THOROUGHBRED RACING : A.P. Indy’s Status Is Uncertain

Owner-breeder Will Farish said a decision will be made in the next few days on whether A.P. Indy will return to the races next year or be retired to stud at Farish’s Lane’s End Farm in Versailles, Ky.

Speaking by phone, Farish said he will meet with co-owner Tomonori Tsurumaki and trainer Neil Drysdale. Tsurumaki was in London on Wednesday attending the Cartier Awards, where A.P. Indy was honored as North America’s horse of the year.

There has been speculation that the decision to retire the 3-year-old son of Seattle Slew has been made because Lane’s End, in advertisements in trade magazines, has the colt being available for stud duty in 1993.

“When those ads were prepared, it had pretty much been determined that the horse would be retired after the Breeders’ Cup,” Farish said. “Since then, we’ve begun weighing the possibilities and we decided we didn’t want to make a quick decision.

“There’s a possibility he could race next year, but retirement is more likely at the moment. The decision really hasn’t been made.”

The leading candidate to earn an Eclipse Award as horse of the year, A.P. Indy has won eight of 11 starts, including victories in the Breeders’ Cup Classic, Belmont Stakes, Santa Anita Derby and Hollywood Futurity.

The most interesting race of the young meeting will be run Saturday when eight 3-year-olds get together in the $109,500 Lazaro S. Barrera Handicap at 1 1/16 miles.

Casual Lies, the 120-pound highweight, The Wicked North and unbeaten Mineral Wells head the field for the Barrera, formerly called the Affirmed Handicap.

Fourth in two starts since injuring himself in the Belmont Stakes, Casual Lies will be making his first appearance at Hollywood Park since he finished a distant third behind A.P. Indy and Dance Floor in the Hollywood Futurity about 11 months ago. Corey Nakatani will ride for trainer Shelley Riley.

A son of Far North, The Wicked North has been impressive in three 1992 starts, rattling off a maiden victory at 6 1/2 furlongs, then stretching out to win twice at a mile.

Sixth in his only start last year, the Kentucky-bred trained well before his comeback for David Bernstein and hasn’t really been tested this year. In his most recent appearance, The Wicked North beat Double O’Slew by three lengths while covering a mile in 1:35 4/5 at Santa Anita on Nov. 8.

Kent Desormeaux, who has been aboard the colt in all three of his victories, will return from a five-day suspension Saturday and has the call. Originally, it looked as if Bernstein would need to find a rider for The Wicked North because Desormeaux was set to go to Illinois to ride Missionary Ridge in the Budweiser-Hawthorne Gold Cup. But Missionary Ridge, the Pacific Classic and Carleton F. Burke Handicap winner, didn’t go east and Desormeaux will stay home.

After being away for more than eight months, Mineral Wells stretched his unbeaten streak to four with a 1 1/2-length victory over Last Lion on Oct. 22 at Santa Anita. It was the first effort around two turns for the son of Mr. Prospector, who is trained by Wayne Lukas.

Gary Stevens will ride Mineral Wells, who will break from the outside in the field of eight. In his only start at Hollywood Park, Mineral Wells broke his maiden last Dec. 15, winning by 7 1/2 lengths.

Others entered Thursday morning were Prospect For Four, well beaten in the California Cup Classic in his last start; L’Express, a Chilean-bred who won his first start in this country; Lottery Winner, who has three consecutive victories for trainer Jay Robbins, Solid Truth and Star Recruit, who was third behind Blacksburg and Siberian Summer in the Volante Handicap on turf last month at Santa Anita.

Hollywood Park will simulcast its nine-race Thanksgiving Day card to four Canadian tracks--Greenwood, Woodbine, Ft. Erie and Mohawk--Nov. 26.

First post is 11 a.m. and Canadian fans will be able to experience a day-night doubleheader. After the Hollywood Park program concludes, there will be live racing at Greenwood.

Sea Cadet, forced to miss the Breeders’ Cup Classic because of a minor problem, tops a field of eight for the $400,000 Budweiser-Hawthorne Gold Cup Saturday at Hawthorne. The 1 1/4-mile Gold Cup will be simulcast at Hollywood Park between the second and third races.

Alex Solis will ride Sea Cadet, winner of three Grade I stakes--the Donn and Gulfstream Park Handicaps and the Meadowlands Cup--this year. Trainer Ron McAnally’s 4-year-old son of Bolger will carry the top weight of 121 pounds.

Twilight Agenda, to be ridden by Chris McCarron, is next on the list at 118 pounds. The rest of the field includes Blue And Blue, Irish Swap, Silver Survivor, Steel Rain, Fappiano’s Star and Evanescent.

Horse Racing Notes

Kostroma, who missed the Yellow Ribbon Stakes because of a lung infection, worked five furlongs in 59 2/5 Wednesday morning. The 6-year-old mare will work again Monday, according to trainer Gary Jones, and if she goes well, will take on Flawlessly and Super Staff in an Eclipse showdown in the $400,000 Matriarch on Nov. 29. . . . Star Of Cozzene won for the first time since Oct. 14, 1991 in Thursday’s feature, a $50,000 allowance at 1 1/16 miles on the turf. Star Of Cozzene went the distance in 1:41 2/5 under Gary Stevens. Super May was second and Memo third.