LOS ALAMITOS : Harness Racing’s Future Brightens

Lloyd Arnold’s decision to lease partner Chris Bardis’ 25% holding in Los Alamitos Race Course has breathed new life into California harness racing.

During the last two months, the early success of the meeting dissipated in the wake of competition from Hollywood Park and quarter horse simulcasts from Bay Meadows. Hollywood began a series of Friday night programs in June that hurt the Los Alamitos attendance and handle. And the quarter horse simulcasts at Los Alamitos from Bay Meadows divided the fans who were at the track. Instead of concentrating on the harness program, fans shuffled between two programs and a menu of 20 races nightly.

Those factors, plus the announcement in June by Bardis that he was leaving the industry as a race track operator, left many harness enthusiasts fearful for the sport’s future in California.

Arnold’s move to acquire Bardis’ portion of the track, announced moments before last Saturday’s Pacesetter Yearling Sale at Los Alamitos, gives him 50% of the track--the same amount held by quarter horse promoter Dr. Edward C. Allred of Long Beach.

Arnold, who is president and general manager, said that Senate Bill 944, which will be considered in mid-August by the Assembly Government Organization Committee in Sacramento, “has to pass for this to work.”

The bill provides a reduced licensing fee for night racing and enables intertrack wagering to be conducted among Los Alamitos, Santa Anita, Hollywood Park and Fairplex Park. Arnold said that with intertrack wagering, Los Alamitos could offer up to $75,000 in purses each night, third-highest harness total in the nation behind Chicago’s circuit and the Meadowlands in East Rutherford, N.J.

One potential schedule for 1992 has harness racing at Los Alamitos from mid-February to mid-May, going to another location for 10 to 12 weeks in the summer and back to Los Alamitos from August to November. Sacramento, Fairplex Park and Del Mar, which opens a thoroughbred meeting today, have been mentioned as alternative sites for summertime harness racing, and Hollywood Park has been mentioned as a second site for quarter horse racing in 1992.

The biggest plus for harness racing in California is the opportunity to race as many as 40 weeks a year. “That is something that has never been done in California,” Arnold said. “(A month ago), I was just scared to death that we were in big trouble. This is a big burden off our shoulders.”

The announcement came at the perfect time for the yearling sale, which in light of recent events was considered questionable as recently as two weeks ago. Instead, buyers pushed the average price well above last year’s mark, from $4,700 to $6,800.

“That was a tremendous surprise,” said Alan Horowitz, executive secretary of the California Harness Horsemen’s Assn. “This was the best sale in years . . . and to have it come after such a rough period.

“With the new (lease) in place, it was the margin that Lloyd needed to move forward with the program, and that’s what the buyers needed. We’ve been through sales where one or two stables dominated the buying, but that didn’t happen (this time). The breeders in the industry finally got their payday. And these are the people who bred when the industry was sluggish. It shows the faith and trust the horsemen have in Lloyd.”

Rick Plano, an owner, driver and trainer, bought the sale-topper, a $35,000 colt named Proud Leslie. Consigned by Everard Lunde, the colt, by Denali, is a half-brother to two horses who earned more than $100,000 apiece.

“I spent $93,000 on yearlings (Saturday),” said Plano, who through July 14 was the 10th-leading driver and was tied for sixth place in the trainer standings. “Lloyd is pretty optimistic about racing, so I told my partners we should jump in.”

Bag A Few tied the record for the fastest pacing mile by a filly or mare at Los Alamitos Friday night, beating older horses in the filly and mare invitational.

The 3-year-old, owned by Bardis and his wife, Sara, and trained and driven by Jim Grundy, was timed in 1:54 4/5, which equaled Cool Charm Girl’s record, set last October, and broke the record for 3-year-old fillies.

Bag A Few has won 15 of 18 starts, including 10 stakes. “I think it’s a horseman’s dream to have something like this happen,” Grundy said. “That was one of the biggest thrills I’ve had. It’s the highlight of the meeting for me.”

The Orange County Racing Fair will begin its 15th season at Los Alamitos on Monday. Racing, Mondays through Saturdays, will conclude Aug. 17.

Monday’s program, which will begin at 7:30 p.m., will be highlighted by the $35,000-added Las Palmas Handicap for fillies and mares at 4 1/2 furlongs. Other stakes during the 18-night meeting include four thoroughbred races with purses of $50,000-added each and the $150,000-estimated Governors Cup Futurity for 2-year-old quarter horses.

Tonight’s Invitational Trot is a rematch of the six horses who raced last Wednesday.

Piece Deresistance, last week’s upset winner, drew the No. 5 post position between Mad Milton (No. 4), winner of nine of 12 starts this year, and Magic Moose (No. 6), who has won 10 of 17.

Piece Deresistance, who has won three of five starts at Los Alamitos, arrived from New Zealand last spring. Ross Croghan, who is the second-leading driver at this meeting in number of victories but has the top winning percentage, was pleasantly surprised by the 6-year-old gelding’s success last week.

“I thought he was third best,” said Croghan, who expected more competition from Magic Moose and Mad Milton. “I thought those two would fight it out and have more punch in the stretch.”

Los Alamitos Notes

There are no stakes remaining in the harness meeting, which ends Saturday night. The 121-card meet will have been the longest harness season in track history. After the Orange County Fair, the quarter horse season will begin Aug. 23 and run through Feb. 8, at which point harness racing will return. . . . Friday’s and Saturday’s harness cards will include pacing invitationals. Friday’s fillies and mares invitational has drawn six, including Cool Charm Girl and Jiffy’s Girl. . . . There is a carryover for tonight’s Pick Six pool of $6,510.43.

Quarter horse simulcasts from Bay Meadows ended Saturday night and were a major factor in the success of the meeting at San Mateo. Los Alamitos fans averaged $192,842 in wagers on Bay Meadows’ 38-night meet, which averaged $611,442 overall, an increase of 30.3% from the 1990 meet. . . . On the Bay Meadows track, Takin On The Cash won three stakes races and was voted horse of the meeting. Last year at Los Alamitos, Takin On The Cash won the Kindergarten and Dash For Cash futurities. His jockey, Kip Didericksen, won the riding title with 66 victories, 38 more than runner-up G.R. Carter. Trainer Frank Monteleone won the training title with 31 victories, three more than Caesar Dominguez, Takin On The Cash’s trainer. Dominguez said Takin On The Cash will be pointed to the All-American Derby at Ruidoso Downs in New Mexico next month before returning to Los Alamitos for the winter season.