HOLLYWOOD PARK : Pincay, Vienna Score a Sweep of Citation Handicap Divisions

Four furlongs into the second division of the $170,100 Citation Handicap, trainer Darrell Vienna was confident he was on his way to a sweep of the Grade II stakes.

Making his first start since January, Fly Till Dawn was by himself on the lead after a 47 2/5 half-mile, and Vienna knew what this meant for those chasing the 5-year-old gray.

“When I saw that fraction, I really wasn’t worried,” Vienna said about 30 minutes after Notorious Pleasure had won the first division. “You can’t let him do that.”

Successful at better than 12-1 while employing similar tactics in the 1990 Eddie Read Handicap at Del Mar, Fly Till Dawn was never menaced through the stretch at 9-1 Saturday. Also providing jockey Laffit Pincay with a Citation sweep, the son of Swing Till Dawn beat Best Pal by 1 3/4 lengths in 1:45 4/5 for the 1 1/8 miles on turf. Wolf, the 6-5 favorite, was a neck back in third.

After Fly Till Dawn won the San Marcos Handicap Jan. 21 at Santa Anita, the former claimer--he broke his maiden for $32,000--went to the sidelines.

“He had an ankle problem,” Vienna said. “It wasn’t a chip, but the cartilage was getting worn. He went to Farrell Jones’ place (in Hemet). Farrell blistered him, put him on a treadmill and he came back as good as new.

“He had been training well. I know him. Those works were pretty restrained, but he was finishing strong. The only concern I had today was that I thought he was carrying a little too much weight (119 pounds) for coming back off that layoff. He won’t come back in the Turf Cup (Dec. 15). We’ll wait for Santa Anita with him.”

Pincay was certain owner Josephine Gleis’ homebred would be a factor Saturday after working him seven furlongs seven days earlier. Fly Till Dawn was timed in 1:25 4/5 that morning.

“He worked really fast and didn’t seem to get tired, so I knew he’d run a really big race today,” Pincay said. “I didn’t know how fit he was, but he showed he’s a tremendous horse, and I figure he’s going to get better.”

Making his turf debut, Best Pal surged late to beat Wolf for second as the 9-2 third choice.

“I thought they would go faster on the front end,” said Kent Desormeaux, who replaced the suspended Pat Valenzuela on Best Pal. “I had him in a good spot. The other horse just ran his eyeballs out.”

Notorious Pleasure’s victory was his fourth in five tries over the Hollywood Park turf course. His only loss came when he was disqualified out of first and placed third in the 1989 Cinema Handicap.

Never far off the pace being set by River Master, the 5-year-old Mr. Pleasure horse and 7-2 second choice took the lead into the stretch and went on to beat 14-1 shot Somethingdifferent by 1 1/4 lengths in 1:45 4/5.

This was the third victory in four starts for Notorious Pleasure since joining Vienna’s barn. His only defeat was by a nose to Classic Fame.

“It’s unusual to find a horse with that many problems to run as hard and as consistently as he does,” Vienna said. “It’s just a pleasure to be around a horse that tries like he does.

“Because of (the physical problems) he’s had to deal with, he’s one of my favorite horses that I’ve ever trained. He has talent, no question, but he’s very big hearted, very, very generous.”

Rodney Rash, the longtime assistant to Charlie Whittingham, got his first stakes victory since going out on his own when More Than Willing outfinished Stormagain by a neck to take the first division of the $112,500 Miesque Stakes.

A 2-year-old daughter of Seattle Dancer, More Than Willing has provided Rash, 32, with all three of his victories since he left Whittingham earlier this year.

“This is a little different, the first (stakes victory) always is,” Rash said after the the 5-2 second choice completed the mile in 1:35 2/5 under Eddie Delahoussaye.

“I saw Charlie just after the race. I asked him to come down (to the winner’s circle). He said, ‘No, it’s hard enough to get ‘em. You go take it.’ But everything I know that man taught me . . . as far as taking time with horses, especially this kind of horse.”

Hopeful Amber remained unbeaten with a half-length victory over Storm Ring in the second--and slower--division of the Miesque.

A daughter of Tiffany Ice, Hopeful Amber was ridden perfectly by David Flores and caught Storm Ring, a 9-1 shot, in the final sixteenth. The 9-5 favorite ran the mile in 1:36 3/5 for trainer Lewis Cenicola.

Bidding for her fourth consecutive victory and second in a row at Grade I, Kostroma is the 9-5 morning-line favorite for today’s $200,000 Matriarch at Hollywood Park.

In line for an Eclipse Award if she follows up her impressive victory in Oak Tree’s Yellow Ribbon with a victory in the 1 1/8-mile Matriarch, Kostroma will have 13 opponents, including five who finished behind her three weeks ago.

The 5-year-old Caerleon mare, who will be ridden by Kent Desormeaux, drew post four in the overflow field. An Eclipse case could also be made for Fire The Groom if she turns the tables on Kostroma today.

Third in the Yellow Ribbon after racing wide throughout, Fire The Groom is the 5-1 third choice and will going her fourth graded stakes victory this year. Gary Stevens, who won the Japan Cup in an upset aboard Golden Pheasant a week ago, will be back at Hollywood Park in time to ride for owner R.D. Hubbard.

Horse Racing Notes

Jockeys Laffitt Pincay, Felipe Martinez and Kent Desormeaux all won twice Saturday. . . . Favored Bistro Garden survived a stewards’ inquiry in winning the $150,000 Bay Meadows Derby Saturday. Dominion Gold was second and Fraise third in the race, which was simulcast at Hollywood Park. . . . Hollywood Park set a California record for out-of-state mutuel handle when locations in eight other states pumped $1,114,056 into the combined pool of $9,131,266. The previous record had been set during California Cup Day at Oak Tree on Nov. 9, when $1,105,565 was bet.