HOLLYWOOD PARK : Frankel Packs One-Two Punch

One year ago, a victory in the Hollywood Gold Cup was no more than a shot in the dark for Bobby Frankel.

Farma Way was running, and so was Summer Squall, two of the top older horses in the country. The only thing Frankel could muster from his stable was a front-running chestnut named Marquetry, who had yet to connect in West Coast stakes competition.

But Marquetry was given only 110 pounds--12 pounds less than favored Farma Way--and the Hollywood Park main track had been generous to speed horses, especially when going a route of ground. Frankel shrugged, said “what the heck,” and told everyone who would listen that he would try to steal the Gold Cup and its $550,000 winner’s purse.

Then Marquetry led for every step of the 1 1/4-mile Gold Cup, holding off Farma Way to win by a head. At odds of 27-1, the colt had scored the biggest upset in the 53-year history of the race. Frankel, grinning, tried hard not to say, “I told you so.”

Marquetry is back for another crack at the $1-million Gold Cup on Saturday in an attempt to become only the second horse to win the race more than once. Only Native Diver, who owned the Gold Cup from 1965 to 1967, was able to repeat in the 1 1/4-mile event.

Among the nine Gold Cup winners who tried and failed were Ancient Title, Kayak II, Colorado King, Triplicate and Cadiz. Figonero, the 1969 winner, finished fifth in 1970 and fourth in 1971. Quack, who set a world record winning in 1972, lost by a nose to Kennedy Road in ’73. The most recent Gold Cup winner to fail in defense of his title was Ferdinand, who finished third in 1988.

This year Marquetry packs a new set of question marks. Since being treated for an injured shin at the end of 1991, the son of Conquistador Cielo has run three times without winning. He is carrying eight more pounds than last year, and he is facing several proven front-runners, including topweights Twilight Agenda and Another Review.

“Last year I knew exactly what I was going to do with him,” Frankel said Wednesday morning at Santa Anita. “This time, I’m not so sure. Maybe I’ll take him back.”

In his most recent race, the John Henry Handicap on June 14, Marquetry was a fast-closing second to Notorious Pleasure at 1 1/8 miles on the Hollywood turf. He was stopped on the final turn that day and might have been best.

“He was the best horse,” Frankel said. “And at 8-1 even I had to bet on him. I guess people forgot he could run on the grass.

“He’s acted pretty good since that race,” the trainer added. “He worked (a half-mile) in :46 on Tuesday, and I thought that might whack him out. But he looks really good this morning.

“Sometimes you work them too slow and they run better for you, sometimes you go too fast. Till the race is over, who knows?”

Frankel can afford to be reticent about Marquetry’s chances Saturday. The trainer is high on his other Gold Cup starter, Defensive Play, and he doesn’t even need to worry about playing favorites. Both are owned by Prince Khalid Abdullah of Saudi Arabia.

Defensive Play, who won the 1991 Strub Stakes while trained by Shug McGaughey, is a king-sized bay horse who finished second to Another Review in the June 7 Californian.

“Another Review is a good horse, but I think he’s beatable,” Frankel said. “He’s going a mile and a quarter now, and he’s starting to carry some weight. Defensive Play gave him a pound last time, and now Another Review’s got to give my horse three pounds. That’s got to mean something, doesn’t it?”

Based on recent races the Frankel entry should run at least second and third in the Gold Cup. Over the weekend of June 13-14, Frankel horses finished second in the John Henry, 2-3-4 in the Golden Gate Handicap, third in the New York Handicap at Belmont and second in the $250,000 New Hampshire Sweepstakes.

“I won $260,000 that weekend and the only race I won was an allowance race,” Frankel said. “The horses are running their races. How can I complain?

“A friend of mine went for a job the other day against 365 other models,” Frankel added. “She finishes second, out of a field like that, and she gets nothing. At least I win money when I’m second.”

All the money at the race track can’t make Frankel feel better about Exbourne, the horse who was badly injured during a workout at Santa Anita on May 21.

Since then, the horse has been fighting for survival. He underwent extensive surgery to fuse his right front ankle and compensate for the loss of ligament support, but it took him too long to bear weight on the damaged leg.

As a result, Exbourne is now foundering on his left fore, a condition that leads to the rotation of the coffin (foot) bone and loss of the hoof. The most merciful cure is euthanasia.

“It’s very, very sad,” Frankel said softly. “I don’t give him much of a chance.

“Everything was looking good,” the trainer added. “He was starting to put weight on the bad leg. Then, boom, this happens.”

Helmut Von Bluecher, one of Exbourne’s attending veterinarians, is equally pessimistic.

“Rarely does a horse recover when the condition is this far along,” Von Bluecher said. “You can keep them alive, but to what end?”

After more than 25 years in the business, training every conceivable class of thoroughbred, Frankel has yet to come to terms with their ultimate sacrifice.

“It’s the toughest part of the game,” he said. “You have control of a living thing, an animal that has just as much right to live as we do. It will take a miracle for this horse.”

Horse Racing Notes

The Gold Cup is the sixth race in this year’s American Championship Racing Series. By finishing first or second, Twilight Agenda could take the lead in points toward the ACRS $750,000 bonus. . . . At 121 pounds, Twilight Agenda is the lowest Gold Cup highweight since 1972.

Four of the six likely Gold Cup starters are training at Santa Anita: Twilight Agenda, Another Review and stablemates Marquetry and Defensive Play. . . . Sultry Song, who arrived from New York Monday, worked a half-mile in :49 3/5 at Hollywood Wednesday morning. . . . Ibero, from the Ron McAnally barn, is the other intended runner.

Trainer Paco Gonzalez reports that the next race for Cinema Handicap winner Bien Bien will be the $300,000 American Derby at Arlington International Racecourse, July 25. . . . Bobby Frankel said he is expecting Torrey Canyon to ship over from England to run in the American Derby and then the Del Mar Derby. Owned by Prince Khalid, Torrey Canyon finished a close third to Belmont Stakes runner-up My Memoirs in a May 7 race at Chester Racecourse, not far from Liverpool.