HOLLYWOOD PARK : Reports of Tight Spot’s Demise Prove to Be Greatly Exaggerated

Tight Spot might defend his title in the Arlington Million and win another Eclipse Award after all.

Trainer Ron McAnally said Saturday that the 5-year-old His Majesty horse doesn’t have a broken right ankle, as was originally thought Thursday. What was discovered was a mere bruise in Tight Spot’s right hoof.

“He’s always had big ankles,” McAnally said. “He’s had fractures in both ankles, and when he was walking a little off, we thought it was the ankle right away. But the X-rays we took didn’t look too much different than the X-rays that had been taken (several) months ago.

“We just assumed it was the ankle because of his past problems. We hadn’t looked at the foot before, but when we checked it we found a lot of (heat). The veterinarian came over, and he said there was definite sensitivity in the foot.”

Treatment was begun immediately and Tight Spot, who was scheduled to run in the Inglewood Handicap today at Hollywood Park, could return to training in a week or two, McAnally said.

After working Sacramentada a mile in 1:40 2/5 eight days ago, Kent Desormeaux believed he was on the right mare in Saturday’s $106,600 Hawthorne Handicap.

“When I got off her last week, I told (trainer) Mr. (Richard) Mandella she had worked better than any horse I’d worked in the last couple of weeks. It was some kind of brilliant work.”

A 6-year-old Chilean-bred, owned in partnership by Hollywood Park chief operating officer R.D. Hubbard and Ed Allred, Sacramentada didn’t disappoint Desormeaux.

The 17-10 second choice outfinished 7-5 favorite Brought To Mind by a head to win for the second time in four American starts, running the 1 1/6 miles in 1:43. Brought To Mind’s loss ended McAnally’s three-year hold on the Hawthorne.

“The blinkers (added Saturday) helped, too,” Desormeaux said. “She’s so talented she likes to play with the other horses. The blinkers kept her honest the last 70 yards. Plus, (Mandella) said she wasn’t ready last time.” In her previous start, Sacramentada was fourth, beaten by a neck in the seven-furlong A Gleam Handicap.

Brought To Mind, who won the Hawthorne, Milady and Vanity over the track last year, set the pace under pressure from longshot Steff Graf and finished 3 1/2 lengths ahead of Re Toss.

“She was running her rear end off,” jockey Pat Valenzuela said of Brought To Mind. “She just couldn’t get away from the winner.”

Mandella wasn’t on hand to see Sacramentada’s victory. He saddled Devil’s Orchid in a second-place finish in the Garden State Budweiser Breeders’ Cup in New Jersey.

Second in his first two starts on turf, The Name’s Jimmy ran off with the top prize in the $108,600 Will Rogers Handicap at Hollywood Park.

Ridden by Danny Sorenson, the 9-1 shot took advantage of a turf course that has been favoring front-runners and led all the way to beat Bold Assert by 2 1/2 lengths in 1:40 4/5 for the 1 1/16 miles.

After winning his first two starts, The Name’s Jimmy went sour while racing in Florida and Illinois, so owners Brian and Dennis Burns decided to send him to trainer Charles Stutts in California.

Last on a slow track in the Baldwin Stakes, the Encino colt has blossomed on the grass. He was beaten by a neck in an allowance race at Santa Anita on April 1, then was a half-length behind Saintry in the La Puente Stakes. Saintry finished fifth as the 17-10 favorite Saturday.

“He just turned three a few weeks ago,” said Stutts, who has only two other horses under his care. “He turned in one of the most brilliant works a horse can (1:24 3/5 for seven furlongs May 17 at Santa Anita), but nobody paid attention. It was like it didn’t happen.

“He’s got world-class speed, he’s got some quality and he’s getting better. These horses can’t outrun him. If they’d gone around again, they wouldn’t have caught him.”

Stutts said The Name’s Jimmy will return in the Cinema Handicap June 21, then, if all goes well, head to the Midwest for starts in the American Derby and Secretariat.

Prospectors Delite, who lost for the first time in six starts in the Kentucky Oaks, got back on track with a two-length victory in the $189,000 Acorn at Belmont Park.

Ridden by Pat Day, the 3-year-old Mr. Prospector filly defeated Pleasant Stage and 10 others in the first leg of New York’s Triple Tiara. The 3-1 second choice, she paid $8.20 and completed the mile in 1:35.

Next-to-last after a half-mile, Pleasant Stage, the 1991 Eclipse Award winner as the nation’s top 2-year-old filly, rallied under Eddie Delahoussaye and finished 1 1/2 lengths in front of Turnback The Alarm. Easy Now, the 2-1 favorite, was a distant fifth.

Horse Racing Notes

Golden Pheasant is the 9-5 morning line favorite for the Inglewood Handicap at 1 1/16 miles on the turf. Gary Stevens will ride the 1990 Arlington Million winner and 121-pound highweight in his first start since Jan. 20. Madjaristan, Claret, Time Gentlemen, Nijinsky’s Prince, Blaze O’Brien, Native Boundary and Regal Groom are the other entrants. . . . Notorious Pleasure defeated Never Black to win the Rolling Green Handicap at Golden Gate Fields, a race simulcast at Hollywood Park. . . . There is a Pick Six carryover for today of more than $172,000.