HOLLYWOOD PARK : Prized Wins by a Nose in Comeback

Although he didn’t run like a 3-5 favorite, Prized made a successful return Friday at Hollywood Park.

Making his first start since finishing 10th in the Arlington Million Sept. 2, the 5-year-old son of Kris S. got up in the final jump to beat Shotiche by a nose in the featured $55,000 allowance race. Winning for the ninth time in 15 starts, Prized covered the 1 1/8 miles in 1:47 2/5, and he might come back for the John Henry Handicap in 15 days.

“We’ll look at the weights and see what they are,” trainer Neil Drysdale said. “And we’ll see how he comes out of this race. It was quite a tough race. This horse has the desire to win.”

Prized, who earned nearly $1.9 million in 1989 while winning the Breeders’ Cup Turf and upsetting Sunday Silence in the Swaps Stakes, was never far off Shotiche’s pace, but an eighth of a mile from the wire, it didn’t appear he would catch the leader.

“I didn’t know if I was going to make it at the eighth pole,” jockey Eddie Delahoussaye said. “He didn’t switch leads until about the sixteenth pole, but when he did, he started running again.

“It was very close, but he hadn’t run in so long. I’ll tell you what, I’m surprised he ran that well. Neil has done a great job with him. To run 1 1/8 miles the first time out since the Million, well, he’s done a tremendous job.”

Sunday’s $111,300 Shoemaker Handicap, which was originally going to be Prized’s first start of 1991, attracted eight entrants Friday morning.

Exbourne is the 118-pound highweight for the Shoemaker, which will be run at one mile on the turf. Never worse than third in nine starts, Exbourne was most recently second to Pharisien in the El Rincon Handicap April 7 at Santa Anita.

Never far off the pace after being reluctant to enter the starting gate, the 5-year-old son of Explodent got the lead briefly in the El Rincon. He drew a better post position--No. 2 as opposed to No. 10--for the Shoemaker, and Gary Stevens will again ride.

Two contenders, Super May and Round Sovereign, will be making their first starts in several months.

Super May, who had five victories in six starts before being injured last May, has run a series of solid workouts for trainer Richard Mandella, including a mile in 1:39 at Santa Anita April 11. The 5-year-old son of Super Concorde was second by 1 1/4 lengths to Shining Steel in this race last year.

Round Sovereign, a 5-year-old Kaldoun horse, hasn’t been out since finishing second behind Exclusive Partner Aug. 31 at Del Mar, but he has trained well and has shown the ability to run well when fresh. He won his U.S. debut on April 1, 1990, after being sidelined for more than six months.

Completing the field are Bruho, a gelding who has won three of his six starts on turf; Robyn Dancer; Dansil; Balla Cove, and Wonderka.

Defending champion Stormy But Valid heads a field of six scheduled for today’s $107,400 A Gleam Handicap at seven furlongs.

Owned by Jan, Mace and Samantha Siegel and trained by Brian Mayberry, the 5-year-old Valid Appeal mare defeated Hot Novel and Tis Juliet in 1:21 1/5 last year in this race. Stevens rode her to victory that day, and he will be aboard again today.

Winner of nine of 22 starts and more than $476,000, Stormy But Valid has been away since a troubled trip as the 3-2 favorite in Santa Anita’s Santa Monica Handicap Jan. 20.

Attempting to rally along the rail, the Louisiana-bred was shut off by Classic Value, losing all chance. Even so, she lost by only 1 1/4 lengths to winner Devil’s Orchid and was moved up to second after the stewards disqualified Classic Value.

Stormy But Valid became ill after the Santa Monica, but her recent workouts indicate all is well. She worked three furlongs in 34 4/5 at Hollywood Park Tuesday in her final prep for the A Gleam. Stormy But Valid has won two of her last three main-track starts in Inglewood, and in her only defeat she was second to Bayakoa in the Hawthorne Handicap.

Another starter, Survive, owned in partnership by Ed Allred and Hollywood Park President R.D. Hubbard, won on the Santa Anita turf in her last start March 30, but she has always been even more effective on the dirt. Seven of the 7-year-old mare’s nine victories have come on dirt. Russell Baze will ride Survive, who worked a half mile in 46 2/5 Wednesday morning.

Others in the lineup include Cascading Gold, who is seeking her third consecutive victory; Mahaska, who is back at a better distance after trailing in the Santa Anita Budweiser Breeders’ Cup Handicap; Linda Card, and Brought To Mind.

Horse Racing Notes

Cindy Shoemaker, Bill Shoemaker’s wife, will be at Hollywood Park Sunday for the race bearing her husband’s name and for a ceremony in which the new winner’s circle will be dedicated to the former jockey. . . . Sea Cadet will work a mile at Hollywood Park today before leaving Sunday night for Louisville and a scheduled start in next Saturday’s Kentucky Derby. Chris McCarron, left without a Derby mount when Dinard was injured, will ride.

Luis Ortega’s upset victory aboard Sun Streak in Thursday’s seventh race was the jockey’s first victory at Hollywood Park since Nov. 10, 1988. . . . Jose Santos will be at Golden Gate Fields in Albany, Calif., today to ride Neptuno for trainer Eddie Gregson in the $100,000 All American Handicap at 1 1/16 miles on the turf. Also in the field will be Trebizond, Courtesy Title, Patchy Groundfog, Military Shot and Forty Niner Days. Forty Niner Days beat Exbourne, Blaze O’Brien and Itsallgreektome for trainer Roger Stein in last month’s San Francisco Mile.

Handicapper’s Report, with Bob Selvin and Jeff Siegel as co-hosts, will be televised at 10 a.m. each Saturday during the Hollywood Park meeting on Channel 56. . . . There will be 10 races both today and Sunday at Hollywood Park, and every weekend during the meeting.