CLIPBOARD

When Paula Hayward’s horse, Picture Perfect, won its qualifying heat at Los Alamitos Racetrack last week, a crowd of friends rushed to congratulate her. But Paula is also Picture Perfect’s groom, so she couldn’t linger in the limelight. There was work to do. The 2-year-old standardbred had to be walked, washed and brushed.

Paula’s husband, Hank, who is Picture Perfect’s co-owner, driver and trainer, circled the horse and sulky (one-man cart) back towards the finish line. He paused to greet well-wishers and Paula hopped on beside him. They headed for the barn while the lineup for the next harness race warmed up on the track.

Horses are the Haywards’ life and the racetrack is their home. They live in a converted tack room, not far from Picture Perfect’s stall. About 100 other itinerant grooms and workers live in similar quarters at the track, rising sometimes as early as 4 a.m. to begin the day’s work. The enclave is a neighborhood within a neighborhood, where human lives revolve around the needs of equine residents.

For over a decade, the Haywards have lived, Gypsy-like, on the California harness racing circuit. They spend part of the year at Los Alamitos before moving to Sacramento, Del Mar and back. The tight-knit group that inhabits the track has formed a social network that is the only constant for many of them.

“Everything else keeps changing, but generally the same bunch of people from Los Alamitos will be at Del Mar, too,” Hank said. “It’s an international crowd. There’s people here from Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Hungary--lots of places,” he said.

“I think the constant change is what keeps most of us happy,” said Paula, who grew up around horses in England. “I heard somewhere that horsemen have the lowest suicide rate. I think that’s because there’s always the next race or the next season, something to look forward to. There is a structure to this life, but it’s different. It has nothing to do with possessions,” she said.

Picture Perfect has yet to earn the Haywards any money. To make a living, the couple work for other owners. “The wages aren’t very high,” Paula said. “But we pooled our money and invested in a horse. It’s risky, but the rewards are great,” she said. “His first official race is Saturday . “

After Picture Perfect’s bath, Hank wrapped him in a blue hand-me-down blanket with an advertisement for a Culver City pizza parlor emblazoned on the side. “He’ll have to earn us some money if he wants a new one,” Paula joked.

Around them were the earthy barn smells; a Bob Seger song played on a nearby radio. Horses stretched their heads out to nuzzle visitors. A few hundred yards away at the track, race fans lined up to wager, hoping to win big. Everyone, including the ambulance drivers and security guards, seemed caught up in the mounting excitement.

A trumpet signaled post time and the starter, Larry Johns, began circling the track in a turquoise and white 1979 Lincoln Continental outfitted with a retractable starting gate. From his specially rigged chair that sits backwards, facing the pack, Johns has the best seat in the house, but he doesn’t follow racing that closely.

“I just like being out here. The people are great and I get to work outside,” he said while chewing on an unlit cigar. The Lincoln’s radio is always tuned to country-Western music or baseball games. “Larry won’t let me play rock-and-roll stuff,” said the driver, Ken Fowler.

After the last race, the stands and clubhouse emptied out, and this world within a world was left to the stable-dwellers, who are the life of the sport. Many had already turned in for the night, but they’ll be back at work long before many inhabitants of the “real world.”

Although the track takes up a major portion of this neighborhood, the area is also home to other commercial developments. PacifiCare Health Systems’ corporate headquarters, which employs more than 1,000 people, is located near the track on Katella Avenue.

A small residential area is located east of the track. And according to Jack Risdin, many of his neighbors have never visited the track and are completely unaware of the triumphs and losses in there.

Some of Risdin’s neighbors complain about the extra traffic generated by the track; others say the track isn’t any worse than having a shopping mall in the neighborhood. Resident Bill Deacon is looking forward to the opening of a new 18-hole golf course under construction west of the track. “I heard they’re supposed to have it finished by the end of the year. I plan to retire around then, so I’ll be spending a lot of time there. I deserve it,” he said.

Population Total: (1990 est.) 2,560 1980-90 change: +12.0% Median Age: 34.5

Racial/ethnic mix: White (non-Latino): 69% Other: 16%

Latino: 15% Black: 1% By sex and age: MALES Median age: 33.4 years FEMALES Median age: 35.7years

Income Per capita: $20,051 Median household: $54,453 Average household: $53,903

Income Distribution: Less than $25,000: 9% $25,000-49,999: 34% $50,000-74,999: 36% $75,000-$99,999: 13% $100,000 and more: 8%