THOROUGHBRED RACING : Hubbard Says Friday Nights Won’t Leave Cupboard Bare

R.D. Hubbard, Hollywood Park’s chairman of the board, cannot understand why horsemen are not willing to embrace Friday night racing.

During a news conference Wednesday at Santa Anita, Hubbard, quoting a study commissioned by Hollywood Park and the California Horsemen’s Benevolent and Protective Assn., listed the benefits of Friday night racing.

Thirteen weeks of Friday night racing and the mixing of live thoroughbred racing with the simulcasting of quarter horse and harness racing was approved by the California Horse Racing Board at its meeting last Friday over the objection of the CHBPA.

Many horsemen say the thoroughbred industry will be harmed by exposing its fans to quarter and harness horse racing, but Hubbard says the opposite is true. Off-track sites have received all three signals during Hollywood Park’s Friday night programs over the last four years and, since last September, Hollywood Park has been receiving the night signal from Los Alamitos.

Attendance increased about 5,000 at the off-track sites when Hollywood Park raced Friday nights, but the handle on quarter horse and harness racing dropped.

“The facts show that the business was taken away from the quarter horse industry,” Hubbard said. “The nighttime people bet more on the top show, which is the thoroughbreds.”

At a meeting with the CHBPA Board of Directors Wednesday morning, Hubbard guaranteed $1.3 million in additional purse money because of Friday night racing.

“Trainers don’t want to race on Friday nights, but the facts are that it is good for the industry,” Hubbard said. “The point I want to make is everybody says something needs to be done and that we need change.

“The total gaming industry is changing. It’s getting more and more competitive and it’s going to get worse before it gets better. All we’re saying is give us a chance to make a difference and maybe we can.”

Other statistics the research study provided were that there was a 73% increase in attendance Friday evenings compared to Friday afternoons; 36% of the fans at night said they could not have attended during the day; 9% of the night fans had never been to Hollywood Park before, and 66% of the night fans were under 50 compared to 38% on a typical Friday afternoon.

“I don’t want a boycott (of the entry box on Friday nights), but we will have racing cards on Friday nights,” Hubbard said. “There are horsemen who have come up to me and said they do support racing on Friday nights.”

The CHBPA has scheduled a general meeting after Saturday’s ninth race at Santa Anita to discuss Hollywood Park’s position.

Six 3-year-olds will probably be entered today for Saturday’s $500,000 Santa Anita Derby, but the race is viewed primarily as a match between A.P. Indy and Bertrando.

Owner-trainer Shelly Riley said Wednesday that Casual Lies will start if the track is fast, and other probable starters are Hickman Creek, Fax News and Solid Truth.

A.P. Indy, who worked six furlongs in 1:14 4/5 Monday at Hollywood Park, will probably be shipped to Santa Anita today. Bertrando galloped 1 1/2 miles Wednesday morning. The son of Skywalker, who has lost only once in five starts, went five furlongs in 1:00 4/5 Monday morning.

Miss Alleged, who was beaten by Quest For Fame in her first start of 1992, is the 124-pound highweight for Sunday’s $250,000 Santa Barbara Handicap at 1 1/4 miles on turf.

The Eclipse Award winner skipped last Sunday’s San Luis Rey after missing some time because of the inclement weather, but she worked six furlongs in 1:16 2/5 Tuesday morning.

Kostroma, who hasn’t raced since finishing sixth in the Matriarch Dec. 1, will start under 121 pounds. Kent Desormeaux will ride Kostroma for trainer Gary Jones, and the Yellow Ribbon winner has been training well. She worked seven furlongs in 1:28 3/5.

Another scheduled starter in the Santa Barbara is Polemic, who has been impressive beating lesser opposition for Bobby Frankel in her first two starts in the United States.

Horse Racing Notes

Fire The Groom, a multiple-stakes winning mare owned by Hubbard, Ed Allred and Constance Sczesny, has been retired because of a minor injury and will be bred to Nureyev. Fire The Groom, a winner of the Beverly D., Wilshire and Santa Anita Budweiser Breeders’ Cup last year retires with eight victories in 16 starts and $785,698 in earnings. She will go to Crystal Springs Farm in Paris, Ky. . . . Best Pal left for Oaklawn Park Tuesday and will work over that track Monday in preparation for the Oaklawn Handicap, the third leg of the American Championship Series. Twilight Agenda and Sea Cadet will also try the 1 1/8-mile Handicap, which will be simulcast at Santa Anita. Twilight Agenda worked six furlongs in 1:12 1/5 Tuesday morning.