HOLLYWOOD PARK : Hot Hofmans Seeks His Biggest Win

These are good times for David Hofmans.

Continuing a year in which his horses have won, according to Today’s Racing Digest, 42 of 155 races--just better than 27%--the 46-year-old trainer is atop the Hollywood Park standings and has a legitimate shot at the biggest victory of his career Sunday in the $1-million Hollywood Futurity.

His hope, Individualist I, a 2-year-old son of Bel Bolide, overpowered his rivals in the Prevue on Dec. 6, prompting owner John Mabee to supplement him for $50,000 in Sunday’s Grade I stake.

More important, for Hofmans, all is also right with his family--wife Susan, daughters Amy and Jill and son Grant, who works as his assistant trainer.

A success in the latter half of the 1970s and early this decade, Hofmans’ fortunes began to decline about five years ago.

He lost clients, among them Karen and Mickey Taylor of Seattle Slew fame, and was reduced to just a few horses after having had as many as 40, and even gave some thought to pursuing another career in the sport.

“I was burned out,” he said. “We all change and I was going through some hard times in my life. What I didn’t want to do was make this an obsession.

“Before, I didn’t know how to handle it. I didn’t want to make this everything and cast off my family. I couldn’t do both, so I almost lost both. I had to regroup and rethink and get a lot of help with that. Now, we’re back to where things are great on both ends. I have the best of both worlds.”

Hofmans’ rejuvenation began when owner Georgia Ridder, the widow of B. J. Ridder, approached him toward the end of 1986 and asked him to train some of her thoroughbreds.

“John Gosden also had some horses for her at the time,” Hofmans said. “Mrs. Ridder and I got along very well, and the next year, she asked me to take over the rest of her horses.

“Together, we rebuilt her racing stable. She’s rebuilding her breeding operation and that’s helped me tremendously. Allowing me to help her has probably enabled me to make a comeback in the business. She really had a lot of confidence in me.

“Then Mr. Mabee came along and he’s been supplying us with horses, good horses. So, with those two, my barn started to become active again and I started to feel refreshed. When you get down to having a few horses who aren’t very good, then you start getting better horses coming in, it really makes it easier to come to work.”

At the moment, Hofmans has 23 horses in his stable, a figure he feels comfortable with, and he has a small client base. In addition to Ridder and Mabee, he trains for the Legacy Ranch, George Layman and has one filly, Letters Of Love, for John Rasic.

“I like my stable and I like the clients I have now,” he said. “They’re the best a guy could ask for. I train for two of the leading breeders in California, George sends me horses and Pete (Parrella of Legacy Ranch) has been a good supporter. He stayed through the bad times.

“I don’t want more than 25 horses. I’m a hands-on trainer. I have to know what each horse is doing. If I did what I did before, I’ll get back to where I was before--overwhelmed.”

Among the horses he trains are such quality animals as Past Ages, Over the Pole, Cascading Gold and What Has Been.

“I was trying to find a place where I could spend some time with my family and have a successful training career,” he said. “If you look around, that’s a real rarity in this business.

“I was getting too where business was everything. I was crazy. I had to come to a point where I could keep a family close and together and yet be successful doing this. That’s the way things are working out. I’m very happy. It’s good now.”

In a career that spans five races, Individualist I has shown his talent. In addition to the Prevue victory, he has two other wins and ran second in the B.J. Ridder at Santa Anita’s Oak Tree meeting.

“He’s coming up to the race well,” said Hofmans. “I would have liked to have had another week, but the Prevue was an easy race on him, thanks to (jockey) Robbie Davis. He didn’t ask him much, so he came out of it fresh and really good. Individualist has always acted like he had some ability and he’s getting better and stronger.”

Grand Canyon, the likely choice for the Futurity, couldn’t have asked for a better post position.

He drew the outside in the nine-horse lineup, which is ideal with the long run out of the chute and down the back side. Angel Cordero will ride Wayne Lukas’ colt, the runner-up to Rhythm in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile.

Dominant Dancer, the lone filly in the race, wasn’t quite so fortunate. She drew the rail and Eddie Delahoussaye will be aboard. The winner of the Oak Leaf will carry 118 pounds, three less than her male opponents.

The other contestants include the Ron McAnally coupling of Single Dawn and Silver Ending, Farma Way, Talented Pirate, Phantom X. and Elikos, who was a surprise entrant Friday morning.

Horse Racing Notes

The case against Roger Stein drags on. At its monthly meeting Friday, the California Horse Racing Board was expected to drop the charge against the trainer, one of whose horses allegedly tested positive for cocaine 14 months ago. Instead, the CHRB will soon schedule another hearing before an administrative law judge, which was first done almost a year ago.

“This is an absolute joke,” said Stein. “Enough is enough. My case is no different than the others (which were dropped in June). The CHRB is raking me through the mud and they don’t care.”

Sam Who and Olympic Prospect will get together in the misnamed National Sprint Championship this afternoon. First run in 1981, the Grade III has yet to produce an Eclipse Award winner and was taken last year by the renowned Gallant Sailor. However, some top-notch sprinters have won previously--Shanekite, Unpredictable, Fighting Fit and Bedside Promise, to name a few--and Sam Who and Olympic Prospect are right near the top of their division. They will have only two opponents, Ron Bon and Order. Laffit Pincay, who rode both in their most recent appearances, opted for Sam Who, so Alex Solis will ride John Sadler’s gelding.

The $250,000 Bay Meadows Handicap will be simulcast between the sixth and seventh races at Hollywood Park today. The turf affair features the final performance of Simply Majestic, who will be retired to stud. Others set to go are Fair Judgment, Colway Rally, Nediym, River Master and Ten Keys.