LOS ALAMITOS HARNESS RACING : Blaylock Gets the Most Out of Tony’s Best

Even though Tony’s Best was one of the leading 3-year-old trotters at Sacramento this summer, trainer Len Blaylock was looking forward to racing the filly at Los Alamitos this fall.

Blaylock raced Tony’s Best at Los Alamitos last spring and she won five of seven starts, including divisions of the California Sires Stakes. At Sacramento over the summer, she won two of six starts, but didn’t handle the sweeping turns of the mile track as well as Blaylock expected.

Tony’s Best was back on the five-eighths-mile Los Alamitos track last Thursday, scoring a narrow victory in the $10,000 California Breeders Stakes for 3-year-old trotting fillies.

“I thought she’d be better on the big track at Sacramento, but she wasn’t,” Blaylock said. “As soon as she got here she perked up. She seems like a better mare here. I guess horses fit certain courses.

“She’s not real tight. She hasn’t raced in a month, but she was sharp (Thursday). She’ll be better in her next start.”

The head victory was her first in a stake since May 14 at Sacramento. She trailed the field for the first half mile, then made a strong move in the last quarter mile and caught Always The One in the final strides. The time for the mile was 2:02 2/5, a fifth of a second off her lifetime best.

Coming from behind at Los Alamitos can be difficult because of the potential for heavy traffic, which is magnified in the large fields of the California-bred stakes. Blaylock, who trains nine horses, hopes Tony’s Best will learn to start faster.

“She’s still a little green,” he said. “I think she’ll be a nice 4-year-old. I think she’ll have to learn how to pick it up in the first half. I’m looking for this mare to be in the preferred or below the invitational.”

Tony’s Best was winless in three starts last year, but that didn’t concern Blaylock, who knew the filly needed time to develop. She is one of six trotters in Blaylock’s barn.

“When they’re 2, I don’t push them,” he said. “I knew she had ability, but she had problems and if I had pushed her she wouldn’t have raced this year. Most trotters get better with age. They tend to come around.”

Blaylock has raced in California for more than 20 years, either on his own or assisting other trainers. He came to California with Jim Miller in 1971 and worked with him for four years. In ‘74, he went out on his own, but didn’t have much success.

Since then, he has assisted Joe Lighthill, an accomplished trainer of trotters, and spent four years at Lonnie Beck’s farm before going out on his own again. Beck is Blaylock’s leading client and owns Tony’s Best. They are partners on three 2-year-olds.

“I just prefer trotters,” Blaylock said. “I worked with Joe Lighthill and he was a good trotting person. I learned most of what I know from him.”

Tony’s Best has a full menu of state-bred stakes races through this fall. Her competition includes Always The One, whom she narrowly defeated Thursday; Saprisa, a stakes winner at Sacramento; and Foxy’N Rowdy, who was third against older horses in a five-furlong trot last Thursday.

“She’ll have to go in two minutes here,” Blaylock said. “The main thing is to keep her (trotting). If she’s close at the three-quarters, she’ll beat them most of the time.”

*

One of California’s most prominent breeders is also represented on the race track this year by an undefeated 2-year-old.

Eggwhite, a 2-year-old trotting filly, extended her winning streak to five races, all stakes, with a victory last Thursday in a $10,000 California Breeders Stakes. The filly is owned by Jim and Virginia Bagatelos of Sacramento, who own Mir Mar farm in Dixon, Calif.

Eggwhite is not only the best of her crop, she’s also the most consistent. In five starts, she has never gone off-stride--a common occurrence in 2-year-old trots--and has been a clear winner in each race. She is trained and driven by Frank Sherren.

“When she was a baby, she was very athletic,” Jim Bagatelos said. “She was for sale. At the time, I had two that were for sale. They bought one and I kept her. I sent her to Del Mar (last winter) to Jack Sherren (Frank’s father) and the rest is history.”

Eggwhite, a full-sister to Googie, who has earned more than $200,000, made her debut in June at Sacramento and won stakes races every other week until July 30, then won a five-horse stake by 42 lengths.

Bagatelos, whose farm breeds 150 mares, said consistency is the key to success for a young trotter.

“With 2-year-olds, you get a lot of horses jumping (off-stride),” he said. “As they get older and better, they develop the talent. But some have natural talent. I think she’s a natural.”

Los Alamitos Notes

Other Breeders Stakes winner last week included A Real Find, 2-year-old pacing filly; First Knockout, 3-year-old pacing filly; 2-year-old pacing colts and geldings; You Better You Bet, 3-year-old pacing colts and gelding; Hays My Games, 2-year-old trotting colts and geldings, and David’s Storm, 3-year-old trotting colts and geldings. Each race carried a purse of $10,000.

The first leg of the American Pacing Classic is scheduled for Saturday. Eligible entries are Odds Against, Kenwood Don, Nuclear Siren, Brace Yourself, TK’s Skipper, One Bad Boy, Bright As Day, Heavy Tipper, Popsicle, Clancy, Sleepwalk, El Camino Real, Positron and Positive Spirit.

Wednesday’s feature is the $12,500 final of the Hot Summer Night series, and Thursday’s program is highlighted by the $12,500 Back To School final. . . . There is a carry-over of $41,939 in tonight’s twin-trifecta and $22,666 in tonight’s pick-six.