HOLLYWOOD PARK : Sprinters Hold the Spotlight Today

There will be a stakes doubleheader today at Hollywood Park, topped by the $109,500 Los Angeles Handicap for older sprinters.

The likely choice is Sam Who, who has been idle since finishing a distant third behind Sunny Blossom and Olympic Prospect in the Palos Verdes Handicap on Dec. 30.

The 5-year-old Lypheor gelding had a series of sharp workouts for trainer Henry Moreno--including six furlongs at 1:11 4/5--and he has three victories and a second in four starts on the Hollypark main track.

Others in the lineup include Prospectors Gamble, the 13-1 upset winner of the Triple Bend Handicap, Coastal Voyage, who has won two straight on the turf, Timeless Answer, Yes I’m Blue, Black Jack Road, Sensational Star and Pentelicus.

Two races earlier, Patches, another talented 3-year-old filly in the Wayne Lukas barn, will seek her fourth straight victory in the $84,200 Railbird Stakes at seven furlongs.

With Gary Stevens suspended because of an incident at Los Alamitos, Pat Valenzuela will ride the daughter of Majestic Light, who won two at Santa Anita before going east and taking the Dogwood on May 12 at Churchill Downs. She was also scheduled to go in the La Troienne two days before the Kentucky Derby, but dumped Stevens, ran off and was scratched.

Lukas will also be represented by multiple stakes winner Special Happening. The other entrants are Fit to Scout, Saros Treasure, Golden Reef, Island Splendour, Forest Fealty, Dominant Dancer, Pampered Star and Bel’s Starlet.

Although Burn Annie doesn’t run much, he just may be one of the most reliable horse stabled locally.

A 5-year-old son of J Burns, Burn Annie made it eight victories in 13 starts when he won Thursday’s seventh race, an $80,000 claimer for older horses.

Twice the California-bred has been second and third, and the only time he was off the board he had a valid excuse. After whipping his head back at the start, he was away very slowly. Even so, he was only beaten by four lengths in the Oct. 28, 1989, turf sprint.

Getting a perfect trip outside, Burn Annie took the lead at the eighth pole Thursday, then beat Jamoke by a length under Russell Baze in 1:21 1/5 for the seven furlongs.

This was the first start for Burn Annie since he defeated Gum by a head Jan. 27, going 6 1/2 furlongs on the Santa Anita turf. Afterward, trainer Leonard Dorfman wasn’t sure his money machine was going to make it back in 1990.

“He’s got a specific problem,” said Dorfman without getting into specifics. “After that grass race, I wasn’t sure about him. A month later, he started to come around. He’s going good right now. He seemed to be fine after Thursday’s race.”

Burn Annie is obviously a people’s choice. Only twice in his career has he not been favored and 9-2 is the highest price he has ever been.

Dorfman, who will turn 68 in two weeks, is also partial to the horse, whom he claimed from Gary Jones, who, one race before, had taken him from his original trainer, Jimmy Jordan.

“He’s the greatest,” Dorfman said. “He’s very kind, but he’s all masculine. He gets anxious and he’ll push you around, but he’s more like an overgrown puppy.”

Owned by R.C. Randall, Burn Annie’s latest success boosted his earnings to $162,800, not bad for a thoroughbred who began his career in a maiden claimer.

Imagine a Cleveland Indians-Seattle Mariners matchup in mid-September or a battle between the Clippers and the Sacramento Kings in the final week of the season.

The same level of anticipation exists for the 122nd running of the Belmont Stakes today.

Unbridled, the Kentucky Derby winner and Preakness runner-up, is the 4-5 favorite in the final leg of the Triple Crown. He looks every bit of the short price against a field short on quality.

Unless Unbridled completely flops, the race is for second today and there are several candidates to complete the exacta.

Thirty Six Red, the winner of the Gotham and the Wood, was beaten by more than 22 lengths in the Kentucky Derby after being prominent early. The distance may be out of his reach, but he figures to be in front and speed horses have fared pretty well in this race through the years.

Yonder and Video Ranger, the 1-2 finishers in the Jersey Derby, are other possibilities. Yonder is now trained by Angel Penna and Video Ranger will be ridden today by Jose Santos, replacing Ron Hansen.

Land Rush, seventh in Kentucky and sixth in the Preakness, still appears better than he’s shown. The Nijinsky II colt may be closest to Thirty Six Red early.

Perhaps Land Rush will run back to his Blue Grass effort. He was second to Summer Squall, two lengths ahead of Unbridled.

There’s also been support voiced for Go and Go. Fourth in his most recent start in Ireland, the Be My Guest colt has already shown he can handle the dirt. He won the Laurel Futurity at 22-1 last October, but Robyn Dancer, who was a head behind him that day, hasn’t exactly been a world beater since coming to California.

The other contestants are Country Day, a plodding son of Country Pine who was a distant second to Profit Key in the Peter Pan, Baron De Vaux, who was next to last at 37-1 in the Preakness, and Hawaiian Pass, who just finished third in the Gold Rush Handicap at Golden Gate.

Horse Racing Notes

Russell Baze, who was disqualified from first to third aboard On Easy Street in Thursday’s third race, was handed a five-day suspension by the stewards Friday morning. The suspension will begin Sunday and continue through Saturday. . . . Saying he felt fine, Kent Desormeaux was back in action Friday. Four days after being involved in the spill in which Chris McCarron broke both legs and an arm, Desormeaux had three seconds from five opportunities.

Itsallgreektome, upset winner of the Spotlight and Will Rogers in his first two starts on the turf, will go for a sweep of Hollywood Park’s series for 3-year-old grass performers in the $100,000 Cinema Handicap Sunday. Ten others were entered Friday morning for the 1 1/8u mile Cinema, including Warcraft, who will be adding blinkers, Jovial, Mehmetori, Short Timer, Doyouseewhatisee, Iam The Iceman, Bel Air Paster, College Green, Predecessor and Kept His Cool.