Hollywood Park : Bavasi’s Moorgate Man Fails to Take the Flag

Buzzie Bavasi was back in sports Friday. The long-time executive with the Dodgers, Angels and San Diego Padres is one of the owners of Moorgate Man, an English-bred colt who was one of the entries in the $191,400 Hoist The Flag Stakes for 2-year-olds at Hollywood Park.

Moorgate Man, whom Bavasi has owned since last summer in partnership with Dr. Robert Kerlan and Gardner Landon, is not the first horse Bavasi has ever campaigned. A few years ago, he ran several trotting horses at Hollywood Park and at Los Alamitos.

“But this is my first thoroughbred,” Bavasi said before Friday’s stake. “Maybe, I’ll be lucky and win my first time, just like I tied for a pennant my first year in baseball.”

Bavasi was referring to the 1951 Brooklyn Dodgers, who were beaten in a National League pennant playoff by the New York Giants’ Bobby Thomson’s “shot heard ‘round the world” home run.

Moorgate Man, like the 1951 Dodgers, broke well but ran into five Bobby Thomsons in the Hoist The Flag, finishing sixth and last.

The race was won by Darby Fair in 1:37 on a sloppy track. Because of heavy rains, the stakes, originally set for 1 1/16 miles on the turf, was run at a mile on the main dirt course.

That apparently pleased Darby Fair and his rider, Antonio Castanon, who had teamed to win the California Juvenile in the mud at Bay Meadows Nov. 10. Breaking on top Friday and increasing his advantage throughout, Darby Fair splashed home by five lengths.

“He’s really shown he likes the mud, so I thought he’d run well,” said trainer Mel Stute, who also saddled Snow Chief, the runner-up and 11-10 favorite.

Darby Fair paid $9, $3.80 and $3; Snow Chief returned $2.60 and $2.40, and Acks Lika Ruler paid $3.40 to show.

Darby Fair’s victory in the Hoist The Flag may have earned him a spot in the $1-million Hollywood Futurity Dec. 15. Since Darby Fair has not been nominated, his owner, John Mabee of San Diego, would have to pay $50,000 by Dec. 13 to supplement him into the one-mile race.

“I’ll supplement him if the race is moved to the mud,” Mabee said, laughing.

Horse Racing Notes Arewehavingfunyet was scratched from the Hoist The Flag by trainer Wayne Lukas, but not because of the sloppy track conditions. “She just loves the mud, but we’ll find another spot for her,” Lukas said. He added that Arewehavingfunyet will not be entered in Sunday’s Hollywood Starlet, in which he will be represented by Twilight Ridge, winner of the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies race. . . . Double Feint, who won a stakes race at Philadelphia Park two weeks ago, finished fifth in the Hoist The Flag, his West Coast debut. He is extremely well-bred, being by the son of Spectacular Bid, 1980 Horse of the Year, out of the Nijinsky mare, State.

Lord At War, one of the 14 invitees to the $500,000 Hollywood Turf Cup Dec. 8, will skip the race and instead run in the $100,000-added Native Diver Handicap at a mile Dec. 21. Trainer Charlie Whittingham said the Native Diver would be the last start of the Argentine-bred 5-year-old’s career. Lord At War scored his biggest victory in the Santa Anita Handicap last March. . . . Barberstown, winner of the Thanksgiving Day On Trust Handicap, was one of six provisional selections named Friday to the 1 1/2-mile Hollywood Turf Cup. The others are Charming Duke, Foscarini, Long Mick, Swoon and Talakeno.