THE GOLD CUP : Race Resumes at Hollywood : Valenzuela, Day Aboard Main Contenders Sunday

Even though the 1989 Triple Crown is history and the horses are getting a rest, rival jockeys Patrick Valenzuela and Pat Day will be back in the spotlight aboard the principal contenders in Sunday’s 50th running of the $500,000 Hollywood Gold Cup at Hollywood Park.

First run on July 16, 1938, the 1 1/4-mile Gold Cup has been won by no fewer than nine members of thoroughbred racing’s Hall of Fame. Among them were Citation, Seabiscuit, Swaps, Round Table, Affirmed and Native Diver.

Valenzuela, who was only 5 when Native Diver won the last of his three consecutive Gold Cups in 1967, has the home-track advantage this time around. He will be riding Nasr El Arab, top-weighted at 123 pounds, while Day will fly in to handle Pimlico Special winner Blushing John.

Blushing John, second in the Californian Stakes at Hollywood June 4, will carry 122 pounds as the 8-5 morning-line favorite. Five others have entered, including Californian winner Sabona, but the race figures to boil down to another pitched battle between the two Pats.

When last they met, Day and Easy Goer shattered the Triple Crown dreams of Valenzuela and Sunday Silence in the Belmont Stakes two weeks ago. Valenzuela got the better of Day in the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness, but losing the Belmont cost Valenzuela 10% of $2.8 million in bonus money. Will the Gold Cup be payback time?

“Naw, I’m not thinking about getting even with anybody,” Valenzuela said Friday. “My colt ran his race in the Belmont. It just wasn’t our day. I just want to get lucky on Sunday.”

Valenzuela also had a bit of bad luck last Tuesday while water-skiing on Lake Perris.

“I forgot to let go of the tow rope and pulled a muscle in my right shoulder, the one leading up to my neck,” Valenzuela said. “Other than that, I had a great time.”

Valenzuela stayed home Wednesday, then returned Thursday and won the feature race. The shoulder is still stiff and sore, but according to Valenzuela, it’s nothing a rubdown and some liniment can’t fix.

As for Nasr El Arab, the 4-year-old bay is fairly oozing good health. Rodney Rash, assistant trainer for Charlie Whittingham, describes the handsome colt as “jumping out of his skin.”

Two other members of the Whittingham staff were playing the “If he were human, who would he be?” game Friday as Nasr El Arab cooled out after a gallop.

“A real flashy athlete,” suggested Peter Lyons. “Like Wayne Gretzky.”

“If Nasr was a person?” mused Pam Mabes. “That’s easy. He’d be Donald Trump.”

Actually, Nasr El Arab might as well be Blushing John. The similarities are uncanny. Both were bred in Kentucky and sent to France. Both were classic colts and were considered among the best of their generation. Both came back to North America last fall.

Nasr El Arab, who races for Sheikh Mohammed al Maktoum of the ruling family of Dubai, went directly to Whittingham and has responded by winning four Grade 1 races in California.

Blushing John, who carries the colors of Allen Paulson, ended up with Whittingham’s former assistant, Richard Lundy. The son of Blushing Groom has won three of five races this year.

Sabona, trained by Neil Drysdale, is another repatriated American who spent his early days abroad. The son of Exclusive Native has had just 23 starts spaced out over six injury-plagued campaigns. Two questions linger: Can “Old Bones” maintain his Californian peak? And can he race the Gold Cup distance?

“I don’t see why not,” Drysdale said. “He’s certainly bred to get the mile and a quarter.”

Sabona’s dam, Hail Maggie, is a full sister of the champion mare, Trillion, who treated 12 furlongs as if it were a warm-up. Furthermore, Trillion produced the late Triptych, Europe’s all-time leading money-winning mare.

This 50th version of Hollywood Park’s premier event is more of a melting pot than a Gold Cup. Longshots Henbane and Wait Till Monday also began their careers in Europe, although neither kept company with the likes of Blushing John or Nasr El Arab.

The real darkhorse in the race is the statuesque Payant from Argentina, another of Whittingham’s runners, who won two of his first three races in this country. Since then, however, Payant’s record is replete with near misses and bad luck.

“This time, I feel good about his chances,” said Payant’s breeder and part owner, Ignacio Correas, who has been shadowing his horse for the last six weeks. “And we got (Laffit) Pincay.”

That could make the difference. Pincay, who will be riding Payant for the first time Sunday, has won the Gold Cup seven times.

The Gold Cup field in post position order: Lively One, with Robbie Davis; Nasr El Arab; Payant; Henbane, Al Cortez; Sabona, Chris McCarron; Wait Till Monday, Rick Dominguez, and Blushing John.

Horse Racing Notes

A Breeders’ Cup-sponsored race will warm up the Gold Cup crowd Sunday. On the Line, arguably the best sprinter in the country, will face Los Angeles Handicap hero Sam Who and recent winner Paisano Pete going six furlongs on the turf for a purse of $155,150. Mister Wonderful, Black Jack Road, His Highness, Caballo de Oro, Star Cutter and the mare Imperial Star complete the field.

Today’s featured $106,100 Princess Stakes is dominated by Imaginary Lady, who scared away all but four 3-year-old fillies. One of them, however, is Darby’s Daughter, who came close to upsetting division leader Open Mind last November. . . . Gary Stevens and Alex Solis will be at Canterbury Downs in Minnesota on Sunday to ride Music Merci and First Play, respectively, in the $300,000 St. Paul Derby.