Racing at Hollywood Park : Clever Song Wins American Handicap by Nose

Some days, it just doesn’t pay to get out of the starting gate.

Trainer Charlie Whittingham’s horses have been getting out of the gate this holiday weekend at Hollywood Park, but just barely and not promptly.

Friday, in the $160,500 Silver Screen Handicap, Temperate Sil, the 3-5 favorite, broke badly and finished fifth in a six-horse field.

Saturday, in the 48th running of the American Handicap, the start wasn’t much better for another Whittingham favorite ridden by Bill Shoemaker, the only difference was that this one was for more money.

Shoemaker, trying to win the American for the 10th time, almost went down with the 2-1 Le Belvedere coming out of the gate. Instead of being close to the pace, Le Belvedere was last early and wound up sixth in the seven-horse field.

With Whittingham’s 4-year-old colt eliminated, Clever Song, fourth in the American last year and sixth behind the victorious Le Belvedere in the Inglewood Handicap on May 31, won the $217,800 race by a nose over Skip Out Front after a rousing ride by Laffit Pincay.

The Fourth started with a bang for trainer John Gosden’s barn in Chicago and ended with another blast before 36,487 at Hollywood Park. Gosden was at Arlington Park, saddling Sharrood for his three-quarter-length win in the $75,000 Stars and Stripes Handicap, while Rick Mettee, his assistant, remained at home to handle Clever Song. Sharrood had finished second to Le Belvedere in the Inglewood.

Clever Song earned $127,800 for his owners, William Mackey and Henry Brilliant of Dallas and Bill Hanna of Chula Vista. Clever Song has earned $586,097, with 14 wins in 27 starts, and is 3 for 5 this year after running Saturday’s 1 1/8 miles on grass in 1:45 3/5, the same time that another Gosden trainee, Zoffany, posted in winning last year’s Inglewood.

Installed as the second betting choice, Clever Song paid $8.80, $5 and $3.60. Skip Out Front paid $4.60 and $3.80 and finished a length in front of Barbery, whose show price was $4.

Whittingham, who has won the American seven times, saw his chances vanish in a stake’s opening seconds for the second straight day.

“This horse hopped out of the gate with his head in the air,” Whittingham said. “Those things happen. You can’t do anything about it, and if you don’t get out of the gate on the grass here, you’ve got no chance.”

Asked to explain Le Belvedere’s start, Shoemaker said: “The horse was dancing on both feet while he was waiting for the gate to open, and then he reared. We almost went down.”

Barbery, running the 63rd race of his career, held the lead for six furlongs. Skip Out Front and Aventino were behind him, with Clever Song in fourth.

On the turn, Barbery was finished, with Skip Out Front and Gary Stevens taking the lead, but Pincay had Clever Song in high gear on the outside.

“When he switched leads (from one foot to the other) near the wire, I said to myself, ‘Now I got it,’ ” Pincay said as he watched a televised replay in the jockeys’ room.

Fernando Toro has been Clever Song’s regular jockey, but he was in Chicago riding Sharrood. Pincay had been riding Sharrood.

“Sharrood is a very good horse, but he’s hard to ride,” Pincay said. “He has a mind of his own and always wants to do things his own way. I knew this horse had a good shot, so why go out of town just to ride in a $75,000 race. I had some other mounts on today’s card that I liked, too.”

Only one of those six other mounts won. Pincay’s sixth stakes win of the season was compensation enough.

Horse Racing Notes

Clever Song is a 5-year-old gelding by Clever Trick out of the mare Garden Song. He didn’t run his first race this year until April, having had almost seven months off after being bothered by a hoof injury and a strained ligament. . . . The next start for Clever Song is likely to be the Eddie Read Handicap at Del Mar Aug. 15. . . . Clever Song wasn’t nominated to the Budweiser-Arlington Million Sept. 6, but his stablemate, Sharrood, has been made eligible. . . . Trainer John Gosden won his first American Handicap in 1984 with Bel Bolide. . . . Laffit Pincay has won the stake four times, this was his first since 1978. . . .Temperate Sil nicked his right front leg coming out of the gate in the Silver Screen Handicap, but trainer Charlie Whittingham doesn’t think that it will prevent him from running in the Swaps Stakes July 26. . . . Candi’s Gold, winner of the Silver Screen, is also expected to run in the Swaps. . . . Northern Aspen, who won the Gamely Handicap in her last start, will be favored today in the $100,000 Beverly Hills Handicap at Hollywood. . . . On Monday, Hollywood runs the $100,000 Valkyr Handicap, with three starters--Rare Starlet, Proper Mary and T.V. Residual--packing 121 pounds apiece. The other entrants are Playing Taps, You’re Mine, Best Ability, Joey the Trip, Miss Sprinklet, Irish Lord’s Miss and Young Flyer.