths under jockey Corey Nakatani.
"We claimed her dam, Mollywaki, for $15,000," Marshall explained. "She was by Miswaki out of an Overskate mare. She had a tendon that goes around from the shoulder to the knee. We ran her for $20,000 and she won by five. Then we ran her for $32,000, trying to show strength, but nobody took her, so we retired her.
"We bred her to Prized. I think this is her first foal. She's probably worth $100,000 as a broodmare, because Miswakis are strong."
Marshall was surprised Molistar came from out of the clouds to win because she's been quick in the mornings.
"The filly has speed," he said. "She's worked in the mornings against Ed's Holy Cow (an unraced half-sister to 1994 Horse of the Year Holy Bull) and Brandywine Bay that I had, who is also a Prized, but was claimed by Craig Lewis. I worked them in company and Molistar won from the rail, from the middle and from the outside. The others always did better from the outside.
"I tried to make it hard so she wouldn't beat them, but she beat them every work, so I knew she was the real thing. I told a lot of my friends she'd be the Embroidered or Cat's Cradle of this year . . . when I saw her (15 lengths behind) down the backstretch, I told the owners not to worry, she'll rally at least up to second or third.
"At the quarter pole, she was probably still 10 out of it and at the sixteenth pole she was five out of it . . . all of a sudden, I thought she might be able to win it, and then she went like a maniac."
Marshall is pointing Molistar to Del Mar's $100,000-added California Thoroughbred Breeders' Association Stakes at six furlongs on July 28.
Jenine Sahadi said "it looks like all the hard work has paid off" on Lit De Justice, who finished second to Pembroke in Saturday's Hollywood Park Budweiser Breeders' Cup. "He was a perfect gentleman," Sahadi said of the headstrong son of El Gran Senor. Pembroke set a world record of 1:00 2/5 for 5 1/2 furlongs on the turf, leaving in his wake Lucky Forever, who set a world mark of 1:13 1/5 in winning the Rich Cream Handicap on Hollywood Park's main track on May 20 . . . Trainer Eddie Gregson reported Karlik, Spero and Team Valor's undefeated Something Supreme will return to training during the Del Mar meeting and should be ready to race at Oak Tree . . . Trainer Ron McAnally needs two victories to become the third trainer in Hollywood Park history to win 500 races. Charlie Whittingham (827) and Bobby Frankel (669) are the all-time leaders . . . Sunday's notable works (overcast & fast): Alpride, 1:01 4/5; Blumin Affair, :58 3/5; Del Mar Dennis, 1:02 1/5; Lykatill Hil, 1:00 4/5, and Tossofthecoin :59 2/5. Turf (firm/dogs up): Phone Chatter, :38 3/5; Talloires, :53 2/5; Silver Wizard, 1:16 3/5, and Via Lombardia, 1:16.