Weekend Racing at Hollywood Park : Speedy By Land By Sea Reduces Milady to Little More Than Match Race

Contradictory as it may sound, there are horses so good that they’re almost bad for racing.

By Land By Sea is a perfect example. Trainer Gary Jones’ filly is so dominant that just her name in the entry box is enough to scare away rivals.

How exceptional is the 4-year-old filly?

Good enough to have won the first four starts of her career, which began last July 8 at Ellis Park in Kentucky.

Good enough to have won 9 of 12 races so far and to have earned $538,763 in the process.

Good enough to have won her last three in a row: the Grade II Rampart Handicap at Gulfstream Park in Florida, the Grade I Apple Blossom Handicap at Oaklawn Park in Arkansas and the Grade III Budweiser Breeders’ Cup Handicap at Churchill Downs in Kentucky.

And, finally, good enough to have reduced today’s $150,000-added Milady Handicap at Hollywood Park into little more than a match race.

The Grade I Milady, run at 1 1/16 miles on the main track, originally had attracted seven nominees. Of those, only four decided to enter, and of those, one, Invited Guest, may yet be scratched.

“(By Land By Sea) beat me so bad at Oaklawn (Park) that I’m not looking to run with her at all,” Invited Guest’s trainer, Dick Mandella, said earlier this week. Invited Guest, no slouch herself, finished second, 6 1/2 lengths behind By Land By Sea, in the Apple Blossom.

“She’s got the speed,” Mandella said of By Land By Sea, adding: “The smaller the field is, the more dangerous the speed is. She could gallop around the track by herself.”

If Invited Guest does not run, that will leave only Integra and Future Bright to challenge By Land By Sea. Since trainer Mel Stute’s Future Bright has not shown anything since winning the San Clemente Handicap at Del Mar last August, Integra is left as the only real threat.

Trained by Henry Moreno, Integra is trying to become the first triple stakes winner of the meeting, having already won the A Gleam Handicap May 14 and the Hawthorne Handicap May 28.

With Gary Stevens aboard, Integra will carry 121 pounds, three less than By Land By Sea but nine more than Future Bright, with Alex Solis, and seven more than Invited Guest, with Bill Shoemaker, should she run.

Moreno, is not pleased with the weight assigned his filly, believing she should be getting a better break from By Land By Sea.

“I’m not trying to degrade my filly,” he said. “But the other filly’s shown more than ours has. She’s probably the best filly in the United States.”

Few would be willing to argue that point, as shown by the few willing to run against her.

The Milady Handicap is scheduled as the 10th race on today’s program and is not expected to go to the post before 6:25 p.m.

There will be win wagering only, and the race will not be part of the day’s Pick Nine or Pick Six cards. Its place will be taken by the Golden Gate Handicap, being simulcast from Golden Gate Fields as the sixth race on the program.

Betting the Golden Gate Handicap should be no problem for local racing fans since the field is made up of familiar names. In post-position order and including jockey and weight, the five horses entered are Variety Road, Russell Baze, 117; Roi Normand, Eddie Delahoussaye, 114; Great Communicator, Ray Sibille, 120; Putting, Corey Black, 117, and Rivlia, Chris McCarron, 120.

The second feature on this weekend’s Hollywood Park program is Sunday’s $100,000-added Inglewood Handicap, a Grade II event to be run at 1 1/6 miles on the turf.

In the 48th running of the Inglewood, a field of nine will go to the starting gate, including high-weighted Deputy Governor, winner of the May 15 John Henry Handicap, and Steinlen, winner of the May 1 Premiere Handicap.

In his last outing, trainer Neil Drysdale’s Deputy Governor was third behind Variety Road and Putting in the Rolling Green Handicap at Golden Gate Fields. Drysdale discounted that defeat, however, the race having been run just 13 days after his horse had won the John Henry by a convincing two lengths under Delahoussaye.

Deputy Governor will carry 120 pounds, one more than Steinlen, who finished second in the John Henry after being a little rank early on. Trained by Wayne Lukas, Steinlen will have his usual rider, Stevens, aboard.

In a somewhat unusual occurrence for a stakes race, not one of the horses in the field of nine is coming into the race off a victory.

From the rail out and including jockey and weight, the Inglewood field consists of Neshad, Baze, 114; Good Taste, Laffit Pincay, 113; World Court, McCarron, 115; Steinlen, Stevens, 119; Galunpe, Toro, 113; Sharp Victor, Solis, 110; No Marker, Aaron Gryder, 113; Stop The Fighting, Sibille, 114, and Deputy Governor, Delahoussaye, 120.

Galunpe and Stop The Fighting are trained by Bobby Frankel and will run as an entry.

Horse Racing Notes

One of the main challengers for next Sunday’s Hollywood Gold Cup, 1987 Kentucky Derby winner Alysheba, worked 1 1/8 miles in 1:50 4/5 Thursday for trainer Jack Van Berg.

Meanwhile, arguments still were swirling around last year’s Gold Cup winner, Ferdinand, whose fourth-place effort under Bill Shoemaker in last Sunday’s Californian generated a little controversy. There are those who contend that trainer Charlie Whittingham was using the race to prepare the 1986 Kentucky Derby winner for the Gold Cup and that he therefore was not going full out to win.

Recognizing that possibility, Craig Lewis, the trainer of Californian winner Cutlass Reality, said weights will determine whether he enters his horse in the Gold Cup. Cutlass Reality carried 115 pounds last Sunday, compared to Ferdinand’s 126. Trainer Wayne Lukas said the same applies to Gulch, who finished second to Cutlass Reality while also carrying 126. Eighteen horses have been nominated for the 49th running of the $500,000 Gold Cup.