THOROUGHBRED RACING : National Pick Six Might Begin on Saturdays During the Spring

Some race track executives were uncomfortable about coming to Las Vegas for the annual convention of the Thoroughbred Racing Assns., which had never been held here before.

Race tracks have actually been partners of the Nevada casinos for some time--there was betting on nine tracks in the race book at the convention hotel Friday--but racing officials still perceive the gaming here and in Atlantic City, N.J., as the enemy, siphoning off dollars from customers who might possibly be playing horses. The lotteries get the same rap.

Ray Paulick, writing in the Racing Times, joked about the next racing convention being held on a Mississippi riverboat, because floating casinos are the new wave of competition for the tracks. Paddle-wheelers are proliferating in the Midwest in particular. Along the Mississippi, near St. Louis, and to the north in Iowa, such boats are in operation and licenses have been issued for others.

“In three years, they’ll have them on Lake Michigan,” Bob Bork said glumly. Bork is general manager of Arlington International Racecourse, the suburban Chicago track that would be close enough to Lake Michigan to notice.

One of the downstate Illinois riverboat licenses has been issued to the family of Stormy Bidwill, once the co-owner of the Chicago and St. Louis--now Phoenix--Cardinals of the National Football League, a prominent shareholder in Churchill Downs and operator of Sportsman’s Park, another Chicago track.

Bork believes that the Bidwills will eventually try to be at the forefront of riverboat gambling on Lake Michigan, with a leg up on licensing because of the fact that they are already running a boat elsewhere.

After Lake Michigan, perhaps Santa Catalina Island? States are notorious for playing follow-the-leader. Catalina already has a casino, although its history is more big bands than baccarat.

To fight back, racing has handed Bork and his committee a mandate to take racing into the 1990s. One of their first ideas is a national Pick Six, weekly betting on six races at different tracks. The races would be televised on a one-hour television program.

Six races in an hour?

“Look at the action out there,” Bork said, pointing to the race book, which by piling race on top of race at tracks from Aqueduct to Santa Anita has created a fast-pace horseplaying.

Bork believes that that same type of player won’t be overwhelmed by six races within 60 minutes on a Saturday afternoon. The Breeders’ Cup introduced a national Pick Seven on its $10-million races at Churchill Downs last November, and the handle was $8.5 million.

One of the holes in Bork’s idea is the potential lack of full fields. Phil Dunn, the New York racing executive, picked up an overnight entry sheet from his Aqueduct track here the other day, and noted that only six horses were running in the stake.

“Look at that,” Dunn said. “That’s the future of racing, I’m afraid.”

Fly So Free, who won three consecutive races, among them the Florida Derby last winter at Gulfstream Park, has been scratched from the $500,000 Donn Handicap there today because of an infection. The race is the first in the nine-race American Championship Racing Series.

Despite his eight-race losing streak since winning last year’s Kentucky Derby, Strike The Gold is expected to be the favorite in the Donn. Two horses familiar to California bettors are Sea Cadet, the Ron McAnally trainee, and Native Boundary, who is trained by Mike Machowsky, who used to work for Richard Mandella.

With Festin, McAnally finished second to trainer Wayne Lukas’ Farma Way in last year’s ACRS, which offers $1.5 million in bonuses. Lukas’ entry in the Donn is Sports View, who won the Widener Handicap at Hialeah a month ago.

The other races in the series are the Santa Anita Handicap, the Oaklawn Handicap, the Pimlico Special, the Nassau County Handicap at Belmont Park, the Hollywood Gold Cup, the New England Classic at Rockingham Park, the Iselin Handicap at Monmouth Park and the Pacific Classic at Del Mar.

Las Vegas oddsmaker Roxy Roxborough made Black Tie Affair a 1-2 favorite to win horse of the year today. He has Dance Smartly at 3-1 and Arazi at 4-1. Ron McAnally is the 1-2 favorite to win the best-trainer Eclipse and if Roxborough’s 4-5 odds are right, Pat Day will win best-jockey honors for the fourth time.

Horse Racing Notes

Dave Scott, a correspondent for the Racing Times, wrote last fall about the shoddy practices of the Las Vegas future books. Among other things, they were carrying odds on Izvestia for the Breeders’ Cup long after the horse was destroyed after breaking down at Woodbine. Three race books told Scott he was not welcome, one threatened to handcuff him if he came in again and the Riviera still refuses to carry his newspaper, which is a competitor of the Daily Racing Form.

Favored Exchange drew the No. 6 post, with Laffit Pincay riding, for Sunday’s $200,000 La Canada Stakes at Santa Anita. Others in the eight-horse field for the 1 1/8-mile race are Grand Girlfriend, with Chris McCarron riding; Rare Pick, Pat Johnson; Winglet, Pat Valenzuela; Damewood, Eddie Delahoussaye; Goldmining, Kent Desormeaux; Fappies Cosy Miss, Frank Alvarado; and Nice Assay, David Flores. Grand Girlfriend and Goldmining are coupled for betting purposes. Exchange will carry 119 pounds, same as Nice Assay; Rare Pick and Winglet are at 117, and the others will carry 115.

In another stake at Santa Anita Sunday, the $100,000 Palos Verdes at six furlongs, Frost Free is the high weight at 120 pounds. Others in the field are Individualist, High Energy, Valiant Pete, Apollo, Rocket Gibralter, Letthebighossroll, Rushmore and Media Plan.