HOLLYWOOD PARK : Stevens in More of a Jovial Mood After Winning Cinema Handicap

After spending the past few days lounging around his pool, going to the movies and watching a little television, Gary Stevens was back at work Sunday.

Forced to stay home after being handed a suspension by the Los Alamitos stewards, Stevens was able to ride Sunday at Hollywood Park because the quarter horses weren’t running.

Before finishing his enforced vacation--he won’t return full-time until Friday--the nation’s top money-winning jockey for 1990 added to his total with a victory aboard Jovial in the $112,400 Cinema Handicap.

Winning for the second time in three American starts, the 3-year-old Northern Jove colt took over with about a sixteenth of a mile to go and won by a length in 1:47 4/5 for the 1 1/8 miles on turf.

Mehmetori, a 12-1 shot, was second, a nose in front of Itsallgreektome, the 5-2 second choice who had already won the Spotlight and Will Rogers at the meeting.

Fifth in his local debut, beaten by more than seven lengths, Jovial showed dramatic improvement in his second start May 31. Despite a poor break, he drew away from soft allowance foes, winning by 2 1/2 lengths.

This prompted the try in the Grade II Cinema, although trainer Bruce Jackson expressed some concern that perhaps the English-bred was coming back too soon.

“He only had to run about 50 yards the other day, so I wasn’t worried,” Stevens said. “He’s a very intelligent horse. He acted up in the gate the other day and got a bad break, but he was fine today and he was sharper. He settled nicely and he’s a very genuine runner. I think he’s got a big future.”

The only problem for Jovial came on the far turn when he bumped with 36-1 shot College Green.

“It knocked my horse offstride,” Stevens said. “That caused him to move a little quicker than I had planned, but it worked out all right. It was a 50-50 thing in the bumping. Otherwise, I had a very good trip.”

Owned by Jack Munari, Jovial, the 7-2 third choice Sunday, won one of three starts in England and Ireland before being purchased.

“Gary liked him a lot after he rode him the first time,” Jackson said. “Nobody knows how good he might be. We’ll just go from here and there’s been no decision as to where we’ll run him next.

“His first race in this country you can just throw out. It was just a bad race. He had all kinds of trouble and, basically, he needed the race.”

Mehmetori, who had been fifth in both the Spotlight and Will Rogers Handicaps, got up in the final stride to beat Itsallgreektome for the place.

This was the first loss in three turf starts for Itsallgreektome and Corey Nakatani thought his outside post had a lot to do with the defeat.

“He ran his race, but he got carried a little wide on the first turn,” he said. “The horse in front of us through the stretch was weaving a bit, but we had a clear path, although it was tight.

“The post was a disadvantage. We’ll just get them next time.”

Warcraft, the 2-1 favorite, beat only 104-1 shot Short Timer. The son of Ack Ack now has been the beaten favorite four times in nine career starts. Second in his first two appearances on the grass, Warcraft had blinkers added Sunday, but they didn’t do much good.

“He just threw in a bad race,” said Robbie Davis. “He’s entitled to that because he’s never done it before.

“I was real confident I was going to win on the backside because he was just loping along. But, when I asked him, he just came up empty.”

Predecessor, who led by 1 1/2 lengths into the stretch, faded to fourth, then came Kept His Cool, Doyouseewhatisee, Iam The Iceman, College Green, Warcraft and Short Timer.

Dominant Dancer, who finished last in Saturday’s Railbird Stakes, has a new trainer again.

Bill Spawr now has the 3-year-old filly, taking over for Jack Van Berg, who had replaced Don Harper.

“(Owner Jamie Schloss) had talked to me three or four days ago about the possibility and when I came to the barn this morning, she was there,” said Spawr.

Spawr also took over Radical Dancer, a 2-year-old full sister to Dominant Dancer.

All the evidence before Siroccan’s first start April 15 at Santa Anita was that the 3-year-old wasn’t much.

He was 30-1 in the field of 10 and how often does a horse trained by Gary Jones and ridden by Chris McCarron go off at such odds?

Running like a seasoned professional, Siroccan won his first start, beating Candyman Bee by a head. Two other victories have followed, including a four-length, 1:09 1/5 decision in Saturday’s fifth race.

Nobody has been more surprised than Jones by the work of the gelded son of Highland Park. In fact, the only reason Siroccan didn’t begin his career in a maiden claimer was because owner Corbin Robertson of Saron Stable had purchased him for some $180,000.

“Before his first race, I’d been working him with a (claiming) horse called Shelter Us and he was being outworked every time,” Jones said. “I didn’t think he’d get anything when I ran him. I was flabbergasted when he won.

“He surprised me again the second time, but after Saturday, he’s made a believer out of me. Now, that I’m a believer, he’ll probably fall on his face next time.”

His perfect record has done nothing to change Siroccan in the morning. He’s still not particularly enthusiastic.

“He’s a playboy,” Jones said. “He doesn’t care about anything, but he runs hard in his races.”

After a slow beginning, Jones’ barn looks like it might be starting to heat up. He had only two winners in the first 34 days, but he’s doubled that in the last two days. Besides Siroccan’s victory, Jones won the sixth Sunday with Caught De Star, a 2-year-old son of Star de Naskra who was making his second career start and first in blinkers.

Horse Racing Notes

Bayakoa, prepping for Saturday’s Milady Handicap, worked seven furlongs in 1:23 4/5 Sunday morning for trainer Ron McAnally. “We just put her through a final work before the race next weekend and they got her in a very good time,” he said. “I had her galloping out the mile in 1:37 3/5. She’s ready now and I’m really happy with the way she’s been training.” . . . Stevens also won the first with Naturally Mitch and Julio Garcia also had two winners, Billy Euforico in the second and 13-1 shot Ali’s Song in the fifth. . . . Nobody isolated the Pick Six, so there will be a carryover of $129,124.35 Wednesday.