HOLLYWOOD PARK : Character Posts Impressive Victory

After completing the Cinema Handicap-Swaps Stakes parlay a year ago with Jovial, trainer Bruce Jackson and owner Jack Munari decided to try again in 1991.

Character put Jackson and Munari in a position for the unusual sweep with a 2 1/2-length victory over River Traffic and four others in Saturday’s $107,600 Grade II Cinema.

After running second in the Spotlight May 4, Character couldn’t have had a better journey Saturday en route to his first victory in three American starts and second in six overall.

Able to sit behind Timeless Account and Persianalli through a moderate early pace, Gary Stevens and the 2-1 favorite moved to the outside around the turn, took the lead with an eight of a mile to run and drew away to win in 1:47 for the 1 1/8 miles.

River Traffic rallied from last to gain the place, a half-length in front of Kalgrey, who weakened after taking the lead with about three furlongs to run in his first start in the United States. Timeless Account was fourth in front of Mr. P. And Max and Persianalli faded to last in a field reduced by the scratches of Scottish Castle and Sounds Fabulous.

Jovial took right to the dirt in winning the Swaps last year in his first main track start. Character, a son of the English stallion Never So Bold, was last in his only dirt appearance, but Jackson says it can be discounted.

“You can just throw it out,” he said. “The dirt didn’t bother him that day (March 17). He bled. We took him back and let him eat dirt that day and we were going to let him run down the lane and he bled.

“We might look at the Swaps (July 7) now, I don’t know. I don’t believe the dirt’s going to bother him and the farther he goes, the better he’s going to be.”

Stevens agrees with that assesment and he also doesn’t see the dirt as being a problem. Although he hadn’t ridden Character in either of his first two starts in this country, the jockey was very familiar with the colt.

“I’ve spent the last month and a half getting on him every morning,” said Stevens. “I’ve been galloping him, just trying to get him to relax. He’s been relaxing a lot better. Bruce has done a good job with him.

“He had a little bit of a setback Friday. We galloped him and he got real tough--put some cuts in his mouth--he was really laying against the bit. Bruce did some work with him and got him cured.

“He was real rank (Saturday) going into the first turn and then he came right back to me going down backside. When that horse sees daylight he goes, so when Corey (Nakatani on Kalgrey) went by me on the outside, that was just more cover for me. I knew he’d go ahead and sprint the last part.”

Persianalli, who was third in the Will Rogers behind Compelling Sound and Stark South only days after he arrived from England, was beaten by almost 10 lengths Saturday.

“He was just a little too much on the muscle today,” jockey Russell Baze said. “He’s a free-running horse and he doesn’t like you to take too much hold of him. I was just trying to slow him down as much as I could without making him mad.”

In search of her sixth consecutive victory, Fire The Groom is the 2-1 morning line favorite for today’s $115,000 Gamely Handicap over 1 1/8 miles on turf.

Successful in Santa Anita’s Budweiser Breeders’ Cup Handicap and Hollywood Park’s Wilshire since arriving in California, the 4-year-old Blushing Groom filly isn’t lacking for opponents in the Grade I Gamely.

Eleven others will go after Formidable Lady was scratched Saturday afternoon. The 3-1 second choice and 121-pound highweight is Little Brianne, who defeated Bayakoa in both the Santa Maria and Santa Margarita Handicaps at Santa Anita. A 6-year-old daughter of Coastal, she most recently was fourth at 2-5 odds in the Oaklawn Park Budweiser Breeders’ Cup Handicap April 6.

Little Brianne has a series of solid workouts over the Hollywood Park turf, where she won a division of the Dahlia last November. Julio Garcia will ride for trainer Jack Van Berg.

Miss Josh returns to California after winning grass stakes at Gulfstream Park and Pimlico in her last two starts. The only time she has been unplaced in her last nine races was when she was sixth in the Matriarch here Dec. 2. Laffit Pincay Jr. will ride the 6-1 third choice.

The rest of the field includes the entry of La Kaldoun and Freya Stark (8-1), Dead Heat (30-1), Sun Brandy (30-1), Gaelic Bird (12-1), Island Jamboree (20-1), Odalea (12-1), Appealing Missy (12-1) and Annual Reunion (8-1).

About thirty minutes before the Gamely, seven quality sprinters will get together in the $50,000 Chinook Pass Handicap at 6 1/2 furlongs.

The race will mark the first start for Sam Who since he was claimed by Bill Spawr for $100,000 Jan. 19 at Santa Anita. The 6-year-old Lypheor gelding, a multiple-stakes winner, is in the midst of a 14-race losing streak. He hasn’t won since Oak Tree’s Ancient Title in October of 1989.

However, Sam Who has been training well for Spawr and he has run well in the past at Hollywood Park. He has three victories, a second and two thirds in six main track starts in Inglewood. Sam Who drew the rail and will be ridden by Pat Valenzuela.

Other entrants are Devil’s Orchid, a filly who is coming off back-to-back stakes victories at Aqueduct; Bruho; Tanker Port, who was third in the Los Angeles Handicap; Rocket Gibralter; French Seventyfive, and Navajo Storm.

Horse Racing Notes

Jose Santos, Pat Valenzuela and Corey Nakatani each rode two winners Saturday. . . . Edward Halpern scored his first victory as a trainer when longshot Valueval, a 4-year-old filly he also owns, upset Loose In Paradise in the first race. Saturday was also Halpern’s 49th birthday.

Character paid $6 to win and the victory was worth $62,600 to Jack Munari and Bruce Jackson. It came five days after owner and trainer won the $500,000 Metropolitan Mile with In Excess. . . . In the $40,000 Goose Girl Handicap, Venturilla and Santos came from behind to score a $32.20 upset.