HOLLYWOOD PARK : Citation Is Won in $17.20 Upset by Colway Rally

Colway Rally has been the longest price on the board in his last two races, going off at almost 114-1 in the Breeders’ Cup Mile at Belmont Park Oct. 27 and at 7-1 Sunday in the Citation Handicap at Hollywood Park.

The difference is that the 6-year-old English-bred ran last, behind 12 horses, in the Breeders’ Cup and he returned Sunday to win the $107,300 Citation by 1 1/4 lengths before 21,038.

Exclusive Partner, who set a world record for 1 1/8 miles of 1:44 4/5 over Santa Anita’s fast course Oct. 5, finished second at that distance after being unable to hold off the charging Colway Rally in the stretch.

Exclusive Partner was two lengths better than The Medic, who finished third, 3 1/2 lengths ahead of Live The Dream, the 6-5 favorite. Philippi completed the field, which was reduced to five by the scratch of Fly Till Dawn, who will wait for the $500,000 Hollywood Turf Cup Dec. 16.

Colway Rally, earning $62,300 for his owners, the Clover Racing Stable, paid $17.20 to win. Exclusive Partner’s pace-setting fractions were so slow that even though the pace quickened through the stretch, the final time was an ordinary 1:47 4/5. Colway Rally, the Citation lightweight, carried 114 pounds, seven fewer than Live The Dream.

Colway Rally, with only one victory win in seven starts in the United States, didn’t belong in the Breeders’ Cup to begin with, and his chances were further reduced with a No. 12 post position and a soft course.

On top of this, his trainer, Julio Canani, said Sunday that Colway Rally also bled from the lungs in the race. For the Citation, Colway Rally was again treated with Lasix, the diuretic that is not permitted in New York.

Top and bottom, Colway Rally has had his problems. Canani said that the horse frequently throws his shoes because of brittle feet. “We just haven’t been able to keep his shoes on,” Canani said. “He even loses shoes in the morning, when we work him. Finally, we’ve found a system that works. We train him in steel shoes, and then change to aluminum for his races.”

Colway Rally’s only previous American victory came in the San Francisco Mile Handicap at Golden Gate Fields March 24.

Corey Black rode Colway Rally that day, and he was aboard again for the Citation. “I handicapped the race, and just couldn’t figure out who would be on the lead,” Canani said. “I wound up telling Corey to do whatever he wanted.”

Breaking from the inside, Black let Colway Rally settle into third place early, behind Exclusive Partner and Live the Dream.

“My horse usually breaks slow, and the speed on the outside came over and covered us up,” Black said. “European horses usually run better when they’ve got something to run at.”

At the top of the stretch, Live The Dream dropped out of contention and Colway Rally, about two lengths behind Exclusive Partner, kicked into gear and went by the leader with about a sixteenth of a mile to go.

“I had a snug hold on my horse at the three-eighths pole and was confident that I could catch Exclusive Partner whenever we wanted to,” Black said. “My horse is a hard-trying horse, and I didn’t have to hit him. He ran the last three-eighths in 35 seconds, so hitting him wouldn’t have helped.”

Horse Racing Notes

Jose Santos, who has won only twice out of 62 mounts at Hollywood Park this season, went back to New York and won Sunday’s Ladies Handicap at Aqueduct on Colonial Waters. That sent Santos over the $12-million mark for the year and leaves him about $655,000 behind Gary Stevens in the battle for the national money title. Stevens is sidelined because of a broken elbow. Santos will be in Tokyo next Sunday to ride Alwuhush in the $2-million Japan Cup; Corey Black will ride Petite Ile in that race.

Plenty of Grace, who upset Pettit Ile in the Yellow Ribbon at Santa Anita, has returned to California from her Belmont Park base and is scheduled to run in the $200,000 Matriarch at Hollywood Park Dec. 2. . . . Alex Solis rode four winners Sunday, none of them favorites, and leads the jockey standings with 20 victories. Chris McCarron is second with 17. . . . Stan Seiden, an executive with the Nederlander theater group, has been elected a member of the Hollywood Park board of directors.