Weekend Racing at Hollywood Park : Whittinghams Battle in Turf Cup

Although Michael Whittingham didn’t get his first trainer’s license until 1974, about 40 years after his father, he has beaten the renowned Charlie Whittingham to the winner’s circle in both the Santa Anita Derby and the Breeders’ Cup.

Skywalker, the 4-year-old colt who has given Michael wins in both of those blue-ribbon races, will try to give Whittingham fils another edge on Whittingham pere Sunday, when he faces seven opponents--two of them trained by C. Whittingham--in the $500,000 Hollywood Turf Cup.

Charlie Whittingham, who won the first running of the Hollywood Park race with Providential II in 1981, is starting Estrapade, the 6-year-old mare who is quite accustomed to beating males, and Dahar on Sunday. Grudgingly, Michael Whittingham’s 73-year-old father appears to fear Skywalker the most.

“If Skywalker can get the mile and a half, he’ll be tough,” Charlie Whittingham said.

The distance for Skywalker, who has never gone farther than 1 miles before, appears to be more of a challenge in that the Turf Cup will be only his second start on grass. In Skywalker’s only other turf appearance, he finished third but was beaten by less than a length in the Koester Handicap at Santa Anita in October.

“But heck,” Michael Whittingham said, “I’d say that this horse has worked on the turf at least 30 times already.”

When Skywalker suffered a minor back injury while finishing third in the Bel Air Handicap at Hollywood in June, the 40-year-old Whittingham began working him on grass, figuring that turf would be easier on the horse’s back and legs, one of which developed a stress fracture in the 1985 Kentucky Derby.

That plan paid off. Skywalker won the San Diego Handicap at Del Mar and the Longacres Mile, then, after a troubled stretch run in the Koester, won the $3-million Breeders’ Cup Classic at Santa Anita Nov. 1, beating favored Turkoman and Precisionist.

In the Breeders’ Cup, Turkoman and Precisionist had been expected to determine the Eclipse Award for best handicap horse. But since they both lost, Michael Whittingham figures that Skywalker has moved into contention and could possibly clinch the title with a win Sunday.

“I’ve been very low-key about the title, but I think that this horse has every right to be considered,” Whittingham said. “He won at a mile, then he won at 1 1/16 miles and came back to win at a mile again, and now he’s won at 1 miles. If he should win the Turf Cup, it would mean 1 1/2 miles and on grass, which means that he would have done more than what either of the other horses has done. The only thing they’ve done more is to travel more to win.”

The Turf Cup field, in post-position order, looks like this:

Pharostan, the Australian horse who just left quarantine at LAX Friday, with Shane Dye riding; Theatrical, Gary Stevens; Schiller, Martin Pedroza; Zoffany, Eddie Delahoussaye; Skywalker, Laffit Pincay; Alphabatim, Bill Shoemaker; Dahar, Alex Solis, and Estrapade, Fernando Toro.

All will carry 126 pounds except Estrapade, the mare, whose impost is 123. Because Allen Paulson owns Estrapade and also has an interest in Theatrical, they will run as an entry.

Theatrical, a 4-year-old Irish-bred colt, has been close to Estrapade in their last two races. In the Oak Tree Invitational Oct. 12 at Santa Anita, Estrapade won by 2 lengths, with Theatrical running second. While Manila was winning the Breeders’ Cup Turf by a neck over Theatrical, Estrapade wound up third, four lengths behind the winner, after setting the early pace.

“The turf was too loose for this mare at Santa Anita,” said Toro, who rode Estrapade to wins over males in the Budweiser-Arlington Million and the Oak Tree.

“She bobbled about three times with me that day.”

Estrapade is scheduled to be bred early next year, Paulson having shares in several aristocratic stallions in Kentucky.

“But there’s no reason why she couldn’t continue running after Sunday,” Charlie Whittingham said. “She could run some more in January and February, and even in March, before they send her to Kentucky.”

When your son shows signs of gaining on you, you like to keep the good horses around as long as you can.

Horse Racing Notes

Fran’s Valentine and Outstandingly, who ran second and third behind Lady’s Secret in the Breeders’ Cup Distaff, are part of an 11-horse lineup in today’s Silver Belles Handicap at Hollywood. Favored Outstandingly ran seventh in the Matriarch at Hollywood Nov. 23. . . . Fred Hooper, who bred and owns Precisionist, said Friday that the horse would run as a 6-year-old next year. Precisionist, who has remained in training at Hollywood Park since his third-place finish in the Breeders’ Cup Classic at Santa Anita Nov. 1, is scheduled to run in Hollywood’s Native Diver Handicap a week from today and then will be pointed toward the $1-million Santa Anita Handicap March 8. “I raise horses to win races,” the 89-year-old Hooper said. “I like to win races, and this horse is the kind who does that. The horse is in good shape, and there’s no reason not to continue running him.” Precisionist, last year’s champion sprinter, has earned $3 million, more than any active horse. . . . It appears that Tommy Trotter, Hollywood Park’s director of racing, won’t be returning next year. Trotter, who joined Hollywood Park this year, will be returning to Gulfstream Park, which has a dates overlap with Hollywood in 1987. Bob Umphrey, Hollywood’s racing secretary, announced earlier that he is taking similar jobs with Bay Meadows and Golden Gate Fields near San Francisco at the end of this season. There are reports that Eual Wyatt, who used to work at Hollywood, might be returning. Wyatt is now the racing secretary at financially troubled Garden State Park and Philadelphia Park.