LOS ALAMITOS : Attendance, Handle Increase

Los Alamitos harness racing, coming off a decade of declining figures, closed a 101-night stand Saturday night with gains in attendance and handle.

Lloyd Arnold, president and general manager, is part of a group that bought the track for $72 million last year from the Hollywood Park Operating Co., the track’s owners since 1984.

Attendance at the track and inter-track wagering sites averaged 4,847, an increase of 28.5% compared to the corresponding dates last year. Overall handle averaged $818,796, a 24% increase. On-track attendance averaged 3,023 and the handle averaged $563,663, both increases of 22.5%.

“We’ve come farther quicker than I thought we would,” Arnold said. “At soon as we can remodel this place, we’ll really have something to crow about. The first thing I would like to see is a new paddock getting built on the public side of the track.

“The second thing is to get together with the quarter horse owners--they own half the track--next week and decide whether we remodel the grandstand or build a new one.”

Quarter horses take over Los Alamitos Friday for a meet through July 28. Harness racing shifts to Sacramento from May 4 through Aug. 11 before returning to Los Alamitos Aug. 21 for a meet through Oct. 20.

“I still have no doubt we’ll out-bet everybody in the U.S. a year or two after we rebuild this place,” said Arnold. “When we come back this fall, our purses will be 20 to 25% higher than today. We’re going to base the purses on a $1-million nightly handle, but I think we’ll bet $1.1 million.

“The Meadowlands (in New Jersey) closes in mid-August, and I expect we’ll have 15 new stables here. We’re bringing the American Pacing Classic back in September, with three legs and a $150,000 final. We’ll have better weather, better horses, and I hope to have trifecta (picking the 1-2-3 finishers in a race) wagering.”

One person who wasn’t celebrating Saturday night was the bettor who wagered $30,000 to show in the $25,000 Fireball Pacing Series final on Eminem, who was seeking his 10th straight victory. The 3-year-old pacer was pressed in fractions of :56 2/5 and 1:25 1/5, faster than he had ever gone, and faded to fifth in a 1:55 mile. Of $34,026 wagered in the show pool, $31,185 was on Eminem.

Absolute Gem, the 9-2 second choice, paid $11 to win, $5.20 to place and $21 to show. Runner-up Land Force, a 54-1 shot, paid $29.00 to place and $94.80 to show. Third-place Olivant, an 18-1 shot, returned $68.00 to show.

Absolute Gem won his third series final of the meet after earlier winning the Stanton and California Gold finals. The 5-year-old son of Denali was purchased by Don Lovier and Jackie Ballas of San Leandro for $700 at a Los Alamitos yearling sale. The Fireball victory, in a career best of 1:55, increased his earnings to more than $62,000.

“Don picked him out. I was too nervous to bid,” Ballas said. “We call him ‘Kiddo’ around the barn.”

Said Lovier: “John Tessier broke him as a yearling. He deserves a lot of the credit.”

Meet driver and trainer titles were decided in the 13th and final race. Driver Rick Kuebler, despite a late slump, held off Ross Croghan, 94-93.

Kuebler, who won for the third consecutive year, was one for 38 during the final week and three for 72 during the final two in finishing with 1,999 career victories. Kuebler led Croghan with 10 nights to go, 91-76, and was still in front, 93-85, with two nights left. Croghan won five races Friday and three more Saturday. Kuebler drove nearly 300 more times than Croghan, 691 to 392.

Bob Gordon nipped Paul Blumenfeld for trainer honors, 63-61. Blumenfeld, who entered the final week with a 61-60 lead, was winless the final 10 nights. Both had horses in the final race with Gordon leading, 62-61. Gordon’s California Dazzler finished in a dead heat for first with Stingray to clinch the crown. Gordon started only 264 horses, 224 fewer than Blumenfeld. Tim Diaiberto, Croghan’s trainer, finished third with 59.

Harness Racing Notes

Storm Prince won the $25,000 final leg of the Marathon Pacing Series in the longest race in track history. The 6-year-old horse, leading most of the way with Jim Morand, paced 1 7/8 miles in 3:45 4/5. Trainer Larry Rathbone said the horse, winning for the fifth time in 13 starts at the meet, would get a rest.

Storm Prince is a stablemate of national champion Till We Meet Again, who qualified between races in 1:57 3/5 Thursday for his sophomore debut. He came home in an effortless :28 2/5 for driver Abe Stoltzfus. Till We Meet Again, who will be shipped to Sacramento this week, has been projected to pace in 1:49 3/5 by the United States Trotting Assn. experimental ratings. Groom Carsten Nielsen, 23, is from Denmark, a nation that has trotters but no pacers.

Trainer-driver Jim Todd, who had triple-bypass heart surgery 11 years ago, is checking into St. Joseph’s Hospital in Orange Monday to have a balloon placed in an artery leading to the heart. Todd shipped star pacer Power and Glory to the Meadowlands, where he will race Saturday. Todd hopes to sell the 8-year-old New Zealand import and will have John Campbell in the sulky.

Silver Cedar won the $25,000 final of the Rising Star Pacing Series Friday in 1:55 4/5. The New Zealand-bred mare won for Ross Croghan in 1:55 4/5, equaling the track record for 4-year-old mares.

Riviera Hanover fell approaching the far turn of the Marathon Series final but appeared to escape serious injury.

California-born Del Miller, a 79-year-old Harness Hall of Famer, drove Friday night at Pompano Park, Fla., for the first time this year. It was the eighth decade in a race for Miller, who began his career during the 1920s.

Dick Feinberg, publicity director at Los Alamitos, will be general manager for the Sacramento meet.