HOLLYWOOD PARK : Royal Reach Bids Auld Lang Syne With Victory

As Marje Everett appeared in the paddock late in the day Monday at Hollywood Park, a trainer nodded in her direction and said: “I wonder if this will be her last day here.”

The answer probably won’t come until a bitter, expensive proxy fight ends early next year. Everett’s argument, that company debt has been reduced and that shareholders are receiving dividends again, is in contrast to business being bearish. On the day before Christmas, the 37-day meeting lurched to a conclusion, with 14,852 fans coming out to bet the Auld Lang Syne Handicap and eight other races.

That was the lowest closing-day crowd Hollywood Park has had since it began racing in the fall in 1981. The figures for the entire season were mixed, with betting up almost 4% on a daily average over last season and attendance down close to 4%.

The handle would been lower than last year’s average except for money that flowed into the Hollywood pools for the first time from Nevada, Birmingham Race Course in Alabama and Canterbury Downs in Minnesota. Those three sources accounted for betting of more than $365,000 a day.

Overall, Hollywood Park’s daily fall handle--$5.4 million--was the best since off-track betting in California was introduced in 1987, but total attendance, on- and off-track, averaged 20,932, which is a drop of more than 11% from three years ago. Figures do not reflect attendance from the out-of-state betting sites.

Corey Nakatani, who won three major stakes--two with Itsallgreektome and one with Countus In--earlier in the season, rode Royal Reach to a wire-to-wire victory in the $84,450 Auld Lang Syne. The margin over Intelligently was officially a nose, but the placing judges said it was more like an inch.

Intelligently lagged 11 lengths behind at one point, then barely missed running down Royal Reach at the wire. Davon finished third, three lengths back, in the 1 1/4-mile grass race, which was run in 1:59, only two-fifths of a second slower than the track record.

Royal Reach, owned by George Layman Jr. of Nanches, Wash., and trained by David Hofmans, had finished ahead of only three horses in his last four starts, losing by a total of 56 lengths. The 4-year-old gelding’s last victory came in allowance company at Del Mar more than four months ago.

“The problem in the last couple of races was that he raced in between horses and got scared,” Hofmans said. “Then we had him in a couple of races where he couldn’t get the lead and he kind of panicked.”

When Hofmans saw that Flanders Moss was scratched from Monday’s race, he was convinced that Royal Reach would have no trouble making the early lead.

“We had our own way today,” Nakatani said. “I was told to get out there, set an easy pace and ask him to run at the three-eighths pole. He had his own way and was going real easy down the backside. We slowed them down (a half-mile in 46 4/5 seconds), and when I asked him to kick, he kicked.”

Still, Intelligently, who has been running in expensive claiming races since coming here from France, was making the longest strides at the end.

“This horse was flying,” said his jockey, Alex Solis. “I wasn’t sure if we had won it or not. That other horse was walking near the wire, and I thought we had the momentum to get him. My horse gave me a nice kick, but it just wasn’t enough. That other horse set such a slow pace, and he opened up too many lengths for us.”

Royal Reach, carrying 115 pounds, one less than the top weight, paid $15.20. The Aga Khan’s Deliorman, an Irish-bred colt making his American debut and carrying 116 pounds, was sent off the 19-10 favorite. He was never a contender and finished fifth in the nine-horse field. Lyphard’s Melody, who ran eighth, is owned in part by R.D. Hubbard, the Texan who initiated the proxy battle against Everett.

Horse Racing Notes

In an extraordinary comeback, Chris McCarron wound up the leading jockey at the meet with 54 victories. Last June 3, McCarron broke his legs and his right arm in a spill at Hollywood. He has won 11 titles at Hollywood. . . . Gary Jones won the training title with eight victories. . . . Rae Rafko, a 2-year-old daughter of Chief’s Crown making her first start, won the fourth race and paid $104.80. She is trained by Steve DiMauro, a New Yorker who is wintering in California. . . . The last race was won by Port Washington for another New York trainer, Greg Martin. Port Washington tested positive for cocaine after running fourth at Hollywood on Nov. 8 and a hearing will be scheduled.

Gary Stevens’ lead over Jose Santos is almost $700,000 in the battle for the national money championship. . . . Santa Anita opens Wednesday with the Malibu Stakes, which has drawn 12 horses. Santos rides Profit Key, who drew the outside post. Stevens rides Greydar, who won the Affirmed Handicap at Hollywood in his last start. Others running are Burnt Hills, Bedeviled, Past Prince, Due to the King, Forty Niner Days, Doyouseewhatisee, Copelan’s Game, Pleasant Tap, Magical Mile and Restless Con, the Haskell Handicap winner at Monmouth Park who makes his first start in three months.