HOLLYWOOD PARK : McCarron Ends Long Day by Scoring Flawless Victory

Chris McCarron was early returning from Japan after riding Dr Devious to a 10th-place finish in the Japan Cup on Sunday.

“Normally, the trip’s about an hour longer, but there was a real sharp tailwind coming home and it pushed us along,” McCarron said.

There was no noticeable breeze later in the day at Hollywood Park, but the jockey must have felt as if something was propelling him again in the final yards of the $400,000 Matriarch.

All the acceleration came courtesy of Flawlessly, who probably clinched an Eclipse Award with her second consecutive victory in the Grade I race.

Joining Super Staff and Kostroma, the two other contenders for the honor as the nation’s top female grass performer, near the sixteenth pole, Flawlessly, the 4-year-old Affirmed filly and 7-5 favorite, asserted her superiority from there.

At the end of her 1:46 journey, she had opened a length on Super Staff and it was another two back to Kostroma, the 9-5 second choice, who much to the surprise of nearly everyone--especially trainer Gary Jones--led from the start of the 1 1/8-mile Matriarch.

With Kostroma changing her style under Kent Desormeaux, Flawlessly and McCarron were content to bide their time in fifth most of the way. They were four-wide into the stretch and pulled away. The victory left Flawlessly unbeaten in four tries on the Hollywood Park turf, ended a two-race losing streak against Super Staff and extended her winning streak to four against Kostroma. It was Flawlessly’s ninth victory in 12 grass starts.

“I knew we had the best horse,” trainer Charlie Whittingham said.

“She loves this turf course, and she was awesome today. It didn’t bother me (that Kostroma was on the lead). I didn’t suspect she’d go, but we can go either way.”

Able to sleep almost seven hours on the flight back from Japan, McCarron was refreshed when he arrived at Hollywood Park, and he felt even better after the Matriarch.

“Just like in her last race (the Yellow Ribbon), Flawlessly wasn’t taking hold of the bit at all,” he said. “She’s galloping along, but I was letting her run. I let her run the whole race today.

“I wanted to be a little closer to Super Staff today, and even though I was, I was there and just letting her run. Not asking her to run-- letting her run. She used to pull harder in her races, except for when she’s on the lead.

“I didn’t know at the head of the lane I was going to win, but the first time I reached back and cracked Flawlessly, she cut. I said, ‘Oh my God, I’ve got more horse than I thought I had. It had to be (her best race) because I think she got the (Eclipse) award by winning that.”

Super Staff, who had led wire to wire while beating Flawlessly in the Las Palmas and Yellow Ribbon at Santa Anita, was fourth along the inside most of the way Sunday and simply couldn’t match strides with the winner nearing the wire.

“I thought I was going to win at the head of the lane,” said Eddie Delahoussaye, who was riding Super Staff for the first time. “She went to switching leads down the stretch, like her feet might be stinging her. Maybe this turf was too firm for her. I had to grab her early. I think she might be better running free, but I had no choice.”

Jones declined comment after the Matriarch, but it was obvious to those who saw him and his reaction to the race replay that he wasn’t happy with Desormeaux’s ride. Kostroma’s best races have come from behind, and she was 10th of 13 early when she rallied to win the Beverly D.

After breaking sharply, Desormeaux chose to stay in front and the 6-year-old Caerleon mare set moderate fractions (23 3/5, 47 1/5, 1:10 4/5 and 1:34 for the mile) and had a two-length lead with a furlong to run.

“I wouldn’t have traded places with anyone at the top of the stretch,” Desormeaux said. “She was in a steady gallop for three-quarters of a mile. I had the reins dangling. She was going as easy as possible.

“I set her down at the top of the lane and she kicked on like a bat out of hell. But they (Flawlessly and Super Staff) still went by us like we were standing still.”

Whittingham’s other entrant, Campagnarde, was fourth. Then came Hydro Calido, Sporades, Re Toss, Lady Shirl and Lite Light.

Leger Cat won for the fifth time in six starts on the Hollywood Park turf course with a $37 upset in the $250,000 Citation Handicap two races after the Matriarch.

Ridden by Corey Nakatani, the 6-year-old Logical horse tracked 9-10 favorite Roman Envoy most of the way, got the lead in the stretch, then held off another longshot, 18-1 Trishyde, to win by a head in 1:46 2/5 for the 1 1/8 miles on turf.

A winner of five in a row on four turf courses back east, Roman Envoy beat only Stark South on Sunday after taking an easy lead.

After her comeback was put on hold twice, La Spia returned after more than a year with a 3 1/2-length victory Sunday.

The winner of last year’s Del Mar Debutante, La Spia was second to the late Pleasant Stage in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies last year and had been scheduled to return at Oak Tree. However, the 3-year-old Capote filly was scratched when the track came up muddy, then was scratched Nov. 18 at Hollywood Park when she developed a temperature.

Never far off the lead under Alex Solis on Sunday, she took charge without being asked and cruised home in 1:09 3/5 for the six furlongs.

Trainer Randy Winick said La Spia will make her next start in the seven-furlong La Brea Stakes on Dec. 27, the first leg of the La Canada Series.

Horse Racing Notes

Tokai Teio, last year’s Japan Derby winner, surged on the outside to beat Australia’s Naturalism by a neck and win the $3.16-million Japan Cup before more than 168,000 at Tokyo Race Course. . . . Gary Stevens will leave Monday to join Pat Day in a two-day World Super Jockey Series of Japan competition in Osaka. Stevens will be back riding at Hollywood Park on Dec. 9. . . . Jockey Frank Alvarado was handed a five-day suspension, beginning Thursday, for an incident during Saturday’s sixth race. Alvarado was cited for failure to maintain a straight course on the backstretch while riding Bold And Lacey, a 128-1 shot who finished third. There was no disqualification, however. . . . Jockey Eddie Delahoussaye had three winners Sunday.