Mervyn LeRoy Handicap : Ruhlmann, Not to Be Outrun, Beats Sabona

Everyone knows by now that Charlie Whittingham trains the best 3-year-old thoroughbred in the country. Sunday Silence proved that once and for all in the Preakness Stakes on Saturday.

But could Whittingham have the best 4-year-old colt as well? And if so, which one is it?

Nasr el Arab, who will be favored in the $500,000 Turf Handicap at Hollywood Park on Memorial Day, made his case Sunday with a workout on the turf that would have won most races.

Then, a few hours later, Ruhlmann took the stage and put away Sabona to win the $212,800 Mervyn LeRoy Handicap by a conclusive three lengths. Take your pick.

Ruhlmann and Nasr el Arab may never meet, but if they do, Whittingham will be the last to play favorites. Between them, they could keep him smiling long after Sunday Silence has survived his Triple Crown ordeal.

Ruhlmann’s emergence as California’s best middle distance runner has come at a time when there is a vacuum in the division. Only four horses could be mustered to face the seal-brown son of Mr. Leader in the LeRoy, despite the Grade I ranking of the 1 1/16-mile race.

But then, who wants to stick their hand in a blender? Ruhlmann has been on everyone’s mind since he broke the mile record at Santa Anita on March 5. He was every bit as impressive in winning the San Bernardino Handicap in his subsequent start.

After the April 2 San Bernardino, however, the Ruhlmann watch became a favorite stable area pastime.

“How fast did he go today?” was always heard whenever he was asked for speed in a workout.

Under a succession of jockeys who are pretty tough to please--including Chris McCarron, Laffit Pincay and Corey Black--Ruhlmann dazzled them.

“He’s a freak,” Black said after finishing third in the LeRoy on Perfec Travel. “He does things you can’t believe.”

What Ruhlmann does best, according to both Pincay, his LeRoy rider, and assistant trainer Rodney Rash, is allow his considerable speed to be carefully rationed.

“That’s what pleased me the most about his race today,” said Rash, who is caring for the horse while Whittingham is with Sunday Silence.

“Until he showed me he could relax when Laffit wanted him to, I wasn’t convinced he would realize his full potential. Today he proved how hard he will be to beat in any situation.”

The fans agreed. Rulhmann went off at odds of 3-10 and paid $2.60, $2.40 and $2.10. Sabona, hitting the board in the LeRoy for the third time in his career, returned $4 and $2.10, and Perfec Travel paid $2.10. Ruhlmann was so heavily bet that there was a $3,163 shortfall in the show pool, made up by the track.

Ruhlmann, seven for 16 in his career, came within a fifth of a second of the track record with his final time of 1:41 1/5.

“He let me rate him the first quarter mile,” said Pincay, who swept all three stakes at Hollywood over the weekend. “Then I let him run a little down the backstretch, because I didn’t want to discourage him. He’s so competitive, I don’t ever think I could take him way back. But he does whatever I ask, and that’s the sign of a really good horse.”

Ruhlmann, showing poise, was running second to San Fernando Stakes winner Mi Preferido through the first turn and onto the backstretch before Pincay let out a notch. Ruhlmann eased to the lead from along the rail, and from there it became a matter of how far and how fast.

Time has been on everyone’s mind at Hollywood Park lately. The sandy track has been well watered to make it tight, and some outstanding times have been recorded.

On Thursday, the 2-year-old Magical Mile set a track record of :56 2/5 for five furlongs in his first start.

On Saturday, the allowance horse Sam Who set a track record of 1:08 for six furlongs, then a half hour later Bayakoa became only the second filly or mare in racing history to break the 1:33 barrier on the main track, winning the Hawthorne Handicap in 1:32 4/5.

Things got a little out of hand, however, when the $10,000 claimer Madcuff won Sunday’s 6 1/2-furlong first race in 1:15 1/5, just off the track mark.

Consequently, Ruhlmann was expected go faster than 1:40 for the 1 1/16-mile race because he had done it more than a year ago at Bay Meadows.