HOLLYWOOD PARK : Bien Bien Follows Sire’s Hoof Steps With Victory in Cinema Handicap

Six years after Manila won the Cinema Handicap, his 3-year-old son did it Sunday at Hollywood Park, rallying from far off the pace to win by 4 1/2 lengths in 1:47 for the 1 1/8 miles on turf.

As it was for his sire, the Grade II race was the first stakes victory for Bien Bien. Owners Trudy McCaffery and John Toffan only hope their chestnut can continue to emulate his father’s career. The Cinema was the first of six consecutive stakes victories for Manila in 1986, capped by an 8-1 upset in the Breeders’ Cup Turf and an Eclipse Award as the nation’s best male grass horse.

Winless in four starts on the dirt, Bien Bien broke his maiden on the grass April 26 at Santa Anita, then returned to run third in a Hollywood Park allowance race June 4.

Bothered by sore hooves at Santa Anita, the $100,000 yearling purchase had trained well since that effort and trainer Juan Gonzalez could see he was starting to come around.

“He’s changed a lot since we put him on the turf,” Gonzalez said after Bien Bien paid $7.20 as the 5-2 second choice. “He had trained so well for this race.”

Bien Bien was helped by the way the Cinema was run. Blue Tiger, a 12-1 shot ridden by Eddie Delahoussaye, ran off to a 12-length lead, going half a mile in 44 3/5 seconds.

Chris McCarron, who completed a weekend stakes sweep, bided his time in fifth, moved up to challenge for the lead entering the stretch, then pulled away.

Fax News, a 17-1 shot, was second, 3 1/2 lengths ahead of 29-1 outsider Prospect For Four. Bold Assert was fourth and he was followed by Crivasik, The Name’s Jimmy (the 9-5 favorite), Anaesthetist and Blue Tiger, who wound up 27 1/2 lengths behind the winner.

“He’s a completely different horse than when he broke his maiden,” McCarron said. “He’s grown up (mentally) so much in six weeks, it’s unbelievable. The day he broke his maiden, he did absolutely everything wrong. He didn’t want to go in the gate, he was bad in the gate, he broke terribly, he tried to lug out badly around the first turn and he lugged in terribly the last three (furlongs). He did everything wrong and still won.

“He finished strong. I didn’t want to hit the front as quickly as I did because he has a tendency to goof around, but I hit him pretty hard and he went right on about his business.”

Able to get away with a very easy lead when winning the Will Rogers last month, The Name’s Jimmy was third behind the runaway leader early, tried to rally with Bien Bien, but couldn’t keep pace. Although trainer Charlie Stutts and jockey Danny Sorenson believed he didn’t need to be in front to win, that, indeed, might be the case.

“He just didn’t fire today,” Sorenson said. “He seems perfectly fine. We were in perfect position. He just didn’t have the needed response today. I really don’t know why. When I called upon him, I was out of horse. That’s not him.”

Brian Mayberry is having a successful meeting at Hollywood Park, and the trainer has been especially effective with his 2-year-olds.

Through Sunday, Mayberry has 15 winners from 48 starts, and six of those victories have been provided by the youngest members of his stable. He has started 14 2-year-olds and he also has four seconds and two thirds.

Beaten at 7-10 odds in his last start, Altazarr was treated with Lasix Sunday, and after breaking extremely alertly under Eddie Delahoussaye, went on to an eight-length victory. A son of Relaunch out of the mare Delicate Vine, who won the 1986 Landaluce, he covered the five furlongs in 56 4/5 seconds, the fastest time of the meeting for the distance.

Altazarr, who was third at Keeneland in his first start on April 5, is owned by Mr. and Mrs. Jerry Moss. They also own Ecologist, a son of Ogygian who broke his maiden May 31.

Besides Altazarr and Ecologist, Mayberry’s other 2-year-old winners are Hot Zone, Don’t Ignore, Zealous Connection and Blue Moonlight.

Horse Racing Notes

Bien Bien was named in honor of co-owner John Toffan’s favorite cocktail--Benedictine and brandy. “Every time we go to Mexico and ask for a B & B, the waiter says, ‘A bien bien for the senor,’ ” co-owner Trudy McCaffery said. “So, we said one of these days we’re going to call a horse Bien Bien.” Bien Bien might make his next start in the Lexington Stakes on July 19 at Belmont Park. That was Manila’s next victory after the Cinema in 1986.

J.F. Williams remained unbeaten in three starts with a 2 3/4-length victory in the seventh race, a $35,000 allowance. Pressured by Mystery’s Edge through some quick fractions, 21 3/5 and 43 4/5, the 3-year-old Broad Brush colt drew away at the end under Kent Desormeaux and ran the 6 1/2 furlongs in 1:14 4/5. . . . Desormeaux won three times Sunday and Eddie Delahoussaye had two victories.