HOLLYWOOD PARK : Bayakoa Easily Ends Losing Streak

In case you missed the 1989 Hawthorne Handicap, they re-ran it Saturday at Hollywood Park.

As she did 12 months earlier in the Grade II race, Bayakoa dominated a small field at a short price.

Ending a two-race losing streak, the Eclipse Award-winning mare and 1-2 favorite drew away late from Stormy But Valid and three others to continue her success at Hollywood Park. This was her fourth consecutive victory on the Inglewood track and now she will try to complete the Hawthorne-Milady-Vanity triple she swept last year.

Ridden confidently by Laffit Pincay, on the 26th anniversary of his first victory, Bayakoa was third early behind Hot Novel and Stormy But Valid. She took over when the field straightened into the stretch and won by four lengths in 1:34 for the mile.

“We’re just trying to follow the same schedule we did last year,” trainer Ron McAnally said. “So far, so good. We were almost not going to run in this race for a while, but then we decided that if we don’t run, it would be another month or so before that other race (the Milady June 16) and we didn’t want that to happen, especially when the Vanity’s a mile and an eighth.

“I wasn’t really concerned that her last two races had taken anything out of her. In the Arkansas race (the Apple Blossom, in which she was second to Gorgeous), the rail had been death all week long and she drew the No. 1 post.

“If we didn’t break and hustle her out of there, then we were going to get trapped down there. So, we had to use her quite a bit that first half-mile and she didn’t have anything left at the end. But she looks like the old Bayakoa now.”

Pincay also looks himself again after getting off to a slow start at Hollywood Park. He now has 15 victories.

“She seemed like she was getting a little tired, but I wanted to get a good race into her,” he said. “She could have gone on right from the beginning, but there was a lot of speed in the race and I knew that she could lay just off them and have plenty for the end.”

All Royal Reach has to do is avoid Super horses.

Claimed for $25,000 at Longacres last year by George Layman, the 4-year-old gelding made it three victories in his last five starts, leading wire to wire in the $84,600 Seabiscuit Stakes at Hollywood Park.

In his two defeats, he was second, beaten by Super Ready in the San Marino Handicap and Super May in the Santa Gertrudes.

Beaten in a $32,000 claiming race as recently as November, Royal Reach has really blossomed since coming to Southern California and joining trainer Dave Hofmans’ barn.

He has been off the board only once in six outings, and the Seabiscuit was his second stakes victory.

After going fast early when leading all the way in the closing-day San Jacinto at Santa Anita, Royal Reach and Chris McCarron slowed it down early Saturday, then were never challenged through the stretch while completing the final quarter in 24 1/5.

At the wire, the 8-5 favorite had nearly two lengths on Live The Dream, the 3-1 second choice, and was timed in 2:00 3/5 for 1 1/4 miles.

“When they let him go so slow (24 2/5 and 48 2/5 for the first half-mile), it’s going to be tough for them to get to us,” said McCarron, who has been aboard the son of Briartic for all three of his local victories.

“This horse has never made a bad move in the afternoons. He’s got good speed, he relaxes and does everything right. He does everything to make you like him. Plus, I don’t think he has to be in front. I think he can go either way.”

Said Hofmans: “The little horse ran well. He’s just gotten better and better. I think he likes the warmer climate.

“When he first got here, I thought he was going to be a high-priced claimer. Once I got to know him, I knew he was a nice horse.”

Actually, Royal Reach was in a high-priced claimer Saturday. The Seabiscuit participants carried tags ranging from $275,000 down to $200,000.

Live The Dream beat Record Boom by a head for the place with 100-1 shot Soft Machine another head back in fourth. Wretham, Mashkour, Colson, Apalachee Prince and Simjour completed the order of finish.

Summer Squall’s payoff in the Preakness was virtually the same at Hollywood Park as in Maryland.

In evening the score with Unbridled, Summer Squall paid $6.60 locally, which was 20 cents less than he paid at Pimlico. The $2 exacta pairing him with Unbridled was worth $15.80 here, compared to $13.

Mister Frisky, a distant third, was the 8-5 favorite at Hollywood Park after opening at 3-5. The local odds on the other entrants were Music Prospector (25-1), Land Rush (12-1), Baron De Vaux (50-1), Kentucky Jazz (17-1), Fighting Notion (50-1) and J.R.’s Horizon (99-1).

Back from his native Chile, Fernando Toro visited Hollywood Park Saturday morning.

Toro, 49, who announced his retirement last month, won a race in his homeland in his farewell appearance. He is scheduled to ride for the final time at Hollywood Park in a race still to be determined. It is certain it won’t be until sometime in June.

“Everyone in Chile was just great,” Toro said. “The good thing about the race (in Santiago) was that my horse won by a nose. It took some time after the photo sign went down, but when my number went up the people just went crazy.

“They pulled me off the horse and carried me all the over the place. It was great, it was really a big day.

“Mr. (Richard) Mandella invited me to come out this morning, just to pay a visit. Right now, I’m here to have a little fun and see what’s going on. I’ve been away for three weeks and I just wanted to visit everyone.”

Horse Racing Notes

There will be a Pick Six carryover of $132,366.71 today. . . . Julio Garcia and Chris McCarron each had two winners Saturday.