THOROUGHBRED RACING : Marquetry Takes a Different Route to Latest Victory

The tactics were different from those of the Hollywood Gold Cup, but the result was the same for Marquetry.

After leading every step of the way in his upset of Farma Way last month at Hollywood Park, Marquetry sat third for the first six furlongs Saturday, then drew away when asked by David Flores to win the $500,000 New England Classic at an extremely hot and humid Rockingham Park in Salem, N.H.

In winning his second consecutive race in the American Championship Racing Series, the 4-year-old Conquistador Cielo colt beat Festin, the 1-2 favorite, by three lengths while completing 1 1/8 miles in 1:49 2/5.

“I was a little worried because I thought he’d be second and he was laying third,” trainer Bobby Frankel said. “I told the jockey not to pay attention to (front-runner Sunny Serve) and ride his own race. I told him to stay five to 10 feet off the rail on the best part of the track.

“In the race at Hollywood, we had to hustle him a little bit to make the lead. Today, he showed he can relax. I’ve always known this horse can be rated. In the morning, he won’t even breeze unless we ask him.”

The moderate fractions (23, 47 1/5 and 1:11 3/5) didn’t help Festin, but he was five lengths better than Silver Survivor. Whiz Along was fourth and Sunny Serve, who led by seven lengths on the backstretch, was last.

“We had no excuses,” said Eddie Delahoussaye, Festin’s rider. “My horse just couldn’t pick up the winner in the stretch. I couldn’t find fault with the track, and he had a clean trip.”

Marquetry will return to California Monday and Frankel said he will probably run in two of the remaining three ACRS races. Next in the series is the $1-million Pacific Classic on Aug. 10 at Del Mar, followed by the Philip J. Iselin Handicap on Sept. 1 at Monmouth Park and the Woodward on Sept. 15 at Belmont Park.

Three weeks after losing by a nose to Apollo, Forest Glow easily turned the tables Saturday in the $153,850 Hollywood Park Budweiser Breeders’ Cup.

Never able to make the lead in their match June 30, the 4-year-old Green Forest colt took over shortly after the start under Chris McCarron and went on to win by 2 1/2 lengths in 1:02 for the 5 1/2 furlongs on turf.

It was the fourth victory in the last five starts for the 2-1 favorite, who earned $86,350 for his owner-breeder John A. Bell III. Apollo finished three-quarters of a length ahead of Duck And Dive, then came Naevus Star, Navajo Storm and Ron’s Victory.

“I didn’t plan on (taking the lead),” McCarron said. “But (trainer) Brad (MacDonald)) wanted me to, so I did. He said, ‘You’re on the best horse. Go to the lead and don’t look back.’ This horse is pretty fast. He reaches and he’s got a long stride on him.”

Bell, who owns Jonabell Farm in Lexington, said Forest Glow may be rested until the Oak Tree meeting at Santa Anita in October. “He’s had a pretty hard go,” he said. “We’ll play it by ear, but you want to leave a little juice in the lemon.”

Apollo’s rider, Kent Desormeaux, wished he had done things a little differently Saturday.

“He stumbled a couple of times, lost his footing,” he said. “I think the mistake I made . . . I didn’t send him. I just let him bounce away from there and he broke a half-length in front. If I had sent him, it might have been a different outcome.

“But we weren’t in much of a hurry with him. We thought that any time I’d ask him, he’d be able to come and get them. Unfortunately, he didn’t.”

Bouncing back after a dull effort in the Metropolitan Mile, Housebuster won the $300,000 Frank J. DeFrancis Memorial Dash by five lengths Saturday at Laurel.

Bravely Bold, who led by 1 1/2 lengths with a furlong to run, suffered a broken right foreleg and had to be destroyed. His jockey, Paul Toscano, escaped injury in the spill.

Housebuster covered the six furlongs in 1:08 3/5 as the narrow 2-1 favorite. Clever Trevor was second and Safely Kept, who broke behind the field, rallied to be third. Robyn Dancer, with Laffit Pincay Jr. aboard, finished fifth.

Second behind Forty Niner Days in the Golden Gate Handicap last month, Aksar is the 2-1 morning line favorite for today’s $270,900 Sunset Handicap at Hollywood Park.

The Sunset, which is 1 1/2 miles on the turf, will be run as the third race so it can be simulcast to 12 tracks throughout the country. The tracks will contribute from the simulcast to the Shoemaker Foundation.

A 4-year-old son of Sharpen Up, Aksar has only one victory in five starts this year, but he hasn’t been worse than third. Before the Golden Gate Handicap, he was third in the San Juan Capistrano. Gary Stevens will ride for trainer Bruce Jackson.

Super May and Mashkour are co-second choices at 5-2. Pat Valenzuela replaces Jose Santos on Super May, who was third behind Tight Spot and Exbourne in the American Handicap on July 4. Mashkour was fifth as the favorite in the Golden Gate Handicap after winning the San Juan Capistrano.

The rest of the field includes Pleasant Variety (4-1), Razeen (6-1), Black Monday (8-1) and El Zorzal (30-1).

Horse Racing Notes

Ron’s Victory’s last-place finish ended a streak of five consecutive stakes victories for Pat Valenzuela. He had won the Swaps, Sangue, Bel Air, Vanity and Friday night’s Greinton. . . . Farma Way, preparing for the $1-million Pacific Classic Aug. 10 at Del Mar, worked six furlongs in 1:14 3/5 Saturday morning at Hollywood Park. . . . Stalwart Charger, who finished last in his 1991 debut Friday night, will probably return in Saturday’s San Diego Handicap at Del Mar. . . . Fowda, winner of the Hollywood Oaks, defeated Shared Interest by 1 1/4 lengths in the $150,000 Monmouth Oaks at Monmouth Park. Fowda, trained by Richard Lundy and ridden by Richard Migliore, ran the 1 1/8 miles in 1:50 2/5 and paid $9.80 for the victory.