HOLLYWOOD PARK : Suziqcute Right Pick by McCarron

Chris McCarron made the right choice in Saturday’s $107,800 Railbird Stakes at Hollywood Park.

Just barely.

With the option to ride either Suziqcute or Zama Hummer in the Grade II, he selected the former. After hooking up for the entire seven furlongs, Suziqcute beat Zama Hummer by a head in 1:21 4/5.

This was the fourth victory in five starts for Suziqcute, a 3-year-old daughter of Silent Fox. Actually, she has crossed the wire first in all of her starts, but she was disqualified and placed fourth in her second race.

What probably decided the Railbird was Zama Hummer’s post. The runner-up, a 10-1 shot, drew the rail, which has produced just three winners in 122 one-turn races at the meeting.

McCarron was able to sit on the outside, then took the lead in the final sixteenth, although Zama Hummer, who had won her first two starts of 1991, was coming back on at the wire.

“I think we got lucky with the draw,” said McCarron, who won three times Saturday. “The one hole has been death here. If you draw the one hole, you might as well forget about it.

“I thought I was going to go by and beat (Zama Hummer) by a length at the head of the stretch. Especially, leaving the sixteenth pole, I started to edge away. Then, the other horse started to come back again. Zama Hummer’s very game.

“I thought they were very close. But, I was confident I had the right horse, especially after the post position draw.”

Over a track that has been very kind to front-runners recently, Zama Hummer was also hindered by a bad start. She came out last in the field of six.

“She broke to the outside,” jockey Alex Solis said. “I had to use her a little bit more than I wanted to . . . She really tried to come back.”

Ifyoucouldseemenow, the 4-5 favorite, was third, a bit more than a length behind the runner-up.

“She was trying to get out all the way and she was real nervous,” jockey Martin Pedroza said of the favorite. “She never used to be like that. When she worked the other day (58 flat May 16)) she was getting out then.”

Freedom Cry, the longest shot in the field at almost 53-1, was fourth, then came Impertinent Lady and Apreciada. Welcome Messenger was scratched.

Prized, the reigning star of Clover Racing Stable, will make his second start of 1991 against five opponents in Monday’s $500,000 Hollywood Turf Handicap.

What looks like Clover’s rising star may soon be tackling Grade I competition himself.

High Rank, a 4-year-old gelded son of Lord At War, won for the second time in four 1991 starts, taking Friday’s $42,000 feature by three lengths. He completed the 1 1/16 miles in 1:39 1/5, two-fifths off the Hollywood Park course record.

This came on the heels of a neck loss to Tight Spot the day that one equaled the world record (1:44 4/5) for 1 1/8 miles on turf.

“Nobody thought he’d improve this quickly,” said Jeff Siegel, Clover’s racing manager. Clover purchased 75% of High Rank last summer from Peter Perkins, who owned both Lord At War and the gelding’s dam, Queen To Conquer. “He’s really matured (from last year). He’s a stronger horse, very rugged. He’s like a rock. He was soft last year, both mentally and physically.”

Trained by Charlie Whittingham, who owns the other 25%, High Rank went to the shelf last fall after straining a tendon sheath. Since returning, he has two wins and two seconds.

There appear to be a couple of options for High Rank’s next start. Possibilities are the restricted Jim Murray Handicap at 1 1/2 miles June 29 or the July 4 American Handicap at 1 1/8 miles.

Because of an incident Thursday afternoon, Hollywood Park is going to make it mandatory for patrons to use betting cards in the final minute before post time when playing the trifecta.

According to sources, an unidentified fan went to a betting window shortly before Thursday’s ninth race. He asked the mutuel clerk for a $100 trifecta keying Java Beau, the 5-2 second choice, on top of the 10 other entrants in the race. In other words, if Java Beau won, the ticket would have been a winner no matter who finished second and third.

The cost of this was $11,000. When the fan saw the total, he said that was too much money and wasn’t what he wanted. Before the mutuel clerk could cancel the ticket, the race had started.

After showing brief speed, Java Beau faded to ninth. After meeting with the fan and the mutuel clerk, Hollywood Park officials have yet to determine their course of action.

Horse Racing Notes

David Flores had two winners Saturday and moved into the lead in the jockey’s race with 21 victories. Laffit Pincay and Chris McCarron are tied for second with 20 each. . . . Pincay won the $150,000 Rolling Green Handicap at Golden Gate Fields with Shotiche. Forty Niner Days was second and My Boy Adam third in a race that was simulcast at Hollywood Park. Shotiche was the 5-2 favorite locally and paid $7.40. . . . Olympic Prospect will make his first start of the year in Monday’s $100,000 Oakland Handicap at Golden Gate. Russell Baze will ride for trainer John Sadler.