Racing at Hollywood Park : Barrera Has One Shot in Hollywood Futurity

Trainer Laz Barrera is only taking one shot in today’s $1-million Hollywood Futurity. By next May’s Kentucky Derby, however, Barrera could have as many as four colts capable of getting him back into the winner’s circle at Churchill Downs.

In the 1970s, Barrera was a regular in Louisville. He trained Bold Forbes to win the Derby in 1976, and two years later, he returned for another victory with Affirmed, en route to a sweep of the Triple Crown.

Barrera’s visits to the Derby have been infrequent in the 1980s. The 62-year-old trainer’s last Derby appearance was in 1983 with Paris Prince, who finished 10th.

Barrera has Persevered, a son of Affirmed, and Bold Archon, a son of Bold Forbes, lined up for next year’s 3-year-old campaign, although both will remain in the barn, along with a Valdez colt named McKenzie Prince, when today’s Futurity is run. Barrera’s starter today is Qualify, who will try to beat the filly, Brave Raj, and 11 others for the $495,660 first prize.

“The filly looks like the horse to beat,” Barrera said. “She’s a good horse, and the shorter distance figures to help her, too.”

In winning 6 of 8 starts, Brave Raj has twice won going 1 1/16 miles, but one of her best performances was a 3 1/2-length win in the Del Mar Debutante, which, at a mile, was the same distance as the Futurity.

Persevered won a division of the Hoist the Flag Stakes at Hollywood Park on Nov. 25 and, for a while, it appeared that Barrera might run both him and Qualify today.

“That last race was the second tough race in a row for Persevered,” Barrera said. “And it was on grass, so I didn’t want to move him back to dirt this quick. There are a lot of races ahead next year, and I’d like to have Persevered ready for the Santa Anita Derby (April 4).”

Not running Persevered in the Futurity saved Gary Stevens from having to choose between him and Qualify today. Stevens and his agent, Ray Kravagna, want to make all the right choices the rest of the year because they are closing in on the national money title, which frequently leads to the Eclipse Award as the year’s outstanding jockey.

After Saturday, Stevens was over the $10.9-million mark, which put him only about $329,000 behind Jose Santos, the New York jockey who is out for the year with two cracked vertebrae.

“Fortunately,” Stevens said, “I didn’t have to make the decision between Qualify and Persevered.”

Stevens, who has been riding both colts, finished second behind Capote in Qualify’s last start, which was in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile at Santa Anita Nov. 1.

“Qualify was pushed outside on the first turn,” Barrera said. “Then he made his run later, but it was too late.”

Qualify broke from the No. 11 post position in an 11-horse field. Today, he’s in the No. 4 hole.

“There are two ways of looking at his Breeders’ Cup race,” Stevens said. “I’d say that he probably lost three lengths on the first turn. But breaking from the outside the way he did, he might have lost nine.”

Capote, who won’t run again until next year, beat Qualify by 1 lengths. Although Persevered has had eight starts, two more than Qualify, Stevens considers Qualify to be the more seasoned colt at this stage. Persevered, who ran in New York during the summer, winning the Sanford at Saratoga and finishing second to the then-undefeated Gulch in the Hopeful, caught a virus and missed some training, which prevented Barrera from running him in the Breeders’ Cup.

“Right now,” Stevens said, “Qualify has an edge on the other horse. But give Persevered another two months and it might to be tough to separate these two colts.”

Horse Racing Notes

Laffit Pincay, trainer Dick Mandella’s replacement rider for Pat Valenzuela aboard Hopeful Word, survived a long stretch duel with Epidaurus and Bill Shoemaker to win Saturday’s $153,800 Native Diver Handicap by a neck before 20,534. Valenzuela, who injured his right wrist when a horse unseated him after a race Wednesday, didn’t ride Thursday or Friday and accepted only one mount Saturday, finishing fifth on favored Earl’s Valentine in the sixth race. “It was my decision to take Pat off, and I hope he won’t hold it against me,” Mandella said. “We’re trying to win, and I also have a responsibility as far as the safety of the other jockeys in the race are concerned. I’ve ridden enough horses to know that the hand is an important part of the riding process, and the wrist is part of the hand.” Valenzuela has told trainer Mel Stute that he will be able to ride Brave Raj in the Hollywood Futurity. . . . Fernando Toro was thrown to the turf when his mount, New Terms, broke down about 50 yards from the wire in Saturday’s seventh race. Toro, who remained conscious, appeared to be all right and was taken to Centinela Hospital for precautionary X-rays. New Terms was destroyed. . . . Sandy Hawley, who underwent surgery for a malignant growth on his shoulder in early November, was at Hollywood Park Saturday and said that he would be able to resume riding next Feb. 1. Originally, the estimate was that Hawley would be sidelined six weeks. “I feel good and I don’t know why it’s going to be this long,” Hawley said. “Maybe the first estimate was overly optimistic.” . . . Local horses--Solva, Kraemer and Bonne Ile--ran 1-2-3 in Saturday’s $125,000 California Jockey Club Handicap at Bay Meadows. Solva, ridden by Luis Ortega, won by 3 1/2 lengths.