HOLLYWOOD PARK : Late-Bloomers Are in the Spotlight for Opener of Meeting

While the Triple Crown races usually siphon off the best and the brightest 3-year-old runners each spring, a few stay behind to remind us that the season does not come to an end in June with the Belmont Stakes.

This year, in fact, there are several Triple Crown no-shows who could turn out to be bona fide stars, including three colts in today’s opening-day Debonair Stakes at Hollywood Park--Profit Key, Jacodra and Doyouseewhatisee.

Other late-bloomers include Stalwart Charger, impressive winner of the California Derby, and Home at Last, winner of Tuesday’s Lexington Stakes at Keeneland, neither of whom was nominated to the Triple Crown.

Closer to home, Charlie Whittingham unwrapped a potential monster last Saturday when The Prime Minister, a half brother to champion sprinter Gold Beauty, broke his maiden at Santa Anita by eight lengths. And, on the same day at Golden Gate, trainer Duane Offield brought a roan colt named Restless Con back from a 3 1/2-month layoff to take a minor stakes race with an eye-opening stretch kick.

Of the three main contenders in today’s Debonair, Profit Key not only sports the best recent form, his ownership is the hands-down litigation leader in the field of eight. The son of Desert Wine races for Joseph Allen, who recently pleaded guilty to misdemeanor charges of putting more than $1 million in personal expenses on various corporation accounts, and Mid-America Racing Stable, the publicly-owned syndicate formed by trainer Wayne Lukas. Mid-America was slapped with a lawsuit by disenchanted shareholders last summer.

The controversies have not slowed down Profit Key by a single step. After spending the fall and winter on the sidelines, the bay colt broke his maiden by 7 lengths at Santa Anita on March 25, then came right back to win by 2 1/2 lengths on April 8.

“He’s definitely the horse to beat,” said Brian Mayberry, who trains Doyouseewhatisee for Jan, Mace and Samantha Siegel. “But I give my colt a big chance.”

Doyouseewhatisee has not run since finishing third behind Single Dawn and Pleasant Tap in the Hoist the Flag Stakes last Nov. 25 on the Hollywood Park turf. In his previous start he ran off with the Chief’s Crown Stakes on Breeders’ Cup eve at Gulfstream Park.

“He developed a little bit of a seedy toe in a front foot,” Mayberry said. “It acts just like a piece of wood that is infested with termites, all crumbly and porous.”

The condition usually stems from an infection.

“All I ever do when that happens is cut the hoof back and give them time to grow a healthy one,” Mayberry added. “He was due for some time off anyway.”

At seven furlongs, the Debonair would seem the ideal setting for Doyouseewhatisee. That was the distance of the Chief’s Crown, and in the 7-furlong Sunny Slope Stakes during the Oak Tree meet, the chestnut colt ran third to Pleasant Tap and eventual Hollywood Futurity winner Grand Canyon.

“I’ve got a feeling he’ll get a bit more distance, though,” Mayberry said. “Especially on the grass. He didn’t grow and furnish out quite as much as I’d hoped for, but he’s an accommodating colt when it comes to his training. That can only help.”

Doyouseewhatisee breaks from post number four and will be ridden by Martin Pedroza, while Profit Key has post three and Gary Stevens aboard. Chris McCarron has the mount on Jacodra (post 7), who finished second to Profit Key last time out. That was his first start since a 6 1/2-length maiden win at Hollywood Park last June.

Bill Shoemaker has found out early that life as a thoroughbred trainer means waiting, waiting and more waiting.

Last Sunday, the retired riding great entered his first horse in an allowance event scheduled for opening day at Hollywood Park. But the race came up short on entries and was scrubbed.

“As a matter of fact, my filly was the only horse entered in the race,” Shoemaker said Tuesday morning at his Hollywood barn. “I can’t believe I scared everybody away. Maybe the other guys don’t want to run against me.”

Shoemaker’s corner of barn 65 is definitely in the high-rent district. His immediate neighbors are Eddie Gregson and Wayne Lukas. But if Shoemaker feels intimidated in his new career on the ground, he doesn’t show it.

“I know one thing for sure,” said Shoemaker with his trademark grin, “that test I took to get my trainer’s license, probably 90% of the trainers out here couldn’t pass it if they had to take it right now--including Charlie Whittingham! I studied for two weeks before I took it, and I wouldn’t have passed if I hadn’t studied.”

As far as slipping into the role of trainer, Shoemaker said he had plenty of models and a vocabulary ready and waiting.

“After all these years of hearing, ‘the jock moved too soon’ and ‘the jock moved too late’ I know just what to say,” Shoemaker said with a laugh. “But when it comes right down to it, I’ll be trying to keep my horses healthy, fit and happy. If you do that, they’ll run for you.”

Horse Racing Notes

Tu Eres Mi Heroe, winner of a maiden race by 6 lengths at Santa Anita on Monday, is named for the late Joe Manzi, who died on April 27, 1989. He trained both the colt’s sire, Inverness Drive, and his dam, Fetch n Carry. Manzi’s wife, Sandra, originally submitted “You Are My Hero” for the colt, but switched to a Spanish variation when she learned that name already was taken...

Assistant trainer Rodney Rash reports that Frankly Perfect is recovering well after Monday’s surgery to repair the broken leg suffered Sunday in the San Juan Capistrano. “The fracture was very close to being displaced,” Rash said. “Chris (McCarron) did a great job of pulling him up, otherwise the leg would have snapped completely and we would have lost him.” . . .

Sporting fresh paint and flowers, Hollywood Park will be attempting to erase the grim memory of its 1989 opening day, when it recorded an all-time low crowd of 16,675.