HOLLYWOOD PARK : Corey Black Is Not Sorry He Left

Although he misses his friends and family, Corey Black isn’t sorry he left California to try riding in the East.

“I don’t miss riding two (horses) a day,” he said. “I’m riding more horses and that’s all I can ask for.”

Black, 22, was an immediate hit when he went on the road. Unable to generate much business locally, he hired agent John Gaspar, went to Keeneland and, despite missing a day of the short 16-day meeting, became the leading rider with 26 victories.

“My agent had a lot of power there,” Black said from New York Wednesday. “Keeneland was fantastic. I couldn’t have dreamed things would go as well as they did.”

Now, Black is at Belmont Park, and although he’s hardly blazing, opportunities are becoming more frequent. Through Wednesday, he had five victories from 52 mounts. Mike Smith, Julie Krone and Angel Cordero are the top three riders, and Black is in a group of eight separated by two winners.

“It’s kind of picked up the last week,” Black said. “People are a little slow to accept you and they’re also a little skeptical about whether you’ll be staying or not. We’re staying, and they are coming around now.

“I’ve ridden for (Tom) Skiffington, Rusty Arnold, Philip G. Johnson, and I’ve ridden a lot for Richard Destasio. Plus I’ve ridden occasionally for Billy Badgett and Shug (McGaughey), and I won a race last week for John Veitch.

“I feel comfortable. The riding colony is not quite as nice, but I’m happy. The racing is good, but not as tough on the horses day-to-day as it is in California.”

Black, whose mounts earned nearly $4.87 million in 1990, is living on Penny Chenery’s estate in Old Westbury. Chenery was the owner of Secretariat.

“I have an apartment over the garage,” he said. “She has 12 acres, and it’s like a little farm. It’s real secluded, real pretty and very quiet.”

Black plans to remain in the East, following the circuit in New York and likely spend the winter in Florida. “That’s where I’ll probably go,” he said. “It’s fine with me. I’m in a position to go anywhere.”

One of Black’s Belmont victories came aboard Royal Eagle, one of several horses trainer Frank Martin claimed while at Santa Anita and took East with him. Martin is doing well with his imports. He won with five of his first 10 starters at Belmont and is atop the trainer standings.

“(Royal Eagle) got to go the half-(mile) in 45 (seconds) and change, which is something he didn’t see in California,” Black said.

Letthebighossroll and In Excess were flown to New York Wednesday for Monday’s $500,000 Metropolitan Mile at Belmont.

Undefeated in four starts, Letthebighossroll won the opening-day Harry Henson Stakes at Hollywood Park in his most recent start. Julio Garcia will ride the 3-year-old Flying Paster gelding, who will carry 108 pounds in the Mile.

Trained by Bob Baffert, Letthebighossroll worked five furlongs in :59 4/5 Tuesday morning. “There’s no question that this is a big step up,” Baffert said. “We’ve spotted him pretty well with the idea of gradually stretching him out. We’ll see now if we’ve done the right thing.”

In Excess, scratched from last Sunday’s Mervyn LeRoy Handicap, worked six furlongs in 1:10 4/5 before he left for New York. Other probables for the Grade I stake are Housebuster, Black Tie Affair, Gervazy, Greydar and De Roche.

Itsallgreektome, the 1990 Eclipse Award recipient as the nation’s top grass performer, and Prized, the 1989 Breeders’ Cup Turf winner, will meet for the first time in Monday’s $500,000 Hollywood Turf Handicap. Both will carry 123 pounds.

The 1 1/4-mile Grade I stake is also expected to lure the Bobby Frankel-trained pair of Exbourne and Missionary Ridge, and Jungle Pioneer, who is unbeaten in three starts in the United States.

Exbourne, who won the Shoemaker Handicap earlier this month, and Missionary Ridge, who took the closing-day San Jacinto Handicap at Santa Anita, worked seven furlongs over the grass in company Wednesday. Exbourne went 1:28 3/5, two-fifths faster than Missionary Ridge.

Horse Racing Notes

The Met Mile will be simulcast at Hollywood Park between the second and third races Monday. . . . The Rolling Green Handicap will be simulcast Saturday from Golden Gate Fields between the sixth and seventh races. . . . Gary Stevens won three races Wednesday--with Cob Canyon in the second, Manipulate in the seventh and Tyzown in the eighth--to move within one of leader Laffit Pincay in the jockey standings. Pincay won the ninth race aboard favored No Money No Honey and holds a 20-19 lead, but he’s had 43 more mounts than Stevens. David Flores is third with 18 winners. . . . Ron McAnally, Craig Lewis, Roger Stein and David Hofmans share the lead in the trainer standings with seven victories each.