HOLLYWOOD PARK : Stakes High, Valenzuela Wins

Pat Valenzuela hasn’t taken long to get back in form.

Since returning a week ago today, the jockey has eight winners from 35 chances and Saturday was particularly rewarding.

He swept Hollywood Park’s two stakes--rallying from off the pace with Compelling Sound to take the $111,100 Will Rogers Handicap, then holding on aboard Brought To Mind to win the $108,300 Hawthorne Handicap three races later.

Valenzuela won three times in all, and after only five days, he has moved into ninth place in the jockey standings.

In winning his second in a row over the Hollywood Park turf, Compelling Sound brought Valenzuela and trainer Charlie Whittingham into the winner’s circle on the two-year anniversary of Sunday’s Silence memorable victory over Easy Goer in the Preakness.

“It’s only fitting to win my first one back for Charlie,” Valenzuela said after the 3-year-old Seattle Slew colt beat Stark South, Persianalli and five others.

“He’s one of my biggest supporters. It was appropriate after Sunday Silence and everything we’ve been through together. (Owners) Mr. and Mrs. (Jerry) Moss have also been two of my biggest supporters. It felt great to win for them.”

The 9-5 favorite, Compelling Sound was seventh after a half-mile, waited for room entering the stretch, then spurted clear in the final furlong to win by just over a length in 1:40 3/5 for the 1 1/16 miles.

Stark South, a 7-1 shot, beat Persianalli, who was making his American debut, by a neck for the place. Eastern Dude, the 3-1 second choice, broke down after a half-mile. He fractured the cannon bone and the sesamoid in his left foreleg. Said to be a good patient, the Dahar colt was placed in a splint and it is hoped he can be saved for breeding purposes.

Although his last two wins have been on the turf, Compelling Sound may return to the dirt for his next start.

“The Cinema (June 1 at 1 1/8 miles on the grass) is a little close,” Whittingham said. “So, we’ll probably look at the Silver Screen (June 16), then the Swaps (July 7).

“I don’t know if it’s the switch to grass that has helped him. It hasn’t hurt him. But, early in the year, I thought he had as much ability as any horse around. Really, the only bad race he’s run (the Santa Anita Derby) is when he got bumped coming out of the gate. He just got confused.”

Valenzuela, who was aboard when Compelling Sound worked three furlongs Thursday, said Whittingham indicated the mount was his. The colt previously was ridden by Chris McCarron, Corey Nakatani and Gary Stevens.

“That might be my next Sunday Silence,” Valenzuela said. “I sure hope so anyway. He’s kind of a combination between Sunday Silence and Ruhlmann. He’s got a nice, long stride and he finished really well.”

Eastern Dude, who has the Unbridled connections--owner Frances A. Genter and trainer Carl Nafzger--was the third horse in seven days to have trouble on the Hollywood Park grass. One Drink went bad in the final race May 11 and Troyanos broke down in Friday’s feature. All three horses were racing on the inside at the time.

“He was a little rank at the start,” Laffit Pincay said, “but I got him back and he was running along fine. He just broke his leg. That’s the second horse I’ve ridden (he was aboard One Drink) who got hurt that was on the inside. Maybe it’s just a coincidence. I don’t know.”

In the Hawthorne, Brought To Mind, a 6-1 shot, staved off a stretch-long challenge from favored Fantastic Look to win by a half-length in 1:41 2/5 for the 1 1/16 miles.

Third in the A Gleam Handicap two weeks earlier, the 4-year-old Ruthie’s Native filly put away Sky Darter before going six furlongs and was a nice consolation for the Ron McAnally stable after Olympio finished fourth in the Preakness earlier.

“She was relaxed and she finished very well,” Valenzuela said. “When Fantastic Look came toward her, she dug in again. She really tried hard. I’m just glad to be here and participating. That’s the main thing. Things like this just make it all the better.”

Fantastic Look, the 9-5 choice, was 6 1/2 lengths ahead of Fit To Scout, then came Luna Elegante, Survive and Sky Darter.

In Excess is the 9-5 morning-line favorite for today’s $216,600 Mervyn LeRoy Handicap over 1 1/16 miles at Hollywood Park.

A distant fourth in the Santa Anita Handicap in his last start, In Excess has a series of sharp works at Hollywood Park for trainer Bruce Jackson. He followed up a 1:37 4/5 mile April 29 with a :59 4/5 five-eighths May 6 and a 1:11 4/5 six furlongs last Monday.

“He’s going very well,” Jackson said. “If I didn’t think he was, I wouldn’t run him. Any time he’s in a race, you have to beat him. Form pretty much shows that he runs a good race every time. He gives you a good effort every time.”

Jackson considered sending In Excess, who won the San Fernando Stakes and was third in the Charles H. Strub before participating in the Big ‘Cap, to New York for Belmont Park’s Metropolitan Mile May 27. However, he decided to stay home.

Whittingham will send out a pair in the LeRoy--Anshan and Warcraft. Anshan beat Louis Cyphre, another starter today, by a nose in the San Bernardino Handicap March 30 at Santa Anita, his first victory in three main track starts. Corey Nakatani will ride. Warcraft was the beaten favorite in an allowance race 16 days earlier, the sixth time that has happened in his last 10 races. Chris McCarron takes over on the Ack Ack colt, whose only stakes victory--the Native Diver Handicap last December--came at Hollywood Park.

Besides Louis Cyphre, the other entrants are Perforce, Stylish Winner, Nuits St. Georges and El Zorzal.

Horse Racing Notes

Brought To Mind paid $15.20 to win and the victory was worth $62,300 to her owner, Tadahiro Hotehama. . . . Preakness winner Hansel paid $18.40 at Hollywood Park, compared to $20.20 at Pimlico. . . . David Flores had two winners Saturday--Norms Delight in the second and Chief Appeal in the sixth.