LOS ALAMITOS : Winning Remains Easy Proposition for T K’s Skipper

T K’s Skipper made a shambles of the second $35,000 leg of the American Pacing Classic Saturday at Los Alamitos, winning by an eased-up six lengths in 1:52 3/5.

The time, fastest in the 18-year history of Los Alamitos, trimmed four-fifths of a second off the previous American standard, shared by Kalparrin and Half Nip.

“T K’s Skipper is moving like a powerful pacing machine,” said track announcer Joe Alto, his voice quivering with emotion as the pacer reached the top of the stretch. “He’s demolished this field and is in a race against time.”

Tom Kirby, who drove fourth-place J.A. Bedford, congratulated winning driver Joe Anderson in the drivers’ room after the race.

“I was just trying to get my horse to keep up and Joe’s going by me saying, ‘Whoa,”’ said Kirby, shaking his head.

“That’s a special horse right there,” Anderson said. “Somebody was blessed when they got that one.”

Third on the outside, Anderson took T K’s Skipper to the lead down the backstretch, passed the three-quarter pole in 1:24 2/5 and quickly opened a six-length lead turning for home.

“He’s real docile until you ask him,” said Anderson, who was driving the horse for the first time.

“If you just chirp a little he’ll take off. He went down the back side in :28 and felt like he was leaving the starting gate.”

Trainer Nick Sodano flew the Eastern-based star to Anderson last Wednesday and will leave him under his care for another $35,000 leg Saturday and the $150,000 final Sept. 29.

T K’s Skipper, who has won 17 of 24 starts and earned more than $500,000 this year, will be trying to break the world record of 1:52 2/5 for an aged pacer on a five-eighths-mile track. He shares the mark with two other horses.

Trainer Dan DeJohn, nephew of former ranked heavyweight boxer Mike DeJohn, is glad he elected the oval over the ring.

DeJohn is off to his best Los Alamitos start with nine victories in 33 outings. He scored his richest triumph when Red Mountain Racer, a 2-year-old colt, posted a 1:58 4/5 victory in a $20,000 California Sire Stake race Saturday.

“I boxed amateur when I was in high school,” said the 42-year-old native of Syracuse, N.Y., still sporting a right hand with a scar and lump from his teen days.

“My parents saw what Mike and two of my other uncles, Ralph and Joey, went through and said, ‘This kid’s not going to get pulverized.’ My dad took me to a nearby track, Vernon Downs. I always loved being around horses. I came to California in 1975.”

DeJohn partially credits the fast start of his 14-horse stable to training on Stan Bayless’ track in Shafter last month between the Sacramento and Los Alamitos meets.

“Stan, Bob Johnson, Tim Maier, Mark Anderson and I were all there,” said DeJohn. “There were 10 wins from the farm on opening weekend.”

Trainer Jim Perez, 23-year-old son of well-known owners Andy and Victoria Perez, also enjoyed a prosperous Saturday when Denali’s Thor won a $20,000 California Sire Stake race for 3-year-old colt pacers in 1:55 1/5 after taking the field to the three-quarters in a sizzling 1:23 4/5.

“We got a small six-acre farm in Chino with a quarter-mile jogging track,” said Perez, also crediting his fast start to off-track training.

“We’re developing it into a therapy farm and putting a state-of-the-art pool in next month.”

Perez also trains 2-year-old filly pacing star Two in a Teepee, who has won five in a row, but was scratched Friday because of a fever. Perez expects her back next week.

Driver Ross Croghan was stunned by Lepton’s first defeat of the year in a $20,000 California Sire Stake race Friday.

The 3-year-old filly pacer, unbeaten in 10 previous 1990 starts, broke stride with the lead in midstretch and caused a four-horse chain-reaction pile-up.

“I watched the replay 20 times, and it’s still a mystery to me,” said Croghan. “She’s never run before. She tried to get her speed too quick and just made a mistake. But she came out of it sound and should race again next week.”

Tracy’s Comet and Black on Black were the only horses to finish in the six-horse field. Denali’s Ginger, Rick Plano driving; Preciosa with Steve Desomer and Magna Amber with Kim Vincent were unable to avoid Lepton. All drivers and horses appeared to escape injury except Vincent, who canceled his Saturday drives.

“I just bruised my tailbone and knee,” said Vincent, who hoped to return this week.

One patron wagered $20,000 to show on Lepton, the 1-5 favorite. With $23,299 out of a $24,611 show pool on the favorite, winner Tracy’s Comet returned $43.80, $21.80 and $82.20; runner-up Black on Black $30 and $159.80, a track-record show playoff.

Steward Michael Corley said that non-finishers Denali’s Ginger, Preciosa and Magna Amber would divide $5,000 in purse money for third, fourth and fifth places. Corley cited Rule 19 from the United States Trotting Assn. rule book: “If there be any premium for which horses have started but were unable to finish, due to an accident, all unoffending horses who did not finish will share equally in such premium.”

Driver Donald Dancer has returned to New York to resume his career at Yonkers Raceway. The 34-year-old reinsman, who has won more than 3,500 races, became discouraged after three weeks at Los Alamitos with only three victories in 43 starts.

“I thought I would get more response than I did in California,” said Dancer from his Westbury (N.Y.) home.

“I was driving only two or three a night, and I’m used to driving eight or nine a night at Yonkers. The longer I waited, the harder it would have been to get my horses back in New York.

“Maybe a year from now I’ll try it again. The place is beautiful, the people are nice, and you can’t beat the weather. You don’t hear about a lot of the drivers in New York, but it’s a very talented colony. I just couldn’t afford to stay at this time.”

The end of intertrack wagering at Los Alamitos on Del Mar thoroughbred racing in the afternoon meant about a 10% increase in handle last weekend. The harness handle was $1,056,013 Friday and $1,039,307 Saturday, compared to $963,434 and $950,103 the previous weekend.